//------------------------------// // Compatibility Issues // Story: Brony Recon: To Live and Love in Equestria // by Freescript the Bard //------------------------------// As promised, MOAR STOREH! Now with even more Trollestia! That is all, enjoy. -MarkusBrony (Skyblaze) >>><<< Rainchaser's POV I munched on a veggie taco while I sat in the hospital with Pinkie Pie, Shift, and Twilight at Storm's bedside. She had been knocked out pretty good by a potted plant that seemingly fell out of nowhere. Note to self: don't trust physics when around Pinkie. Especially when her tail was twitching. "So, how are things with you and Dash?" asked Twilight, catching me off my guard. "Oh, we're fine. It's her and Aegis I'm worried about," I admitted, "those two are more incompatible than Skyblaze and sitting still… no wait, I take it back, Sky and idle are still worse." "Yeah, remember when he had an extra cup of coffee that one morning?" Shift said, avoiding the idea of 'video chat', "he was more ramble-y than Pinkie Pie!" "Hey! I don't ramble! I may go off on a tangent but that's completely different but I gotta admit I do go on sometimes especially if it's about parties baked goods smiles hugs laughing and jokes HEY does anypony know any good jokes they could tell I have this one about a pegasus who can't fly but I've been told it's not really funny because--" She was stopped by Twilight magically shoving a cupcake in the pink mare's mouth, much to our relief. After Pinkie's rant, the door flew open to reveal a worried-looking Caramel. "Where is she? Is she alright? What happened?" Pinkie took the liberty of answering all three questions. "Right there. Doc says she's fine. Random flowerpot." Caramel looked at her. "Random… huh?" I rolled my eyes. "Dude, it's Pinkie Pie," I reminded him, "don't try to make sense of it." My words were lost on him as he trotted over to his fillyfriend. "I came as fast as I could, but I had to finish my work; Applejack said not to worry," he recounted, "when will she wake up?" I shrugged. "It's hard to tell with this stuff. Could be a few hours, or even tomorrow…" I trailed off, remembering something with a sly smile, "hey, Shift, do you remember what Luna did to revive Skyblaze when he fainted?" Caramel seemed to get the drift, which was unusually bright for him; most jokes and subtle hints going right over his head. The tan earth pony leaned above Storm and kissed her lightly on the forehead. A few moments lapsed without anything happening. Storm's eyes flew oped, her gaze zooming around the room before resting on Caramel. "Hiya, handsome," she said, holding her head, "how many did I have last night?" I snickered. "Heh, I don't know about last night, but you had a pint of daisies and soil earlier today." "Wow, a mixed drink in the morning? No wonder my head hurts," she said, making me giggle even more, "but seriously, what happened?" "You got hit on the head by a pot of daisies, silly!" said Pinkie, the party pony bouncing around, "I was about to tell you when you came in that my tail was twitching, but then that pot came from out of nowhere and knocked you clean out!" "Um, what?" came Storm's reply, "how did a--?" "Before you ask that question," Twilight interrupted, "remember who you're talking about." She pointed a hoof at Pinkie, who was intently watching the heart rate monitor of the pony next to Storm, an unfortunate unicorn who was wrapped entirely in bandages. "Riiiiight…" Storm replied, "so when are they letting me out?" I smiled at my friend. "Whenever you're ready," I told her, "the doc said you're free when you're up and awake." She returned the smile and slid out of bed, accompanying Caramel out the door. I yawned, the lack of activity causing me to intake more oxygen than I was used to. Not wanting to walk through the clinic, I went to the window and pushed it open, flying out and leaving Pinkie Pie, who was still staring at the heart rate monitor. Oh Pinkie Pie, I thought, you're so random. I flew out, scanning the partly cloudy sky for Dash, who I assumed would be napping at this time. But none of the clouds sported that rainbow mane I loved. Growling, I flew circles around Ponyville, looking for that familiar prismatic coloring. I eventually found it in the park, sitting next to a blot of maroon. As I landed, I saw that they weren't actually talking, but giving each other awkward stares. "Ahem," I coughed, making them both turn and chuckle nervously, "so, did you guys have fun while Storm was comatose?" Aegis looked at me awkwardly. "Well… not exactly," he said, "I don't have wings, so I can't go flying. She doesn't read so we can't talk about that. And we almost no common interest to talk about, and small talk gets boring after a while." I was worried about this. "Oh, come on, you guys," I chided, "you do have a common interest; me!" Dash snickered. "No offense, Rain, but you aren't exactly a conversation starter." "…and that's another thing we can agree on, Dash," Aegis said, nodding. "Wow, you two sure know how to make a mare feel special," I teased them, "oh come here, you lugs!" I rushed forward, gripping them both in a hug. Aegis and Rainbow looked at each other, shrugged, and they both kissed either side of my cheeks. "There we go. All better, everypony?" I said as I released them. "Eeyup!" came Aegis' impression if his look-alike. Skyblaze's POV This is it, I thought, the day Tia wrecks her punishment upon us. I didn't dare open my eyes to see what horror would become of Luna and I for executing a mass arrest without the sun goddess' consent. Celestia had told us that our punishment was a surprise for when we woke. Okay, just take it like a man- er, stallion, I thought to myself. I will open my eyes and go through whatever horror Trollestia hath wrought upon us. Okay, eyelids, commence operation in three… two… My gaze was met by the familiar midnight-colored irises I had come to love. "Well, Luna?" I asked her, "you ready to face the terror of the Banana Queen?" She gave me a questioning look. "What?" I chuckled. "Nothin', just kidding." I pulled myself out of the bed, walking over to the mirror in her room. There was surprisingly nothing wrong with my reflection. I still had wings, mane, hooves, and even my grey-and-teal tail. "Huh, I do believe your sister went easy on us, Luna. I don't see any--" "Why is everything so much taller?" Facehoof. I knew Tia couldn't let us off. Slowly I turned, and was shocked at what I saw. Standing in the middle of the room was a midnight-blue pegasus with a shorter light-blue mane. Her eyes, instead of slanted, reminded me of a filly's, rounded with large pupils. Celestia had turned Luna into an average-height, completely normal pegasus, with no horn to be spoken of. But her filly eyes! They looked so wide, so innocently curious, I had to… to… "D'AAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!" I vocalized loudly, making Luna look at me in confusion, "Luna, you look sooooooo cute!" When she gave me a perplexed look, I turned the mirror toward her. She gasped, looking at the pegasus in the mirror. "TIA!" she yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice, blasting me to my haunches. Promptly, the sun goddess appeared. "Yes, Lulu?" she asked playfully. "YOU SHALL RETURN MY HORN SO THAT I MAY RAISE THE MOON!" I need to learn how to do that voice. Luna didn't have a horn, so it couldn't be magical. "Oh, little sister," Tia chided, "this is your punishment for performing a mass arrest without my permission. Thus, I have taken your magic away for the night, and have also taken the burden of the moon for the duration." "But Tiiiiaaaaaa…" D'aww, she's so cute with her younger voice! "I'm sorry, Luna, but this is what I have decided," said Tia with a smile, "enjoy your day as a pegasus." And with that, the troll left the room in a flash. I trotted over to the former goddess. "Aw, c'mon, Luna," I said, giving her a hug, "at least you're small enough to do this," I kissed her passionately, "without having to stretch." She gave me a thankful smile. "Shall we walk to the gardens? I hear they are beautiful this time of year," she said in her noticeably higher voice. It was like she was a full-on filly again, with the altered voice and the round eyes. Dear Celestia, those eyes were cute! "Yes, let's." We glided down the tower stairwell and trotted through the halls, some of the attendants giving Luna a look. Luna, all the while, was pinned against my side, looking anxious. She was nervous, I realized. Having been used to standing over her subjects with an air of power, she must have looked like an absolute foal in comparison. As if things couldn't get worse, we ran into Ben, who was toting a grey filly on his back. He stared at the pegasus at my side. "Um, Skyblaze? Is that…?" "Yeah, this is our punishment for conducting the biggest mass arrest of the century without Tia's consent," I explained, "now, you gonna tell me who that is?" I asked, pointing at the filly on his shoulders. "Oh, this is Dinky," he said, "Dinky, I want you to meet my friend Skyblaze, and his fillyfriend, Princess Luna… or rather, pegasus Luna anyways." The filly smiled at us. "Hi! I'm from Ponyville. I'm visiting my mommy in the hospital." Luna looked concerned. "Your mother is in the castle medical ward?" "She had a mishap with a stray storm cloud," Ben explained, "I was going to the gardens to pick up the contents of her saddlebags." I smiled. "We were just going there. Walk with us?" And so, we began our trot to the gardens. We had crossed the threshold into the regal greenery when I had a revelation. Dinky. From Ponyville. Dinky Hooves. Her mother was Derpy. Derpy Hooves is in the castle! Luna looked back at me when I stopped. "Are you coming, Sky?" she said, her cuteness breaking my reverie. "Um, yeah. I just realized the very symbol of love and tolerance for bronies is in Canterlot Castle at this moment."