> Monster Pony Quest! > by Traumkampfer > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Great Expectations > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Dear Diary, today was positively wonderful! I had such a fun time at my birthday party, and can hardly believe I’m already 16. But I can’t get too excited, because tomorrow is the big day. Anyway, just thought I would write a little before heading to bed. My own best friend- Pipsqueak." I shut my diary and stuffed it away under my bed, lying down and quickly passing out, eager to start the biggest day of my life…. “Somepony shut up that ringing sound” I grumbled to myself, looking over at my alarm clock. It read “7:45am”, and I promptly turned off the alarm. I shut my eyes to rub them, and when I opened them again, the clock read “1:45PM”, making me jump out of my bed and rush to get my stuff. “Oh sweet Celestia, I overslept! Hurry Pip, hurry!” I said, slipping on my tan tunic and red scarf. I put on my sword on my hip, and rushing downstairs, burst through the front door and ran down the street like a madcolt, praying that they would understand what happened. “Thank goodness, the palace looks like it’s still open!” I approached the door, but two royal guards held their spears together, blocking my path “And where do you think you’re going?” “My test was today, I’m not too late, am I?” I asked, a look of panic on my face “The hero tests were finished an hour ago, so it looks like you’ll have to go home, runt.” the guard on the right said. I lowered my head in despair. My one shot at being christened a hero,; gone in an instant, all because I had failed to get up in time. In despair, I trotted into the nearby woods for some much needed alone time. I sat on a tree stump, sighing and gazing at my reflection in a stream. “You really messed up this time, Pip. How can you dream of being a hero if you can’t even wake up in time?” I said, kicking a pebble. As the pebble dropped into the stream, I heard a loud crash coming from deep inside the forest, so I picked up my sword and galloped towards where it came from. “Is somepony hurt?” I yelled out, but there was no response. The sound lead me into a clearing in the middle of the forest, and what I saw astonished me: lying in the middle of a small crater was a pony, but she was unusual, having both a horn and wings just like the Princess. This pony was a dark blue, as dark as the night, and had a crescent shaped cutie mark with black clouds around it. “H-Hello? Do you need help?” I said, gently poking her side with a hoof. With a startled groan, she slowly sat up rubbing her forehead “Good grief, my head hurts….Celestia sure can throw a hoof- Oh, hello there. Who might you be?” I paused for a moment, shocked this pony could move, let alone talk after the fall she took “My….My name is Pipsqueak, but my friends call me Pip…and who might you be, miss?” “My name is….”she paused for a moment, as if thinking about something “….Princess Luna, my dear Pip.” “Princess?" I asked, titlting my head in confusion. "But the only princess I’ve ever heard of is Celestia, savior of the pony race and ruler of the heavens.” Luna chuckled and shook her head, brushing away her mane to reveal her green eyes “Is that what she has been telling you ponies? Tsk tsk. Well if you were worried for my health, there is no need. I am quite alright, and you can return to your business, my fellow pony.” I thought there was something odd about this pony who claimed to be a princess, especially the way she spoke, but I looked up at the sky and noticed it was already getting dark “Ok then miss, but if there is ever any trouble, you can always call on me, hero Pip!” I said, trying to seem like the noble hero I had always dreamed of becoming She sniffed the air curiously, and frowned. “You shouldn’t lie about being a hero, that could get someone like yourself in a bit of a pinch.” “How did you….” I began to ask, but she simply smirked “All true hero’s reek of that awfu- I mean, have my sisters scent marking them," she said, and flew off before I could say anything else, so I made my way back to my house in town, not wanting to be stuck in the forest at night. I opened my front door and shut it behind me, locking it for the night. Thanks to my terrible luck, I just wanted today to end, so I slowly walked up the stairs, undressed, and lay down, quickly falling asleep =============== Something strange woke me up far before my alarm went off. Looking at my clock, I saw that it read “6AM”, so I went ahead and shut it off, before walking down the stairs “My, my, someone's up early,” I heard some voice coming from the living room say. I gasped as I saw Luna lying on my couch and eating a bowl of cereal “How did you get in my….How did you find…..” I struggled to form a question, looking around and finding that she hadn’t broken in at all. “Oh, that’s simple, silly. I flew off last night, and followed your scent back to your house. You should really consider locking the door when you leave in the mornings; ponies could just waltz on in!” she said all too casually, eating another spoonful of cereal “I don’t even know how to respond to that, Luna!” I said, tossing my forehooves in the air “You might want to put some clothes on too, show some decency around a lady, will ya?” Luna said with a wink, and I blushed deeply, heading back upstairs and getting dressed, before coming down to find she had now raided my cookie jar “I don’t know why you followed me back here, but I really think it’s time you leave, Luna, or else, at this rate, I won’t have any food left in a couple hours!" I said, scolding the mannerless princess. But before I could make her leave, I heard a cry come from the outskirts of town. So, wanting to prove myself as a hero, I instinctively grabbed my sword and ran to help the pony in need. “Have no fear, the hero Pip is here!” My idea of a trilling entrance worked just as well as I had planned, and it gave the colt that was being attacked time to run to safety, leaving only a Changeling standing on the outskirts of town. For centuries, the Changelings had been terrorizing the good, honest ponyfolk and stealing the colts from towns for breeding. Strangely enough, males were entirely absent from the Changeling race, so their only way to reproduce was to take advantage of the common colt. To counter this threat, Celestia had begun appointing select colts as heroes, whose job it was to fight the changelings, and the ultimate goal of the heroes was to slay their queen, Chrysalis. “En guard, foul changeling!” I shouted, holding my sword out to challenge her. She licked her lips with her green, slimey tongue “Oh my, such a brave colt you are. I bet you would make a fine stud back at the hive," she said, swaying her flank seductively. I gulped, having never fought a changeling before, but I swung my sword at her, knocking her off balance from the impact. “Ouch, you jerk! Is this how you treat every mare who wants to show you a good time?” she asked, rubbing her head, as she examined her hoof, expecting blood; but the sword hadn’t even cut her. “That thing is dull as hell!” Not wanting to lose my momentum, I began flailing the sword wildly at her, hitting the changeling repeatedly until she finally surrendered and flew away, shouting profanities “Another day saved, all thanks to the great hero Pip!” I said, standing heroically as if posing for a monument. “False-hero Pip, to be correct” said Luna, appearing behind me as if by magic to rain on my parade. “Didn’t I tell you to leave, Luna?” I asked her, sighing because she ruined my moment “Yes. Yes you did.” she chuckled and pushed me over, as if my pride hadn’t been crushed enough. “So what will you do now, mr false-hero? Seeing as how you don’t smell of Celestia, I can tell you missed or failed your hero’s test.” I slowly sat up and rubbed my side. “Well, I’m not really sure. It was always my dream to be a hero, but since I failed, I suppose I’ll set out as a traveler instead.” “A traveler, eh? You can count me in!” Luna said excitedly, knocking her forehooves together “You’re never going to leave me alone now, are you?” I said, starting to walk down the road to the next town “Nope” Luna replied, trotting along beside me > The Highwaymares > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So, Pip, any idea as to where you’re leading us?” Luna asked, following close behind our hero “Well, I may not be a hero, but a few days ago I heard a rumor that there were bandits in the mountains who have been robbing innocent ponies, so I thought they would be a good start.” Pip trotted down the dirt road that connected his hometown of Celesburg, so named because of the ponies’ devotion to their princess, to Manehatten, remembering that there was a branch in the path leading to the Drakenridge mountains. “Bandits you say? It sounds like someone is feeling tough. Did you put on your big colt panties this morning?” Luna snickered and plucked a berry from a bush they passed by, eating it. “Says the naked mare following me, you look like somepony from that nudist colony; Ponyville.” “If you’ve got it, flaunt it, as I always say!” replied Luna, shaking her flank playfully then catching back up to Pip The pair finally arrived at the fork in the road, where there was a wooden sign pointing left for Manehatten, and right for the mountain range. “Well that was a short trip, wasn’t it Luna?.....Luna?” Pip asked, turning around and seeing that Luna had mysteriously disappeared. But Pip didn’t have too much time to worry, as an arrow flew past him and hit the sign, sticking into it. “Hehe, what’s a little colt like yourself doing on the road alone?” asked the mysterious figure in the tree before jumping out and landing on the ground. “Didn’t your mommy teach you that it’s dangerous to travel alone?” Pip held out his sword to be safe, looking at the pony wearing a hooded green tunic and holding a bow. The figure pulled back her hood and revealed….she was a changeling! “Changelings can use bows now? Are you one of the bandits!?” Pip yelled to the changeling “Bandit? What is a bandit? I’m just the lucky mare who’s going to be dragging you back to the hive. Don’t worry though, I’ll be sure to share you!” the changeling said, firing another arrow. Pip dodged it, and countered by swinging his sword at the mare’s legs; but she jumped back up onto the tree limb. “Sheesh you're slow, first time playing with your sword, little colt?” she asked, mocking him, while tanding up on the tree limb, drawing back her bow and taking aim. Pip wasn’t sure what to do, so he gave the tree a buck as hard as he could, knocking the changeling off balance “Hey, cut that out, ya runt! You’ll make me- woah!” the changeling flailed her hooves before falling out of the tree and hitting her head, getting knocked out cold “Another job well done, let’s hear it for the great hero, Pip!” he said to himself, imagining a crowd praising him, but unlike last time, Luna wasn’t here to ruin the mood. He looked around for her, but gave up quickly. “Eh, she was more of a nuisance than anything.” Pip continued trotting down the path towards the mountains, and as the changeling disappeared behind the hill he crossed over, an acorn hit Pip on the head “Ouch, what the hay?” he said, looking up in the tree and seeing Luna. “Where did you go? That changeling could have really hurt me!” “Lighten up, silly. I went back to that bush to collect some berrie; they were really good! Besides, you seem to be ok. ” She said, hopping out of the tree and standing by Pip once again. “Well I wish you’d have warned me, I was worried for a moment.” “I’m kind of surprised, you managed to not get raped by the first changeling you came across in the forest” Luna said, messing up Pip's mane. Pip glared at her, and quietly kept making his way up the mountains, hoping to find a trace of the bandits that were rumored to live around here. “Can we go back, my hooves hurt!” Luna whined, just to annoy Pip “You have wings, you can always fly….” “Oh, right!” Luna flapped her wings and flew upwards a little, and in the distance, she saw the entrance to a cave “Hmm, something tells me that if you take a right, you’ll find them” “Why do you say that?” Pip asked, looking up at the aerial princess “Just my lady’s intuition. We are cool like that.” Pip took a right, and walked into the forest, coming out on the other side near a cave with a campfire deep inside of it. “I think I see one inside, Luna. I’m sure if we work together, we can take care of this little bandit problem.” “We? Don’t include me in this fight; I’m just a spectator, Mr. Hero," Luna said, sitting in a tree to watch the action that was sure to unfold Pip drew his sword and walked into the entrance of the cave, feeling like the main pony from a popular video game, “Dragons Lair”. Pip the Daring, that’s what they’ll call me after this! he thought in his head, going deeper into the cave, then turning around, seeing four young fillies blocking his exit “ ’Ey Babs, it looks like we found ourselves ‘nother sucker.” said the small, yellow earth pony wielding a huge hammer “That we do, ‘sis. You’s fellas never learn, do ya’s?” said the filly named Babs, picking a toothpick at her set of fake vampire fangs while wearing a black and red cape “ ‘Ey Scoots, what you reckon we should do with ‘em?” “Well, he doesn’t look too rich; we could hold him for ransom!” said the orange Pegasus, wearing a red scarf over her face and holding a rubber knife. “Unless you got a better idea, Belle’s?” “Nope, I think we could get a good ransom from him. We might even get our cutie marks for this!” exclaimed the white unicorn filly, wearing a purple and green dragon suit “Cutie Mark Crusaders, bandit cutie marks!” they all yelled in unison, before the yellow filly stepped forward first “Mah names Apple Bloom, but ah go by Mallet Bloom now!” she said, holding up her giant hammer and getting ready to swing it. “Just stay right there for a moment!” Pip stepped to the side as Apple Bloom swung her hammer, missing; the weight of the mallet flinging her across the cave and landing against the opposite wall; little stars appearing over her head. “Ah think yer up, Babs!” “A’ight, sis. Surely you’s aint gonna be no match for me!” she said, holding her cape over her eyes to prepare something “Just stand right there, you won’t be able ta do nothin’!” Babs lowered her cape and gave him a vicious death stare that would have paralyzed anypony looking directly at it, but luckily for Pip, he put a hoof infront of his face “That….that was all I had…. Scoots, you’s up!” Babs ran over to help Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo stood in her place, beginning to squawk like an annoying bird. This technique had worked time and time again by annoying her prey into submission “Sweet Celestia’s hoof, you’re so annoying!” Pip yelled, and tossed a pebble at Scootaloo, making her run away like a chicken “B’kawk! We’ve worn him down, finish him off, Sweetie!” Sweetie Belle stepped forward in her dragon suit, giving Pip an intimidating roar. “Rawr, I’m a horrifying dragon! Surrender or I will devour you!” "Surely you must be kidding?” Pip asked, but quickly gasped and rolled out of the way as Sweetie Belle sent a wall of flame his way using her magic, it scorching the wall behind where he was standing “I…I think I’m feeling light headed…” said Sweetie, holding her head and passing out, having used all her energy in that attack “Is that it? Are you four the bandits that have been robbing dozens of innocent ponies?” Pip walked over to the four bandits who were huddled together in the corner, surprised at how these fillies could have been any threat at all unless somepony was really, really dumb. “Yes, we’s are…but you’s gotta have some mercy, we just want to earn our cutie mark so badly!” said Babs, begging Pip “Yeah…all our friends make fun ah us at school…so we reckoned we would find our special talents out here.” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were passed out beside the other two. Pip sighed “You little fillies aren't bandits….and you arent bad ponies either; you just need to learn some patience…you’ll all find your special gift someday, but this isn’t the way. I’ll spare you, but you have to promise to go back to town and ask the townsponies for forgiveness, okay?” Babs, the apparent leader of the group, nodded and sobbed softly, helping her friends make it back into town, and solving the bandit problem, Pip hoped. “I must say, I’m impressed, Pip” Luna said, joining him in the cave “I never thought I’d hear you say-“ “You managed to win in a fight against 4 blank flank fillies in Halloween costumes” she cut him off. “Well when you say it like that, you make me feel like a jerk,” Pip replied, lowering his head “Don’t feel like that, you just might have converted them from a life of incompetent crime attempts.” “Thanks, I suppose, Luna. But it’s getting dark; I think it’s best if we make camp in this cave.” Pip said, putting another log on the camp fire that the bandits had made “Indeed, I can only imagine how you’d fare against a changeling in the dark” Luna said as she stretched and lay down on a makeshift bed “Wait, where am I going to sleep?” Pip looked around the cave, not seeing another bed “Well, theres plenty of room here, if you’re willing to share a bed with a mare. Though you attacked the last two who offered you that opportunity.” Luna scooted over in the large bed, and Pip cautiously joined her, laying his head on the pillow. “I suppose it’s better than sleeping on the ground” Pip slowly fell asleep, worn out from his first day of adventuring, and resting peacefully. Luna grinned and brushed his mane once, making sure not to disturb him “Yes, yes it is.” She whispered to herself, her green eyes glowing slightly brighter than normal before she too fell asleep. > Mimic > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deep within his sleep, Princess Celestia appeared to Pip in a dream-like vision. “Oh brave hero, Pip, these are troubling times in the kingdom.” “Princess? Is that really you?” Pip asked, confused as to why she would appear before him. “Indeed, it is so. I have come to warn you that you are in great danger, and must tread carefully. Not all is as it may seem.” “But why do you call me a hero, princess? You of all ponies should know it’s not true.” Celestia smiled gently and reassuringly, brushing Pips mane. “Because I have chosen you, Pip. You are destined to accomplish a great feat, and your princess will be guiding you the entire time.” “Great task? What could a little colt like myself ever achieve?” Pip looked up at his princess, bowing respectfully “Pip, I foresee that you are destined to slay the Changeling queen, and bring peace to this land.” With that, Pip's dreamlike audience with Celestia began to fade. He held out his hoof, trying to and make the dream last longer “All I ask is that you stay on the path of righteousness. Serve your princess well, and she will reward you!” Finally, Pips dream came to an end, and he slowly opened his eyes as he entered the waking world once more. He rubbed his eyes softly with his hoof, and found that Lunas mane was draped over his face. “Sheesh Luna, your mane is so oily….and…strangely cyan now.” He brushed her mane off from his face, and his hoof rubbed up against Luna’s slick, black carapace; feeling occasional holes….wait…ponies don’t have carapaces. Pip looked over at the princess he has fallen asleep next to, and saw that she no longer looked like Luna at all, but the largest changeling he had ever seen. His heart began to pound from fear…until he realized this changeling was still fast asleep with a firm grip around his waist. He squirmed gently to try and escape her grasp, but just couldn’t break free without risking waking her. Much to Pip’s chagrin, she slowly opened her eyes and let out a big yawn. “Yaaaaaawn, good morning Pippy," she said, licking her lips and a strange green aura being drawn from him to her mouth “Yummy, needed my morning dose of love.” Pip lay silently in fear beside her, making the changeling chuckle. “Whats wrong? Oh, this? Sorry my little colt, I couldn’t keep up my disguise while sleeping. Buuuut, I guess the cats out of the bag now.” “S….So Princess Luna isn’t real?” Pip asked, trying to hide his worry “Of course not. You honestly think Celestia would share a throne? That’s just my disguise so I don’t scare you ponies.” Pip looked over himself to see if this love-eating creature had done anything…bad to him last night, but could not find anything amiss “Wait, if you’re a changeling, why didn’t you rape me….you had the chance.” He looked up at her confused. “Because you’re so adorable, that I find it more fun to tease you!” she said, smiling and messing up his mane. “Though I suppose it’s only fair if you know my true identity now. The name's Chrysalis.” Just as soon as Pip had regained his courage, his heart sank again “Q…Queen Chrysalis?!” he gasped and squirmed, trying to escape her grasp once again. She let him go just to try and be peaceful “The one and only!” she said, sitting up on the edge of the bed and stretching “Though I’ve been getting out more, the hive practically runs itself nowadays. So now I'm a traveling gourmand in addition to queen.” Pip reached for his sword, grasped it in his hoof, but let it go “But Chrysalis, you realize that traveling with somepony who wants to be a hero may be dangerous, right? I mean, the goal of every hero is to kinda kill you.” She snickered and shook her head “I’m not worried. As you are currently, you couldn’t kill me if you wanted to. But I do enjoy your company, Pippy. If you'd be wlling to let me come with you on your journey, I promise to be a good-ish girl!” she said, making a little halo appear over her head to be cute “Well….” Pip thought long and hard about what he should say. If he turned her down, there would be no telling what she might do. “Fine, you may join me, but on two conditions. “Oh-ho, little Pip is a negotiator now?” she said with a wink “You have to disguise yourself around other ponies….and no raping, especially not me!” “Yes sir, can do” Chrysalis replied with a fake salute “No rape. But consensual is still fair game, right?” “…..Deal.” She smirked, and nodded, shaking hooves with Pip and disguising herself as Luna again as they left the cave, ready for a new day of adventuring > A Tail of Two Cities > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey Pip, now you’ve got me curious," Luna said, walking beside Pip on their way to Manehatten. “Curious about what, Luna?” “Well….what made you want to become a hero? What’s your grand goal?” Pip thought to himself, rubbing the back of his head. “Equestria has been in such turmoil for so long….I suppose my reason for becoming a hero was so I could finally bring peace.” Luna smiled softly as they walked. “That’s funny, Pip, my goal as the queen is to bring peace to my hive as well; to care for them and provide them love to feed on. In fact, love is why my children raid your towns.” Pip felt confused at the queens’ revelation. If the changelings were simply trying to meet their needs, then would that make him a bad pony for trying to stop them? “Just think about that for a while, Pippy. We can continue on this tangent later, as it would seem we are at Manehatten already,” Luna said as the town gate came into sight; yet the guards were nowhere to be found outside. Pip felt something was definitely amiss, and in the distance, he heard the sound of swords clashing against one another. “Something is going on in town, lets check it out, Luna!” “One of these days, your curiosity will-!" Pip grabbed Luna's hoof and pulled her into the city with him, feeling excited after yesterday’s victory against the local bandits. Turning the corner to Manehatten Square, Pip and Luna saw two ponies battling it out: a town guard, wearing his heavy plate armor and holding a spear, and a strange mulberry-colored mare clad in grand, steel armor with a great two-hoofed sword. Luna leaned down and whispered to Pip. “That’s Grand-Berry-A, one of the four Hivenly knights. You might not want to fight her, Pippy.” “Hivenly Knights? Does that mean she-“ He looked over to where Luna was standing, and noticed she had disappeared like she had when he had fought the changeling before. The guard pony thrust his spear towards Grandberrya, only to have her cut it in two by her sword, after which she gave him a firm kick, knocking him over “Pathetic ponies," she said, iccuping, "Is this the best you can challenge me with?” She laughed, causing little cartoonish bubbles to float over her head, which when combined with her speech, made it very obvious to Pip that she was insanely drunk. Grandberrya glanced across the town square, noticing the little colt watching her. “You there! Hic! I see this little colt fancies himself a swordsman? I challenge you to a duel of honor!” she said, pointing her sword at Pip. Pip stepped back nervously, shaking his head. “O-oh, surely you don’t mean me? I’m just a townspony." Grandberrya swung her sword to the side, cutting a pole in half and letting the it to the ground. “Draw your sword, whelp!” she exclaimed. Pip drew his sword and stepped forward cautiously, knowing this pony must be very dangerous if she had managed to defeat the town guard. She swung her sword at Pip. He blocked it the best he could, but was knocked back by the sheer impact of the swing. Pip knew if he hadn’t been using both hooves, that would have seriously hurt him. “Why are you attacking these innocent ponies?!” Pip yelled out, swinging back at her only to have his swing blocked. “Is it not obvious? I needed someone to spar with. I do get quite the laugh out of seeing your kind struggle to best me!” the mare replied, swinging overhead; Pip barely being able to roll out of the way before the sword crashed into the ground, creating a small crater. Sweet Celestia, this mare is amazing! How could a pony of such meager size be so powerful? Pip thought to himself, already feeling his stamina being drained simply by blocking and evading her. “Heh, already growing weak, little colt? And you call yourself a swordspony?” Grandberrya smirked, as she struck Pip on top of the head with her swords hilt, knocking him to the ground; stars suddenly dancing around his vision. “Easy as wine; and I’m a gal who knows her wine” The Mulberry mare placed a hoof on Pip to pin him on the ground as she took out a bottle of whiskey, taking a victory gulp of her favorite drink, then grinning deviously down at him. “Young as you may be, rules are rules; and as the victor of this duel, I’m allowed to claim you as my prize.” Pip looked up worriedly at Grandberrya as a puff of green fire surrounded her, revealing she had been a high ranking changeling all along. As she reached back in an attempt to remove her armor, Luna stepped forward and glared at her “Grandberrya, I order you to stand down. I did not authorize an attack on this town!” The changeling quickly looked up at Luna, and tilted her head, sniffing the air. “M-my queen! I did not expect to see you here!” Stopping what she was doing, Grandberrya stepped off of Pip and loyally kneeled before her Queen. “No need to kneel, however I do appreciate the sentiment. My loyal knight, while I hate to be a spoil sport, I must inform you that I have first claim on that particular colt. You may take these ‘guards’, as they are called, as your spoils, but the colt is mine. Got it?” “Awwwh, but my queen, can’t I just play with him a little bit? I promise not to pluck this ripened fruit.” Luna shook her head and glared, reminding her knight of her place. Grandberrya sighed and sheathed her massive sword, spreading her insect wings and flying back to the hive with a huff, leaving Pip laying on his back. “Luna…you…saved me?” he said, getting up. The changeling queen chuckled and grinned. “You may look at it that way if you wish, but I was simply claiming my territory, Pip. I find you adorable, so this time I stepped in to help; but you only get this one. Next time if you screw up, my hooves are tied.” Pip got back onto his hooves and brushed himself off as the sounds of windows being opened and doors being unlocked filled the air; the scared townsponies coming out to greet their saviors. “Did you see that, guys? That colt and his sidekick saved the town!” cried out a cream colored pony with a bakers's cap on. Suddenly the ponies flooded into the streets, screaming praises for Pip and Luna. “Oh our hero, please tell us your name!” said the same pony, lifting Pip onto his shoulders. “M-my name is…Pipsqueak?” he said, confused as he struggled to believe he was finally being praised for once. “And…this is Luna, my sidekick." “Three cheers for Pipsqueak and Luna! Hip-hip horray!” Confetti was tossed out the windows, and the mayor came out of her office, full of pomp and ceremony. “Greetings hero Pipsqueak and sidekick Luna. My name is Mrs. Sloth Bureaucracy, and on behalf of my fair town, I feel we should prepare a feast for you two!” Luna, who had been giving Pip the 'I’m going to brutally rape you' face for calling her a side kick, gasped in surprise and her eyes lit up at the idea of a feast. “Sounds wonderful!” she exclaimed, forgiving Pip as her stomach growled. While the feast was being prepared, an orange mare came to the duo and offered them a free night in her hotel as her way of thanking them. Pip and Luna graciously accepted and trotted over to Manehatten's 5-star hotel: the Trottingham Inn. “Welcome to Trottingham Inn…Oh, its you’s two!” exclaimed a little filly who was dressed as a maid. “Ah, Babs! I see you kept your word about putting an end to your banditry?” Pip smiled and petted her head, due to how adorable the little filly looked. “Hey, cut that out, wills ya’s?” She brushed her mane back, and went back to work, dusting a chandelier. Pip and Luna went into their complimentary suite, and Luna finally lowered her disguise. “Ahhh, its feels so good to relax and feel the smooth bedsheets on my carapace!” she said, laying back on the bed and snuggling with the silk bedsheets. Pip nodded and lay back on the bed, resting his head on a soft pillow. “Hey…Chrysalis?” he said, glancing over to her. “Yes, Pip?” “What did you mean when you said I was your territory? I’m not complaining, because you saved me, but..." Chrysalis smirked and breathed in a small amount of love she sensed from Pip, swallowing it and licking her lips. “I meant exactly what I said. As a queen, I am allowed to claim territory for myself; be it land or creatures, she said, moving a hoof over and gently rubbing Pip's chest, wondering how he would react “H-hey…what are you doing?” Pip said, squirming gently. “Oh, just, wanting to help you relax. You’ve had a rough day, my little colt.” Her hoof moved down and slowly rubbed his belly. “Chrysalis, I said no raping…and I’m not too sure about this. Part of being a hero is vowing to never sleep with changelings." “Oh? No changelings, huh?” she said, turning back in to Luna and sitting on top of him, slowly rubbing her hoof against his lap, making Pip squirm. “You're…still a changeling, though, Chrysalis.” the young colt said in protest, but Luna only smirked, as she had already slid his pants down and was vigorously stroking his eager stallionhood. Suddenly, the door opened. “Pip? Luna? It’s time for the feast!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, barging in without warning. When the young mare getting an eyeful of the situation, she gasped, and held her hooves over her eyes. “Oh my, it would appear we have a visitor, Pip” said Luna, slightly slowing down her hoof’s movement, in surprise. “Crys- I mean, Luna, stop, she's just a filly!” Pip yelled, his face as red as could be from embarrassment as he slapped her hoof away and quickly pulled his pants back up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you two were…lovers” Sweetie Belle said shyly, moving her hooves from her eyes. “But I was instructed to let you two know that the feast is ready, and the town is patiently awaiting your arrival." Luna rolled off of Pip and stood up, her victim following suit, trying to think of everything revolting to calm himself down after what Chrysalis had done to him. The two then followed Sweetie Belle outside and to the meeting hall for the celebratory feast. > Treasure Island > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The day after attending the feast in their honor, our hero Pip awoke in his hotel room to the sight of Chrysalis combing her long, oily mane in the mirror. “Ah, so the false hero is finally awake. Sheesh, I thought you had fallen into a food-induced coma.” She said, glancing back at him. Pip sat up on the edge of the bed and stretched “Hey, its not easy being an adventurer, ok? To be honest, I’m shocked you’re awake already after eating a chicken whole last night. You nearly made the mayor faint!” Chrysalis laughed and tossed the comb to Pip “I can’t help that I’m a voracious queen. Just be happy I chose to feed on pony food instead of feeding on you. You’re far more delectable than a chicken.” Pip rolled his eyes, but couldn’t deny that he was indeed glad she hadn’t raped him in his sleep. He brushed his mane and got dressed for the day, wrapping his signature red scarf around his neck. “By the way, false hero. Where do you plan on going next?” Pip stood up and smiled, looking out the window and seeing the ocean in the distance “Isnt it obvious, Chrysalis? Our next stop is the harbor. From there, we can charter a ship straight to the island of Thordongo, land of the changelings!” Pip stood heroically, believing he could take on any foe “Heh.” Chrysalis scoffed. “Getting a little ahead of yourself, are we Pip? Do you honestly believe you can just barge right in to the changeling homeland, walk up the castle steps, and kill their queen? You couldn’t even handle Grandberrya yesterday!” “Oh….. Well then, what do you suppose we should do?” Pip turned around and sulked a little, being reminded of his weakness “In due time, my dear Pip. Lets focus on getting that boat, then I’ll tell you.” Chrysalis said as she changed back in to Luna, opening the bedroom door “You lead the way, mr Hero.” Pip nodded and the duo made their way outside, crossing through the town gates and beginning their trip to the nearby harbor town of TransCelestan The pair followed the dirt road connecting Manehatten to TransCelestan, passing through yet another forest on the island of Celesvania (why the capitol island of Celestia’s empire was so heavily forested shall forever remain a mystery), when a question entered Pips mind “Hey, Chrysalis, I just realized-“ But as he looked behind him, Chrysalis was nowhere to be found “Sweet Celestia, where did she run off to this time?!” Pip yelled in aggravation, but before he could begin his search, he heard an ear-piercing screech come from above, and as he looked up, a strange figure rammed into him, knocking him over “Well, well. What do we have here? A savory little colt traveling alone?” Pip looked up at the creature standing over him: it was certainly a mare, but in place of forehooves, she had large, feathery wings and a sharp beak, giving her the appearance of a fabled harpy. The harpy pony pinned Pip on his back with her foot, grinning “Let go of me, I don’t want to fight!” Pip said, squirming weakly to fight against her pin “Oh? Well if you don’t want to fight, then that means I can just go ahead and have my fun with you!” The harpy flapped her wings happily and sat on Pips lap, trying to undo his pants “Curses, these wings make it hard to do anything easily. One moment, my little prey.” Pip took a deep breath as the harpy let go of his neck in order to remove his clothes. Thinking quickly, Pip raised his hoof and gave her a firm backhand, knocking the harpy to the ground and buying him enough time to draw his sword “I said I never wanted to fight, so please leave me be!” Pip said, standing to his feet and pointing his sword as the bird who was rubbing her beak with a wing “Sheesh, fine. I’m sure there are easier pickings in Manehatten.” The harpy sneered and stood back up, flapping her wings and flying off As soon as the harpy had left Pips sight, he heard a familiar set of hooves walking behind him “You know, Pippy. You’re lucky that my children are idiots. You know that, right?” Chrysalis said, taking a bite out of an apple she had found “Why do you keep running off when I’m in trouble?” Pip sheathed his sword and dusted himself off, turning to face his travel companion “I can sense when my children are near, Pippy. You can’t possibly expect me to help you out on your quest to kill me, can you?” The changeling queen replied in her usual sarcastic manner, chewing on another bite of apple “Besides, you seem to be getting better at this whole ‘hero’ thing. Not much better, but a tad bit.” Pip sighed and started walking along the road again, on his way to TransCelestan with Chrysalis following close behind him, still disguised as Luna After the fight with the harpy, their trip was short and peaceful, and in what felt like no time at all, the duo arrived at the docks of TransCelestan. The smell of fish and the ocean filled the air as ponies of all types were attending their fish market stalls, and out at sea in their ships. “Can’t be too hard to find a galley that can take us across the ocean” Pip said, taking in a deep breath of the fresh ocean air “Yes, just make sure you find a good ship. We will need it where I’m taking us. And make it quick, fish make me feel sick.” Luna left Pip at the docks to search for a ship, going into the local pub Searching every pier at the harbor, Pip saw ships of all shapes, sizes, and quality, yet he had realized one very inconvenient problem: he was completely broke, and knew no captain would ferry him and Luna for free. Looking around, he sat on the edge of a pier to think about how he could make some quick bits in this town, when suddenly his vision went entirely black in his right eye, and he felt a strange cloth cap being put on his head “Surprise Pippy!” “Ah!” Pip jumped in fear, falling into the water. Immediately after, he heard the sound of a familiar mare laughing at him “Hahaha! Oh, Pip. That was hysterical!” Pip climbed back on to the pier and shook off the water, seeing Luna dressed as a pirate captain now “What did you do to me, Luna? I can’t see anything out of my right eye!” Chrysalis chuckled and flipped Pips eye patch up so he could see now “Come on, can’t you take a joke? I put an eye patch and a bandanna on ya. And I must say, you really can pull off the soaked pirate look.” “Where did you get these things from?” “Oh, remember when I went into the pub? Well, let’s just say I used my womanly talents and obtained some bits and the deed to a ship.” Chrysalis posed like Pip usually did after accomplishing a heroic task, and Pip looked grossed out “Eww, ok, forget I ever asked. But which ship do we take?” “Enough questions, matey! Follow yer captain!” Chrysalis attached a hook to her hoof (which honestly just made walking much more difficult) and lead Pip to a large galley like he had been searching for. She pulled the docking plank up, and stood at the wheel “Avast me matey, rig the sails, or I’ll have ye walk the plank!” “Luna, you sound absolutely ridiculous. I’m pretty sure no pirate has ever talked like that.” Pip rolled his eyes and prepared the sail so they could begin their trip. Chrysalis tossed a mop and bucket at him. “Enough ye cabin boy, swap the deck while I guide The Rusty Spoon!” Chrysalis held on to the wheel and a breeze caught the sail, the ship beginning to move “You named your ship ‘The Rusty Spoon’?” Pip looked up at his captain, pushing the mop like she ordered him to do in fear that Chrysalis had gone off the deep end. “Yar, tis horrifying, be it not? Ye could get tetanus! And then who will ye cry to?” “This is going to be a long ride, I can already tell.” “Worry not, lad. Yer captain be here to make sure we get there right as rain!” Chrysalis yelled out, and jammed a peg leg in between the spokes on the ships wheel in order to keep it from turning “There we go, now we be sailin’ on cruise control!” > Pip's On A Boat > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Yar, now that the ship be on cruise control, yer captain thinks she will go below deck, to check out this ship's booty!” Pip watched as Chrysalis, his apparent captain, headed down into the ship; leaving him with a moment of peace by himself. Putting down his mop, he walked over to the side of the ship and looked overboard, watching the beautiful ocean stretch on for what seemed like eternity. Strangely, the feeling of being dressed as a pirate while sailing on a galleon just felt right to Pip; as if he were a pirate in another dimension, or at least, someone who enjoyed acting like one. To Pip's surprise, it had appeared as though the peg-leg Chrysalis had jammed into the ships wheel was sticking reliably, keeping the ship on course for whatever their destination was. Wanting to check out more of the ship, Pip made his way to the back of the boat, only to hear a strange flapping sound overhead. Looking up, to Pip’s surprise, he saw an elegant white unicorn with bat wings fly overhead, and land near the front of the ship. “Ah, so my senses were correct. I thought I smelt a colt on this ship," the mysterious unicorn said. Pip made his way to the midsection of the ship to get a better look at her, and he noticed she was wearing what appeared to be a form-fitting white toga like he had heard about in history books, with a laurel wreath on her head “Who might you be?” Pip asked out of curiosity. “My, my, where are my manners? My name is Alma-Rara, though you may call me Rarity. Word around the hive is that a new hero is traveling by ship to slay our queen. So I took it upon myself as the most beautiful and irresistible of her majesty’s knights to take care of him. You wouldn’t happen to be this colt, would you?” Pip gulped at the thought of facing yet another of the Hivenly Knights, as Grandberrya had already proven to be more than a match for him. “N-no, what would make you think that I was the hero?” Rarity sniffed the air, and shook her head. “Theres no point in lying to a good lady, little colt. Your scent matches that of the hero named Pip. If you lie again, I will have to punish you," Rarity said with a wink, making her way onto the deck with Pip. Our hero took a step back as what seemed like the very element of seduction and beauty came increasingly closer to him. Pip unsheathed his sword, trying to hide his worry. “Don’t come any closer, Rarity. I’ll have you know I’ve gotten this far by my skill as a swordscolt.” Rarity was not fazed by his remark, as she placed her hoof on the sword and slowly slid it along its length “Oh come now, Pip. You may be skilled with your little toy, but I’m sure a colt your age is rather lacking in…other areas.” Rarity said, curling her tail around Pip’s hind leg and running a hoof along his side. Sensing the situation becoming far too dangerous, Pip swung his sword at Rarity, who nimbly released Pip’s leg and dodged his swing with a back flip. “Oh my, you’d try to hit a lady? Regardless of your intent, your far too slow, Pip. You would have to be one with the very air to hurt me.” “She's right…. It’s as though she dodged before I even swung” Pip thought to himself. Out of desperation, he ran up to the captain's wheel on the bow of the ship so he would have the high ground. Rarity quickly followed after him, trapping our hero in a corner now “Just give up, Pip. I promise to make it enjoyable for you. A mare of my talents could teach you a few-“ Before Rarity could finish her sentence, the ship slammed into a landmass, the force from the impact knocking Pip unconscious, and flinging Rarity overboard, flying through the air and into the distance. In his state of unconsciousness, Pip slipped into a strange form of sleep once more “Oh brave hero Pip, awaken and heed my words” Pip slowly opened his eyes in the dream, seeing his princess before him. “Princess Celestia? Is this you again?” “Yes, Pip. I need you to hear my words. Know that as you travel, I am watching you always, and I fear you are becoming too friendly with that monster Chrysalis.” Pip looked surprised, and shook his head “Of course not, my princess. You know that my only goal is to bring peace to the land. I would never stray from the path of a hero.” Celestia held a hoof to her chest and nodded. “Thank you, my brave hero Pip. Now go forth on your quest. Slay the evil queen Chrysalis, and you shall receive a hero’s welcome in Canterlot.” As Celestia finished her sentence, a large splash of water was thrown on to her, making her mane dripping wet. A second splash followed soon after, waking Pip up. “Wakey wakey sleepy colt.” Yet another splash of water was thrown on to Pip, making him open his eyes and seeing Chrysalis standing over him, no longer dressed as a pirate “I’m up, I’m up. No more water please!” Pip said, using a rag to dry his face Chrysalis chuckled and looked behind her, as she had only prepared three buckets of water to begin with. “Well hurry up, we’ve hit dry land and I’ve got to show you where we are going.” “Wait, what happened to talking like a pirate, Chrysalis?” Pip said, sitting up. “Oh, I lost my hat when we hit land. I couldn’t find it, so it’s not fun anymore. “ Chrysalis walked over to the door, waving for Pip to follow her. Pip got up and went back onto the ship’s deck. “So, where exactly are we going, Chrysalis?” Pip asked, looking at the vast expanse of land. “There is a mansion not far from here that may be able to give you a little bit of help on your quest. If you’re lucky, that is.” “Huh, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a mansion before, what do they look like?” Chrysalis hopped overboard onto the land, looking back up at Pip “Ya know, I haven’t been there before either, but my history book talks about it. Says it was just built not long ago” She said, tossing her book up to Pip so he could read it as they travelled “Uhm…not to burst your bubble, Chrysalis. But this book is 1036 years old.” “Huh, will that be a problem?” Chrysalis asked, tilting her head as Pip hopped down, following her along the path to the mansion. > House of the Dead > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Following the map from Chrysalis’ long-outdated history book, our duo arrived at the wrought-iron fence of a long-standing mansion that had taken on the appearance of a haunted house over the years. Some of its windows had been broken, with areas of wood that had obviously been long rotted. “Hmm, this isn’t quite like the picture in my book, Pippy,” Chrysalis said, comparing the picture of a grand palatial building with what stood before them. “I told you several times: this book is over a millennia old! Nopony even lives here any-“ Pip paused for a moment as he felt almost certain he had seen something pass by a window on the second floor. “Chrysalis, did you see that?” “See what?” she asked, turning to look at him. “I think somepony actually does live here. Do you think they could be the pony who you said could help me?” Pip said, opening the gate and walking up to the door “N-no, I don’t think so. I think we should look elsewhere” said the changeling queen, trying to think of excuses to not go in. “Well let’s at least take a look around. Whats the worst that can happen?” Chrysalis nervously walked up to the door with Pip, and against her better judgment, entered alongside him. “Pip, I really think we shouldn’t come in here. I don’t like this feeling.” “Oh come on, surely you of all ponies wouldn’t be afraid of an old house,” Pip said, patting her on the back as they walked into the middle of the room. “No…..I’m not afraid of the house. I’m more afraid of-“ The door slammed shut behind them, sealing the pair inside the mansion “G-g-g-ghosts!” Jumping at first in surprise, Pip walked over to the door and pulled on its handles, finding it mysteriously locked now. “Don’t be foolish, Chrysalis. Ghosts are just old mares tales…… Chrysalis?” Looking back at his companion, Pip saw she had fainted on the floor, frothing at the mouth and leaving him effectively alone until she awoke again. “Great," he grumbled. "Guess it’s up to me to find the key now." Pip pulled Chrysalis’ unconscious body and leaned it against the door, walking into the next room to begin his exploration. In this room, he found a staircase leading to the second floor, along with a small bookshelf, stocked with worn, unreadable tomes. Looking up the stairs, a small doll rolled down to the middle. “Hmm…that’s rather strange." Pip picked up the old doll, its lack of a face letting him know it had been created long ago when Celestia demanded dolls be faceless due to vanity. While historically interesting, it also came across as extremely creepy. “I get this strange feeling I should go up." Walking upstairs, Pip entered a dining room with a table in oddly good condition, along with various old paintings. He walked towards an elegant painting of a mare that almost felt as though it was beckoning him. He immediately took a step back as the painting seemed to reach out to him. Rubbing his eyes, Pip looked back at the picture and saw nothing unusual now. “Sweet Celestia, this house is playing with my mind..." Hearing a low, deep moan behind him, Pip turned around and yelled in surprise; seeing what he had least expected: a zombie pony! Quickly drawing his sword, he flailed wildly in fear, dismembering the already-fragile zombie. “A…A zombie!? Those aren’t real!” Looking down, he kicked lightly at the felled foe to make sure it was indeed real. Pip rushed downstairs to check on Chrysalis, but when he got downstairs she was now missing. “Chrysalis! Where are you?!” Pip rushed into the other room, a derelict kitchen. Taking a few steps in, the floor gave way, and Pip plummeted into the basement, being knocked out from the fall ========= “Ow…..Celestia my head hurts…..” Pip slowly opened his eyes, finding himself in a small puddle of water. Standing up and checking his surroundings, he found himself to be in a strange sewer-like network of tunnels under the house. “Chrysalis?!” Pip called, to see if she was within earshot; but instead of his companion, he heard the strange mumble of what sounded like a mare. Following the sound through the tunnels, Pip saw the spark of electricity around a corner, and peeked into the room, finding a pink earth pony “I’m very much aware of your presence, young colt. Come on in, if you are peaceful.” Confused, Pip stepped into the room, noticing this pony was wearing what looked like a lab coat with a monocle, her straight pink mane hanging down the back of the coat “Who are you? Where is Chrysalis?” Pip asked, feeling worried for her “Chrysalis? I don’t know anypony by that name…unless you mean the sentient arthropod?” “Sentia-what?” Pip asked, not understanding her “Oh, my apologies; I was using the scientific terminology. You mean the insect?” the pony said, wiping her monocle with her cloak “Yes, her! Is she ok?” “But of course! I wouldn’t hurt the living for science. The unliving are more my area”." She walked over to a book and began writing in it “Well, may I see her?” Pip asked, stepping forward and feeling slightly more relaxed “Sorry, but if you wish to see her, then I would like to ask for your help in some of my studies. It’s not every day I see another living pony, you see. “I suppose I could help you, Mrs….?" “Dr. Professor Pinkamena Diane Chrome," she stated professionally. "But just call me Doctor, or Pinkamena, if you like." “And what would you have me do, Dr. Pinkamena?” Pip asked, intrigued at the idea of helping further science, even if it was for a scientist of the dead. “You see, I have been working on harnessing the very power of nature, and fusing it with spirits of the dead in order to benefit ponykind. For example, if a spirit infused with the power of earth were to possess a pony, they would in theory gain unimaginable strength and endurance. But as a scientist, I cannot test this theory on myself. This is where you could come in, little colt.” Pinkamena walked over to Pip and sized him up, writing down his statistics in her journal “Yes, you will do nicely, Pip. If you wish to see your girlfriend, you must help me with my project. So what will it be?” “When you put it like that I guess- Wait, Chrysalis isn’t my girlfriend!....But yes, I’ll help you out.” “Wonderful!” Pinkamena exclaimed, walking over to a metal table and retrieving a syringe with a strange green glow to it. “All you’ll have to do is let me inject you with this so you can commune with elemental spirits, and then help me gather data.” “Woah, you didn’t say anything about a needle!” Pip exlcaimed, his fear of needles coming back to him. “Now, now, don’t you worry, I’m not going to- look over there!” Pinkamena said, pointing her hoof in the opposite direction to catch Pip’s attention, sticking the syringe into his flank and injecting him while he did so. “Ouch!” Pip yelled, grabbing his flank as she pulled the needle out and rubbing it softly. “Good, now we just have to wait for it to take effect. Once you feel the spirits communicating with you, I will need you to go with me to the nearby town of Gran Celestia to gather data.” After only a few minutes, Pip began to notice something very strange in the corner of his eye. Focusing on it, he noticed it appear in the opposite corner now, before finally hopping into his direct vision “Erm, who are you?” Pip asked the apparition “Oh my gosh, you can see me?” the ghost squeed excitedly, hopping about. “That makes me so super-duper totally excited!” Pip rubbed his head, feeling a little woozy from the new ability to talk with ghosts. “Well, since you can see me, want to be my bestest best friend? Oh, and my name is Sylphie Pie!” the pink ghost pony exclaimed, her mane extra poofy and looking like ghostly cotton candy. “Woah, calm down Sylphie, is something wrong with you?” “Nope, this is just my normal self! Though that pony did infuse me with the element of wind, but its super cool! It lets me do this!” Sylphie made a whirlwind appear in Pinkamena’s laboratory, ruining the obsessive compulsive scientist’s organizational structure. “Dee Dee, erm, I mean, Pip! Control your spirit! Or else get out of my la-bor-a-tory!” Pinkamena yelled to the two, pronouncing the last word strangely and forcing them out of her lab. > Mad Pip in: Thunderdome > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once Pinkamena had put her papers back in order, she rejoined Pip outside her laboratory. “Now that I’ve repaired that catastrophe, it is time for you to prepare yourself for a fight," she said. "Come with me, Pip.” Pip stood up and followed behind Pinkamena while Sylphie Pie continued to hop around in his vision. The two traveled from tunnel to tunnel, before arriving at a door sealed with a strange, futuristic lock. “I see you’re already equipped with the most basic of tools, Pip, but if you are to survive, and if I am to gather the data I need, then I believe you should consider taking some of my relics.” Pinkamena pushed a couple of buttons on the lock's key pad, and with an electronic ‘beep’, the door swung open, revealing a room with various failed inventions, as well as a few weapons. “Wow, what is all this, Pinkamena?” Pip said, walking in and sifting through the strangely organized room. “This is my storage room. As you can see, over the years I’ve worked on quite a few projects.” Pip walked over to a glass case containing a strange leather weapon. “What is this? I can’t say I’ve ever seen a weapon like it before.” “Ah, that is what I call a ‘whip’. While it cannot do more than simply annoy most creatures, my studies found that it has a strange effect on the undead, as well as vampires and demons. For some reason unbeknownst to science, it is the most efficient means of killing the undead.” Pip took the whip and placed it in his satchel, while Pinkamena retrieved a sword from the corner of the room. “Wait, but I already have a sword, Doctor. What would be the point in two?” Shaking her head, she drew the sword from its sheath, showing it to be made of a mysterious, dark metal. “This is no simple sword, Pip. This is the world’s first non-lethal sword. When you land a strike that would have been fatal, this sword instead seals the creature in a more basic form, from which it reverts back to its normal state after a few weeks. If you are to fight, I would request you use this, as I wouldn’t want to see anypony hurt in the name of science.” Taking the sword, Pip attached it to his side, next to his original one. Feeling that her subject was ready, Pinkamena lead our hero through the tunnel network and up a flight of stairs, greeting the sunlight once more “So, which way is Gran Celestia, Pinkamena?” Pip asked, looking behind him to see she had brought an umbrella with her to shield her from the sunlight “It’s not far at all, Pip. As a matter of fact, we are on the outskirts of it currently. Just follow me and we shall arrive in no time.” Leading Pip through a small patch of trees, city streets, and back alleyways, Pinkamena stopped infront of a massive marble structure, the likes of which Pip had never seen before “Sweet Celestia, what is this place?!” Pip said in amazement, stepping forward, but being stopped by a guard pony “Ticket please,” he said calmly, looking down at our unlikely hero. Pinkamena reached into her lab coat and gave the guard a hoof full of bits, and with a wink and a nod, he allowed the pair to pass. “This, my subject, is called a ‘coliseum’, and here is where the finest of ponies and changelings come to do battle in the name of glory. However, today you shall be joining them in the name of science.” “Wait, changelings come here too?!” Pip asked, looking worried “Yes, our reigning champions are changelings, actually. Though most of us believe it is because the colts who sign up are simply perverts who plan to lose all along. I trust you will keep your pants on?” Pinkamena looked over at Pip, who nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes, I’ve taken a strict vow to never have sex with changelings. It’s part of being a hero, after all.” “Good, then head in to the challenger's room. I’ll go ahead and sign you up. I trust you will give it your all, if you wish to see your partner again.” Pinkamena pointed Pip in the direction of the waiting room, while she took her leave. Walking in to the room, he saw several colts much larger than him, clad in shining armor and holding swords he could only dream of. “Hey there little guy, first time at the coliseum?” a blue unicorn asked, walking over to Pip. “Y-yeah, actually. Should I be worried?” “Worried? Ha! Theres nothing to worry about. You just wait your turn, they call your name, and then you go out and fight a little. Once you put on a good show, just trip on ‘accident’ and the changelings give you the time of your life!” Looking repulsed at the colt's words, Pip remained silent and sat in a chair, waiting as the first colt was called out. He heard a large crowd cheer, followed by a few minutes of swords clashing, the grunts of battle, and then the final cheer as he heard the changeling win. Three more fights went by the exact same way, before Pip heard his name called. Standing up, he straightened his tunic, drew his new black sword, and stepped into the bright light of the outside. He looked up and saw many rows of seats filled with ponies cheering, along with Pinkamena who sat patiently in the front row with a notepad. A large wooden gate was opened as a changeling entered the pit with him, her insect form disguised to look more like a large canine. “My, my, you have to be the smallest colt I’ve ever seen in the coliseum. I’m sure you know the rules though, just put on a good show, and I’ll treat you to a real nice reward,” the changeling said with a smirk. She showed her sharp claws to him, and Pip grasped his sword with both hooves, ready. A bell rang, signaling the fight to begin. However, unlike his previous fights, Pip felt a strange force take over his body, and he felt lighter than air now. “Alrighty, my bestest best friend, just let me have control and I’ll show you what Sylphie can do!” said a voice inside Pip’s head. A feeling of calmness washed over him, as he felt his worries go away. The changeling slashed furiously at Pip, and his body moved before he could even think, dodging the slash with a backflip. Countering upon his landing, Pip swung and struck her across the chest, making her pull away in pain. “What in the name of Tartarus was that?” she asked in shock, before angrily slashing over and over at him “Weee! This is super-duper fun, isn’t it Pippy?!” the voice in Pip’s head said as Sylphie made his body duck, dodge, and flip out of the way of every attack, delivering a swift finishing blow to the changeling once she had tired herself out. The changeling gasped and looked at herself as she shattered, a small dog being left in her place as the scientifically enhanced sword transformed her in to a far less threatening form. She ran back to her holding pen as the crowd gave confused glances at each other, before clapping happily for him. Pip stood proudly and listened to the crowd cheer for him, before making his way back to the waiting room for his next match. > A Wild Tamamo Appeared! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few minutes after returning to the waiting room, Pinkamena joined Pip with a noticeable smile on her face “Very nicely done out there, Pip. Though the fight did not last long, I managed to gather quite a bit of important data in support of my hypothesis. No normal pony could be as dexterous as you were.” Pip sat up and swished his tail, enjoying being praised for once. “Gee, thanks Pinkamena; though according to the other colts, I still have three fights left.” “Yes, that is true. And I intend to test out a new spirit for each fight you participate in,” she said, producing a syringe with a bright orange fluid to it. “Sweet Celestia, you mean there are three more of those?” Pip asked closing his eyes and looking away as she inserted the needle into his flank and injected him with it, nearly fainting from the thought. “Yes, but if your goal is truly what your friend told me, then you should be eager; for each of these injections increases your fighting ability far beyond a normal colt. But I must take my leave before the guards notice me. Your next fight is in thirty minutes.” And with that, Pinkamena took her leave, returning to her seat in the stands and watching the current fight. Pip took deep, careful breaths as the new spirit began to appear to him in the form of an orange earth pony wearing a straw hat. “Well howdy thar par’ner, I reckon you might be wonderin who I might be,” the spirit said in Pip’s head. “Yes ma’am, I am feeling a little curious, since you’re inside of me now.” “It’s good your bein’ right friendly, par’ner. The name is Apple Gnome, an’ I’m the element of Earth.” Gnome, upon finishing her introduction, was swiftly tackled by Sylphie, who gave her a big hug. “Yaaaay! I have a roommate now! Wanna be bestest friends, Gnomey?!” Pip couldn’t help but chuckle as the scene played out in his head, and Gnome struggled to breath due to how tight she was being hugged. “Well, it’s good you two are getting along in there, but I’m going to need your help soon, Gnome. Can I count on you?” Pip asked as Gnome forced her way out of the hug, panting a little. “Sure ya can! I might be the element of Earth, but I’m also tha element of dependability!” she said with a salute as the two spirits faded from his vision, leaving Pip to practice in the room as he awaited his next match. A few minutes later, Pip heard the cheer of the crowd as yet another colt surrendered to the changeling. After the colt was dragged out of the coliseum, Pip was told it was his turn again, so he got up and made his was back in to the pit. “And after racking up an amazing one win streak, Gran Celestia is proud to present: Pipsqueak of Celesburg!” the announcer exclaimed to the crowd of ponies, among which Pip saw Pinkamena in the front row yet again with her note pad. The guard ponies lifted the gate to release the next changeling for Pip to fight, and out stepped one of the strangest sights Pip had ever seen: a changeling that had donned the disguise of a Dullahan, otherwise known as a headless horsemare. Though, seeing as how they were all ponies to begin with, it was debatable as to if this was instead a horseless headsmare. The changeling was clad in armor, and held its head in one hoof, along with a large sword in the other. “Hmm, a colt who managed to actually win a fight? You shall certainly give my sword arm some fun!” she said, stepping forward with her sword raised high. Pip drew his own black sword and prepared to fight. “Woah thar, par’ner. I reckon this here is where you want me to step in? Just relax yer mind, fella, and picture that yer some kind of unstoppable mountain!” Gnome said as she took control of Pip’s body, granting him the strength of her Earth element. The Dullahan swung her sword down with all her might, and Pip held out his sword, blocking the swing mid-arc. “What is this? A colt as small as you shouldn’t be able to block this!” she said, swiftly swinging her sword and hitting Pip in the side, giving him a painful cut. “Oops! Sorry thar, fella! You won’t feel that right now, but you probably will when I give control back.” Gnome apologized to Pip as she made him swing at the Dullahan in retaliation, cutting through her armor and making it fall off “What?! That armor cost me one hundred bits you little runt!” the changeling yelled in anger, swinging withal her might at Pip, who cut her sword in half and left her speechless. “You are now unarmed and unarmored; I kinda think you should leave now, miss,” Pip said, feeling proud of his new strength that Gnome gave him. The changeling sneered and ran back to her holding area, not wanting to risk being hurt. ===================================== “I must say, you’re doing quite admirably, my subject,” Pinkamena said, entering the challengers room with Pip once more, her notepad covered with writings now. “Thanks, doc,” Pip replied, rubbing his side where he had been cut, only to notice he seemed to be completely unscathed now. “That’s odd, I was hurt during that fight.” “Ah, that would seem to be the power of an Earth Spirit, so my hypothesis was correct.” Pinkamena jotted down more notes, before taking the final two needles out from her coat, one filled with a bright blue fluid, and the other with a bright red. “Wait, two at once? Are you sure that’s safe?” Pip asked, looking worried and closing his eyes. “Oh Pip, who’s the one with the medical license?” Pinkamena said with a smirk, cleaning off the needles. “Actually, come to think of it, I don’t recall ever seeing your- Ouch!” Pinkamena quickly injected him with the final two syringes, the sensation making him faint for a moment before slowly sitting up. Looking around, he saw his partner had quietly snuck back to the stands “Ow, geez my head feels light” Pip rubbed his forehead with his hooves, as two figured began to appear in his head: a blue pegasus who’s body appeared to be made of goo, and a Blue unicorn wearing a red cape and magician’s hat Attempting to talk at once, the two spirits introduced themselves. “Well hey there, hows it hangin’?” the pegasus said, offering Pip a high-hoof as a greeting. “Greetings, lowly earth pony, Saly is proud to introduce herself,” the unicorn said with a royal bow. “Ah!” Pip put his hooves over his ears as the sound of two voices at once hurt his head. Realizing the problem, the Pegasus stayed quiet for now. “Saly is sorry that the Pegasus saw fit to talk while she was talking. Allow me to introduce myself, I am The Great and Powerful Salamander, elemental Spirit of Fire!” The blue unicorn said, taking off her cap as a greeting. “Erm, thank you, I think?” Pip said, a little confused at the way she talked. Looking over at the Pegasus, he asked “And who are you, miss?” “Oh, the name is Raindine, elemental Spirit of Stayin Cool and Goin with the Flow! Though, you might know it as water” she said, her gelatinous body jiggling a little as she moved. From the corner of his eye, pip saw Sylphie Pie pounce at Raindine, only for her to dodge and make the pink spirit fall on Saly instead. “Arg, get off of me, you nuisance!” the element of fire yelled, making Sylphie catch on ghost-fire and run around, her hooves flailing before she ran out of view, a loud splash sound being heard as Raindine dropped a ball of water on her. =============================================== Once Pip had finished getting acquainted with his final spirits, the guard escorted him once more in to the arena for the grand finals. “Fillies and gentlecolts, I hope you are all excited for the first colt to make it to the finals in our fine coliseum! Hailing from Celesburg, Pipsqueak the Hero!” The announcer called out to the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation. Pip gave a bow to the crowd, then drew his sword in preparation for the fight. After a few moments, the door to the monster pen was opened once more. “And now, I’m proud to present to you fine ponies today, Hailing all the way from Neighpon: Tamamo!” Stepping out of the monster holding area, and looking very annoyed, was a short, bipedal nine-tailed fox girl dressed in a kimono and holding a fan. “What the hay are you supposed to be?” Pip asked, having never seen something like this before. “I’m Tamamo, and it’s okay to be confused. I was sitting in my house, enjoying lunch in my pseudo-Christian-European world, eating some fried tofu, when the author pulled me in to this universe because he couldn’t think of a cameo for me!” the kitsune said, stomping on the ground and leaving a dent in the dirt Pip, being the only pony in this universe who was aware of the strange situation, scratched his head in confusion. “So, I guess it’s time for us to fight?” “Yeah, lets get this over with. I’m still hungry, and If I win, you’re going to be my dinner to make up for my tofu getting cold!” The kitsune rolled up in to a ball with her tails, rolling after pip like a giant marble. “Pip, here’s where I step in,” said a voice in his head, and he calmly stepped out of the way, letting Tamamo crash in to the side of the arena .“All you have to do to win is be chill. Then she can’t hit ya!” said Raindine. “Wait, why wouldn’t she be able to hit me?” “Because, dude, you’re chill!” Glaring at Pip for missing, Tamamo flailed her nine tails at him, each one making a loud crash against the ground as he leaned out of the way of each, resembling some kind of trench-coat wearing action movie star. Getting increasingly agitated, she rolled up in to a ball once more, and began chasing him; running in to the sides of the arena repeatedly and making the columns begin to collapse. As the building began to shake, ponies started leaving the stands in order to get away safely, the building beginning to fall. Tamamo finally fell unconscious after hitting the wall for the thirtieth time, cartoonish stars above her heads while Pip escaped from the arena as well, meeting up with Pinkamena as the building collapsed upon itself. “Easy as cake!” said Salamander in Pips head, laying back casually. “You don’t get to say that, you didn’t do anything!” Raindine said, dropping a bucket of water on her and ruining the unicorns magician outfit. “Excellent work, my test subject. I believe that will suffice for field testing my invention. You did quite well at destroying the coliseum as well,” Pinkamena said with a smile, beginning to walk away. “I didn’t mean to do that, though! Do you think everypony is ok?” Pip asked, worried. “Of course they are, and if anypony didn’t think to run away, then I would consider that to just be natural selection, agreed?” she replied coldly, opening her umbrella again after putting away her notes. “By the way, do you have any input about these tests results?” “Well, when will the voices go away? They hurt my head a bit.” Her ears perking up, she turned to him with a scary smile. “Oh! Do you hear the voices too?!” “Well, I guess. There’s four of them now, and they say they are elemental spirits.” Looking sad, Pinkamena returned to her casual stroll beside Pip. “Oh, you mean those. Yes, those are kind of permanent. Though, those are not the same as my voices.” Looking confused, Pip looked over at her. “Well, what are yours like?” “Oh, they are just the normal kind. You know, they say to cut up other ponies and bathe in their blood. You know, the usual. That’s why I chose necro-science as my profession!” Afraid of saying anything else, Pip walked back to the mansion with Pinkamena, feeling significantly more worried than before. > Onward to Hivegondo! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Returning to the abandoned mansion, our hero Pip followed Pinkamena down a staircase in the back yard, making their way back to her underground laboratory. “I must say, Pip. You provided me with unprecedentedly positive results today. It makes me quite proud as a scientist to know that my spirit serums are a success!” Pinkamena said, an uncommon smile gracing her face as she laid her notepad on the desk. “Why thank you Pinkamena, I’m kind of glad you asked me to help, because these spirits should be a big help on my quest….speaking of which, would you mind telling me where Chrysalis is?” Chuckling and adjusting her monocle, the doctor nodded “Ah, but of course, its only fair. Your girlfriend should be arriving shortly, as I gave her a couple dozen bits to spend at the arcade." “Ar….cade?” Pip asked, staring blankly. “Oh, you didn’t notice the sign? Being a scientist doesn’t really pay the bills, so I supplement my income by running an arcade out of this house. We even have a cool zombie mascot!” “Wait, that zombie was your…..” Glaring and crossing her arms, Pinkamena nodded “Yes, that zombie you killed was my mascot, and I was trying to hide my frustration in the name of science. It was very obviously paper mache, and I’ll expect payment for that in the future.” Looking away in shame, Pip took a step back. “Well, I think I’ll go check on Chrysalis then. Though she's not my girlfriend!” Smirking, Pinkamena began working on building a replacement zombie “Well if she’s not your girlfriend, then feel free to come by sometime if you’re in the neighborhood." Pip made his way back up the stairs, returning to the second floor of the mansion, hearing all manner of sounds coming from the arcade that Pinkamena had mentioned. Stepping over the slain zombie mascot, Pip stepped into a scene even stranger than the rest of the mansion: large cabinets standing in rows, powered by some unknown science, and on the glass screen were all manner of flashing pictures. “How in the name of Celestia did she build all this?” Pip heard Chrysalis’ voice off in the distance, and made his way through the rows, until he found his companion flailing her hooves wildly on a machine with the name “Clop Clop Revolution”, which was located directly next to another machine named “Clop Clop Counter-Revolution” which had a sign that read: “Reserved for Royalty”. Suddenly the machine stopped playing its music, and a large image reading “You lose!” appeared on the screen, right as Chrysalis fell onto the floor, panting heavily. Pip quickly rushed over to check on her. “Chrysalis, are you ok?!” She looked up at him, panting and worn out. “S…sure thing, Pippy. But this machine is a..." She kicked the machine out of anger. “A Cheater!” Upon kicking the machine, an alarm went off and the pair were surrounded by a ray of light from the ceiling. “Vandal alert! Evicting!” The ray of light picked the pair up, and unexisted them, making them appear outside the mansion on the front lawn. No one knows how the unexisting ray worked, but it was probably science. “Huh…now what were we doing before we got here, Pippy?” The Changeling Queen turned and looked at Pip “Oh, yeah. While you were in the arcade, Pinkamena helped me become stronger with the help of some weird medicine, so now I really feel that I could take on your knights!” She chuckled and put a hoof to her mouth to hide her grin. “My Knights? You mean, and slay the queen as well, my little colt?” “Well…erm…yes, that too.” He rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little conflicted about the idea of still having to kill his traveling companion, even if she were the scourge of ponykind. “Good, because when the time comes for you to attack me, I wont hold back, even if you are adorable.” Chrysalis yawned and brushed Pip’s mane, laying her head on the grass. “But I still have one question: How will we get to your hive, now that we don’t have that boat?” Pip asked. “Isn't it obvious, Pip? I’ll give you one guess on how we will get there!” Pip looked around, thinking long and hard about how on earth they could cross that vast ocean. “Chrysalis, I have no earthly idea.” She laughed and sat up. “I’m going to fly us there, dummy!” Pip looked back at her, confused. “You mean to say, you’ve been able to fly this whole time?!” “Well duh, I’m a changeling. We can all fly!” “Then why didn’t you fly us there in the first place!” He stood up, glaring at her for having not told him. “Because, Pippy. This story would have been extremely short if I just TOOK you to the end of it, wouldn’t it? You can thank me later.” And with that, Chrysalis laid on the ground and began to take a short nap, still tired from playing at the arcade. Pip stared down at her, his eye twitching slightly from anger. > Castlevanialopolis > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey, hey Gnomey! Gnomey!” Sylphie poked the solemn, quiet earth spirit in the cheek repeatedly, trying to get her to respond. “Wanna hear a joke? Huh, do ya?!” “Hey Sylphie, bro, just let Gnome chillax, man. She doesn’t talk much anyways." Raindine chimed in, laying back on a cloud and enjoying the relaxation. “Oh! Then instead of a joke, I’ll impersonate a bird!” Sylphie put her arms to her sides like a chicken. “Chi-pa-pa! Chi-pa-pa, I’m a bird! That’s great, isn’t i-“ Gnomey glared and gave Sylphie a swift backhand….then another, and several more. “Ugh, my head hurts!” Exclaimed Pip as he sat up, a hoof on his head as he noticed Chrysalis had been smacking him a few times to wake him up. “Wakey, wakey, sleepy head! Today is your big day! And this time, you got me here to make sure you don’t oversleep.” “Thanks Chrysalis, but did you have to hit so hard? I cant feel my face.” Pip rubbed his cheeks with his hooves, while the changeling queen chuckled. “Oh, toughen up, Mister Hero! And come on, hop on my back, we are heading to the real hero coronation.” Pip slowly got up and climbed onto Chrysalis back, and she spread her large, thin wings, flapping them as they took off into the sky. “Are you sure its safe to be riding on your back?!” Pip yelled out, holding tightly to her for fear of falling off. “Now that you mention it, we really should have taken a griffon, but your goddess Celestia banished them from her land long, long ago. So this is the best you got, Pippy!” One long, perilous flight across the ocean later, and our duo was now within sight of the Changeling homeland, Hivegondo. The borders of the island country were surrounded by such high mountains, that no ship could ever hope of docking. The land itself was coated in a strange, black material, with a huge castle in the distance. “Pip, on behalf of my kind, I welcome you…to Hivegondo. If you fail here today, this will be your new home, so I hope you get to know it well." Pip’s eyes began to get heavy from the altitude, and everything quickly went black. An odd, warm aura surrounded our young hero, and once more, he was standing at the feet of his goddess, Celestia, in an ethereal plane within his dream world. “Oh brave hero Pip, I apologize, but I had to have one last meeting with you, before you entered that wretched monsters castle.” “It is quite alright, I should be the one apologizing, my goddess!” Pip bowed out of respect, and Celestia waved her hoof “You may stand. Now, Pip, tell me, how do you feel about Changelings?” the goddess asked, directly to the point. “I….” Pip paused, having to think for a moment, due to what he has seen during his quest. “I feel that while some of them may be evil, some of them may not be?” The goddess frowned, giving a look of displeasure. “And when you say this, who among them do you believe is good?” Before Pip could speak, she shook her head. “My great hero, Pip, their queen is simply trying to tempt your heart, and make you question your morals. She is in fact the most evil of them all, because she is their queen. She is, to put it quite simply, the root of all pure evil in this world, an enemy to all ponykind.” “My Goddess…I don’t honestly think she is evil, wouldn’t she have taken me prisoner by now if she was?” Celestia stepped forward, brushing Pip's mane gently, in a way only a Goddess could do. “My dear, dear hero Pip. You must simply trust your goddess, for what pony can know better than me? Pip, I am asking you as your kind, benevolent, and loving Goddess: Strike this abomination from our planet, and I will see to it that you are rewarded greatly, as a true hero should be.” And with that, Pip slowly regained consciousness, falling off of Chrysalis’ back and onto the ground. “Woah! Your lucky, Pip. You blacked out and fell off me just as I landed!” She kneeled down and helped him to his feet, and Pip could finally see the end of his journey: in front of him lay the grandest castle he had ever seen, even topping the temple built for Celestia in his home town. “Welcome to my home, Pip. Around here, this castle even has a special name, coined many centuries ago by my great, great grandmother.” “Wow, cool, Chrysalis. What is it called?” “Castlevanialopolis. Rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it?” She smiled and looked up at its grandeur “Castle-what?” “No matter, this is where our journey ends, Pippy. This is where we part. I’m going to go inside, and the next time we see one another, we will be enemies. It will be the age-old tale hero and villain” Pip looked down, feeling a little bad about having to part with this changeling who he had grown attached to over the days, even if she had been a tad bit dumb some times. “Ok Chrysalis….it has certainly been fun adventuring with you though.” He shook his head, then looked up, with a smirk of determination on his face. “But you had better believe: I’m going to make it to your throne room.” Chrysalis chuckled and walked over to Pip, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and then walking off into her castle. Somehow, she knew nothing would prevent Pip from getting to her throne room. Even if he was the smallest colt she had ever seen, she had faith in him. And he knew that no matter what, this unorthodox hero-crowning ceremony would be the most difficult trial of his life. > Return to Castle Hoofenstein > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pip kneeled at the steps to the castle, wishing a silent prayer to his omniscient goddess Celestia. He then stood, and began his journey into the large, foreboding castle. For such a large building erected by changelings, he found the inside to be oddly quiet, barely hearing a sound at all, other than the clatter of his own hooves as he ventured further, and further inside. He also noticed that the castle was also strangely well-kept. He had always assumed that Chrysalis’ home would have been worlds different from those of his own home town, and yet that theory seemed to have been proved wrong. There were large, wooden doors spread along the walls, leading to what could only be thought as guest rooms, and torches hanging, keeping the whole place well lit. “Wow, Chrysalis really keeps this place in good shape. I guess changelings care about appearances just as much as us ponies.” Wandering the halls, Pip eventually made his way into a large antechamber, with tall pillars holding up the circular roof. At the other end of the room, he saw two large metal doors, engraved in gold. “Huh, this must be the entrance to the throne room. But where is everyone? I haven’t seen a single changeling!” Suddenly, our hero Pip heard the sounds of hooves knocking on the floor as they moved closer to him, turning around, he saw three foreboding enemies at the other end of the room. Before Pip stood the armor-clad and highly intoxicated mulberry knight: Grandberrya, the darling mistress of seduction, and number-1 whore in all the land; Alma-Rara, as well as a mysterious new third Hivenly Knight, who’s body seemed to be composed of an entirely black gelatin-like substance, with a large red horn “Wait, I know who two of you are….who is that last knight, guys?” Pip said in confusion “Oh, darling, that is the last Hivenly Knight: Sombretie. She doesn’t really get to leave the castle much, because her body is composed entirely of a substance named ‘Gak’. Sadly she never gets much screen time due to this," said Alma-Rara politely as Sombretie’s body jiggled angrily. “And if you plan on - hic - taking out our queen, you have to go through us first!” exclaimed Grandberrya, stepping forward and dropping her now-empty liquor bottle, sword at the ready. “Wait wait, so are we going to do this one at a time, or are you guys going to work as a team?” asked Pip, confused. “Well, one at a time, of course. Why would you think otherwise?” asked Alma. “Uhm…because I’d probably have no chance if you worked together?” said Pip, drawing his sword that had been given to him by Pinkamena “Well, Darling, this is a Japanese video game, you’re just going to have to deal with our logic.” Alma stepped back, pulling Sombretie with her so that Pip and Grandberrya had room to fight. “Don’t worry, par’ner, I got cher back with this’n!” said Apple Gnome as she filled Pip’s body with strength, and just in time, as Grandberrya raised her sword in the air and brought it down, Pip managing to finally be able to block, thanks to the help of the earth spirit. “Well I’ll be a - hic - drowned rat. This little pipsqueak can take a hit, finally!” Pip took a step back, and swung at the knight, his sword slamming into her armor and knocking her back a step, but not hurting her. “Nice try, punk, but this here is the finest armor in the world!” “Shucks, she's right, par’ner. I think this calls fer a plan B!” said Gnome, removing the power she had granted him, as Raindine pushed her out of the way. “C’mon, bro. I know together, we can beat this drunk with some smooth moves. Just let me take over!” And with that, Pip suddenly felt like time was moving slower than normal as his reaction time was increased. Grandberrya took a strong swing at our hero, and he ducked down, the sword colliding into a pillar and getting stuck for a moment. Taking the opportunity Pip swung at the knights back, cutting a couple of strings and making some of her armor fall off. With a strong pull, Grandberrya forced the sword out of the stone, swinging around shattering her sword against the wall in another attempt to hit Pip, giving him a moment to cut off even more of her armor. “Fine, I didn’t need the sword anyways!” the Hivenly Knight yelled in a drunken anger, running at Pip and trying to punch him over and over, but thanks to Raindine and the 5 D’s of dodge ball, he Ducked, Dodged, Dipped, Dove, and Dodged the flurry of punches, until she eventually fell over, exhausted and out of breath. “Fine kid…..you win…for now!” she said, panting and lying on the ground. “Woo, high five me, bro!” said the voice of Raindine in his head, and Pip lifted his hoof up in victory. It was then that Alma-Rara stepped forward seductively, swaying her hips. “Well, well, darling. I see you bested our half-wit swordsmare, little Pippy. But I’ll have you know that I won’t be so foolish.” “I see, but what weapon are you going to use, miss? I don’t see you holding anything.” “Oh, but I’ve already got the only weapon a lady ever needs: my dashing, succubic body," she said, running a hoof along her side. “Wait…succubus?” Pip said, managing to remember something he had heard while in Pinkamena's manor, so he sheathed his sword, and reached into his bag. “Oh my, surrendering so easily, Pippy? How polite of you.” Pip pulled out the whip that he had taken from Pinkamenas house, the one that she had claimed only worked on demons and vampires. “Getting a little kinky, are we?” she said with a chuckle, and then gasped in pain as Pip whipped her with it. “Ouch! That crap really hurts!” He grinned, realizing his plan worked, so whipped her again. “Ouch! Hey, you cut that shit out!” she said, holding her side where she had been hit. Pip whipped her again and again, leaving red marks on Alma-Rara’s body and smearing her makeup “Alright, alright, I give, damnit! Just stop, that thing stings!” Pip rolled up the whip, and put it back into his back, walking over to the strange goo-beast that was the final knight standing. Sombretie only jiggled in place and gave Pip some menacing looks. “Uhm…what am I supposed to do to this?” Pip said out loud, and gently pushed his sword into it, the sword just sliding into the goo and not affecting her. He slowly pulled the sword out, and shrugged, sheathing the sword and walking back to the throne room door, since the Gak monster could do nothing more than sneer and look at him. With the Hivenly Knights defeated, Pip knew the real challenge awaited him, and he pondered: would he have what it takes to kill someone who had grown to become like a friend to him, even if she was the evil queen that had menaced the pony race? > Aria of Sorrow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slowly, Pip forced open the large metal doors, stepping inside the throne room as they slammed together behind him, sealing him inside. The heart of Chrysalis’ palace was nearly completely dark, with the exception of a few blue torches on the walls. “So, Pip. I see you managed to defeat my Hivenly Knights. I would say that I’m impressed, but I somehow knew all along you would make it here,” changeling queen said, knocking her hooves together, making light fill the room and allowing Pip to finally see her sitting upon her throne at the far end of the room. “Yes, your knights were actually really easy, now that I know their weaknesses. But Chrysalis, do we really have to fight? You could always just surrender.” Chrysalis stood up from her throne, revealing that she was now clad in ornate, gilded armor, covering the majority of her already strong carapace. As was the changeling fashion, the armor was covered with black spikes, making the queen a truly terrifying sight. “Pip, the self-proclaimed hero, there will be no surrender allowed. Today you stand as the hero of ponykind, and I, as the hero of my children. The moment you opened that door, you had sealed our fate today. Now, the time has come to see which of us truly is deserving of victory.” The queen reached for a large sword on her wall, and took it down, holding it with both hooves and turning back to him quickly, making her red cape roll in the wind for a moment. Pip reached down and drew the experimental sword that had been his sword of choice since the tournament, and Chrysalis glared, readying herself. Pip ran towards her and swung his sword in hopes of hitting her midsection, but the queen stepped to the side, and swung her sword down hard, shattering Pip’s blade. “No, Pip. That little toy will not do today. I want you to use your real sword.” Nervously, Pip drew his steel sword from its sheath, and held it tightly in his hooves. “Shucks, par’ner, this filly sure is strong! I think y’all might want mah help!” said the voice of gnome in his head, and Pip felt the extra strength once again return to him. Chrysalis raised her sword high in the air, and brought it down on Pip as he blocked, sending sparks as the swords collided. Again and again, the two traded blows, blocking each other’s sword, however, Pip managed to hit Chrysalis' armor several times, and slowly but surely he started to make dents in it. His entire journey had been building up to this fight, and yet he had never imagined that in the end, he would be facing off against what had become his best friend. The two stepped back from one another, panting heavily. “Not….bad… for a little colt such as yourself. I finally can see just how powerful those spirits have made you, Pip!” said Chrysalis, a hoof holding her chest. “Chrysalis, your already looking a little beat up. We don’t have to fight one another, just surrender!” Pip pleaded with his travel companion and greatest enemy, but she shook her head, taking off her helmet so that she could see better “Nonsense, I am the queen of the changelings, it is my job to slay all who would wish to harm my children!” Chrysalis charged at Pip, and swung her sword, cutting through his shirt and drawing a few drops of blood, forcing the colt to hold his chest with a hoof. “Don’t you see, Pip? This is a fight for our lives! Don’t expect me to hold back like I just did.” Pip winced as he took his hoof from his chest, and swung at the queen as hard as he could, cutting a chip into her sword when she blocked. She swung with all her might in return, and Pip stepped out of the way, her sword suddenly shattering as it collided with the hard stone floor. Realizing that she had finally been disarmed, Chrysalis took a deep breath, and faced Pip. “Well bravo, hero of ponykind. It would appear you have managed to disarm me.” Chrysalis dropped to her knees, hanging her head down in acceptance of defeat “Chrysalis…..please surrender, I don’t want to kill you!” Pip said, taking a step back, lowering his sword. “Don’t you understand, Pip? This is how it has to be. You, the hero, have defeated me. Now it is time for you to fulfill your destiny, and slay me. For the good of your ‘goddess’ “. Pip sighed and slowly slid his sword back into its sheath, kneeling down to try and reason with Chrysalis “Chrysalis, I don’t want to kill you. Yes, you’re a changeling, but you’re not evil! I’ve spent the past…Celestia-knows-how-long traveling the world with you, and I know now that you’re not evil! So please cut it out, and please just admit your defeat.” Chrysalis looked up at Pip as he reached to brush her mane, her eyes beginning to water as she slapped his hoof away and pushed him back, standing up. “Well if you don’t have what it takes to finish the job, then I will!” she exclaimed, picking up her broken sword, prepared to kill Pip once more. Taking a deep breath, she charged at Pip, and in doing so, forced him to finally finish the task. Pip kneeled down and held his sword out, forcing her to be impaled, the sword pushing through one of the dents in her armor, and coming out the other side of her hard carapace, neon green blood dripping off the blade. Chrysalis slowly let out her breath, and her eyes grew heavy. “Thank….you Pip. Somehow…I knew you could…. become the hero you dreamed of…..” Slowly, Chrysalis slid down the blade, laying ontop of Pip and drenching his clothes in her blood. A final tear dripped onto his face from above, and Pip felt his hooves shaking, unable to believe that he had actually just killed his best friend. Pip slowly laid her body on the ground, and knelt down beside her, holding a hoof to his chest, when suddenly, his eyes began to feel heavy once more. However, unlike the previous times, a large, white beam of light surrounded Pip, and he felt his body being teleported to somewhere new. Lying on the floor, Pip slowly picked himself up, and looked around, finding himself in a huge, white palace with bright red carpeting, the sun shining brightly even where there were no windows. “Oh brave hero Pip, I cannot put into words the amount of happiness you have given me today.” Said a voice at the far end of the room. Pip looked towards the voice, and saw his Goddess Celestia sitting on her massive marble throne. “Come closer, dear Pip. Do not be afraid!” Pip slowly walked up to the throne, strangely feeling all the pain and fatigue of his last battle to be missing entirely. “Yes, my Goddess?” Pip asked humbly. “Pip, you have managed to far exceed any expectations I had for you. Not only were you the first hero to make it to the changeling homeland, but you were also the only colt in all of Equestria who was strong enough to kill their queen. Thanks to you, pony-kind will forever know peace, as soon as the last of the changelings die off. Truly, I cannot think of a finer colt in the land than you!” “Why…thank you, my Goddess. It was certainly a difficult task, but I am very humbled by your praise, as I live to serve you.” Pip said, kneeling to Celestia as she smiled “Pip, you truly deserve a reward, for your unprecedented bravery. As such, you shall forever be granted a home in Canterlot, right outside of my royal castle. And in addition, I will allow you to pick any mare in the land, and you may have her as your wife.” Pip smiled softly, and as soon as Celestia had finished speaking, a servant of hers, a small, green mare with a brown mane walked by the door. “You there, miss!” Pip called out, and she stuck her head inside the room. “Yes, Pip the Hero?” She asked, confused. “Celestia, I choose this one!” he said proudly, and turned back to his Goddess. “Really, are you completely sure she is your choice? You don’t want to take any time to think?” He shook his head, and she walked into the room, standing by him. Celestia rolled her eyes, thinking ‘Some colts really are just animals’. “Then so be it, I, Goddess Celestia, henceforth declare that you two are now lawfully wed. You may kiss the…bride.” The two shared a nervous kiss, and trotted out of the castle, making their way to Pips new home in Canterlot. Upon entering, Pip locked the door behind them, and the mare burst into green flame, revealing that she had been Chrysalis all along. “Wow, I can’t believe that worked!” Said Pip, shocked “I know, for a goddess, she is pretty stupid. But it doesn’t matter; now we are both legal citizens of Canterlot, and I’m dead as far as she knows.” The two shared a laugh, and a tight, loving hug, then let go. “Though, you know Pippy, it is our honeymoon….” she said, grinning sensually and staring at her new husband “Em….I don’t like where this is going!” Pip said, backing up nervously. “It doesn’t matter, even your goddess can’t save you now!” Chrysalis yelled, and pounced on Pip. The End.