//------------------------------// // Forest Meeting // Story: The Chaos Authority // by CartoonNerd12 //------------------------------// Twilight and her friends had gathered for breakfast around the castle's dining table. Twilight sat close to Fluttershy and questioned her about Discord's visit yesterday. Fluttershy had explained many things, but one question lingered on Twilight's mind, perhaps the most important one of all in her mind. "Are you sure there's no faster way to reverse everything?" "He told me that he's doing all he can, but he has to be careful about it." Fluttershy looked away as her thoughts turned to Discord. "Honestly, I need him to do just that." Twilight sighed deeply as a sudden weight fell upon her shoulders. "Well he better hurry because the resistance is growing stronger with every recruit that Ford and the Professor find. If they go into battle with the Chaotics, I cannot guarantee Discord won't be harm because of that." Fluttershy felt her heart sink as images of Discord being felled in battle flashed through her mind. Her legs felt weak and her stomach twisted. "But he's helping us!" She finally cried. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, but we are in the middle of a war! Think about everyone involved, can you blame them for wanting to go back to their own dimensions?" Rarity was the next to speak, understanding where Fluttershy was coming from. "Twilight, darling, are you sure that the resistance even has a chance against all those ruffians? They are lords of chaos. I know Discord won't put up that much of a fight, but the other three certainly will." Twilight sat for a moment in silence, carefully crafting her explanation. There was no room for misunderstandings, as such things would lead to disasters. "Whenever I'm in the lab, I see advanced technology far beyond what we have here. I can't even start to describe how amazing it is!" A smile formed on her face as she recalled working along with Ford and the Professor, but it soon faltered as she recalled why they were working together. "In my heart, I believe that they do have a shot at winning. And if we join the fray, those chances only increase." Fluttershy looked down as despair began to overtake her. She seemed to curl in on herself as she desperately struggled not to cry. "Oh, come now Fluttershy," Rarity said, trying to coax her into a pleasant mood, "I'm sure Discord will be fine. I have an idea, why don't you and I take a small walk to clear our heads?" Fluttershy nodded and followed her out the doors, leaving Twilight and the rest of her friends alone. As they left, Twilight let out a sigh. "So, was the point of this to worry Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, finally breaking the silence. "Cause mission accomplished." "And what would you have me say?" Twilight snapped back. Rainbow opened her mouth to answer, but sunk in her seat when nothing came to mind. She grumbled to herself and crossed her arms. "Oh, oh, how about 'we need to introduce some new people to the group! Come with us!' you could have mentioned that I made violence cupcakes and Mabel Juice!" Pinkie Pie said, jumping up in her seat. "Wait, was that the stuff I found in the supplies? Don't that have plastic toys in it?" Applejack asked. "Just think of it as a surprise inside a cereal box. I got a T-Rex yesterday!" "That-that's great Pinkie Pie," Twilight said, standing from her seat. She had a great many things to do, and unfortunately, enjoying breakfast wasn't one of them. She left the castle and proceeded towards her normal meeting place with Ford and Professor Utonium. While Twilight finished the meeting, Rarity and Fluttershy slowly walked the decrepit forest that was the fake Everfree. Pinkie Pie was trying to pick some name for it ever since arriving. She had currently decided on Everfake, but said that it was subject to change in the near future. "I wouldn't hold it against her," Rarity said. "Twilight is trying to do her best for everyone. It's just who do you chose, Discord or countless people." "I know," whispered Fluttershy, whose mind seemed to be in some far-off land. Rarity smiled. "You know, if something's worrying you, I would be more than welcome to share it with me. We'll pretend like we're at the spa. Complete and utter confidentiality." There was a short pause, but soon Fluttershy began to speak. "What if something happens to him? What if, when push comes to shove, Discord, he-he-" Fluttershy choked on her words as she tried to force the explanation out. She had heard tales of war with her brother from their grandfather. While she often wished they were things she could look fondly on, the bitter truth was that the stories he told were seldom happy, and often involved much death and despair. Her grandfather, an old veteran, often told the children that, while there was no such thing as a good war, there were times when wars were needed. When those times came, there was often a heavy price to be paid. Ever since Discord left, Fluttershy often pondered who would need to make a sacrifice for the freedom and good of the world. Would it be Discord? What if it had to be her or one of her friends? While part of her was frightened of death and what came after, she would rather death come for her than one of her friends. Rarity put her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "He'll be fine, Fluttershy. As long as we do our part, I promise that he'll be fine. Besides, if Twilight and her group attack, Discord will just drop his little façade and turn on those brutes. You have nothing to worry about." Fluttershy thought for a moment. Rarity did indeed have a point. Once the battle began Discord would then switch sides and reveal himself for what he is: A kind, if not mischievous soul. The thought of him being hailed as a hero, accepted by everyone, it brought a small smile to her face "In the meantime, didn't you say that Discord wanted us to give another orientation to the new people? Well Pinkie Pie should already be there, why not observe for a bit? Maybe we can make a new friend." Fluttershy agreed. The two traversed the dense forest soon coming to a small clearing with various stumps and makeshift benches from fallen over trees. It was the normal meeting place for their group when meeting newcomers. Fluttershy had to commemorate Discord on the effort he'd put into crafting the forest. It seemed just as frightening, rotted and foul as it was in her world. If it weren't for Rarity being with her, and the knowledge that nothing but her and her friends existed in the forest, she would not have made it far. The castle, ruined as it was in some areas, kept all manner of wickedness away and as such, was the safest place to be. They noticed two new humans, waiting on the benches. One was a seemingly plain looking blonde human and the other was a red-haired human. Fluttershy and Rarity didn't know their names, but they were Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible. They saw Pinkie-already in human form- and another girl, Mabel Pines, setting up something. They didn't exactly know what it was though, just that it was something. "Fluttershy, talk with the newcomers, won't you? I need to check on whatever that is," Rarity sighed as she quickly used her pendent to change into her human self and Fluttershy did the same, thinking that they needed some form of reining in. "Talk to them, see if you can't bring them up to speed," she told Fluttershy. Though, Rarity knew Fluttershy would have trouble conversing with the newcomers, she could at least get their points across to them in a clear manner. "Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?" Rarity hissed, putting her hands on Pinkie Pie. "Setting up a puppet show!" She chirped, showing Rarity a box of props. "I can see that, what I mean is why?" "Mabel and I saw ate a ton of popsicles to eat two days ago, and then we noticed we had a ton of popsicle sticks left over! So Mabel had an idea, why not take those and turn them into puppets? And I was like 'yeah!' And so here we are! Scripts are done, pairings are made-" "Pairings?" "Ships, relationships! You can't have a show without them-" "And Mabel is your friend there?" Rarity asked, pointing to the little girl, who waved at her. "Yup!" "Hi, I'm Mabel!" Mabel declared, approaching Rarity. "You must be Rarity, I love your hair! Are you a model? You look like you're a model." "I-Thank you," Rarity said, smiling with pride. "I do try to look my best, but I'm more a fashion designer. Back to the main point though-" "We planned out everything," Mabel said. "Every plot thread, every plot twist, every instance of romance and tragedy! I even added a part about you guys where you all turn out to be ponies! Just look at Pinkie's hair! Put that on a horse, you have a mascot for a toyline." "Darling, that's silly, we're people," Rarity said with a chuckle, even though sweat was starting to bead on the back of her neck. "And this is supposed to explain real life, not some fantasy novel! And if it were a novel, considering everything that's happening, it's one written by what I assume is a cruel author who seems to take pleasure in torturing us in the most sadistic ways imaginable." "Rarity, how can you say that? Isn't life just a story we write with our actions?" Mabel asked. "Deep," Pinkie said, putting her arm around Mabel. Rarity took a deep breath as a sudden aching began to flare up in her head. She was sure that they were being serious, but the migraine they were slowly starting to give her was telling her that she going to need to have a long talk with the both of them. Meanwhile, Fluttershy took a seat next to the newcomers. "Um, hi," She said softly. "Hi," Kim said, waving at Fluttershy. "Are you new here too?" "Oh, no, I've been here since the start." "And what that would be? All I know is that we were home and the last we can remember before meeting those two-" She pointed at Pinkie Pie and Mabel "-is the sky turning red, the ground shaking, and then a bright light in the sky. Then it just ended." "The start of this," Fluttershy said, motioning all around her. "I know that it's hard to believe at first, but all of this, it involves magic." She was always nervous when trying to explain things involving Discord and her world. Oddly enough, most cities and towns that were captured by the chaotics came from worlds that lacked a magical spark. Even of the original three captured worlds, one lacked magic entirely. Explaining it to new people, it was difficult. Some tried to use magic then and there, other's thought her and her friends insane, while some convinced themselves they were dreaming. This was until they were shown the tower in the distance, dubbed, the Black Tower by many in the towns surrounding it. "Magic?" The blonde human asked. He leaned in towards the girls, eyes narrowed. "Does this magic have anything to do with monkeys? Name's Ron by the way." "Not that I know of," Fluttershy answered. "My name's Fluttershy," she said. "Okay, good." Ron smiled as he seemed to relax in his seat. "Should I-" "It's nothing," Kim interrupted. "So, since whatever that is-" She gestured towards the stage, where Rarity was slowly losing her patience with Pinkie and Mabel, "-is spiraling out of control, can you explain what's going on? We're lost." "I'll try my best. It was a few weeks ago." Fluttershy recounted her time in the new world, leaving out details such as Equestria, ponies, and Discord. As far as they knew, she was a human girl from a world like Kim and Ron's, minus the mad scientists. She talked about Bill Cipher and HIM using her second hand knowledge of the beings and went into great lengths about Discord and his history with her home. She soon drew her tale to a close by describing to the newcomers what it is. "Wow, this is getting good!" Ron said. "Ron!" "Interdimensional demons, KP! How cool is that, and actual magic! You don't find this the least bit cool?" "Ron, I can't get Wade on the communicator, there's a chance he might be having a panic attack, along with everyone else that's not used to magic." "I-I get that, but we can go on a fantasy adventure! Rufus, call your class." Instantly a small pink creature poked its head from Ron's pocket. "Ranger!" It said in a mixture of squeaks and grunts, that Fluttershy understood with perfect clarity. "Is that a naked mole rat!?" She said, almost jumping out of her seat. "He's adorable! If you don't mind, can I hold him?" Not waiting for an answer, Rufus quickly jumped into Fluttershy's embrace, and received various pets and words of affections. All while Rarity begrudgingly read a script that was subpar at best. Pinkie and Mabel excitedly leaned towards her. "So, what do you think?" Mabel asked. "The plot is inconsistent to an offensive degree, the characters are flatter than a piece of paper, and I don't know who this Mermando person is, but I feel like you are really forcing romance where it doesn't belong. Now, again, I feel that I must ask, what does this have to do with our current situation? Because, and I feel that I must say again, we are in the middle of a war with creatures that may want to rule over our homes with an iron fist." "So, it's not the worst thing you've ever read," Pinkie Pie stated. Rarity's anguished scream could be heard across the land. Stanford and Professor Utonium worked diligently in the lab underneath the Mystery Shack. The Mystery Shack was a Tourist Trap in Gravity Falls thought up by Stanley Pines, Ford's Twin brother and local con-artist. The Mystery Shack was once just Ford's own home, until Stan made it into the Murder Hut, and later to be renamed the Mystery Shack. They had been hulled in the Mystery Shack's lab since dusk the previous day. Over the course of their town's capture, they had become fast friends, bonding over their families. Ford, mostly focused on his great-nephew and niece, Dipper and Mable Pines, while Utonium talked mostly on his daughters. The Professor let out a yawn as he leaned back against a wall. He had been working on something. He didn't know what to call it, in fact he had no idea what it would even do in the long run, but he had a habit of making breakthroughs by throwing science to the wall and seeing what sticks. It'll probably be by some mistake that he gets it right, another habit he had as an inventor. He looked over to his friend to see him working tirelessly on some type of canon. At least it looked like a cannon. "What are you working on?" Utonium finally asked, rubbing his eyes. Ford carefully closed a hatch on his device. "Do you want the short answer or the long one?" "Short I suppose." "It's called a Quantum Destabilizer. You point it at something, ideally Bill, and then pull the trigger. If it does what it's supposed to, no more Bill. I got it from an alternate universe, from another version of my house actually." "Multiverse traversal," Utonium said with a sigh. "It must have been so interesting, beside the fact your brother pushed you into that portal. The best adventures I have are either being trapped in the body of my daughter, turned into a dog, or building things on accident." "Your adventures have never made you responsible for summoning an interdimensional demon. Part of me thinks that if I never found that damn ritual, maybe this would have never happened. Worlds merging, giant black masses bent on the destruction of all things good, what I can only assume is a caricature of the Devil, and some freaky chimera that can change the fabric of reality with a snap of his fingers. I should have left him trapped in that hellscape." The door to the room opened, and Twilight as her human self stormed in. Ford heard a few select words that his brother would often use when the kids weren't around. "Something bothering you, Twilight?" Ford asked. There were no room for errors, and a mind bogged down by strife and anxiety could prove lethal to them in the future. "It has to do with that thing I can't talk about." "If that's the case, best to keep it to yourself. When it comes to secrets, the less we know the better." After learning about Bill's power to enter and read minds, Twilight had sworn herself to secrecy concerning anything that involved Discord. Discord himself had put a spell on her and her friends, to keep the demon from plaguing them, and only them. She took a deep breath and did her breathing exercise that her sister-in-law, Princess Cadance taught her, and refocused herself. "How are our chances looking? Do you think that, if we charge them soon, we could win?" "Well, it's certainly better than when we started," Ford said. "It's amazing, Bill and his group keep capturing new worlds, and those keep giving us more and more allies. Meanwhile, they're still relegated to just four of them. If I didn't know better, I'd say they're just pushing us towards victory." "That's good to know. Do we have a plan though?" "Well," Ford said as rubbed his chin, "I think Bill and the giant black thing are the two most dangerous of the bunch, so ending them seems to be the most important goal. This Discord fellow, I think once he's alone you and your friends can better handle him, so HIM should be the third we bring down." "Ending them?" Twilight asked. "Killing them, destroying them, making sure that after the battle they can't come back." Ford's voice was fierce and sliced through Twilight like a knife. She'd never had to kill anyone before, nor had she ever thought about it. Some part of her thought that she would merely seal everyone away, despite she herself saying that it was war. However, there was a terrifying fire in Ford's eyes that put her edge. That fire was fueled by his desire to protect his family. "But shouldn't there be another way-" "There isn't," Ford said interrupting. "It doesn't matter who gets hurt, who dies, or who gets torn apart from their family and friends so long as Bill and his friends gets their kicks. This is war to us, but to Bill this one big game. And if this is a game, it's a game I'm not willing to lose."