“Are you comfy enough?” Twilight inquired, fluffing Wyatt’s pillow. “Do you need any blankets or more pillows? Maybe something to drink?” Her tail swished nervously behind her, the new drake wringing her hands. “Anything at all?”
Wyatt turned his head, quirking a brow at her. “Twi, are you okay? You seem a little more… extra than usual,” he commented, brushing his newfound bangs out of his eyes.
“I’m fine.” Leaning down, Twilight nuzzled his head. “It’s just... you’re mine and I have to make sure you’re taken care of,” she explained, licking his cheek.
“I think we found the first side effect of Discord’s change,” he mused, poking her snout. “You’re even more possessive than normal. You know I can take care of myself, Twi.”
Twilight snorted, nibbling at his ear. “You know, I never noticed it before but, you smell really nice.” A soft purr built in her throat, holding a seductive edge. “Very nice.”
Wyatt paled, not liking the sound of what his former marefriend was saying. Forcing a smile, he pulled away from her and stood up. “You know what, I think I will grab myself a drink and snack at Sugarcube Corner.”
Reaching a hand out, she grabbed the back of his shirt. “I can’t let you go out there like that. Ponies would stare!” Growling, she eased him back down. “Just relax, I’ll take care of all your needs.”
“Twi, what are they going to stare at?” he questioned, giving her a worried look. “I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Plus, most of the ponies in town are mares.”
“I don’t want their wandering eyes on you,” Twilight argued, nuzzling his head. “You are mine,” she insisted, giving the purr again. “No one is going to take you from me.”
“Twi, that’s not going to happen,” he pressed, pushing away. “I’m a big boy, I can tell people off if they try anything. Plus, Sugarcube Corner is right down the street.” A groan escaped from his lips as Twilight nudged him back down. “This is getting very old.” The purring grew louder as Twi put her arms around him and put his head to her chest.
Much like a cat, she started to lick his head. “Mine,” she whispered, snuggling on the couch with him.
Wyatt settled against her, letting her make a cowlick on the top of his head. “The things I do for love,” he muttered, finding himself admiring Twilight’s smooth scales. He let his head rest on her chest, her inner fire making the act surprisingly warm. He idly hoped that the previous remarks about his smell didn’t mean anything he’d need to worry about.
“You know, Sombra’s going to be at school for awhile and Spike’s out with Rarity...” Twilight ran her claws through his hair. “We could do... stuff.”
Wyatt gulped, silently cursing his Decade luck. “Okay, Twi, you wanna maybe go on a picnic?” he offered, smiling weakly. “Or maybe add on to that lesson about the influx of minotaur immigrants after the fall of Minos?”
Twilight pouted, holding him tighter. “But then all the townsponies will ogle you! No one ogles my mate!”
Wyatt squeaked, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. “Twi, too tight!” He patted her back, hoping she’d get the message.
“Sorry.” Twilight eased up, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. I just... so many weird things in my head. I’m not making you uncomfortable, am I?”
“A little bit,” he admitted, looking up at her. “But I know it’s not your fault.” Reaching out, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t we do something to take your mind off all that stuff?”
Twilight’s tail flicked a bit, nodding her head. “Okay, I like the sound of that. What are you thinking?”
“Well uh... how are the rings coming along?” Wyatt asked, trying to squirm out from under Twilight.
“I found a new stone recently with Maud’s help,” Twilight explained, gesturing with a claw. “I just haven’t found the time to turn it into a new ring. I’m pretty excited to see what it’ll turn out to be though.” Wrapping her tail around Wyatt’s leg, she let out a puff of smoke. “We were so busy during the last attack, I left all of my new rings here.”
“Then why don’t we test them out now?” Wyatt offered. “The beautiful thing about the Wizard Driver is that you don’t have to be in rider form to use the spells.”
Twilight looked at her claws, frowning. “I don’t know, how would I even call on the magic like this? I don’t have any of Smaug’s markings or shaman training.”
“Aren’t the markings meant to tap into a dragon’s inner magic?” Wyatt questioned. “If that’s the case then the belt should work the same way. It couldn’t hurt to try.”
“I suppose...” With some effort, she pulled away from Wyatt and slipped the engage ring onto her claw. Or at least she tried to. “I think my claws are too big.” She pouted, showing him.
“Try switching it to your pinkie,” Wyatt said, pointing at the digit. “That looks small enough.”
Twilight regarded her pinkie for a moment, sizing it up. After a moment, she gave it a try. It was a tight fit, but she managed to get it on. “Yes, it fits!” she beamed, displaying her efforts to Wyatt.
“Alright then, show me what you got.”
Discord lounged on Fluttershy’s couch, the piece of furniture floating upside down in midair. He tinkered with what looked like a puzzle box, humming softly. “Oh my, just look at this. Someone's been turning the dimensional wall into swiss cheese.”
“That would be Dai-Shocker,” Fluttershy answered, flitting between her animals to calm them. “They can travel between universes.”
“Can they now?” he hummed in thought, turning a piece of the puzzle box. “Interesting. And there are more riders than just Agito and his dearly departed brother. Things have certainly changed.”
“For the better in a lot of ways if you ask me,” Fluttershy commented, glancing at Discord's puzzle box. “Um, that's not going to let out scary monsters when you solve it, is it?”
“Hm? Oh no, this is just for me.” Discord shook his head. “Even if it did, you have riders don’t you?”
“Well, one of them's a toddler, another you turned into a drake and the last one into a mare… or whatever it is that humans call their females,” Fluttershy rattled off, looking down at her hooves. “Those weren’t very nice you know.”
“I know, but old habits die hard,” Discord said, ruffling her mane. “If I'm going to be reformed, then I need to get the sociopathy out of my system. Do you have those here? I forgot to ask the first time.”
“Have what?” she questioned, tilting her head.
“Never mind.” Discord hummed, shifting more of the cube. “You know, Fluttershy, travel between universes goes both ways. Especially when you don’t cover one's tracks.”
Fluttershy gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “Are you saying we could be able to follow them to their universe?”
“Perhaps one day.” Clicking another piece into place, Discord smiled. “You just need a little fresh sample is all. A fresh connection.” He paused placing the cube in his ear before rubbing his chin. “Now that is interesting. That wasn’t there before.”
“What wasn't there?” Fluttershy questioned, growing tired of playing the pronoun game.
“A little connection, barely even there.” He turned his back to her, staring at a piece of the wall. “Feels so... energetic.”
Fluttershy's wings flared out behind her, her eyes widening. “Are you saying that Dai-Shocker's attacking now? We have to get the riders!”
“Hm? Oh no, no, no. This is a connection to something far, far, far different. I’ve never felt anything like it.” Reaching out, the world rippled as he pierced the fabric of the universe. “Ooooh! Now that’s a feeling.”
Fluttershy gaped, unable to speak for a while. “Discord, what are you doing?”
“Getting acquainted with a budding part of the universe,” he replied, not looking back at her. “Why don’t you be a dear and get my some of those cucumber sandwiches you made before? Those were rather tasty.”
“Okay” Fluttershy said, not sure if she wanted to ask anything else and walked over to the kitchen. “Do you want more tea too?”
“Yes, please.”
Fluttershy gave an affirmation, leaving the draconequus to his devices.
Pinkamena shuddered in ecstasy as the centipede dragon smashed through another building. “Ooh~ Midnight can certainly brew up a monster when she feels like it. Somber must have really put the pressure on.”
She giggled to herself, watching the humans scatter in terror. She was glad she had brought a camera, she knew she'd want to see this again. “Why can’t the ponies be doing something like this? Somber’s mollycoddling that boy.” She clicked her tongue, her fun momentarily ruined. “If it wouldn't piss the big cheese off, I'd stab the dumbass and be done with him.”
Her hand drifted down to her waist, closing her hand around the Eternal memory. “Hmmmm, there is an opening on the council.” It wouldn’t be too hard to fill in for that idiot Zero, provided she could prove herself.
“You'd need to do something big to get that spot,” a familiar and annoying voice chimed in from behind her. “You screwed up killing a newbie rider last time and got scared of your own blood.”
“Like you did any better,” Pinkamena snapped, rounding on the speaker. She sneered at the smug form of Rook. “All you needed was to mess up a press event!”
“I did mess it up, but IXA interrupted my game,” Rook argued. “One that I liked. Even if the Decade brat was trying to change the rules.”
Turning back to the rampaging monster, a snort emitted from her nostrils. Watching a piece of roof landing in a parking lot, an idea planted into her mind. “You know, both those idiots are in Ponyville. All those riders in one place, could make a fun game out of that.”
Rook stroked his chin in thought, nodding to himself. “Hmm, I do hate leaving my games unfinished.”
Biting her lip, Pinkamena shivered in anticipation. “We can be there and back before the boss even knows it. Don’t tell me you aren’t bored watching someone else have all the fun.”
“True, but leave the camera behind,” Rook said, a rift appearing behind him.
Pinkamena scoffed, setting it down on the roof. “If that camera gets destroyed, your ass is glass.” Pushing past him, she shoved her memory into its slot. Activating it, she produced her knife. “Now, I wanna skin me a doppelganger.”
A new rift appeared, depositing Rook outside of Ponyville. He was in his pony disguise, his muzzle scrunched up in thought. Serious matters were on his mind. Things like, what would be the sweet he ate if he won his game?
Cake sounded nice. With a hearty laugh, he shed his disguise. “Run, run little ponies! Flee before me!” Hefting his mace above his head, he slammed it into a market stall. “Tell your puny riders Rook wants to play!”
In an instant, ponies started to flee, moving in a sea of limbs to get away from the fangire. One unfortunate stallion met his end at Rook’s mace, his broken body slamming into a cart. Panic descended on the market, ponies nearly trampling over each other to escape. He continued his rampage, smashing anything in his way.
“Hey!” Spike shouted, already scanning his belt. “You want a rider, you got one!” Using Unicorn, unagi and cheetah, he sped in close and struck at Rook’s leg. “So lets play!”
“Finally!” Rook bellowed, shrugging off the attack. He spun his mace over his head, swinging it towards Spike's side. The hammer sailed through Spike’s after image, leaving Rook stumbling from the momentum of his swing.
Spike used that as a chance to wrap his whips around Rook's foot, sending a charge through them and pulling him off balance. He succeeded, only to get a fist to the upper arm. Spike upped the voltage, ignoring the pain in his arm.
Regaining his balance, Rook drew his leg back and pulled Spike off his feet. “I’ll pop your head like an egg,” he explained, raising his mace up high. “That’ll give me a high score right off the bat!” Swinging downward, he bellowed out a harsh laugh.
The horn on Spike's helmet lit up, a kinetic wave rushing out and sending the mace up and into Rook's face. “Damn, didn’t pop your head. Still, that’s a bunch of points for me.” Rolling away, he sprung up and put some distance between them.
“Grrah! You're not a player in this game!” Rook roared, planting his mace on the ground. “You’re just the target!”
“I'm changing the rules,” Spike taunted, running circles around Rook. “Come on, you can hit me can’t you?”
Rook growled, thrashing around in an attempt to catch Spike. Each time he hit the drake's afterimage, causing the fangire's frustrations to grow. He thrust his mace out, laughing as Spike slammed right into it. “What’s wrong, can’t you see where you’re going?” Rook swung his mace again, catching Spike in the stomach and sending the young drake flying into a market stall.
“That... went better in my head...” Pushing himself to his feet, Spike cracked his whips. “Come on, you big dumb cat. I’ll make you cough up a few hairballs.” Striking out with his whips, Spike wrapped them around the top portion of the mace. He dug his heels in, pulling back against the fangire.
Rook laughed, letting go of his mace and the loss of tension sending Spike tumbling backwards. Before the drake could regain his footing, Rook’s fist slammed into Spike’s helmet. “Ten points!” he declared, hefting his mace once more.
Spike groaned, keeping his distance from Rook while he tried to get his spinning head in order. “Come on, we both know I’m worth more than that.” Charging his horn, he fired an ice spell at Rook’s feet. Ice overtook the fangire’s feet and he tested his strength against it only to grunt in exertion.
“You can’t cheat! I’m supposed to be beating you!” Rook growled, struggling to free his feet. “I’ll tear you limb from limb! 200 points for each limb and 500 for your head!”
Spike wrapped a whip around his fist, charging at the fangire full speed and punching him with an electrical strike. He did the same with his other hand, giving punch after punch. “Just break already!”
Rook seized up, a low growl escaping his muzzle. Using his mace, he jabbed Spike in the stomach before he could throw another punch. “I hate grinding.” Back handing Spike, he smashed the ice with a slam of his mace.
Spike panted, his own speed turning out to be his worst enemy in this fight. “Come on! Where is everyone else!?” he hissed, rolling out of the way as Rook charged him.
Shots rang out, knocking Rook off course. Spike turned, finding Trixie holding IXA-Calibur. “You got away last time, freak. A mistake Trixie intends to fix.” Holding her sidearm, Trixie activated her belt.
The mechanical voice rang out, the sun symbol sprang out, spinning in front of her before forming her armor. Heat radiated off of her, the crest on her helmet opening to reveal red eyes. Walking closer, Trixie fired a few more shots.
“In the name of Faust, you will perish. This is your final game, beast.”
A wild glint filled Rook's eyes and a laugh tore out of his throat. “If it isn't the fangire hunter. This should be interesting.” Hefting his mace, he took a step towards Trixie. “1,000 points for you, filly.”
“Only if you can kill me.” Trixie leveled her gun at him, peppering him with shots. “You getting up? Or do I have him to myself?” she questioned, not bothering to look at Spike.
Spike pushed himself to his feet, pulling out his unagi medal. “Forgive me, I've been taking high speed punches.” He replaced the medal with the Kuwagata one and ran his scanner over his belt.
“Maybe you should slow down,” Trixie suggested, ducking under a swing of Rook’s mace. Retaliating with a shoulder check, she fired at his legs. Trixie was on the hunt, and this time, her prey wasn’t going to escape.
The sound of ponies panicking had reached Golden Oaks, sending the inhabitants on alert.
“Come on Twi, we gotta go!” Wyatt shot off the couch, racing for the door. He came to an abrupt stop as a hand wrapped around his arm. “Twi, come on!”
“No! I can't let my mate get hurt out there!” Twilight argued, keeping her grip on his arm. “I have to keep you safe!”
“Twi, control your instincts,” Wyatt retorted, a sharp look crossing his features. “Protecting ponies is my duty.”
Twilight took in a breath and released his arm. “Right, right. I’m sorry. I don’t... I don’t think I’d be all that useful like that. Not when all I can think about is protecting you.”
Wyatt nodded, giving her a hug. “I'll be right back, I promise,” he assured, dashing toward the door. Slapping his driver onto his waist, he barreled through the door. “I should still be able to fight comfortably like this.” Grabbing his Decade card, he slipped it into his driver and activated it.
“Kamen Ride: Decade!” the belt called out, the normal voice replaced by a chipper sounding young woman's. He chalked that up to Discord's meddling. Though what he did find odd was that his armor didn't feel as bulky as it normally did.
Looking down, he nearly tripped over his own feet. “Oh, that freak show is so dead.” His armor had been altered, just as his body had. Gone was the full body suit, replaced with something out of Sailor Moon.
The top was the usual fuschia with the “X” design, except it was form fitting and the material seemed paper-thin with a black ribbon tied neatly about his neck. He was also in a black skirt that barely covered anything and white stockings that went up to his thighs. Even what he could see of his hair had been changed to black.
“Nope. Can’t fight like this. Nope.” Turning on his heel, he made his way back to the library. The sounds of panic and fighting caught his ear again. Stopping, he groaned and spun around again. “Damn my pride, people need me,” he huffed.
Moving down the block, he found Trixie and Spike trading blows with Rook. “Uh, hey, Ixa! OOO! You two doing alright!?”
The fighting stopped, the two Riders turning their attention to Wyatt. Instantaneously, the two began to cackle like hyenas. Even Rook stopped to take in the sight.
“Perhaps you should be my prize!” Rook grunted, laying his mace across his shoulders. “I kill all these riders, and I get to have you!”
Wyatt's eye twitched, the urge to vomit rising within him. “That is so wrong that I don’t even know how to start unpacking it.”
“Go back to the library,” Trixie ordered, lunging forward and slashing Rook across the chest. “You’re no use to Trixie in a stripper outfit.”
Wyatt unfolded his card case into a sword, charging Rook and getting a slash on his side. “Last time I checked, you're not the boss of me.”
“I gotta agree with her, uh, Decade. One hit from that mace without armor and there won’t be enough to put in the hospital,” Spike added, darting in to swipe at Rook’s side. “And I really don’t want to see Twilight in grief.”
“Seeing as he wants me as a prize, I doubt I have to worry about that,” Wyatt pointed out, dodging a grab from the fangire. “Keep your damn hands to yourself, Lion boy!”
Rook laughed, showing off his fangs. “Feisty, just how I like a prize.” Hefting his mace, a roar tore from his throat. “2,000 points! 2,000 points and you’ll be mine!” Running forward, he brandished his mace, intent on winning his prize.
Ten minutes earlier
Pinkamena kicked in the front doors of Sugar Cube Corner, startling more than a few patrons. “Enjoying your treats, everypony? Please don’t mind me, I’m just here to see a few familiy members.” Holding up her knife, she waved it around. “If you leave now, I promise I won’t cook any cupcakes with your insides.”
This had the desired effect of clearing out the room. The only ones beside Pinkamena were the Cakes who were stunned behind the counter. The two clung to each other, watching as Pinkamena moved to the stairs.
“Try anything and I’ll be eating baby cake for dessert.” Whether or not she meant it, she wasn’t sure, but the terror in their eyes was enough to whet her appetite. Dashing up to the second floor, she kicked open the door to Pinkie’s room. “Room service~ I have an order here for sororicide!”
Pinkie was on her bed, planning out a reformation party for Discord from the looks of it. She looked up from her plans and glared at Pinkamena. “Oh, it's you. Still crazy and mean I take it?”
“Aw, come on now. Can’t you give me a scream?” Making her way to the bed, Pinkamena took a look around the room. “You sicken me, you blithe, vapid, worthless mud pony. Your room is as full of junk as your brain is.”
“Screaming's what you want,” Pinkie pointed out, rising to her hooves. “And I don’t think this stuff is junk.”
“Shut up!” Pouncing on Pinkie, Pinkamena pinned her to the bed. “I’ll take that stupid smile right off your face! How about I turn it upside down hm? A permanent frown, for all the world to see!” Pointing her knife down, she inched it towards Pinkie’s face.
“Will that finally make you feel better?” Pinkie questioned, looking deep in her counterpart's eyes. “Is it me you want to hurt, or yourself?”
“I said shut up!” Pinkamena snapped, the tip of her knife digging into Pinkie’s cheek. “Just shut your fucking mouth! I’m so fucking sick of your goddamn voice!”
“Don't touch my sister!” A monotone yell came from behind them. Pinkamena suddenly found herself tumbling off the bed, her head slamming into a wall.
Giggling to herself, Pinkamena gazed up at Maud’s stoic form. “Oh there you are, Maudalina~ So glad you could join us. See, Pinkie and I were having a corpse party and I was so afraid you wouldn’t make it.”
“You must love the sound of your own voice,” Maud commented, attempting to wrestle the knife away.
Pinkamena stood up, her armored form exceeding even Maud’s strength. “Typical, Maud. Always thinking you’re the strongest one in the room.” Deftly moving her knife out of Maud’s grip, she slashed her across the abdomen. A tingle ran along her spine at the sight of blood. “And here I thought you didn’t bleed~”
Springing forward, she sunk the blade into Maud’s side. Grabbing her sister, Pinkamena pulled her close. “It’s always about family with us, isn’t it? That’s how everything starts. Maybe I should help out the unborn generations to come. How about a hysterectomy?”
“Maud!” Pinkie cried, jumping up and delivering a jerky flying kick to Pinkamena's head. “Get off my sister!”
Pinkie’s attack succeeded in putting herself between Pinkamena and Maud, the psychopath’s knife abandoned in Maud’s side. Pinkamena sneered, clenching her fists. Grabbing Pinkie’s head, she slammed it down into her knee.
“Stay out of my way, you worthless waste of skin!”
Pinkie cried out, blood flowing from her nose. “No! You may not care about Maud, but I do!”
“Whoop-dee-do. You love your sister. Good job.” Spotting something to the left, Pinkamena bent down and lifted Gummy into the air. “I know, how about a choice. You pick who gets the axe today! Your disabled little tote bag, or your dear sweet sister?”
Tears welled up in Pinkie’s eyes, looking between her pet and her sister. She knew crying was what Pinkamena wanted, but the choice was overwhelming. She knew there was only one thing she could do and offered Gummy an apologetic look as she steeled herself to speak.
A shot rang out, catching Pinkamena in the back of her head. “Thou wilt unhand mine daughter’s pet, doppelganger.” Feldspar stood in the doorway, his weapon pointed at the crazed mare’s back.
Pinkamena dropped Gummy, whipping around to stare Feldspar down. “You know, this is pretty fitting. You were the first one I killed in my world, Daddy.” Venom dripped from the last word and she stalked close to the stallion. She paused only long enough to pull her knife from Maud’s side.
“Pinkie, get thine sister to safety.” Breaking into a run, Feldspar rammed his shoulder into Pinkamena. Giving no purchase, he sent them both crashing through the window and down into Ponyville’s streets.
Pinkie rushed over to Maud’s side, putting pressure on the wound in her side. “C-come on Maud, we’ve gotta get you to the hospital.” She sniffled, her emotions still running high.
Maud grunted, easing herself into a standing position “Pinkie, I can’t be the body for W like this. You need go to the workshop.”
“Maud, you need to get help. That wound is really bad,” Pinkie argued. “We can’t think about the workshop right now.”
“Pinkie, listen to me. I can’t be the body for W like this,” Maud insisted, allowing Pinkie to guide her out of the room and down the stairs. “I’ve been working on a new memory for you. You need to be W’s body.”
“Ugh, I hate how stubborn you can be.” Pinkie groaned, altering her course to go to the workshop. “But we’re at least putting bandages on you. I can’t let you bleed out.”
Maud nodded, her mind focused on the task at hand. She wasn’t worried, Pinkie would do fine. Despite everything, Pinkie was unquestionably reliable when it came to protecting her friends and family.
“I’m getting bored!” Rook swung his mace low, catching Spike in the hip. “Lay down and die!”
“Is it just me, or does this guy seem tougher than when you took him on solo, Wyatt?” Spike questioned, his legs trembling slightly.
“Fangires gain strength with each life they steal,” Trixie explained, throwing a cart wheel at Rook’s back. “He must have been gorging himself between then and now.”
“That just means we’ve gotta pull out all the stops,” Wyatt offered, pulling a card from his belt. “In fact, I have a new card that might help. With a flick of his wrist, the card slotted itself into his belt.
“Displaced Ride: Liz!” the chipper voice called out, Wyatt’s outfit changing. His entire outfit went cold briefly before everything shrank slightly. His top pulled in and tightened around his ribs, almost seeming to fuse with his flesh as it turned shiny and gold, diminishing into a skimpy bikini cut. His skirt gained a belt with eight gems placed like eyes on a black band, while the skirt itself gained pleats of alternating black and gold colors. Gold latex covered his arms up to the elbow, and a similar pair of high-heeled boots came up to his knees while giving him a spiked kneepad. Tiny blue lines formed at the top of the boots and gloves and extended up his arms and legs to create a glowing fishnet pattern of artificial energized webbing.
“That look is even better than the last!” Rook boomed, planting his mace in the ground. “I might not even drain your life away with looks like that.” Thumping a hand against his chest, he leered at Wyatt’s scantily-clad form. “I shall make you my bride!”
Wyatt shuddered, suddenly wishing he was taking on Drakkon and his army single-handedly. “I take it I don’t get a say in this?”
“Trixie is suddenly wondering if Maud would be interested in a threesome…”
“I am in a committed relationship, Ixa!” Wyatt barked, a dark blush overtaking his face as he took a moment to look down at himself to see why they were both reacting this way. ’If Discord made this put me in a thong I’m going to kill him.’
“Guys, can we stop getting distracted and fight this guy?” Spike urged, motioning to the fangire. A step to the side brought wave of pain from his hip. “Jerk got me pretty good with that last hit.”
“It is not Trixie’s fault this creature pointed out how alluring Wyatt has become!”
Wyatt grit his teeth, ignoring the comments from Trixie. When the fighting was over, he’d have a long talk with her about harassment. At that moment however, he needed to see what his new form could do. He held out his hand to summon a weapon only to get something that looked like a pom-pom and felt like it had a pistol grip. “Oh come on!” He shook his hand, rustling the pom-pom. “What am I supposed to do with this, cheer him to death?” He sarcastically clapped his hands together, half heartedly reciting a cheer and concluded by pointing the pom-pom at Rook. To his surprise, something clicked as he flourished the fluffy thing and it fired out a line of blue webbing that stuck to the ground about a foot behind the fangire.
Wyatt blinked, looking down at the frilly object. “Huh, this might be useful after all.” He shook the pom-pom again, hoping to throw out more webbing. Instead, he started to glow and his body felt tougher. He rushed forward, noting that he was suddenly slower. Ignoring that, he spun on his heel and kicked Rook in the chest.
“Ha! This isn’t completely useless!” He gloated, grinning to himself.
A rumbling purr escaped Rook's throat despite sliding back a couple feet. “Nice thong.”
“Ha! Trixie will have to thank Discord for this!” Trixie struck at Rook’s back, unleashing a flurry of kicks. “Why don’t you give us a few cheers, hmm?”
Pushing aside his homicidal thoughts towards a certain draconequus to the side, he shook the pom-pom in hopes of sharing the strength boost with the obnoxious mare. This time there was no response from the weapon.
“Woah, uh...okay, now I’m just confused.” Spike muttered before rushing in and joining the fun in beating up their enemy.
“You and me both,” Wyatt grumbled. Rushing forward, he vented his frustrations by jabbing Rook using the hand holding the weapon.
Rook emitted another roar, grabbing Spike’s arm and throwing him down the street. “This game is growing dull! I need to win my bride!” Whirling around, he caught Trixie in the head with his mace.
Spike groaned, pushing himself up to his elbows. The pain in his hip throbbed, taking up the most of his thoughts. “I think I’m out,” he stated to himself, rolling onto his back. “Please tell me he didn’t crack my hip.” He stood back up, a stabbing pain in his hip rewarding him for his efforts. “Yup staying down.”
Wyatt stole a glance at Spike moving himself in front of the drake to keep Rook from claiming his points. “Okay powers, work with me here.” Rushing forward, he tried to kick Rook in the head.
Rook grabbed Wyatt by the leg, dangling him upside down and causing gravity to flip his tiny skirt. “We’ll be together soon,” he asked, draping Wyatt over his shoulder. “I have to claim my points.” Stalking over to Spike, he held the mace above his head.
Wyatt grabbed Rook's wrist attempting to keep Rook from attacking his friend. The struggle continued for a few moments before a heavily armored fist slammed into the back of Rook's head.
“Put the mare down, fiend!”
“Not a mare,” Wyatt retorted, trying to wriggle out of the stumbling Rook's grip. “Just hit the crap out of him!”
“Sorry, ma'am,” Spearhead apologized, firing up the spinning portions on his armor and unleashing a flurry of blows against Rook. “I said, put the lady down!”
Wyatt did his part, pushing against Rook. After a few hits, he managed to free himself and deftly landed on his feet. “I am not a lady.” Putting distance between himself and the pair, he knelt by Spike. “How you feeling?”
“Pretty sure my hip is busted,” Spike admitted, adjusting his weight to avoid causing pain in his side.
“Great, just great.” Wyatt looked over his shoulder, watching Spearhead block a swing From Rook’s mace. “Guy’s gonna break his forearms like that.”
“If only you knew how to use that pom-pom,” Spike said, watching over the fight himself.
A scream of rage echoed throughout Ponyville, a sound of primal fury and hatred. It faded as quickly as it came, leaving only the sounds of Rook and Spearhead.
Trixie jogged over, glancing down at Spike. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. We’re just going to end up throwing ourselves at him until we’re worn down to stumps.” Eyeing the area around them, her gaze landed on a china shop. “Stay in your armor,” she told Spike, starting to walk away. “And when I tell you to, start flinging debris at him.”
Spike wanted to question how that would help the situation, but decided against it. He nodded at her and watched her for whatever insanity she had cooked up.
Moving towards the china shop, Trixie fired a few shots into Rook’s back. “You want to end the game? Fine. Sudden death. You and me. You beat me, you can have dear sweet Wynonna all to yourself.”
Wyatt grit his teeth, but for whatever reason, decided to see what Trixie had planned.
Rook grinned, his mace being held back by Spearhead's arms. “Good idea! I’m tired of this game anyway.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Trixie questioned. “Afraid your bride-to-be might see you fail? You aren’t... impotent, are you?” A grin formed under her helmet as Rook bellowed in rage. “Come on, show Trixie what kind of stallion you are.”
Rook disengaged from Spearhead, barreling towards Trixie with his weapon at the ready. He didn’t even register as Trixie dove out of the way. Rook smashed into the shop, the delicate objects inside shattering under the force of his charge.
“Now, dragon! I don’t care how small, you pick up those shards and fire them as hard you you can!” Making her way into the shop, Trixie holstered her sidearm and put a vase on her fist. “Don’t make Trixie repeat herself!” she snapped, decking Rook in the side of the head; shattering the vase.
Spike did as he was told, blindly picking up shards of china and glass and throwing them at the fangire. He could feel the strain in his head, as he was not used to multitasking on this scale. He knew he’d have to ask Twilight for pointers later.
“Breaking pots won’t stop me!” Swinging his mace again, Rook succeeded in creating more and more debris. All the while, Trixie merely stayed out of his reach. “One hit, that’s all I need!”
Trixie ducked under another swing, glad that she was wearing armor. “Monsters like you rarely think. You’re made of glass. And glass breaks.” Backing up a few steps, she unclipped her knuckle from her belt. “And Trixie happens to know, porcelain is very good at breaking glass.”
She pulled out a small slip and put it to her belt. She quickly pressed her knuckle against it and braced herself. “I-X-A Kn-u-ckle R-i-se Up!” her belt called out in its normal choppy and mechanical voice. She thrust the knuckle forward, a ray of heat encompassing Rook. Stained glass patterns overtook Rook’s body, fear settling onto his face for the first time. With one last barrage of debris from Spike the fangire shattered, a glowing orb floating into the air.
“I’ll take that.” Discord slithered into existence, grabbing the orb in his talons. “Good job, Beatrix. I need this for just a moment.” Swimming through the air, he coaxed a sliver from the orb and sent it into Spike. “How’s that hip feeling? Nice and fixed, I take it?”
Spike attempted to stand again, finding no difficulty in doing so. “Yeah, it is.” He looked up and gave Discord an uncertain look. “Um, thanks Discord. Rook’s voice isn’t going to chime in my thoughts now, right?”
“I assure you, he won’t.” Patting Spike on the head, Discord popped over to the body of the poor stallion who had been caught in Rook’s wake. “Lucky you, still a connection to the flesh.” Pouring more of the orb into the body, he watched as it repaired itself.
“Aahghghgh!” the poor pony shouted, jolting up with a panicked look on his face.
“Oof, looks like a bad case of spiritual whiplash.” Discord released the orb, watching as it floated up into the sky. “That should settle down. Eventually. Maybe. Should probably go see someone about it. Preferably a trained psychological professional.”
“Discord!” Wyatt drew his arm back, hurling a pom-pom at the draconequus’s head. “You asshole! Turn me back to normal!”
Discord whistled, snapping his talons and suddenly Wyatt was surrounded by flashing cameras. “Oh wow, I impress even myself sometimes. Can you lift what I can only generously call a top and shout spring break? I’m making a calendar.” He held a camera up to his eye and added, “For charity of course.”
“I will sic Twilight on you,” Wyatt threatened, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
“How is that a threat? Fluttershy has already promised she won’t use her element on me.” Discord asked, floating down and snatching a suddenly developed photo. “Hmm, I’ll have to shop that angry look later but still nice.”
“Trixie is bored of this conversation,” Trixie commented, stepping out of the shop. Waiting until she was away from the broken shards, she deactivated her armor. “I suppose I should thank you three, you helped Trixie eliminate lost prey.”
“You’re welcome,” Wyatt said, removing his belt. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when his clothes returned to what they had been before. “This is gonna be a long reformation,” he muttered.
Discord snapped his claws, returning Wyatt’s manhood to him. “I wouldn’t say that, my boy. This was an... enlightening experience.”
“Not to push what little luck I have, but can you change Twilight back too?” Wyatt questioned, confusion replacing his anger. He may not have known Discord for long, but the chaotic being didn’t seem like the type to cut a prank short.
“Oh, but if I did that all the slash shippers would be mad,” Discord protested, pointing to a group of mares holding up ‘Dusk Shine + Wyatt’ posters. “You really don’t want to upset them. Fickle bunch, those fillies.”
“Discord, did you brainwash those mares and warp them here?” Wyatt deadpanned, suddenly noticing the group.
“Pfft. That’s so last season.” Snapping his fingers, Discord banished the mares to wherever they came from. “Fine, fine, you have have your heterosexual pairing back. But don’t blame me if tumblr revolts.”
“Thank you, Discord,” Wyatt said, relaxing. “So, what’s your game?” he questioned, looking the draconequus up and down. “I don’t think I’ll buy that you just got bored of the joke.”
“I’m not.” Discord grabbed Wyatt’s head, turning it towards Sugarcube Corner. “But we can have this discussion after we deal with that.”
The sounds of conflict came from the bakery, causing Wyatt to instantly take off into a run towards the disturbance.
five minutes ago
“Come on, daddy, you can fight harder than that can’t you?” Pinkamena asked, shaking off a strike to her collar bone. “I’ve been a very naughty pony, don’t you want to properly punish me?”
Feldspar jumped back, firing his magnum while Pinkamena’s knife caught the air. “Thou art no daughter of mine. Thou art a doppelganger, a demon that must be put down.”
“That’s so mean, daddy,” Pinkamena pouted, charging towards Feldspar and swiping at his neck. “Then again, you always were disappointed in me. Why would that change between universes.”
The blade found purchase at Feldspar’s shoulder, cutting down along his arm. Ignoring the flaring pain, Feldspar knocked the knife away and bashed the bottom on his magnum into her helmet. While she was stumbling, he fired at the knife to knock it further away from her.
“That’s more like it~” Pinkamena shook her hand, flexing her fingers. “Hit me harder, daddy~” she taunted, giggling to herself. “Maybe this time, I’ll make it quick. I can still hear the screams when I think of that day.”
“Yet another reason thou art no daughter of mine,” Feldspar said, firing into her chest. “My daughter hath devoted her life to bringing joy to others, not what thou hast done.”
Pinkamena’s giggles turned unhinged, a terrible sound that made Feldspar’s skin crawl. “The whole world is laughing at her. She’s just a stupid, oblivious filly who doesn’t understand how broken the world is. No one laughs with her, their all just laughing at her! Always laughing! Always fucking laughing!”
Leaping forward, her laughter evolved into a hysterical cackle. “Don’t think I never noticed! Your eyes always had that giggle!” Driving a fist into Feldspar’s side, she swept a foot out and knocked him prone. “Every failure, every disappointment. You always looked at me with that gleeful laughter! Still think it’s funny!?”
Pouncing on him, she tore the magnum from his grasp and put the barrel to his chest. “How many shots do you think it’ll take ‘til I get to the gooey center?” pulling the trigger, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
Feldspar bounced against the ground, though his armor prevented the shot from piercing him. Again and again, his body took the shots. Each pull of the trigger wracking his body with pain.
After the fifth, Pinkamena aimed the magnum away. “You know what, I feel like instant gratification today.” Reaching down with her free hand, she closed his driver and removed the skull memory. “Ah~ That’s much better.” Planting the barrel against his unprotected sternum, she asked, “Anything else to say, daddy?”
Feldspar steeled himself, staring into her helmet with an unflinching expression.
Snorting, she pistol whipped him across the muzzle. “Answer me!”
He spit out a glob of blood, but he remained silent.
Pinkamena rewarded him with another strike and another. “Say something, Faust damn you!” she demanded, wrapping her hand around his neck.
He kept up his silence. However, his unflinching, steely expression morphed into one of sympathy and disappointment. The kind of look one would expect from a parent when their child does something wrong.
Pinkamena froze, her body shaking. “No! You don’t give me that look! You don’t fucking give me that look!” Pressing the barrel into the bottom of his jaw, her finger wrapped around the trigger.
“I am sorry thou hast been hurt,” Feldspar finally said, breaking his silence.
“I hate you,” Pinkamena responded, pulling the trigger. Something crashed into her arm, knocking the magnum to the side. It grazed the side of Feldspar’s ear, taking off the top few inches of it.
Pinkamena jumped back, getting a good look at Pinkie Pie. The pink mare stood at the end of the street, her mane hanging straight down. “Oh please, you really think you can do anything? We both know you’re worthless! Everything about you is just a lie to make the world seem like a less shitty place!” A grey blur darted towards her as she raised her hand to fire, striking her several times before jumping back to Pinkie.
“I try not to hate anypony,” Pinkie stated as the grey shape revealed itself to be a small mechanical dinosaur. “Life's too short to let those kinds of feelings eat at you.” The dinosaur jumped in her hand and unfolded to display a gaia memory. “But you, you I hate.”
“Fang!”
Pinkie slammed the memory into the belt, where the Joker memory was already waiting. Opening the driver, the larger memory shifted to resemble the head of a theropod dinosaur.
“Fang! Joker!”
A bestial scream exploded from Pinkie Pie as the W armor formed over her body. One half of the armor was white with black detailing while the other half was the usual black and purple. Pinkie charged forward, spinning on her hoof and kicking Pinkamena in the helmet.
“I’ll kill you!” Pinkie roared. Anger, rage and hate pulsed through Pinkie’s veins, clouding anything else. A red haze filtered her vision, focused solely on Pinkamena. She pushed the horn on her memory down, the belt shouting its name again before a white blade shot out from her wrist.
Pinkamena laughed, regaining her footing. “You’re just as crazy as me. You can pretend all you want but now you see it. Good, let it all out. Scream to the heaven how much of a killer you are!” Firing off a few shots, she made a break for her knife.
Pinkie ignored the remarks, slashing at the hand Pinkamena was using to try and pick up the knife. “I’ll tear your throat out!
Pinkamena recoiled, Pinkie's attack nearly drawing blood. “That's it, let all your crazy out.”
“Pi..nkie,” Maud’s voice crackled like static in Pinkie’s head. “Ha... t.... sto...[/i”
The voice of her sister soothed Pinkie slightly. The red haze receded and she became capable of thoughts other than unfiltered rage.
“Focus, Pinkie,” Maud’s voice advised. “She wants you to kill her. I didn’t expect a reaction like this to Fang. You have to only use enough energy to knock her out of rider form.”
‘No! She’s hurt me. She’s hurt you, and now she’s hurt dad too! She needs to pay for this and everything else she’s done!’ Drawing upon her rage, Pinkie ran in low and slammed a fist into Pinkamena’s gut.
‘Pinkie, please...if you kill her now, even in anger, you prove her right.’
“Come on...” Pinkamena wheezed, stumbling backwards. “Don’t be a chicken shit. Show me just how much you hate me. How much you hate yourself.”
Pinkie seethed, holding her blade arm high above her head. Her breathing evened out as she stared down at Pinkamena.‘Right, y-you’re right..I’m just so...so angry.’ Pinkie thought, placing her arm blade in front of her. She blocked Pinkamena from her knife and watched the other mare carefully.
Pinkamena shifted the magnum to burst mode, pelting Pinkie with rapid fire blasts. Tucking into a dive, she slid under Pinkie and grabbed her knife. “Not as good at this as Maud, are we?” Twisting on her hooves, she cut at Pinkie’s legs.
Pinkie jumped back, inspiration stuck her rather than the blade. “You're right, I’m not.” Bouncing on her hooves, she gave Pinkamena a wild slash across the chest. “So I should stop trying to fight like her and just be me!” Giggling to herself, she zipped around her doppleganger and slashed at her from every angle. Even angles that made no logical sense.
Pinkamena tried to block the attacks, but a few made it past her defenses. “What's wrong?” Pinkie asked, jumping away from a slash at her throat. “Can't you hit me?”
“Come on!? Doesn’t it make you angry!? I was about to blow daddy’s head off! Doesn’t that make you angry!?” Pinkamena sneered, finding herself increasingly outmatched. “I thought you loved him?”
“I do!” Pinkie replied, popping up behind the other rider and punching her in the back. “And that's why I’ve got my smile back. I know he'd be disappointed if I let somepony like you get under my fur.”
Pinkamena stumbled, her own rage building. “Let’s see if you smile when I turn off your memories!” Removing the Eternal memory, she slotted it into the maximum drive slot. “I’ll gut you like the fat pig you are, Pinkie Pie.”
“And how are you going to do that?” Pinkie asked, shaking the white memory in her hand. “Don't you need this for that?”
The sound of her armor turning off filled Pinkamena’s ears. Staring down her still armored counterpart, a wicked grin crossed her features. “Smooth move. You can keep that piece of junk.” Leaping over the rider, she landed next to Feldspar. “Papa’s coming with me.” Her grin grew bigger as a distortion wave spread over herself and the prone stallion, whisking them both away.
“Opportunity!!” Discord shot by Pinkie, twisting the puzzle box with his hand. A final turn and it hummed to life, pulsing with lights along its side. With the skill of a baseball player, he hurled it into the distortion right as it closed. “Yes! Home run!”
Wyatt came in next, examining the scene. “Pinkie, what happened here?”
“...She took him.” Pinkie sank to her knees, staring at the spot Feldspar had been lying. “She took my dad...”
Wyatt dropped to a knee and pulled her into a hug. “Oh god, I'm so sorry.” He wanted to say something else, but any promise he could make seemed hollow.
“Don’t cry, my little Chaosling.” Discord put his hand on Pinkie’s helmet. “By the time you get back from your trip to the humans, you’ll have all you need to get him back.” Turning to Wyatt, he gave a nod. “Consider me reformed, colt.”
“Was a date with Luna really that motivating?” Wyatt asked smiling slightly as he coaxed Pinkie to her hooves.
Discord smiled slightly. “Perhaps, but things have changed.” Snapping his fingers again, he took the group back to the field outside of town. The other relevant parties were there as well, all looking rather confused. “Alright, Celestia. You’ve broken a record. You got me reformed in under a day.”
Celestia recovered quickly, though she still regarded him warily. “Really, just like that? No massive amounts of hijinks or a big friendship speech at the end? Just an afternoon with Fluttershy did the trick?”
“I had a very enlightening conversation with a robotic ninja in a sword,” Discord replied, his features turning grave. “Things far worse than me have their sights on this little rock we all call home.” Holding up his paw, a large holographic screen appeared over it. “That little puzzle box wasn’t just for fun and games. It interweaved with the chaos innate to the universe that crazy mare went back to. It’ll log every coming and going they make, forming a map of their empire. With enough study, we’ll be able to follow them right to their worlds.”
Wyatt reacted instantly to one comment in particular. “Wait a second, you talked to Ninjor too? I thought that was just a weird dream.”
“A surprise meeting,” Discord explained, stroking his goatee. “I was following that little root and it led me right to him. I’ve never felt anything quite like this ‘Morphing grid’.”
Daring pushed herself through the group to stand before Discord. “I really don’t care about any of that.” She held up Tsukiya, who was now clad in a footie pajama version of his armor. “Turn my dad back before I haunt your snakey ass.”
“Ooh, haunted by a pretty ghost,” Discord teased, snapping his talons. Daring and Tsukiya tumbled to the ground, the sudden change in weight surprising her. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
A sense of ease spread among the assembled group. Not only did they have an eventual means to find Somber, but Discord seemed willing to help.
The sea splashed against the stern of the Nautilus, the black ship’s sails catching the strong winds coming from the south. Poseidon stood on the bow, looking out of the ocean. Several ships followed his own in formation, hidden behind a thick fog bank.
The gleaming towers of Manehatten would soon rise over the horizon, a shining beacon of wealth. However, none of this mattered to him. The only thing he wanted was the treasure he had lost. Manehatten would burn, and its flames would spread out like a wildfire. What was his would be his again.