It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The market square was bustling with ponies of all shapes and sizes-it looked like the sun had brought out everypony in Ponyville! Well....almost everypony.
Not far from the market square, in her cozy little cottage, Poppy Blossom went over her checklist for possibly the 15th time since she had first written it that morning, in preparation for today's delivery.
"Let's see..."The red unicorn said aloud, scanning and reading out the tasks on her checklist. A freshly dipped quill hung in the air by her magic, ready to check off each task.
"Timberwolf attacks?" She checked her bag and smiled. A series of scrolls containing powerful fire spells was visible from within. "Check."
"Ursa Minors?" A magical music box rested at the bottom of her satchel. One turn of the crank, and it would rock even the angriest of the Ursa's to sleep. "Check."
"Ursa Majors?" a doll of an Ursa Minor baby had been made and stored within the satchel as well. "Check."
"Freak Tornadoes?" A large book of weather changing spells rested inside. "Check."
"Bandits?" A large magical stun bomb which could be triggered with her telekinesis was also inside. "Check."
"And.....puddles?" She also packed rain boots. "Check."
Poppy smiled as she made the last mark on her checklist, before rolling it up and putting it in her satchel. "Okay....that's everything." she took a breath as she went to her door, the sunlight shining brightly through the window. She then picked up her delivery: a large crate addressed to be delivered to the Inconvenience Store just down the block.
Part of her wondered why it wasn't simply shipped directly to the store, but then again with how Burnt Pears acted, she can understand why the Equestria Post might want to offload the task on someone closer to the place.
Burnt Pears was the owner of the Inconvenience Store, and a friend of Poppy's. A very cautious mare, Pears was infamous for being almost ludicrously paranoid, never really trusting anypony let alone actually engaging them in a conversation that didn't start off with her questioning that pony if they were a changeling spy sent to steal all her shaving cream.
Poppy was the only one, Pears sort-of trusted, and even then, she had her moments of suspicion. But today looked like a good day for the delivery mare. Just one crate to deliver, and it was just down the street. She could get it down in minutes, and even say hello to Pears while she was at it, even if that hello might be interpreted as a threat....somehow.
Regardless, Poppy was very relieved that today seemed like it was going to be an easy day.
As she left her office for the Inconvenience Store down the street, the crate bouncing in the air carried by her magic, she couldn't have possibly imagined just how wrong she was.
Ponyville, Market Square
Poppy's Delivery Service was located in the Market Square, nestled amongst all the other bright and cheery storefronts, Poppy's office looked rather plain, with its normal brick and concrete architecture, square windows, and a tiny little sign hanging above the door. The place looked largely uninteresting, and was easily missed if you didn't see the sign. But Poppy liked it this way. Her office was the one spot she could get away from all the trouble that seemed to follow her on a daily basis. Her office was where, for once, everything was normal. In her line of work, 'normal' was not a word Poppy got to use often if ever.
Market Square was a buzz with commerce as usual, with many ponies still bustling to take advantage of that day's early bird discounts. As Poppy began to make her way to the Inconvenience Store just down the street, something caught her attention.
A cocoa brown filly was busy putting posters advertising some sort of musical event being hosted in Ponyville soon. Beside her, two other fillies; one light green and the other bright red. They seemed to be admiring the brown fillie's poster-work.
"Morning!" Poppy greeted, as she approached the fillies. "What are you kids up to, today?" She asked looking at the poster. It advertised the arrival of a new DJ coming next month. Poppy was always too busy to go to things like this, but she thought it looked fun.
The brown filly answered first, a snide smile on her lips. "We're not kids, lady! We can do whatever we want, same as you adults." She declared proudly.
Poppy looked confused. "Um....All I said was 'good morning'." she explained innocently.
The red filly gave the brown one a light shove. "Will you knock it off, Root? We aren't starting a fight with the whole neighborhood!" she scolded. "Again!"
Root snorted in response and went back to putting up her second poster. This one advertised the same musical event but featured a list of locations it would be traveling to. Meanwhile, the red filly talked to Poppy. She seemed to be the oldest and more mature of the three. "Sorry, about Root Beer." She apologized. "She always gets full of herself around adults. Part of her rebellious streak, I guess."
"It's fine. I was a kid once too, after all." Poppy said with a smile. Although she distinctly remembered not being nearly as hostile.
"Yeah, I wish Root here knew that." The red filly laughed. "My name is Cherry Pop." she added with a smile. "That's Root Beer and Lemon Lime, my sisters." The green filly gave a small wave in response. Root Beer once again just snorted. "We're The Fizzy Poppers." Cherry said proudly.
"Fizzy Poppers? Is that like a gang name?" Poppy joked.
"You makin' fun of us, lady?" Root accused, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to look menacing, but Cherry shot a look at her and she backed off once more.
"Nah, nothing like that." Cherry explained. "It's just our thing, I guess. Although, we do get into trouble every now and again." She added slyly.
Poppy understood what it was like to get into trouble, probably better than any other pony in Equestria. Trouble and her, were always a package deal when it came to her deliveries. But today was going to be different. Today, she was going to complete this delivery and nothing bad was going to happen, for sure. Definitely.
....probably.
"My name is Poppy. I'm a delivery mare." Poppy said introducing herself.
At once, the Fizzy Poppers all turned and stared at her. "Wait', Lemon Lime piped up, "You're Poppy Blossom?" she asked, as if she couldn't believe it was true. "The delivery mare?"
"Um...yes?"
Root's eyes went wide. "No way! We've heard all about the trouble you cause on your deliveries. Like when you blew up that train tunnel making that one Sarsaparilla delivery to Duststone!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Or when you fought the captain of the Mad Kat Bandits bare hoofed atop the Manehatten State Building, and won!" Lemon Lime chimed in.
"Or when you crashed the royal sister's air gondola riding on top of another air gondola flanked by bloodthirsty Griffin pirates!" Cherry cheered. "That was on fire!"
"You're in a whole other league compared to us!" Root exclaimed, as if she was meeting her personal hero. At least her opinion of Poppy had drastically improved.
Poppy scratched the back of her head as she looked terribly embarrassed. "Oh no! I didn't...um, well, actually mean to do any of that stuff, I....well.." she trailed off, trying desperately to find some way out of this conversation.
Poppy glanced at the Market Square clock. She had to get moving if she wanted to get her delivery completed in time. Plus, this was the perfect excuse she needed. "Oh, look at that!" she exclaimed looking at the clock. "It was great meeting you three, but I have a delivery I have to make, and I absolutely cannot mess up my perfect on-time percentage rate."
The Poppers simply looked at her skeptically, as if they knew she was trying to back out of the conversation by any means she could. But Poppy didn't wait for them to argue with her about it. "Sorry again! Bye!" Poppy trotted quickly down the street, hoping she didn't make that too awkward.
"Well...that was awkward." Cherry commented watching the delivery pony run away from them.
"Yeah." Lime added. "She's still awesome though!"
The other Poppers nodded in agreement.
As she rounded the corner, the crate still hovering beside her, Poppy came to the front doors of the Inconvenience Store.
The Inconvenience Store was a very bright and colorful building, sitting between a now vacant bookstore and a store that sold cacti. The building was a collage of bright, seemingly random colors, as if someone set off a paint bomb right in front of it. Patches of yellows, greens, pinks, blues, purples, oranges and reds, were all visible in great splatters on every trace of the building's outer walls.
Poppy had once asked Pears why she chose this as her store's color scheme. "So that those thieving Chimera can't find my store! You know they can only see in rainbow colors?" she had answered enthusiastically. Poppy now knew not to ask anymore about that subject.
Both of the store's windows were not only barred, but also had electrical fencing over them. Poppy heard them buzzing softly as she examined the gumball machine in front of them. "Huh" she said. "Looks like she's got Lima beans in there this month." She said simply, looking over the tiny green beans clustered within the big glass ball. There had never been gumballs in that machine. Poppy had never bothered to ask why, nor why Pears seemed to literally put anything else in the machine except for actual gumballs.
On top of the glass front doors, a large sign read "Inconvenience Store" in bold orange letters. This sign was big enough to be seen from Poppy's office, but she knew exactly where the store was, as she always made daily visits to see Pears. (Mostly to make sure she didn't cause any public disturbances...again.)
Taking one last look at the gumball-less gumball machine, Poppy opened the door and went inside.
The Inconvenience Store
The lobby of the Inconvenience Store was your typical storefront, with shelves of various produce and goods stocked and ready to be bought by the customer that needed it. However there were a few glaring differences between a normal store and the madness of the Inconvenience Store.
One: The Inconvenience store sold, without exaggeration, everything. Whether you needed it or not. Need some Weasels On A Stick? They got em in bulk. Two-handed Broadswords despite ponies not having the right appendages to use them? Plenty of those in aisle 8. What about vegetables in the shape of famous naturalists? Ooh! There's a sale on those, this week only!
Literally. Everything.
And Two: The owner, Burnt Pears, was either an insanely skilled salesmare, or a skilled salesmare who was insane. Completely paranoid that the whole world had it in for her, the mare had essentially prepped herself to face anything the world could throw at her. Despite this, most of the world that was Ponyville just thought she was crazy. Although they still shopped at her store, simply because the prices were so good. Perhaps the only pony that even bothered to befriend Pears was Poppy, something Poppy usually ended up questioning each time she visited.
And this time was no different.
As Poppy entered the store, the bright cheery music playing on a loop on the store's speakers, she saw Burnt Pears crouched behind the counter, glaring over at what appeared to be another delivery mare in a bright green delivery uniform.
Burnt Pears was a light tan colored earth pony mare, with a fiery orange mane, that stuck out in random directions in jagged angles and a burning green pear for a cutie mark. Her orange eyes peeked up over the counter as Poppy walked forward.
Before Poppy could say a word, Pears silenced her with a raised hoof and beckoned her over to sit with her behind the counter.
Poppy, more than used to this by now, simply sighed, set down the crate and joined Pears behind the counter.
Sitting on the cold yellow linoleum floor, Pears gave one last look at the other delivery mare before talking to Poppy. "What are you doing here, Poppy?!" she whispered loudly. "Can't you see the store's under attack?" she asked in her usual rough voice. Pear's voice was one of her most defining traits. It was rough, and a bit scratchy, but also strangely charming. When she talked, everyone listened, regardless of what she had to say.
"Huh? What do you mean under attack?" Poppy asked, already confused.
"Can't you see!?" Pears exclaimed, still whispering. "Over there! Delivering those books!"
"Books?" Poppy peeked up from behind the counter and saw that this delivery mare was indeed delivering books. And quite a lot of them, by the looks of it. Actually, now that she was able to see her clearly, the crate she was unloading books from and the crate Poppy was supposed to deliver, were exactly the same!
"I don't see how delivering books is a bad thing." Poppy said, clearly not seeing any threatening behavior from the delivery mare or the books she delivered.
"She's a terrorist! She'll be the death of us all, if we don't stop her!" Pears whispered, angrily.
"She's delivering books."
"A book-delivering terrorist. Even worse!"
"I have the exact same delivery for you, regardless!" Poppy exclaimed, pointing to the crate she had brought in. "What's the difference if they're both the same book delivery?"
With Pear's look of anger or horror, you'd think that Poppy had just delivered a bomb to her store rather than books. "Why would you do that?!" she asked, her voice rising. "Are you working with them?!"
Poppy was getting frustrated now. "Why did you order so many books, then!?"
Pear's suddenly looked confused. "Order? I didn't order any books, dummy!" she scolded lightly.
It was now Poppy's turn to be confused. "You didn't? Then...why did I get an order from your store saying you did?" she asked innocently.
"Isn't it obvious?" Pears asked, getting suddenly inches from Poppy's face and staring at her with huge, serious eyes.
"Um...no?"
Pears grabbed a book off the counter and showed its cover to Poppy, as if she was holding a dangerous weapon in her hooves. The cover read Piece Of Mind, By Charming Culture. Poppy had never heard of anypony by that name before, or this book until now. The cover also displayed what looked like a pony with a dream cloud above their head. The pony looked very blissful, as if sleeping. She didn't see anything malevolent about the book at all.
"I don't see anything evil here, Pears." Poppy said with a sigh. She was starting to think this was another of her friend's conspiracy rantings.
"Are you blind?!" Pears scolded, pointing to the cover' once more. "I've never heard of this book title or this Charming Culture weirdo!" she exclaimed. "And whats this 'Piece of Mind' stuff?, oh, It's something bad, I can tell you that!"
Poppy hadn't heard of this Charming Culture either. But she had no reason to suspect anything evil yet. Poppy had faced many evil things that seemed innocent at first in her various misadventures before, though. Maybe this was no different.
"Why would you be getting deliveries of books you didn't order?" Poppy asked, genuinely curious.
Pear's lowered her voice to a whisper as she grabbed Poppy by her shoulders and pulled her close. "Think about it. No individual acting alone would ever deliver books that cheerfully of their own volition. It makes no sense!" She pulled Poppy in even closer till their noses touched and narrowed her eyes. "I smell a conspiracy." she warned in a serious tone.
But Poppy looked skeptical as she backed away. "Pears? You always smell a conspiracy."
"No! I always smell the updraft from the weenie roaster." Pears explained. "But this time I definitely smell a conspiracy."
Poppy wasn't so sure, but she still found it strange that her friend was being delivered so many books, that she hadn't even ordered. A mailing mistake like that was unheard of, as either the Equestria Post or Poppy herself were the only ones who delivered mail in Equestria. So...where were these books coming from?
"If that's true,' Poppy asked "Who do you think is delivering all these books to your store?"
"Oh, they've all got in for me!" Pears declared angrily. "The government, the media, the mafia, aliens, sentient computers, the mailman, pineapples, lint, my mother, hairspray, Switzerland, Head lice, pastrami, Hasbro, elder gods, shaved-"
"Okay! Okay I get it." Poppy exclaimed, cutting Pears off before she could go any further. The last tangent she had to sit through lasted 5 hours. She didn't have that time today. But she still thought it was just Pears being...well, Pears. "Have you actually read this book, you're so worried about?" Poppy asked skeptically.
"Hell no! That's how they get ya; you start reading those books like they're just books, and it's already too late. They control your mind, and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it!" Pears exclaimed, once again locking eyes with Poppy.
Poppy was still not sure if that was the case, but she supposed if she was going to find out anything, she might as well ask the delivery mare herself.
To-Do List: Find out who is delivering books to Pear's store, and why.
"Excuse me." Poppy said, tapping the mare on her shoulder.
The mare turned around, a bright shining smile on her face, and a sparkle in her eyes. "Good morning! What can I do for you today?" she asked in an all too chipper voice. Something about it greatly unsettled Poppy.
"I was wondering why you're delivering so many of these books. It looks like you've already put plenty on the shelves." Indeed, every shelf Pears had room for books was now crammed tight with multiple copies of Piece of Mind. It made no sense for her to keep trying to unload more. Yet, here she was.
The mare's smile didn't even flinch as she answered. "I have to make sure there's plenty for everypony! Would you like one? They're free!" she cheered.
"FREE!?" came Pear's cry of horror from the counter. "Not in my store, they ain't!" she yelled angrily.
But the mare acted like she didn't hear her. "Would you like one?" she repeated.
"Maybe. What are they about anyways?" Poppy asked, genuinely curious about the strange books.
"Charming Culture's Piece Of Mind is the self-help regimen for ponies of all ages. Try it today." The mare said in a robotic tone, her eyes suddenly glazing over as she spoke each word as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times in her head. Poppy felt a chill go down her spine. Maybe Pears was on to something after all.
Something wasn't right here.
"Who is this Charming Culture, person? I've never heard of him." Poppy asked, now keeping a close eye on the delivery mare as she answered.
Sure enough, the mare got that same glassy stare as she spoke. "Charming Culture is a genius, and his Piece Of Mind self-help series is a boon to all Equinekind." she stated robotically.
Then, just like that, the mare snapped back to her normal cheery self. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asked, completely oblivious to her behavior just then.
Poppy now knew there was definitely something strange happening, and this mare was apart of it. If she was going to find out anything, she would need to examine one of these books more closely. "I'll take one, please." Poppy said politely.
"Fantastic!" the mare cheered. She handed Poppy a copy from her crate. "Enjoy! Tell your friends! And everyone else you know or have ever met!" she added, before going back to trying to mindlessly cram more books into the Sludgee machine.
With that, Poppy returned to Pears with the strange book in her hooves. "Mind if I use your restroom?" she asked.
"Are you planning to use it?" Pears asked quizzically.
"Actually I'm going to use it as a space to investigate this evil book you were warning me about."
At once Pears perked up. "Oh! Yeah, let me disable the laser grid for you." She hit a button beneath the counter, and the infrared lasers blocking the bathroom off flickered before disappearing completely. "Be careful in there." Pears warned.
"I know, I know. I'll watch myself around the evil book." Poppy stated.
"No. I'm using the bathroom to store some nuclear warheads for the sale on Monday. You accidentally touch the detonator, and Ponyville is a crater."
"Thanks, Pears. Good to know." Poppy said before leaving for the bathroom.
To-Do List: Investigate the mysterious book.
The bathroom was spacious and quiet, and aside from the several crates of inactive nuclear warheads stacked in the stalls, it was perfectly normal.
Taking a spot at the sink, Poppy pulled out the book from her satchel and looked over the cover. It was the same cover as before, and brand new. There wasn't a scratch on it. In fact there wasn't anything on it. No logos, no bar-codes, no printing dates or editions. The only words on the entire book was the title and Charming Culture's name.
With some caution, she opened the book to the first page, but was surprised to see it was completely blank. Leafing through she saw there wasn't the faintest trace of writing in the entire book.
"What? It's blank?" Poppy said aloud. "Why would someone give away a book with nothing-" Poppy stopped as she felt a chill go up her spine. Then another. She began to feel dizzy.
Her head throbbed as she began to stumble towards the sink. Looking up she saw her reflection shift and warp in the mirror, like a stone tossed into a pool of water. Shapes danced before her eyes as she tried to settle herself.
"You love me....you adore me..."
"What?" Poppy turned around. She was the only one in the bathroom. Had someone spoken through the door? "Hello! Is anypony there?" But there was no answer. Where had that voice come from?
"You want to obey my every command..."
Poppy began to feel sick as her head pounded in her ears. The strange voice was so close, as if it was speaking directly into her ears. But everywhere she looked, she didn't see anyone in there with her.
"You want to tell others about me..."
Poppy's vision began to fade as she kept hearing the voice, getting louder and louder in her ears. Her body was being taken over, something was trying to take control of her mind! She had to stop it! But what could she do? Did she have anything to stop mind control magic?
Only one thing came to mind.
Poppy leapt to the sink and turned the faucet on, watching as it began to fill with water. The voice in her ears was inside her brain now, every word scratching at her mind like a cat to a cat-post. It wouldn't be long till she had completely lost her mentality to whatever dark forces were burrowing through her mind.
Once filled, Poppy took a deep breath and plunged her head into the cool water. At once, the voices stopped, and she felt control be wrenched back into her grasp. The throbbing in her head faded quickly, until finally, it was completely gone.
Poppy pulled her head out from under the water and took in a gulp of fresh air (As fresh as it could be in a bathroom, anyways.)
Her bright orange mane slopped flat on her head as she dripped on the tile floor. But she was alive. The water had literally washed away whatever evil magic was twisting into her mind.
Turning off the faucet, Poppy stood there, her hooves clinging to the sides of the sink as she tried to put together what had just happened.
She withdrew a towel from her satchel and began to dry her mane as she spotted the book on the floor, thankfully shut as it laid there, completely unassuming of it's true nature.
After her mane was no longer soaking wet, Poppy used the towel to wrap the book up (Who knew what other tricks this thing had up it's dust cover) and left the bathroom.
Back in the store lobby, Burnt Pears looked over to see that her friend Poppy's mane was damp and her purple scarf heavy with water.
"Geez." Pears remarked. "Did you fall in? And...just how far did you fall in?" she asked, her eyes going wide.
Poppy only looked at her, clutching the towel wrapped book in her hooves. "If only that had been that case." she said under her breath.
To-Do List: Tell Burnt Pears about the books.
"I knew it! Didn't I tell you there was something evil about those books!?" Pear's exclaimed, after Poppy finished explaining to her the events of the restroom. She then looked at Poppy, concern on her face. "You alright?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm okay." Poppy said, knowing that despite Pear's paranoia being proven right, she was still concerned for the only friend she had.
Pears nodded and looked over at the delivery mare, who had not moved from that spot since Poppy had left. In fact she seemed completely oblivious to everything around her.
Poppy looked over at her as well, and dropped her voice. "What about her? She's obviously fallen for this 'self-help sham' that tried to turn my brain to goop." she asked.
"Pfft. Self-help, my pony posterior! That mare's been hypnotized!" Pear's exclaimed.
"So what do we do?" Poppy asked, alarmed.
"Same thing you did. We gotta douse her!" Pear's exclaimed, before leaping over her counter and charging towards the delivery mare.
This wasn't the smartest option first off, but it soon turned out that there was much more to the cheery delivery mare then meets the eye.
As soon as Pears made a charge for her, the delivery mare's smile vanished, as her eyes went completely white. She back-flipped upwards as Pears charged at her, causing her to nearly crash into the sink. When the mare landed she turned and began to fight Pears.
Poppy raced towards the fight and tried to help, but the delivery mare, moved with unerring finesse, keeping both Poppy and Pears at bay as they tried to get her over to the sink.
The mare threw a heavy front kick at Poppy, but she caught it and threw the mare onto her back. Pear's grabbed the hose from the sink, but the delivery mare leaped up and kicked it from her hooves, spraying water everywhere.
Moving towards the sink, while Pears tried to shake the water from her eyes, the delivery mare, grabbed hold of the hose and tore it from the sink, where she then tried to strangle Pears with it. But Pear's saw her coming and caught the hose as it was wrapped around her neck. The two ponies struggled on the floor, trying to wrench the hose from the other's grip.
Poppy looked on, wondering what they could do now, since the sink was no longer usable. Was there water anywhere else she could use?
Looking around, she saw the Sludgee Machine was still running despite all the books crammed into the top of it. Poppy wasted no time in grabbing a cup and filling it with the thick, green, sugary liquid. When it was full, she yelled at Pears to move.
Pears, seeing what her friend was doing, unwrapped herself from the delivery mare's grasp and leapt behind the peanut display for cover.
Poppy, cocked back her arm and threw the cup right at the mare, who slipped on the now slippery wet floor as she tried to dodge. The Sludgee hit her right in the face, causing her to fall back, the cup still on her nose. She struggled for barely a moment, until her arms went limp and she laid still.
Poppy looked at Pears.
Pears looked at Poppy.
Then the mare on the ground came to. "Ugh...what? Why is there a cup on my face, and...is that...wheatgrass?" she said tasting the Sludgee that covered her face.
"Lawn Clippings, actually." Pears corrected.
The mare pulled the cup from her muzzle and looked in disgust at her now Sludgee soaked uniform. "Wha-what happened to me?" she asked, in bewilderment.
"You don't remember?" Poppy asked, reaching a hoof out to help the mare up.
The mare took Poppy's hoof and got to her feet. "N-No I don't. What happened?" She was starting to sound scared.
Pears moved out from behind the peanut display and began re-stacking the Sludgee cups that had been knocked to the floor in the struggle. "You were mind controlled into terrorizing my store and the public by delivering your supply of evil, brainwashing books." Pears said completely unapologetically. "Of course there's always the possibility that you knew that all along cause you were in on it!" she accused suddenly.
The mare's eyes grew wide in alarm. I-I what??" she asked, backing away. "I would never do anything like that! I'm not even supposed to be working today; it's my day off!"
Poppy showed the mare the book she still had wrapped in the towel. "Do you recognize this book? Have you ever delivered them before?"
"Book?" The mare took the book in her hooves and looked it over. "I-I, I've never seen this before in my life. And I don't know who this 'Charming Culture' is either!" The mare handed Poppy the book back, shivering. "I-I don't know how I got here, or what's going on. I just want to go home." The mare said, now very scared and worried.
That confirmed it. This mare was not acting. She truly had no idea how she had gotten here or anything about the books or even this Charming Culture. She was being controlled, manipulated into obeying the will of another. But who? Charming Culture? If that was true, Poppy needed to learn as much as possible about him, so she knew how to stop him.
Poppy turned her attention back to the delivery mare who was still very scared about what had happened to her. "What's your name?" Poppy asked gently.
"Smart Cookie." The mare replied nervously.
"Everything is alright now, Cookie." Poppy explained. "But I'd like to ask you some questions about how you came across these books. Then maybe we can find out who did it and stop them from doing the same to anypony else. Okay?" she asked politely.
Cookie looked worried still, but nodded anyways. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I'll tell you what I remember." she replied, her worried look replaced by a very serious one.
To-Do List: Find out where Smart Cookie got those books from and find the culprit behind this.
Pears let Poppy and Cookie sit down on the chairs behind the counter while she cleaned up the mess from the fight. When they were seated, Cookie began to retell the events of that morning. "I work at the Equestria Post Office as a delivery mare. But today was my day off from the office and I was spending the day at home."
"Do you live alone?" Poppy inquired.
"No, I have a roommate named Sunshine Springs. She asked me to go pick us up some new recipe books from the bookstore in Canterlot." Cookie explained, shuffling her hooves as she talked. "When I got there, I saw a display out front, advertising a free book or something, but I didn't pay any mind to it. I went in, bought the recipe books then headed out."
Cookie's eyes lit up as she then got a thought in her head. "No, wait. I remember now. I bumped into someone on the way out. I..I think they might've put one of those books in my bag!"
Poppy leaned in, eager to hear more. "Did you see what they looked like?"
Cookie thought a moment. "I..I remember a colt. They wore some kind of bright yellow T-shirt, and a ball-cap," she pointed to the title of the book, "that had this on it."
"Did you see them slip the book in?"
"No, but then again I didn't actually look to see if they did." Cookie replied. "When I got home, I opened the books up, and the next thing I know, I'm on the floor of this store with that weird goop in a cup on my face." She looked back at the spot where she awoke from her trance via Sludgee to the face.
"Of which," Pears called out from by sink,"you are paying for."
Cookie looked back at her in bewilderment. "I-I have to pay for something I was hit in the face with??"
Pears rolled her eyes. "Especially, if you are hit in the face with it!" she exclaimed. "That counts as a break-it-you-buy-it scenario."
While Cookie tried in vain to argue with Pears about the absurdity of paying for a drink she was smashed in the face with, Poppy took a minute to think over her options. It was clear something sinister was going on with those books, and odds were, this Charming Culture was behind it. But who was he? How was he getting these fake books out to the public? And who was that colt in yellow Cookie saw?
For answers to all these questions, she could only think of one place to start: The Canterlot Bookstore.
With her destination in mind, Poppy bid Cookie return home but check in periodically with Pears. She may be crazy, but she would help if Cookie noticed anything weird happening to her again. They still didn't know how this mind control worked, and it was wise not to take risks.
"You're right." Cookie acknowledged. "I'll head home and try to explain things to Sunny. She might not believe the whole 'mind-controlling books' thing but she'll understand If I say it was work related."
Poppy nodded, wished her to stay safe, and Cookie left for home, still shaken a bit but happy to be going home anyways.
As Poppy prepared to leave herself, Pears pulled her aside. "Are you sure you want to go after this thing, Poppy? I know you've handled some insane stuff before, but...I really do smell something bad with this one." she warned, bringing her voice lower.
"I know. But these books are out there, messing around with ponies minds. And If this Culture nut-job is behind it, someone has to bring him to justice." Poppy said seriously.
And she was right. Nopony would suspect a simple book to have such a dangerous curse on it, let alone could imagine how easily it could overwhelm your mind if you weren't prepared like Poppy was. She had to stop this before it took control of Ponyville or worse: All of Equestria.
"Good." Pear's agreed with a smile. "I'll be here if you need me."
Poppy looked surprised. "Wait; you aren't coming with me?" she asked, genuinely curious as to why Pears, the one who uncovered this whole thing with her paranoia, didn't want to be there in person when the culprit was taken down.
"Hell no! somepony has to watch the store." Pears declared. "And by somepony, I mean if anyone so much as touches my counter besides me, I will surgically remove their hooves and replace them with oven mitts."
Poppy was sure that meant she was going to protect her store. Apparently, with a scalpel if necessary.
With a final goodbye from her crazy but loyal friend, Poppy went to the door, tucked the evil book into her satchel and headed out the door, bound for the morning train to Canterlot.
Canterlot
The morning sun hung proudly over Canterlot in just the right way (Which she was sure didn't have anything to do with the fact that an omnipotent sun deity and her sister called Canterlot home) as Poppy disembarked from the train and began to make her way up main street. Ponies hustled and bustled from store front to store front, grabbing their morning coffee, or finishing some errands before moving on to the rest of their day. Following the street signs, Poppy finally located the storefront of the Canterlot Bookstore; a snowy white building that stood above most of the other little shops on the street. It was a proud and storied establishment that sold all manner of books from history, to magic, to history of magic to epic adventures, to chilling horror stories, that Poppy might dare herself to read and then get scared off by the table of contents. If you were a book-lover, there was no other place you'd rather be.
She peeked in through the front door window and saw that it was almost completely empty. The shadow of a mare leafing through one of the shelves within, told her the store had at least one customer. Poppy gripped the handle with her magic, only to pause as she spotted the poster on the window, advertising the very book she held in her satchel. The same one that tried to take over her mind.
Was the store still giving them out? Or were they selling them? Deciding it was easier to see for herself, Poppy opened the door and went inside.
Canterlot Bookstore
As she entered, a tinkling bell next to the door dinged, alerting the shadow in the back that another customer had entered. The shadow approached and turned out to be an forest green earth pony mare with an apron and thick glasses. She smiled at Poppy as she closed the cabinet behind her. Her name tag read Cactus Bloom.
"Good morning! What can I help you with today?" she had a soft voice. Perfect for an employee of the largest bookstore in town.
"Hello," said Poppy with a smile. "I was actually hoping to ask you about those free books your store is giving away?"
The mare's smiled lilted slightly. "Free? I didn't think we gave away books for free. Can you explain a bit more?" she asked, curious as to what Poppy meant.
"You mean you don't know about these?" Poppy withdrew the cursed book from her satchel and held it up for the mare to see.
"Hmm..."Cactus took it in her hoof and adjusted her glasses as she scanned the cover. She jumped when Poppy quickly slammed the book shut when she tried to open it to read it, but brushed it off as she handed the book back. "As a matter of fact,' Cactus said sharply, "I do remember these. They were delivered before the store opened this morning. A young colt in a yellow t-shirt had dropped them off, claiming them to be donations. I opened the crate and tried to read through one of the book's contents, and the next thing I know, they are set up on display in the shop. But I had a very strange feeling being around them. Almost like they were alive, with invisible eyes watching me as I worked."
Poppy put the book back in the satchel. "So, you know they're cursed?" she asked lowering her voice, so as not to alarm other customers.
Cactus's eyes widened. "I see. Then it's a good thing I threw them out." she sighed, sounding relieved.
"You threw them out?"
"I didn't like the fact that I couldn't remember setting them up or even bringing them into the store." Cactus explained. "I've dealt with books like that before, and I knew they were either going to hurt someone or cause trouble. Plus, we have a strict no cursed books policy." Cactus explained further. "So, I disposed of them in the way we are taught to dispose of all banned books: the incinerator."
Poppy breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that the rest of those books were gone. Still, it didn't mean that there weren't more of them out there. And she still had yet to find anything on this mysterious yellow-t-shirt colt that had been responsible for delivering the books and for brainwashing Cookie into delivering more. He was her next lead to follow.
To-Do List: Find the mysterious colt and uncover his connection to the brainwashing books.
"Do you know who this colt was? Did he wear a name tag or anything that could be used to identify him with?" Poppy asked politely.
"I remember he wore a ball-cap with that book's title on it, and he also had a cutie mark of a movie projector." Cactus recalled. "But, other then that no, nothing."
"Did you see which way he went after he delivered those books?"
"Unfortunately, no. The very second I opened one of those books, I was suddenly standing in my store with those books on display near the front. I don't even remember unloading them."
Whatever this curse was, it worked instantly, from the moment the victim opened the book. But it seemed if one was mentally fortified like Poppy you could resist it for a time, or if the book was closed quickly enough, then the curse wouldn't activate. At the very least it had it's limits, which would make beating it easier. Hopefully.
Now she had to find this colt. Pears had tons of equipment for tracking ponies she found suspicious (So literally everyone except Poppy) and maybe they could use it to find this colt? No. Pears was busy herself because of all this. Then who? Surely, somepony must have seen this strange colt.
Then Poppy got an idea: The Fizzy Poppers! They were already standing by the corner just down the street from the Inconvenience Store when Poppy left her office. They might've spotted something that Poppy missed on her way to make her delivery. It was worth a shot.
Poppy thanked Cactus for her help then turned to leave the store, only to be met with the face of another mare colliding into hers, and causing said mare and all her books she was carrying to fall to the ground, along with Poppy, who tumbled onto her back.
"Oh my goodness!" Cactus exclaimed rushing over to help. "Are you two alright?"
The mare Poppy had collided into was a sterling silver mare with a short black mane that came down like a curtain to her neck. She wore a thick red sweater and horn rimmed red glasses, which she now searched the floor for.
After retrieving her glasses, she stood up quickly, and brushed herself off with grace. "I'm alright, thank you." she said quickly, before reaching to help Poppy up as well. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going!" She exclaimed, looking terribly embarrassed.
Poppy sprang to her feet just as quickly and laughed it off. "No, I'm sorry, I should've been more careful." she said, equally embarrassed. "Let me help you with these."
"Oh! Thank you, I really am sorry about that. I'm so clumsy, I swear!" The mare lamented, picking up her books from the floor.
As Poppy handed the books to the mare, she noticed each one had a distinct title and theme; Equestrian Psychology Volume I, Thinking Fast and Slow, The Equine Mind At A Glance, Truth Deal, The Well of Attraction, The Wine of Vengeance, The Dream Paradox, Evil at Center, Tomorrow the Citizen, October in the Wing, Fool's Coin and....Sweaters Monthly.
All these books (Except for the sweater one, probably) were extremely advanced psychology books. Well above that of your typical reader or browser of psychology. This mare had to be a professional just to understand one, and she was buying at least eleven of them!
"Wow" Poppy said amazed. "Pardon me for asking, but are you a psychologist?" she asked the mare politely.
The silver mare blushed as she tried to keep her smile from giving away her excitement. "I am! Well, of a sort anyways." she awkwardly piled all her books in one hoof and stretched out her other towards Poppy. "Penny Metronome; licensed psychotherapist. It's great to meet you!"
Poppy shook her hoof with a smile. "Poppy Blossom; delivery mare." Poppy said warmly. "And likewise!"
At the mention of that name, Penny's eyes widened in amazement. "Really? You're Poppy Blossom?" she asked excitedly. "Oh! I saw you in the paper last month! Weren't you the one who battled those ghost pirates during the Summer Solstice Festival?"
Poppy's face went red. "Oh, yeah that was me." she said quickly. "But, I was only trying to deliver the Summer Solstice statue of Celestia to the festival! I didn't know I'd uncover an ancient pirate burial ground in the process, honestly!"
Penny put a hoof to her chin as she suddenly scanned Poppy at a glance. "You are uncomfortable talking about your exploits, and the redness in your cheeks, coupled with the rise in your voice makes it also clear that you are thoroughly embarrassed when you call such attention to yourself."
Poppy looked stunned. "Uh, well yes-
"But deep down you value what you do, and genuinely care about saving people who are in danger or need help. Possibly due to your lifetime attraction to trouble and misfortune. Part of you feels it's your fault and that it's your responsibility to fix things, even if you may not be directly responsible for it. And the truth is you are very, very good at fixing things. Possibly the best in the world."
"Okay, I wouldn't go that far!" Poppy exclaimed. "But...well. The rest feels accurate."
Penny adjusted her glasses and smiled. "Forgive me, for that. My psychotherapist senses were sounding all manner of alarms just then. I couldn't resist delving in a bit." she apologized.
Poppy simply laughed. "No, it's fine. But...wow. You really are good!"
Penny laughed as well. "Thank you!" she said happily. "But I really should be getting back to my office. I have to clean up a bit before my next client comes in this afternoon."
"Of course, I understand." Poppy said politely. "It was great meeting you!"
"You as well, Poppy! If you ever need psychology help or a therapy session, please feel free to drop by! I won't even charge." Said Penny, opening the door to main street.
"Will do. See you then!" Poppy waved her new friend goodbye, and watched as Penny left for her office, her massive pile of books in her hooves.
Penny could definitely help Poppy on this whole brainwashing books conspiracy. A psychologist (sorry, psychotherapist) of her skill could crack the secret to how this mind control curse worked, and maybe even a way to prevent it from happening at all.
But for now, Poppy decided to return to Ponyville and talk to the Fizzy Poppers and then discuss her findings with Pears. Maybe she had made some progress herself on this bizarre brainwashing books beguilement.
Ponyville, Market Square
The afternoon sun was now shining down on the bustling market square, as Poppy made her way from the train station, back to the Inconvenience Store. As she passed various homes and storefronts she felt something was off.
The usual cheery tone was dimmed, a feeling of urgency or distress now replaced it. Was it just her imagination?
"Yo! Poppy!" a filly's voice called out. Poppy turned to see Cherry Soda and her sisters Root Beer and Lemon Lime, hanging out beside an ice cream cart, having purchased their cones and were now joking around with the very nervous looking cart attendant.
He looked over to Poppy as if to say "Help!" And Poppy obliged. "Hey guys! What have you been up to? Staying out of trouble?" she asked. She watched as the cart attendant took this opportunity to abscond with his cart, hurrying away as fast as he could gallop.
To her surprise, the Fizzy Poppers laughed. "What's so funny?' Poppy asked.
Cherry Soda smiled at her. "You!" she laughed. "Your telling us to keep out of trouble? We all heard about the fight that happened in the Inconvenience Store! You and that Pear wacko totally whooped that mare's flank! It was awesome!"
"Yeah! We knew you were awesome already, but I had no idea you could fight." Lemon Lime added cheerfully.
"Can you teach us how to do moves like that?" Root Beer asked with a grin. "Pleeease?"
Poppy sighed as she tried to think of how she could explain this to the Poppers. "Look guys,' she started "I didn't fight her cause I wanted to. We were defending ourselves from her, cause she....well, wasn't herself."
"What do you mean?" Cherry asked. Her sisters crowded around her, eager to hear what Poppy meant.
Poppy thought for a moment. Was there any harm in telling them about the books? She supposed they wouldn't be believed if anyone told them, but then again, maybe it was a good thing that as many ponies knew about them as possible. And the Poppers would surely spread it around everywhere they went.
"Alright, I'll tell you." Poppy said seriously. "That mare was being mind controlled."
"Mind controlled? Seriously?" Root asked, wide eyed.
"Yes, and I need you three to keep an eye out for someone for me. If we work together we can put a stop to this before it gets out of control." said Poppy, leaning in so the three fillies could hear her.
"Y-You mean we get to help you save Equestria?!" Lime asked, her excitement peaking.
"Yep." Poppy said with a grin. "But, you need to be careful. I don't know how far this extends, or who's behind it yet. Just let me know if you guys see anyone suspicious, or," she withdrew the book from her satchel and showed it to the Poppers, "any books like this one; let me know. I'll be at the Inconvenience Store if you need to find me, okay?"
"Totally! We'll keep an eye out for anything-" but Root was stopped by Cherry who gave Poppy a suspicious look.
"Why trust a bunch of kids with something this important? How do you know we can pull this off?" Cherry questioned. Her sisters looked at one another, now uncertain if they should say anything.
Poppy thought for a moment. Why did she trust these girls with this? Why tell them anything at all? What could they do to help in all this?
Poppy had her answer. "Because you guys are like me." she said simply. "You guys are both attracted to trouble and attract trouble the same as I do. I can tell you guys can take care of things, fix things that go wrong and maybe even help if you're needed to. Troublemakers like us should stick together."
The Fizzy Poppers looked pleased with this answer. They looked at one another and smiled in response. "You're right." Root said in agreement. "We troublemakers should stick together!"
"Yeah! We can do this." Lemon Lime cheered happily.
Cherry nodded as well. "Welp, I say that's a good reason then. The best reason." she said with a smile. "You can count on us, Poppy. We'll come to you if we find anything, and we know how to stay hidden. You don't have to worry." she assured Poppy, who smiled in response.
"Alright, I'll see you guys soon." Poppy said clearly. "If you see anything, come find me, but don't do anything to attract attention."
The Poppers assured her they would be careful, and trotted off, now extra vigilant for anything that caught their eyes. After they had turned the corner, Poppy tucked the book back into her satchel, then walked through the doors of the Inconvenience Store, eager to share with Pears what she had found.
The Inconvenience Store
Back in the store lobby of the Inconvenience Store, Poppy didn't have to look very far for Pears, who was busy setting up a rather large and advanced looking piece of technology around the front door; an archway of some kind, with small green, pulsating lights blinking and glowing along it's surface. Pears was just installing the last of the screws for it on the wall, when she noticed Poppy had returned.
"Ah, the prodigal Poppy returns!" she joked. "What did you find out?"
"Um...Pears?"
"Yes?"
"What is that?" Poppy asked, pointing to the large archway her friend was now connecting wires into.
"This," Pears said gesturing towards the archway "is the Pear-Tech Anti-Delivery System." she finished connecting wires then hopped down from her step ladder to demonstrate whet her gadget did. "Now that I know there are maniacs out there delivering books to stores that didn't order them, I had to take precautions!"
"Okay, but what does it do?" Poppy asked, still not understanding.
"It is an advanced security hardware that prevents anyone from making UN-approved deliveries to my store. If I don't order it and someone tries to deliver it to my store without my permission, it will deliver a 2000 volt shock to the perpetrator the moment they walk in, and destroy whatever ill-gotten goods they tried to bring in here." Pears looked quite proud of her achievement.
Poppy only looked concerned. "You installed an archway that'll electrocute people if they try to bring things you didn't order into your store? Isn't that a little...insane?"
"You've seen what we're up against!" Pears exclaimed, grabbing Poppy by her shoulders. "We have to be prepared this time. Who knows what they'll try next." she then let go of Poppy and went back behind her counter. "Speaking of which, what did you find out? Whose behind this? Aliens? The Happy Time Mafia? My mother?! I knew she couldn't be trusted!" Pears leaned further and further over her counter as she practically yelled out each word, till she was hanging over the side, inches from Poppy's face with wide, serious eyes.
"Hang on, hang on! I didn't find the culprit yet but I have a lead; a colt in a yellow T-shirt and ball-cap. He's been seen at the bookstore and was the one who slipped the book into Cookie's bag as she was leaving. He knows what these books do and he's trying to get as many as he can out there. But I don't know. Do you think he might be the culprit?"
Pears thought for a moment. "Not a chance." she declared. "The ringmaster of this whole thing wouldn't be doing the dirty work themselves. They wouldn't need to! All they have to do is get some random pony to open one of those books and bam; instant servant." she explained.
Poppy nodded in agreement. "You're right. Why do all the work when you can just strip the free will from the nearest pony and force them to do it without them even being conscious to do so." Poppy felt sick by the thought that there was somepony out there doing that to random ponies on the street. And for what exactly? What were they trying to gain from all this? Power? Fame? She guessed to them, anything was worth achieving their goal. This fact didn't make Poppy feel any less sickened by it.
"So,' Poppy turned her attention back to Pears,"you think Charming Culture is behind all this?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"That would be my guess." said Pears seriously.
"Who is this guys anyways? Some kind of actor or something?" Poppy asked. "I'd never heard of him till today!"
A grin appeared on Pear's face. "I've actually been doing some digging on that." She reached behind the counter and pulled out a large beige folder file filled with various documents, and slammed it on the countertop. "I found this, while going through the police's records."
Poppy shot Pears a look.
"Legally, this time." Pear's clarified. She gestured to the file name; Culture, Charming. "Turns out, this guy actually was an actor at one time, but well..."
She opened the file and turned it so both her and Poppy could read it's contents. "Once upon a time, he was the host of Charming's Clubhouse, a popular children's TV show back in the X970's."
"A children's TV host? Well that doesn't seem so bad. I was expecting his backstory to be-"
"But that was before he was institutionalized for sociopathic tendencies and megalomanical behavior, and his show was cancelled."
"Ah." Poppy sighed. "That makes more sense."
Pears nodded before continuing. "After his show's cancellation, Charming struggled to find work. Unable to find another role, Charming dabbled in every religion, creed and belief system he could find. Buddhism, Judaism, Pointilism, IsmIsm, Alienism, Vampirism, Scientology, Norse-matology, Nerfmatology, Brony Fan Culture, and even Shoetology. But what ultimately became of him, no one knows."
"I guess we know now." said Poppy thoughtfully. "But how is he doing all this? How did a former children's TV host obtain a curse powerful enough to control someone's mind the second they are exposed to it?"
"No idea." Said Pears with a shrug. "If only we knew more about the curse itself. Or the psychological impact it has on the mind. Then maybe we could find out how to nullify it's effects."
Poppy thought for a moment. "Of course! We need a Psychologist!" she exclaimed.
Pears shot Poppy a look of disapproval. "Why does everyone I know tell me that?"
"Huh? No, I meant we need a psychologist's help in finding out how this curse works!"
"Oh. Well...do you know one?"
Poppy nodded. "As a matter of fact I do." she then reached into her satchel and withdrew a one-off teleportation spell. "This can get me back to Canterlot without needing to worry about catching the afternoon train."
"Good thinking." said Pears approvingly. "We have no time to waste! Who knows what this Culture lunatic is plotting to do next!"
Poppy pulled out the scroll and unfurled it. "Okay, I'll see you-"
"No time! Just go!" Pear's yelled, jumping out from behind her counter and rushing over to her storage closet. "I have to prep the store for an invasion of those brainwashed book zombies!"
With that, Poppy read the incantation from the scroll and felt her horn begin to glow and pulse, before she vanished in a flash of orange light. The next instant, she was standing on the main street of Canterlot, once again.
Canterlot (Once Again)
Poppy watched the scroll disintegrate in her hooves, before she began looking for Penny's office. Luckily, she didn't have to look very far. Directly across from her, a squat, brick building sat between what looked like a flower shop and a cafe. Bright blooms of various carnations and marigolds adorned the entrance, and above was a sign that read Penny Metronome Psy.D. (Licensed Psychotherapist) in bright gold letters.
Relieved she didn't have to look around for once, Poppy opened the door and went inside.
Penny's Office
As Penny walked through the door, she found herself in what looked like a very comfortable living room. The walls were robin-egg blue, a fluffy white carpet covered the floors and nuzzled her hooves, and the furniture consisted of a soft looking red couch, and two armchairs next to a fireplace. She could imagine becoming completely relaxed easily, if she ever needed to come here for therapy.
At the far side, was Penny's mahogany desk. But, to Poppy's surprise, it was not Penny who was sitting there, but a brown colt with a short brown mane and a far too friendly looking smile.
"Hello!" he exclaimed. "What can I do for you?" he asked, eagerly. His green eyes didn't blink once as he spoke. Poppy was starting to feel creeped out.
"Um, I'm sorry. I'm looking for Penny Metronome." Poppy said quickly, wanting to get away from this weirdo as soon as possible and find her friend.
"You found him!" The colt replied excitedly. "How may I help you, today?"
Poppy stared at the colt. "You're not Penny Metronome."
"Of course I am!" The colt replied. "It says so on my desk." He pointed to the engraved nameplate on Penny's desk.
"That's because that's Penny's desk." Poppy said sternly. "And you're sitting at it."
"Right. My desk!" The colt repeated, his smile not wavering an inch.
Poppy narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't have time for this; where is Penny?" she asked sternly.
"I am Penny!" The colt insisted. "It's short for...um...Penny-salvania?"
"Your name is Pennsylvania." Poppy asked in disbelief.
"....Yes."
Poppy glared at the colt, losing her patience. "You're going to tell me where Penny is, and what you're doing in her office, or I'm getting the police." she warned.
But the colt simply chuckled. "Oh, come on, there's no need for that!" he insisted. "Plus, how do you know I'm not Pennsylvania?" he asked with a sly grin.
"Because that's a city, you idiot!" Poppy exclaimed angrily. "I met Penny this morning at the bookstore! I know for a fact you aren't Penny Metronome, and now, I'm done asking; I demand you tell me where Penny is, or else I'm getting the police."
The colt got up from the desk and walked over to Poppy. "Alright, alright. Let's just calm down here, okay? I'm a licensed psychopath. I can help you." he said soothingly.
"I..That's not even the right-!" Poppy stopped as she caught a glimpse of the colt's cutie mark.
It was a film projector.
To-Do List: Confront The Mysterious Colt and find Penny.
"You!" Poppy snapped. "You're the one that's been spreading these books around!"
"Books?" The colt asked. "What do you mean?"
"Don't try that!" Poppy yelled. "I know you're the colt in the yellow T-shirt and ball-cap that's been delivering these evil books all over town! You brainwashed Cookie into delivering these things to the Inconvenience Store, and the one who made Cactus Bloom unload and display the books you tried to peddle to the bookstore!"
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." The colt said confused. "Maybe you're just insane? I am a doctor you know."
Poppy was quickly losing the last of her patience, when she heard a distinct sound from the wall behind her. Specifically, from the broom closet.
Going over to it, she put her ear to the door and listened. "Hey, get away from there! That's my broom closet!" The colt yelled. But Poppy ignored him as she could now make out the sounds of struggling from within.
Poppy tried the door but found it to be locked. "I mean it! That's private! I won't tell you again!" The colt warned.
Poppy opened her satchel and withdrew the lockpick she kept in case she was ever locked out of being able to complete a delivery. But as she went for it, her hoof was suddenly seized by the colt, whose eyes had gone completely white.
"Y-Your brainwashed too!?" Poppy exclaimed, as she struggled to get her arm from the colt's grip. The colt seized the lockpick, but Poppy fought back. She twisted the colt's arm, forcing him to release her, then back flipped over his head and, with no other options, smashed in the door with a powerful front kick.
Inside was Penny, bound and gagged with rope. "Penny!" Poppy ran in and untied her friend, as well as removed the balled up washcloth that she had been gagged with. Penny coughed as she rubbed the sides of her sore jaw. "Are you alright?" Poppy asked.
"I am now. Thanks." said Penny with a smile. Then she winced, as her jaw still hurt from being gagged.
The reunion was broken by the colt suddenly grabbing a nearby pole lamp and charging at Poppy, brandishing it like a weapon. Poppy squared off against the brainwashed colt, as she talked to Penny.
"Penny!" she dodged a blow from the colt, which knocked over a nearby chair. "I need your help!" she connected a hard punch to his jaw, sending him to the wall, but he recoverd and charged at her again.
"I-I don't know how to fight!" Penny exclaimed.
"No! I mean I need help finding out how to neutralize this curse!" She grabbed the lamp and struggled to wrestle it from the colt's grip. "That's whats making this guy do this; He's being controlled!"
Penny's eyes went wide behind her horned-rim glasses. "Mind control? That's amazing!" she exclaimed.
"How do we stop it!?" Poppy delivered a hard kick to the colt sending him over the couch, the lamp flying from his grasp.
"I-I, well I'd have to see the victim's face for analysis!" Penny explained quickly.
"Fine!" Poppy grabbed the colt as he sprang to his feet and expertly pinned him to the wall, next to Penny.
"Oh. Thank you." Penny grabbed her notebook and began examining the colt's facial features. "Pure white sclera, unemotional reactions, increased movements and reaction speed, sudden violent tendencies..." she muttered to herself as she took notes.
The colt snarled as he tried to wrench himself from Poppy's grip. "Well?" Poppy asked, pinning the colt even tighter.
"His subconscious is unresponsive and may be inert. This curse operates by literally replacing a part of the victim's mind with a piece of their own, subjecting them to their will instantly. Its as if they become an entirely different person, bent only to the will of the caster. Very strong stuff. As well as very dangerous and risky." Penny explained, setting her notebook aside.
Poppy struggled to keep the colt pinned. "We need to snap him out of it! We need water, fast!" she exclaimed.
But Penny shook her head. "There's no need for that." she said calmly. "The curse only works cause the victim's subconscious is put to sleep. All we have to do is wake it up."
Penny locked eyes with the dead-eyes colt, as he tried to get free. "I know you can hear me." Penny said softly. "You are asleep. Someone has entered your mind, bending you to their will." The colt stopped struggling and seemed to hear what Penny was saying. "You have to wake up! Destroy the intruder in your dreams; take back control of your mind. You are not a servant!"
The colt grunted as his eyes began to grow heavy. "Your will is yours, and yours alone. Take it back from the one who shouldn't be there!" Penny commanded. And at that last word, the colt fell limp, his head lowered.
Poppy let go, and the colt fell to the floor, where he lay still. "Whoa. What did you do?" she asked Penny, completely astonished.
"Give it a minute." Penny said simply.
They waited.
Then the colt woke up, and tried in vain to stand up. "Ughhh...my head." he said weakly. "What happened?"
"Depends. What do you remember?" asked Poppy, still unsure if he was really out of his trance or not.
The colt rubbed his head as he tried to focus. "I...I was working my usual shift at the movie theater." he recalled. "When some weirdo in a baby blue tuxedo and bad pompadour showed up. He handed me this book, said I looked like I could use a pick me up."
"What was his name?" Poppy asked quickly.
"No idea. Didn't say." The colt said, still rubbing the side of his head. "The next thing I know, I'm laying on this, admittedly soft carpet, with my head feeling like it got trampled on."
"You've been under the curse's effects this entire time?" Poppy asked, surprised.
"Curse? What curse?" The colt asked, still unsure of what happened.
It was Penny's turn to step in. "Do you remember anything else? Your name?" she asked politely.
"My name? Yeah it's Auburn Crest." said Auburn, still confused as to how he got here.
"You don't remember what this individual did after you read the book he gave you?" asked Poppy.
"Read? Lady, I don't even remember what happened after I opened it!" cried Auburn. "I was standing there in my uniform outside the movie theater, just started my morning shift, then that nutjob hands me a book, I open it, now I'm here."
"That's all you remember." said Penny thoughtfully.
"Yeah. That's all."
Poppy stepped in once more. "Which movie theater was this?"
"The old Canterlot Movie Theater. Just down the street from Donut Joe's." said Auburn.
The old movie theater of Canterlot was one of the city's landmarks. It had been open for several decades, and always showed the latest films. But a movie theater was an interesting spot for an evil brainwashing megalomaniac to pick as his headquarters. There had to be another reason for it.
And Poppy was going to find out exactly what that reason was.
To-Do List: Investigate the Canterlot Movie Theater and confront Charming Culture.
Penny had offered to tag along, but Poppy said it would be too dangerous. That she should face Charming alone, and put a stop to his plans before it was too late. Penny accepted this, but warned her to be careful. Neither one of them knew what other tricks Charming had up his sleeve.
After leaving Penny's office, Poppy followed Auburn's directions and ended up at the gates of the old Canterlot Movie Theater. It was of art deco style and the large red letters where they displayed the various movies that were in theaters had recently been moved around; they now said "Charming's Clubhouse Returns TV Special! Come See The Stallion Who Created Your Childhood!"
Poppy raised an eyebrow as she read the sign. "What kind of degenerate has to boast that he created someone's childhood to feel good about themselves?" Poppy scoffed. (Charming Culture apparently.)
There was no use wasting time out here; it was time to put an end to this once and for all. Poppy made for the front doors, only to find them blocked by a large metal gate, with a heavy chain lock securing it in place.
Poppy strained to lift the gate with her magic, but it was no use. The chains were bolted to the pavement. That gate wasn't moving anytime soon. She would need to find another way in.
Looking around the side, she saw an alley way, where a back door was clearly visible. But so were the wooden planks across the door. That way wouldn't work either. Was there another way?
Poppy contemplated whipping out her grappling hook from her satchel and scaling the wall, when a voice behind her made her jump.
"Poppy!" the voice cheered. "There you are!"
Poppy turned around to see Cherry Soda and the Fizzy Poppers, standing shoulder to shoulder, with grins on their faces.
"Cherry?" Poppy exclaimed. "What are you girls doing here?"
"You told us to help, Dummy!" Root Beer stepped forward. "We went to the Inconvenience Store and talked to your insane friend."
Lemon Lime then piped up. "After we were able to convince her we weren't sleeper agent spies here to steal her whipped cream or something, she filled us in one what was happening with this Chuckler, guy."
"Culture?" Poppy corrected.
"Chuckler, Culture. They both sound like clowns to me." Root joked. "Anyways, Pears let us use one of her teleportation scrolls to teleport us here so we could follow you, in case things got rough!"
"Pears sells Teleportation scrolls??" Poppy asked. "I've asked her that before, and she said she was all out! I've been using One-Offs for weeks!"
Poppy put aside Pear's negligence to inform her of the availability of things that would make her job easier, and asked the Poppers for help. They had made it this far, and had proven themselves to be good at getting around. "So, this might sound weird, but...do either of you guys have a way to get in here?" Poppy pointed to the heavy chained gate.
The Poppers flashed Poppy a sly grin. "Yes, we do, actually." Cherry stated.
"You do?" asked Poppy. "How?"
"We did some snooping, like you said!" Root exclaimed cheerfully. "After you went into the store, we spotted a colt in a yellow t-shirt, spying on you from a bush across from the flower shop!"
Auburn had been spying on her that soon? Had he known she was looking for him? Or better yet, had Culture known she was looking for him, and had him spy on her for him.
"We followed him to this empty lot, making sure not to do anything that would get us spotted." Lime explained. "We watched him pull out a radio looking thing and speak into it. We think he was asking his boss what he should do next."
"We heard his boss tell him to report back to the theater, and to be sure he used the secret button at the gate to get in!" Root added.
Cherry then stepped up to the gate "A secret button, of which," she grasped the huge lock in her small hoof "is right here!" then flipped up the front of the lock, revealing a large red button. She looked back at Poppy who stood mouth agape and smiled. "Care to do the honors?" she asked.
Poppy just stood there, completely blown away. But Cherry snapped her out of her stupor. "Come on! We have to save Equestria, remember! Shake a hoof lady!" she urged.
Poppy smiled as she stepped forward, took the look in hoof, and pressed the button.
A loud buzzing was heard, and the great metal gate ascended, revealing the front door into the theater. The sound of some cheery music suddenly began playing from the speakers, and a voice came on soon after. It was deep, jaunty and simply dripping with the egotistical snark of a game show host. It was Charming Culture.
"Ah! The delivery mare!" he sang. "So, glad you could finally join us! Please come in; the show is just about to start!" with that the speakers went dead, leaving Poppy to glare up at them.
"Pfft. Come one guys, lets go show that loser what the Poppers are made of!" Cherry boasted.
Before Poppy could stop them, the fillies then charged forward, through the front doors and disappeared behind what looked like a large black curtain blocking the main lobby.
Poppy then followed soon after, hoping the Poppers were alright.
Old Canterlot Theater
Darkness was the first thing that greeted Poppy as she walked through the curtain into the main hall of the theater. There were no lights on, save for a lone spotlight that shined brightly down from the balcony above, illuminating the freshly painted sign on the door that said Main Stage.
Poppy felt uneasy, as she walked slowly from the front door, keeping her eyes out for anything that looked sinister. She saw no sign of Charming or the Poppers. Where had they gone so quickly? She was right behind them as she entered. Or at least...she thought she was.
The theater was well cared for, as there were no signs of age or structural damage despite the age of the establishment. However, as she spied the various frames which movie posters would normally be posted, there were instead huge posters of the most smug and egotistical looking stallion Poppy had ever seen in her life.
He was a tall, relatively handsome blue stallion with a massive white pompadour, and a baby blue suit with a pink bow tie. His teeth were his most obvious feature; clearly displayed in a huge, condescending grin. Adorning his lapel were a variety of colorful buttons and badges, each showcasing some kind of random event, Poppy guessed was part of Charming's old show. There was one for fishing, one for golfing, one for candy making, one for cookie baking, one for candlestick making, one for mountain climbing, one for dumpster diving, one for...open heart surgery practition?
It was strongly suggested that the entire premise of Charming's show was to make kids think he was the greatest at literally everything. "Ugh." said Poppy, disgusted.
She saw five more of the exact same poster, plastered all over the walls, before she finally made it the 'Main Stage' door and walked inside.
Main Stage Atrium
Not more than a second had passed before Poppy was suddenly blinded by a huge spotlight from out of nowhere. She stumbled back as she struggled to stay upright.
"And here she is, mares and gentlecolts!" that same voice sang once more. "The delivery mare of the hour! Welcome to the show, Poppy! So glad to have you here."
The spotlight dimmed, and Poppy was able to see past the shapes that danced before her eyes, that the main stage of the theater's atrium had been converted into what looked like a TV set. A large blue sky background had been set up behind a set up of various cardboard trees, flowers and rocks, and a large smiling sun was seen wearing sunglasses to the far right of the set.
And to the far left, sitting proudly at a large bright green grand piano, was Charming Culture, himself. However, he looked rather different from his posters, as Poppy could clearly see.
What was once a handsome stallion in his early 30s, was now an aged stallion in his late 60s. His figure had gone up about one or two dress sizes, as he barely had any neck and his stomach muffin-topped over the edge of his blue suit pants which struggled to keep his huge behind from exploding out of them, along with the piano stool the portly stallion squatted upon. His white pompodour was now greying in several places and looked heavily disheveled. His face, which sported the same massive grin it always had, now showcased multiple wrinkles and crows feet, along with the assortment of chins Culture now sported over his nigh-nonexistent neck.
It took every ounce of willpower Poppy had to keep her from bursting out laughing at the site of such a rotund stallion sitting on what looked like the world's tiniest piano stool.
"You're Charming Culture?" Poppy asked uncertainly.
"The very same!" Charming answered. "Big moment for you isn't it? I know, I know, it's a bit unnerving meeting a famous television celebrity, but don't worry; I love all my fans the same!"
Poppy was still too busy gawking at just how large this guy was. "You...you look-"
"Fabulous?" Charming sang.
"Fat." said Poppy unemotionally.
Charming gasped at Poppy as if she had just insulted his mother. "Nonsense! I am fit as a fiddle, my dear!" he said with a gleaming grin.
"A fiddle that's been forcefully stuffed full of pudding and bacon." Poppy mumbled under her breath.
"Anyhoo.." Charming started, "I'm so glad you've made it! You're just in time for the debut of my BIG COMEBACK!"
"Comeback? Is that what all this mind control book stuff is about?!"
"Oh no, no." said Charming. "That was just part one of my big comeback! After all, what's a beloved TV celebrity without his loyal fans?"
Poppy was losing her patience. "You don't have any fans, you delusional lunatic!" she snapped. "You probably didn't even have any when you were actually on TV!"
At that, Culture only sighed as if disappointed. "Poppy" said Charming, his large white teeth gleaming in the spotlight as he shook his head. "Poppy, Poppy, Poppy."
Completely nonplussed, Poppy said nothing.
"No fans?" Charming asked with a sly grin. "Then who are these?" He pressed a key on his piano and a loud drawl sounded out in the atrium.
Then from behind the curtain, emerged three very familiar figures. "Girls!" Poppy yelled out in alarm. "No..."
But The Fizzy Poppers were no longer aware of anything before them, let alone the red unicorn who stood crestfallen in the audience. Their once bright, sparkling eyes, now stark white and listless. They stood shoulder to shoulder with strange propeller beanies atop their heads, which glowed an eerie green light, as the propellers spun at alarming speed.
Charming sneered at Poppy as she looked in horror at the Poppers. "Did you think those books were the only method of Mind Control Magic I knew?" he laughed in a cruel voice. "I've studied every creed, religion and brainwashing technique in the books! I've got plenty more at my disposal then you think, girl!"
Poppy just stood there, unable to shake the image of the Popper's dead, lifeless eyes from her mind. Then her shock and sadness built into anger and rage. She felt her face go hot as she leaped up onto the stage in a display of peak athleticism, grabbed Charming by his fat neck and was about to knock him clean off that stool.
But she stopped. She saw Charming's fat hoof hovering over a single red key on his piano, as he smiled evilly. "You do anything to me, and those little brat's brains shut off for good." he warned. "I'm the only one that can break the curse their under now. You've lost, delivery mare."
Poppy felt rage boil inside her like a pressure cooker, as her grip tightened on the stallions bowtie. But he was right. She couldn't risk the Poppers lives like that. She had no choice but to retreat and rethink things through.
For now.
Poppy, furious, reluctantly let go of Charming, turned and began to make her way to the door. Charming, the huge hoofbag he was, began to gloat and laugh as Poppy left.
"Hahahahaha! Awww, where you goin'? The show was just starting! Ahahahaha!" He brayed cruelly.
As Poppy reached the door she turned and shot a look of such anger and menace at Charming, he visibly flinched in his seat. "You mark my words, you fat freak," Poppy spat. "I will be back. And you will be sorry you ever messed with my friends." With that she left, slamming the door hard enough the crack the wall.
"Pfft." Charming spat back. "We'll see, little delivery mare."
To-Do List: Find a way to free The Fizzy Poppers and stop Charming.
Poppy raced back to The Inconvenience Store as fast as her legs (And another One-Off Teleportation Scroll) could take her. Bursting through the doors, Poppy nearly lost her head when a laser blast suddenly shot from the other side of the store lobby and blasted a hole a few feet from her head.
"Geez!" she yelped. Her eyes traced the blast had come from what looked like a large laser cannon which Pears was now adjusting onto the wall, beside the snack bar. "Pears! What are you thinking?! You could've blasted my head off!"
"Sorry!" Pears snapped. "I thought you were going to be one of those book zombies! I said I was setting up defenses didn't I?"
"Ugh! I don't have time for this!" Poppy snapped back. "I need your help! Charming's got the Fizzy Poppers!"
"Those triplets that tried to steal my whipped cream?" Pears asked seriously.
"They weren't trying- Forget it. I need your help to free them! Don't you have anything that can break a super-strong hypnosis curse?"
"Why not just use a cold liquid of some kind like last time?" Pears asked raising an eyebrow.
"I don't think that stuff will work this time." Poppy lamented. "They had these weird glowing beanies strapped to their heads. I think that's how he's controlling them!"
"Beanies?" Pear's asked suddenly wide eyed. "Did they have propellers?"
"Yes!"
"Were they spinning?"
"Yes!"
Pear's jaw dropped. "So, you're saying he's built Sub-crypto alpha-wave enhancers into a heavily velocitized exo-dermal cranial matrix!?"
Poppy had no idea what that meant but said "Uh....yes?" anyways.
"Dear Celestia..."
"Can we do anything to stop him?" Poppy asked eagerly.
Pears thought for a moment. Then her eyes lit up. "I think I have something! Hang on!" Poppy watched as Pears rummaged around behind her counter for what seemed like a full minute before she emerged with what looked like a metal colander with a coat hanger and a red light bulb affixed to it, and set it down on the counter.
Poppy stared at it, unimpressed.
"Relax," said Pears reading her friend's expression. "That's just the cloaking feature." She then turned the light bulb and it began blinking rapidly as the colander melted away and was replaced with a very advanced looking metal bike helmet with a set of mini-turbine on each side, glowing blue under lights, and a glass dome on top that pulsed with bright green and red electricity. A logo of a burning pear with the letters PT (short for Pear Tech) was emblazoned proudly on the front.
"Wow! That looks amazing!" Poppy exclaimed, looking over the device with curiosity.
"That's because it is." Pears said smiling. "This helmet will not only make you totally immune to mind control, period; it will also allow you to reverse the effect and implement your own signal against his, letting you free anyone else he has under his control." Pears explained."
Poppy picked up the helmet and looked at it, completely blown away. "How long have you had this?" she asked in utter disbelief.
"I started working on plans for a prototype when you left for the bookstore." Pears explained. "I built it just now, actually."
Poppy stared at Pears, dumbstruck. "You...you built a device like this in the minute it took for you to mess around behind the counter?"
"Yeah, sorry it took so long. I just wanted to make sure I got the polarity calibrators in the right spot." Pears said with a shrug.
Poppy laughed as she turned the helmet over in her hooves. The red light was now pulsing slowly, like a heartbeat. "How does it work?" Poppy asked.
"Basically, the signal Charming is using to control people's minds can be countered with a Reverse-Polarity Sub-Etha Frequency Emitter. That's the red light on the back." Pears pointed to the blinking red light on the helmet. "It needs to be tuned to the exact frequency of the same emitter Charming uses to control ponies minds."
"How do you know he has one?" asked Poppy.
"Charming has to have one; it's the only way he could generate the frequency to control people's minds in the first place." replied Pears. "Ordinarily, you'd have to find out where Charming is hiding his and take it for the helmet to use. But I had a spare leftover from an experiment I was testing to see when the local water-bug population will become sentient and start rebelling against our way of life."
"Obviously." Poppy laughed. "Thanks, Pears! I really appreciate it!"
Pears smiled as she helped Poppy strap on the helmet and adjust it to her size. As soon as it was on, she felt a tingly sensation in her head. Like a head-rush but more relaxing in a way.
"The helmet will start working the moment it gets within range of Charming's emitter. You'll feel a tight twang in your head; all you have to do is concentrate on nothing but your desire to break his hold over the Poppers." Pears explained carefully. "After that, it'll be you against him in a battle of the minds. He'll try to attack you with lethal variants of the signal, but you can use your own signal to fight back and destroy his emitter. Once his emitter is down, if he tries to brainwash you again, the only one getting brainwashed will be himself."
"Thanks again, Pears." Poppy said with a smile. "Really."
But Pears waved a hoof in response. "Aw, no need for that." she stated. "Just get back there and show that loser not to screw with us!" she cheered, waving her friend out the door.
Poppy was about to leave when Pears handed her a Teleportation Scroll. "That one's free." Pears said with a grin. "But you really need to learn that Teleportation spell, yourself."
"Thanks." Poppy smiled as she unfurled the scroll and used it to vanish in a flash of orange light. A split second later, she was back at the entrance of the old Canterlot Movie Theater. But this time...she was ready to face Charming. And stop him once and for all.
To-Do List: Defeat Charming Culture and save Equestria.
Poppy stepped into the atrium once more, and the helmet began to vibrate and pulse on top of her head. The emitter was close.
"Well, well, well." Charming's voice drawled. "If it isn't the delivery mare who failed to save her bratty little friends!" he laughed. "Here for an encore performance, little mare?"
Poppy ignored him as she felt that tell-tale twang in her skull. She looked around and spied something she had missed before; It was a small red light, pulsing underneath the large green piano, Charming sat at.
The emitter! It had literally been under her nose the whole time! Now...all she had to do was concentrate.
"Whatsa'matter?" Charming brayed once again. "Cat got your tongue? Hahahaha!"
"Will you shut up!?" Poppy snapped. "I'm trying to concentrate."
"Eh? Whats'at you got on your head there?" Charming craned his thick neck to try and see what Poppy had on her head.
Poppy closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could. She thought of Cherry soda, and her big sister attitude towards her siblings. She thought of Root Beer and her brash hot-headed attitude. She thought of Lemon Lime and her quiet yet friendly nature. She thought about how much they meant to her, and that they were her friends. And that she wanted them back!
She felt the helmet begin to flash and buzz atop her head, as green and red light flashed wildly from the glass dome of the helmet.
At the same time, Charming noticed his emitter was now sparking and flickering wildly, as well as the green light of the beanies atop his newest slave's heads. He looked back at the delivery mare, and it hit him. "No! No, no, no!" he yelled out in anger.
But it was too late. With a shatter of glass and huge burst of electricity, the emitter underneath the piano exploded, completely destroying the piano and sending Charming flying onto the hard stage floor, with an earth-shaking thud.
The Fizzy Poppers awoke from their trances and looked up at the propeller beanies on top of their heads. They all made a disgusted face. "Ew." Root Beer complained. "What are we doing wearing these stupid things?" she asked her sisters.
Cherry looked over at the large fat blue pony in a now burst blue suit rolling around on the floor, and glared at him as she smiled wickedly. "I think I know who."
"Poppy!" Lemon Lime cried as she raced towards Poppy down in the audience. Her sisters followed suit, laughing joyfully.
"Are you all right?" Cherry asked, unable to look away from the cool looking helmet atop Poppy's head.
Poppy laughed. "Am I alright? Are you alright?"
"We are now! Did you see those beanies he made us wear? Ugh!" cried Root.
Poppy felt immensely relieved. It had worked! The Poppers were free from Charming's control. And now...all there was left to do was defeat the fat, blob, himself.
Poppy and the Fizzy Poppers stood side by side, ready for a fight, as Charming (somehow) got to his feet, and glared down at Poppy and her friends. "I bet you think you've won now, don't you?" he sneered. "You think that ol' Culture's all washed up!"
"Yes." Cherry said plainly. "Both of those things."
"And you're fat." Root added. "Like, really, really fat."
Charming laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. He grabbed the curtain behind him and ripped it down, revealing a monstrous looking machine with a huge satellite antenna at the top of it. He continued to laugh as he himself donned his own helmet device and flipped a switch on the machine.
Every light in the theater and some outside of it suddenly dimmed as the huge machine roared to life. A massive glass dome at its center showed huge arcing bolts of green electricity crackling and pulsing within as the theater shook from the vibrations.
Poppy stood her ground as did the Poppers, while Charming, now visibly insane, with wide, pin-pricked eyes and a manic grin, pointed at her at yelled out. "Let's see that little helmet of yours save you from a quadruple dose, little mare!" he bellowed.
Poppy watched as the helmet on Charming's head glowed red hot, and began to crackle with dark red electricity. Suddenly a massive wave of energy exploded from the machine, sailing right towards Poppy and her friends.
"Get behind me!" Poppy yelled. The Poppers obeyed without question, just as the wave hit Poppy, head first. She thought she was fighting a bull by her horn. Her head ached and practically screamed in pain, but she kept pushing through, concentrating everything she had on stopping Charming.
"It's no use, little mare!" Charming screeched, turning a dial on the machine. Poppy felt herself being pushed back, forcing her to use her magic to keep herself in place. She focused harder, and harder, putting everything she had into concentrating on stopping Charming.
As she did so, she felt the pressure on her skull weaken. The strain was weakening as she soon didn't even need her magic to keep her in place. Suddenly, a massive wave of green and red energy surged from her own helmet and met with Charming's in midair.
Poppy closed her eyes as she felt the helmet vibrate; electricity sparked and flew in all directions from the dome atop. She opened her eyes to see that Charming's helmet too, was vibrating and shaking; but more violently, as if it was being rattled apart from within.
Poppy clenched her teeth as she watched the red beam begin to waver and shrink back, as she began to move forward.
Charming's face contorted in pain as he struggled to keep his beam from going out. He clenched his hooves tightly, but it was no use, he was being pushed back, hard. He felt his back slam into the machine as she could no longer move; Poppy's green and red beam getting closer and closer to his helmet, till finally...
Kaboom! The helmet atop Charming's head exploded into pieces sending him reeling back, and smashing hard into the machine, scattering huge dented pieces of metal and wiring all over the now destroyed stage. The machine burst into flames as smoke spewed from various vents and dials till it too fell apart in a heap of dented, smoking metal.
Inside the rubble, lay Charming Culture; out cold.
Poppy let out a small shout as the beam vanished, her head throbbing. The helmet atop her head now lay still, silently pulsing to itself. The Poppers emerged from behind her, looking at the remains of the machine and the unmoving form of Charming laying flat on his back under a sheet of dented metal.
"Is he dead?" Cherry asked looking up on stage.
Root then took the opportunity to run up on stage and kick Charming in the ribs. He let out a pained grunt in response. "Nope." Root called back.
The Canterlot police as well as the royal guard showed up soon after, and arrested Charming Culture, who mysteriously admitted to everything including that time he stole money from the accounts of all his coworkers to pay the covering cost for a new miracle diet he was on, back when he still did a TV show. He was sentenced to life doing community service as a Janitor, at the very studio his TV show was canceled by.
Poppy stood beside the police carriage as an officer colt approached. "Poppy Blossom. Should've know this was another one of yours." He joked.
"Heh, yeah." Poppy joked back. "Hey, Officer Buttercream."
"Despite the damages to the theater," Buttercream started, "I'd say Equestria owes you a debt of gratitude, Poppy. If it weren't for you, we'd probably all be brainwashed zombies forced to watch that freak sing about how great his diet worked for him, and other lies."
They both laughed at that. But then his expression turned serious as he rounded on the Fizzy Poppers. "And you three." he said sternly, "You gave your mother quite the start you know. Your lucky I don't take you home and tell her to ground you for a week after the trouble you got into!"
The Fizzy Poppers all looked down at their feet. "Sorry, Uncle Buttercream." they said in unison.
"Uncle?" asked Poppy with a grin.
"Can you believe it?" Buttercream said shaking his head. "I keep telling them they'd make fine police officers like me and their father but...they just keep getting into trouble."
Poppy just laughed. "Yeah." she said softly. "Not like I would know anything about that."
As they all laughed, and Equestria was now saved from the tyranny of an incredibly delusional, power-hungry, former TV host, Poppy could be forgiven for thinking this was the end of the mind control conspiracy.
But as she would soon learn...
This was only the beginning.