//------------------------------// // Session 90 // Story: Ponies and Dragons (Just Have Fun) // by Alex Warlorn //------------------------------// Session 90.0 Grogar-the-oneser "I request permission to borrow one of your dragon students," Gilda stated "What, why?" Applejack said "I think they became brainwash, and before you accuse it of being craziness, there a difference between kindness and being fluttershy 2.0, and i mean the Fluttershy BEFORE her character subtle development." Gilda said "Thank you for the clarification," Fluttershy stated "Well... Spike has been way too nice in the magic comics... refusing to fight the Maneiac cause he thought it would hurt her feelings....I been used as a ping pong ball for five hours..." Rainbow growled the last part but realized something "Wait why don't you just confront them directly?" "I would, but I learn that might not be the best idea in some cases, man Grandpa Gruff can throw a couch," Gilda said annoyed yet somewhat proud. "Right... well even if you are right, which were not saying you are or not." Starlight added. "How would you even proof if it is brainwashing?" "Simple, I'll just need patient zero, the one who first acted off.... and an expert on the mind." everyone looked at Starlight. "Yeah... I walked into that one." Starlight sighed. Session 90.1 Mtangalion “So…” said Starlight Glimmer, as she and Gilda searched the halls of the Friendship Gaming Academy for their wayward dragons. “What brings you back to Ponyville?” She grinned slyly, nudging the griffon. “Have you got Rarity making you a wedding dress?” Gilda made a sour face. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in one. Well… maybe if Gerold asked…” She shook her head quickly. “Nope, not happening! Besides, griffons don’t really do weddings.” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Dare I ask?” Gilda grinned wickedly. “It’s like a party for the whole town! The griff and the hen get up on a rooftop and shout stuff like ‘He’s mine! Anygriffon got a problem with that?’ And if somegriffon objects? Instant brawl!” She leaned closer for a conspiratorial whisper. “Sometimes, griffons object just for fun!” Starlight blinked. “Really, now?” “And then there’s that thing every spring when lots of griffons renew their claims all at once…” “Okay, I get the picture! Hello…” Starlight backtracked and peeked into one of the Academy’s newly opened computer labs. Spike, Garble, and Smolder were inside, crowding around a terminal. Spike was taking a while to access something on the computer, but Garble and Smolder weren’t acting impatient at all. In fact, they were holding claws and dancing eagerly. “I’m starting to see your point, Gilda,” mused Starlight. “Let try a pinch of illusion dispelling powder and make sure it really is our dragons.” She levitated a bit of sparkling dust from a bag, and floated it into the room with subtle air currents.” The sparkles settled over them, but no changelings were revealed, and no wolves threw off their costumes. “Oh, what’s this?” exclaimed Smolder. “It’s so cute and glittery! Spike, come share!” Spike grinned. “Nah, I’m good. I’m happy just seeing how much you’re enjoying it!” “Aw, you guys are the best!” Garble sniffed, wiping a tear, and picked Spike up in his arms. “Who even needs gold or gems or power when I have a friend like you?” “Aw… group hug!” Smolder flew up and flung her arms around Garble and Spike both, joining in. “Good is better than bad!” proclaimed Garble. “Aw who am I kidding? There’s no such thing as a bad hug!” “I think I’m gonna be sick,” groaned Gilda, miming sticking a claw down her throat. “Here’s the plan, Starbutt. I’ll rush ‘em, and you get the anti-brainwashing mojo and then… what the squawk?” A portal was forming in the middle of the room, without any magic mirror or dragon flames or spell-work of any kind, and the happy young dragons were already skipping through it. “Let’s hurry, before it closes!” hissed Starlight. Gilda shuddered. “Not that I’m scared or anything lame like that, but I dunno if we should… hey!” Starlight had seized both of them in her flight field, and suddenly they were hurtling into a rainbow carnival funhouse right on the dragons’ heels… The human Twilight coughed vigorously, fanning smoke away from her face and giving the mana extractor another blast with a fire extinguisher. “Whahappen?” groaned Sonata, lying prone on the floor with swirls for eyes. “What’d I do wrong?” “Oh, it wasn’t your fault,” Twilight reassured her. “There was a massive power surge. It's as if five people jumped in the portal all at once… but who would even do that?” She did the math in her head again, adjusting her glasses. “They probably made it to Earth okay, but they could be… well, anywhere.” Gilda blinked, staring at the brightly lit… palace? No wait, it was a shopping mall! She remembered all of that human junk from back when she’d been dating the human version of Gerold. But she was still a griffon, and Starlight Glimmer was still very much a pony. Starlight stood frozen. “Wait, is this the mall where we did the thing with Juniper? Why…” She lifted a forehoof, gawking at it. “How…” Gilda shook her head. “You’re asking me?” Colorful humans were walking around and past them, some giving the Equestrians curious glances, some ignoring them altogether. “What are those? Should we call the zoo?” “I didn’t know there a World of Horsecraft convention in town.” “Do you think they’re promoting a new expansion?” “Hah, those costumes look so fake.” What would Rainbow Dash do? “Aw, ponyfeathers,” muttered Gilda. Yeah, probably that. Session 90.2 Unown3 The 'ordinary high school student' human Bon-Bon felt for her hidden tranquilizer gun. One of these creatures could turn everyone here into oranges if they wanted! "I wasn't seeing things in that portal evil-glasses-Twilight opened up! They do exists!" Lyra said excitedly, remembering a unicorn who looked suspiciously like herself in that gateway. +++ On their break, Adagio and Aria made some of the show's crew break out into a fist fight for a quick snack. Aria Blaze snapped, "This is stupid, Sonata has her audience eating out of the palms of her hand. Why haven't we broadcast her new show on every piece of media around now? Or targeted all the Rainbooms at once!" Adagio snorted. "I don't like it either... and I despise saying it... but Sonata makes sense here. Every time we've brainwashed ponies or humans en mass, we get heroes popping out of nowhere to cause trouble. And when we target the heroes, one of them for no good reason proves immune somehow. So instead we'll don't target a bajillion to keep us off their radar, and we target just enough of the heroes to be useful and keep them off our backs." "Excuse me." The sirens turned to see a little girl with blue curly hair and freckles looked up at them innocent. "What did you hear?" Aria asked. "I didn't hear anything." She said with those big innocent eyes. "Can I have your autographs?" The sirens looked at each other, and complied. "I think it's super cool how you and your sisters... get others to do whatever you want," the little girl finished in a slightly different tone. "You tell them to get along, and people who hate each other will get along like they've been lifelong friends. That is real power." The sirens looked at each other again. And Adagio actually patted the girl on the head. "What's your name?" "Cozy Glow." "I like you kid. Keep that attitude! You're going places." "Any advice?" "Never but never let anyone see your real hand before you play it. And always make sure rabble think it was their own idea when you string them along. Be one with the rabble." "Thank you!" The perfectly sweet and adorable child skipped off. And then stuck her head in. "Oh! And there's three baby dragons out here asking to see 'Mistress Sonata!'" "... 'A goddess' authority does not extend beyond her own universe'. Dad and the other outer gods get around this because their domain is the screaming nothing between worlds... " Adagio said, realizing the simple brilliance of her baby sister's scheme (that she'd never admit to the blue moron's face). A horrid grin formed on Adagio's face. "They're ours!" +++ (A short time ago.) "Oh Fluttershy! I have their great show I know you and your friends will like!" Sci-Twi said. "Oh? Is it another Beauty of Earth video?" Fluttershy asked. "I love those!" Captain Planet said. Tree Hugger said, "Twilight... there's something different about your aura." "Oh I'm much happier!" "Well, yes, but I saw that in your aura when you first left Crystal Prep, too bad you couldn't be a teacher of harmony there, but I understand it having too many bad memories... But this feels... imposed somehow... " "Oh don't worry about it!" Sci-Twi said, have never had any faith in Tree Hugger's 'aura readings'. "I promise after the first few minutes you'll love it!" And Sci-Twi turned on the video. "Happy's better than said," Fluttershy sang along. +++ "Hey, what's this video Twilight sent us?" Scootaloo asked. "Which one?" Sweetie asked. "The one that isn't an alien horse princess." Apple Bloom said. They clicked on the video... "Ugh! One of those stupid kiddie shows!? Does she think we're babies or something?!" "I dunno... it looks pretty... nice..." Sweetie said. A while later, Cheerilee found the girls in the library watching videos... again. "Girls how many times do I have to tell you, you can't use the school computers for..." Cheerilee had never seen the girls looking more adorable. They somehow looked younger. Their eyes large and sparkling, and threatening to make Cheerilee's brain melt. She actually looked at the video they were watching... ++++ "I can't believe you're exposing my little Ocellus to that mindless dribble!" Chrysalis hissed. "Sorry mom!" Thorax defended. "The tickets were cheap! And she really really likes that show now! And her friends like it too." "What's wrong with An Insect's Life? It teaches the virtues of sacrificing for the group, and sacredness of the whole!" Chrysalis still loved cheering the powerful and heroic grasshoppers as they claimed food from the weak but thieving ants. ++++ The human Gilda said. "That show is the best thing ever... now neither of us have to waste time looking after Gallus!" Gabby gasped. "Cousin! That's not a nice thing to say about your brother." "DON'T CALL ME THAT! I can't have everyone at Crystal Soft knowing we're related. And it's not like I adopted him! That was Grandpa Gruff's idea for a tax break!" "Where's Smolder?" "You mean the one dog that doesn't suddenly have the super power to speak around here? Far away from Fluttershy's freaky 'give animals the power to speak' magic, and with Gallus, thankfully the studio apparently allows pets in." ++++ Five children and one pet puppy sat in the front row of the audience of Sonata's TV show. Grinning and eyes swirling. Sonata's repeat in-person brainwashing sessions with her audience had rendered them completely in love with Mistress Sonata, and eager to share recordings of the show with their parents. "Yona smash ... nobody. She give them hugs instead!" Said a girl with pigtails exceptionally large for her age. Smolder... not being sapient, was not affected. Lacking the higher brain functions needed for Sonata's brainwashing to actually work. Still, the dumb animal was still able to tell there was something very not right about her Master, and something very not right about Master's friends. And the big fish ladies reminded her of cats... pretty on the outside, nasty on the inside. Gallus just repeatedly petted Smolder, his eyes not leaving the performance. Not thinking about his adopted family. Ocellus had dressed up like one of the sirens on a exceptionally well made home-made costume. Silverstream, whose old neighborhood had been bought then demolished by Storm Construction to make way for condos, and having been bullied by Shadow Tempest until her auntie got in the bully's face... truly and finally felt at home. As for Sandbar... he'd been the first to fall under Sonata's new style of brainwashing and had been the one to drag Gallus to the studio to try it out. Session 90.3 Kendell2 "Alright, so what's the plan?" Twilight asked as the group's party was outside the Orc encampment. Rainbow Dash and Patch smirked and took a deep breath. "Mah Ranger holds Rainbow Dash's Barbarian by the tail," said Applejack. "Likewise, my Druid holds back our hotheaded rogue," Bright Eyes said. The two gave a pout. "Killjoy," Rainbow Dash replied. "Better than a total party kill," Melody replied. Glimmer nodded. "AGAIN." "You get the party killed by a dragon one time..." muttered both at once. "I really can't shake the idea you two sound really similar..." said Pinkie Pie. One check later, they saw that there were obviously too many Orcs for that to work, and that likely would've been the end result barring some really good luck. "Okay, Patch, you want to get some action?" Bright Eyes asked. "You're the Rogue, so time for some misdirection. Think you can throw the camp into chaos and get those orcs to focus on...this area?" she asked, pointing to a 20 x 20 area on the game board. "Think of it as...a big prank." "Huh? Yeah, you bet!" To Patch's credit, when she was actually TRYING, she was surprisingly cunning and smart. It helped that pranks were decidedly something she was invested in. Meanwhile, the two Druids in the party set to work on whatever plan Bright Eyes had set up. "Alright, got 'em coming!" said Patch. "What's the plan?" "Like I said, big prank..." Bright Eyes replied as Patch had her Rogue climb up 12 blocks high so the Orcs would have to stop in the spot picked out. Using her Druid's Wild Empathy to convince a skunk to help them, while Fluttershy used Wild Shape to assume the form of one, the result was an entire camp of Orcs being sprayed. Skunks in the game, according to the available manual on hand, covered a 10 X 10 X 10 area, so two placed right made that 20 X 10 X 20, so while Patch was out of the danger zone, the orcs were not, and thus ever turn spent they risked being nauseated and on the first turn could be blinded for up to 4 turns. Rolls didn't go perfectly in their favor, but a sizable number of Orcs were greatly weakened, allowing the group to open fire with long range attacks while Rainbow Dash and Bon Bon's Barbarians handled any that made it free of the 'blast zone.' "Ah! I get it! Stinkbomb! Nice!" Patch replied, high-fiving Bright Eyes. While it didn't make things a curbstomp, it'd at least let them weaken and pick off enough Orcs to make the battle a win in their favor in the end. "Alright, so let's see what we can get out of their camp..." They looked through the camp and found a map to Losvir Di Gemuth's lair...which was naturally through a long dangerous path through several dungeons. Session 90.4 Jarkes Just then, Sunset suddenly received a text from a number she didn't recognize. " 'The Siren TV show is another Dazzling plot," Sunset read. "'Get your Rainboom friends to the 17th Studio at Zacherle Productions in the next hour, or it will be too late to stop them. - Mr. X.'" Sunset frowned. "I thought something was up about that..." "Tell me about it..." Fluttershy said. "It was too sweet even for me, yet my brother seemed to be enthralled by it - literally!" "Wonder why none of us are affected, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Doesn't matter now, darling," Rarity said. "We've got sirens to stop." ---- "And you're absolutely SURE this will increase the multiversal range of Sonata's spell even further?" Adagio asked Sci-Twi, raising an eyebrow at the tape in her hands. "You bet!" Sci-Twi responded, beaming. "Just insert it into the projector and then activate it an hour from now, and it'll broadcast the signal to ALL dimensions! But you have to activate it EXACTLY 1 hour after inserting it, or it won't work." "That's a rather odd time specification, but okay," Adagio said, taking the tape and inserting it in the projector. "This had better work." "Oh it will!" Sci-Twi replied, still smiling. I certainly hope so anyway... she thought to herself. It's getting harder to keep up this charade... Hope Sunset and the others got my message. Session 90.5 Ardashir "Well, we got out of that okay," Starlight looked around the corner of the door leading into the abandoned mall store. She and Gilda had made their way here, smiling nervously and waving, with Gilda occasionally yelling, "Hey, dweebs, remember to play griffons in World of Horsecraft, they're better than lame ponies!" That lasted until they saw signs for the live showing of 'The Singing Siren' TV show with a taped sign reading 'With Special Guests!' Worse the saw three familiar-looking little dragons nearby in their true forms sneaking into the area marked 'Staff Only.' "Okay, so they're here," Gilda scowled. "And they ain't dogs. How the heck is that even happening?" "It must be because of the new gate that Sonata and Spike used." Starlight shook her head. "How did they even do that? They must have had some help from this world's Twilight. She's a scientific genius, she made a gateway once before. Sonata must have controlled her too. Or she's faking it and helping for some other reason." *** "Sunset, I'm here backstage as Sonata's 'tech adviser', please pick up the phone and tell me you're coming!" Sci-Twi drummed her fingers nervously. Not for the first time she wondered about this plan of Sunset's, getting her to spy on the Sirens once the others had broken the mind control over her. Unfortunately that had happened after she'd re-created mana extractor technology. And connecting it online to Equestria through the World of Horsecraft connection (and she didn't even want to think how you worked Internet connections across dimensions, or what it implied). Now here she was, waiting for them to arrive so they'd stop Sonata's plot before it got any further, and hoping nothing else went wrong. Or came through from Equestria. That could cause a quantum warp with truly dangerous consequences. "Twilight?" The voice came from behind her and slightly lower down. "Not now, Spike." Sci-Twi shook her head. She reached to give her faithful dog a reassuring pat as she said, "I'm in the middle of something really..." It slowly bore in on her that she was touching scales and not fur. Oh, no. Please let me be wrong. She turned to see three reptiles -- no, dragons. "Wow, Sci-Twi," Spike said, "I didn't think you'd be here. It feels kind of funny to be walking around here in the scaly flesh. I guess you're the one who brought us here so we could see Mistress Sonata," Spike and the others looked almost hypnotized, "so let's all go see her together!" "Uh -- yeah, of course, Spike! Hah! Spike and..." Her eyes widened as she recognized the little red dragon, sort of. "Wait, you're the World of Horsecraft dragons? Garble the Strong, and..." She looked at the third, an orange-scaled little dragoness with a rack that would rival a Texas Longhorn's. "Okay, you I don't know." Sci-Twi admired wondered at her ability to stay calm at that moment, rather than run screaming like another part of her said to. "I'm Smolder," the little dragoness said. She rose into the air on flapping batlike wings to look Sci-Twi in the eyes. Her gaze was hostile and suspicious. "Huh, you remind me of Headmistress Twilight for some reason." She went cheery again. "But if you helped get us to meet Mistress Sonata, that's great! Come on, new friend!" "Oh, of course," Sci-Twi said as the three powerful little dragons half dragged her along to meet Mistress Sonata. She looked in desperation at her phone. Blast it, where was Sunset? She had to tell her she'd learned how Sonata had regained the ability to charm people -- and apparently other creatures! And what sort of quantum corruption was the gate causing this time? *** "Pinkie Pie!" Applejack heaved at the fender of the Apple family pickup as she strained to lift it from the mud. Almost to their knees in mud, Rainbow Dash, Sunset, and Fluttershy pushed at it beside her. Rarity stood nearby and supervised, eyeing that filthy muck it was sunk in. "The next time ya tell me ya know a shortcut, Ah ain't usin' it!" "How was I supposed to know they had a flood back here?" Pinkie Pie called as she used her geode's power to blast away some of the knocked-down trees in front of the truck. "Besides, all the main roads were jammed with traffic for that Singing Siren show and we needed to meet Twilight fast." "Darling, you could have read the posted signs saying 'road washed out, do not use'." Rarity unhelpfully added. "UGH!" Sunset yelled at her friends. "No arguing! That open gate could be doing who knows what. We have to help Twilight!" "Aw, come on," Rainbow Dash laughed as she pushed against the truck. "It's only an unstable cross-dimensional gateway to an alternate universe running on wholly different scientific laws being used by a childlike sociopath to gain power. How much damage could it do?" The next second they all redoubled their efforts. *** "Big Mac?" Granny Smith calmly asked her grandson as they watched Applejack's dog Winona digging in the back yard. "Eee-yup?" "I know at my age the memory don't always work so good, but ain't Winona's bein' an elephant-size bat-winged reptilian monster a new thing?" As Granny spoke, the giant friendly brown-scaled dragon with a dog's mind unearthed a mastodon bone and started happily gnawing on it. "Eee-yup." "Huh. I figgered so." Session 90.6 Unown3 (Last time we saw the dragons, they were meeting with Adagio and Aria remember?) "Good is better than bad, happy's better than said, her advice is just be nice, good is better than bad." The little dragons sang, and Sci-Twi, found herself singing along too. - "Where are those idiots?" Adagio thought annoyed looking at her watch. Sci-Twi had to have contacted her friends by now. Shouldn't they have shown up to ruin things as usual? Yes... Adagio would sooner be a slave to this vile status quo they all seemed to be enslaved to than live knowing Sonata had done what Adagio couldn't. Adaio had removed Sci-Twi's brainwashing, or at least, had removed it enough that Sci-Twi THOUGHT it had been removed. And so had the nerd instantly contacted her friends. After giving Adagio, Aria and Sonata three obedient dragons of course. She and Aria had given the dragons the biggest mental whammy they could on short notice. To be sure the usual 'power of friendship' junk didn't work, then again, Adagio seriously doubted it would... Sonata's new music... BLECH! It made their brainwashed slaves so happy and together that they had to stir up negativity among the studio to keep themselves from starving. On the plus side, the whole 'love and harmony' couldn't work since Sonata's platitudes were ALREADY about 'togetherness and niceness' (Somewhere across time and space, Accord sneezed). "I saw Spike and the others come this way..." Adagio stopped her brooding as she came face to face with Starlight Glimmer the unicorn and Gilda the griffin. "Oh... it's you... Let me guess, you tagged along with our dragons?" "THey're not your dragons!" "They'd disagree," Aria said. "You know, I came in second place in Equestria's Mind Control Contest because of you... Miss 'First Place Greatest Mind Controller in Equestria'..." Adagio said darkly. "Uh... let me guess, you want a rematch?" "BINGO! And Adagio began to sing, the green mist trying to seep into Starlight' brain, while Starlight blared a light of 'instant mind control spell' like she'd used on the mane six... the two magics clashed. "Popcorn?" Aria offered. "You're not going to fight me?" Gilda asked. Disappointed. "Don't feel like it, Adagio's had this as chip on her shoulder, maybe if she wins and turns your friend into her brainwashed minion she'll finally stop griping about it... Besides, you griffins are so dang easy! Getting you guys to fight each other is like shoot fat slow fish with a machine gun in a thin barrel with a laser sight. I could brainwash you into a circus clown if I wanted: you're just not the challenge. The the light purple one give you as many headaches as my big sister and little sister do me?" "We don't hang out as much, so not really." "Personally, if this scheme works, I just want it to work. If it doesn't work, I just want it over with." - Sunset said, "I'm journaling Twilight, but there's nothing!... Applejack, why aren't you using your super-strength combined with Rainbow Dash's super speed to get the car out of the mud?" "... Oh." They said together. Then the immediate road in front of them collapsed. "OH COME ON!" Session 90.7 Mtangalion with an edit Gilda stared down Aria, narrowing her eyes. Her paws shifted subtly, and sharp talons clicked on the tile floor. “You’re pretty glib about standing beak to beak with a predator, fish face.” Aria groaned. “Okay, first off, if I’m a fish, then you’re an overgrown turkey! See how that works with the cheap insults? Second…” Aria motioned towards herself. “Superior predator, right here! And it’s not a beak, humans have noses. Idiot.” She rolled her eyes. And in the split second that Aria was looking away, Gilda LUNGED… Gilda balanced and danced on her paws, wearing a jester’s hat with jingling bells and a clown nose on her beak. “Heeeeey, kids! You know what time it is? It’s time to let the show begin!” She shook a pair of cowbells. “Woohoo, yeah!! Everybody… cheer?” Gilda yanked the clown nose off, glaring murderously. “I did warn you,” said Aria. She took a bite of her popcorn, chewing noisily. Gilda shrugged her talons. “You know I had to try, right? I wasn’t just gonna NOW STARBUTT, BLAST ‘EM IN THE...” Gilda blinked, realizing that she’d been cracking a whip, then rushing over to act out the part of a lioness being tamed, instead of wringing a human-ified Siren’s neck like she’d planned. Aria checked her nails. “Okay, hate to say this, but now it’s just getting kind of pathetic.” “I kinda have to agree,” said Starlight, still fully occupied by her contest with Adagio. Gilda threw the lion tamer’s prop chair across the room. “Shut up.” “Funny how the human version of you was so much better at resisting mind control last year,” mused Aria. “She must have picked up some harmony magic from hanging out with Those Meddling Kids.” -- Rarity sighed theatrically. “Well, that settles it. There’s no possible way we’re getting to the studio today, not unless we fly there.” Sunset, Rainbow, and Fluttershy blinked at each other sheepishly, then ponied-up and spread their wings. Rarity winced. “Oh! Of course, silly me.” -- "You gonna try to avenge Adagio if she loses?" Gilda asked. Aria shrugged. "We're sirens, brainwashing is not exactly taboo for us. If Adagio can get brainwashed by prey, she deserves to lose." Session 90.8 Grogar-the-oneser "That is so wrong... what happens if it ends with a draw?" Gilda asked "Well I don't know about you, but I'm messing with hypnotized Adagio head." Aria stated "AGAIN, so wrong... Wanna bet that scenario happen and we both mess with them hypnotically," Gilda said "I thought you said you and that purple one were cool?" Aria quirked an eyebrow "We are, but that doesn't mean I don't want potential easy money," Gilda smirked "Heh, I have forgotten you griffins can be kinda cool, Alright, your on!" Aria said as they shook hand/claw. Session 90.9 Ardashir While Aria and Adagio dueled with, or just tormented, Gilda and Starlight, Sonata got finished talking to her three new pets. "...And don't fry anyone unless I tell you to, okay? We don't want any trouble, yet." Sonata reached into her pocket and rubbed the small piece of the Memory Stone she'd recovered after the Dazzling's last humiliation. She'd remembered how it affected her sisters, making them the loyal and loving pack she always wanted. Sneaking back later she found the single remaining pebble. Not enough power left in it to change Aria and Adagio's minds -- but it did work in a  warped way with her singing. Instead of filling others with rage and despair, it made them forget all their anger and unhappiness. And feel love for the one who made them so happy. Sonata felt on some dim level that there were probably reasons why none of this should work, but she didn't care. The universe rarely made sense to her. She'd learned to go with the flow long ago. "Yes, Mistress Sonata!" The three dragons chirped. "Can we go and get some good seats to watch the show now?" She smiled. "Of  course, sweeties! Just make sure to stick close to the stage so I can call you when someone tries to meddle." Sonata smiled as her little pets hurried off. She didn't know who was going to interfere, but someone would. They always did. "Hey, guys!" Smolder grinned self-consciously as she took a small pack off her back. "Uh, I have to check someone -- I mean thing, okay? Don't wait for me!" Garble and Spike smiled and nodded, walking off with arms around each other's shoulders and singing the Happy Siren Song. Smolder went to a nearby door and peeked out. There. In the crowd. Her heart beat a little faster. It was her pal from online. Smiling, Smolder sneaked into a nearby room called 'private', opened the pack,  and removed the dress she'd brought with her. She was going to serve Mistress Sonata. She was going to see her human friend (JUST a friend, she told herself). Smolder hugged the dress to herself and sighed. This was going to be the best day ever. *** "Okay, here's the mall," Dash said as she dropped to Earth, letting Applejack go. Beside her Fluttershy dropped off Pinkie Pie and Sunset let go of Rarity, who immediately checked her mirror. "Uh, Rarity, should you really be doing that now?" Sunset said as she 'powered down'. "Sunset, darling," Rarity put the mirror away. "When appearing before the public and seeking their trust, you should look one's best. Besides, this is a plot put together by Sonata," she began walking to the mall theater door. "How bad can it get?" All of them ducked as a blast of magical energy lashed out from nearby back entrances. They looked inside and saw -- Starlight Glimmer, as a pony, fighting against Adagio. And nearby stood the griffon Gilda with Aria, both watching the fight with vast interest. "Oh, all right, all right!" Rarity said, arms wide. "So I shouldn't have said it." *** "S-Smolder? You're REAL?" Norman stared in shock at the cute little dragoness in a frilly dress. "Heh, yeah, Norman," she flushed and half hid her face. Who ever knew that Professor Rarity's lessons would have this much use? "I, I came here to see you, like I promised... Hey! What's with the fainting?" Session 90.10 Grogar-the-oneser with edits What the hell happening!" Sunset shouted. "Looks like Starlight and Adagio battling via mind control magic while Aria and Gilda are watching, possibly betting on which one would win," Pinkie chimed. "Meanwhile I think everyone who would point and gawk at the spectacle is at Sonata stage show if that mall sign anything to go by." "Okay....Lets head to the show first." "Shouldn't we take care of that?" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Those two are the most skill at hypnotizing people, Do you really wanna get caught in the crossfire?" Sunset asked. "I do not," Rainbow admitted. Session 90.11 Unown3 QUICKIE! Sunset Shimmer's eyes buldged as she looked at her friends' character sheets, "Wait... you all choose Argonians or Khajit as your race, you all chose Unarmored as either a Major or Minor skill... and you ALL choose to go around naked not wearing clothing or armor at all times?!" Rainbow Dash grinned, "Well, yeah." Fluttershy said softly (which is like saying rain is wet), "Tree Hugger said I should try it." Pinkie Pie giggled. "Why not?!" Applejack shrugged. "In for a penny, in for a pound." Princess Twilight said, "I don't get what the big deal is." Session 90.12 Unown3 Aria snorted, "Will one of you two lose already? Or you brain zap each other! I don't care! The Rain-Dorks are here to ruin Sonata's party and I'm the one whose gonna be stuck listening to her cry that she'd lost her brainwashed 'friends'!" Session 90.13 Ardashir No sooner did Smolder lean over Norman than someone yelled, "Hey, you weirdo, get away from my boyfriend!" "He's not my boyfriend!" Smolder gave a little jump when she said it. "I mean -- who are you, anyway?" A blue-skinned and haired girl stood in front of her, hands on hips and looking furious. "Who am I? I'm Blueberry Cake and his girlfriend, that's who." The human girl grabbed Smolder by her horns. The dragon yelled as she began yanking on them, tugging furiously on Smolder's head. "And no screwball in a cheap Horsecraft dragon costume is gonna take him away from me! What do you have keeping this mask on, anyway?" Blueberry started tugging even harder. Smolder's eyes began to bulge as she fought to get free. Blueberry ignored her. "I'll... have it off... in just a moment!" "Gah! Garble! Spike!" Smolder somehow found the breath to yell. She wished Sonata hadn't told her not to flame or claw anyone except on command or this fight would be SO over! "Help! I'm gonna get my head yanked off by a crazy human and ruin Mistress Sonata's show!" Nearby, Sci-Twi watched as the other two dragons heard the cry and hurried off to help Smolder. She almost yelped whena  hand gripped her shoulder. "Sunset!" "Twi, we got here as soon as we could," Sunset gasped, hands on her thighs. Twilight wondered why her friends all looked muddy and covered in leaves. "Got your warning... Came to stop Sonata... Wait, are those dragons?" Sunset blinked as Garble and Spike zeroed in on Smolder and Blueberry. "Right now they're a distraction," Twilight said. She gulped as Sonata came on the stage in front of the cheering crowd. She had the rewired mana collector in her hands. "I don't know where Adagio and Aria are, but we better stop her now before things get even worse." Twilight and her friends hurried for the stage. *** Just outside, Aria and Gilda watched with vast glee as Adagio and Starlight fought to control each other. "I control your mind!" Adagio roared, sweat on her brow, forcing her magic to work by sheer brute force of will. She swayed on her feet. "No! You! Don't!" Starlight shot back. Her horn glowed like a small star, veins bulging on her forehead as she used her strongest mind magics. "Ladies," a husky security guard said as he walked up importantly. Iron Will, making some money on the side from his usual job at CrystalSoft, went between the two as they used their magic. "Iron Will is willing to put up with you LARPers as long as you behave, but right now -- gurk!" With a zombie-like look on his face, he rose and stepped back. "Mistress, command Iron Will, and he will obey." Starlight and Adagio both ignored him. Aria looked at Gilda. She pointed at Iron Will. "So, you wanna?" Gilda shrugged. "Eh, might as well. This dweeb was dumb enough to walk into this. Might as well have him get us some dinner." Gilda wondered briefly where all those sirens outside were going. Oh well, no business of hers. *** Elsewhere, just outside of Human-Gilda's junkyard, the usually canine Garble and Ember hid behind their mistress and wondered why they now looked like big lizards. And behind them Torch the usually-a-bulldog but now a huge reptilian monster who still had an ordinary dog's mind did what he usually did. He snored away in total indifference to everything. He had his food bowl and his blanket. He had everything he needed. "For the last time," Gilda stood between her pets and what looked like half the Canterlot PD Swat team, "they're rare Tibetan breeds! Or something!" She shook her fist at the skies. "Other-me, I know you're involved in this somehow!" [OOC: The later scene is building on what happened with Winona earlier. No need to drag it into the story any more unless people really want to.] Session 90.14 Mtangalion Not even a minute after Iron Will had left to get them some takeout, Gilda started grousing. "Ugh, what's taking him so long?! You humans still have that 'fast food' stuff, don't you?" Aria rolled her eyes. "Keep your shirt on, princess." At once, Gilda stiffened, standing up straight and proud... as much as a four-legged creature could, anyway. "What is this..." The griffon looked herself over and shrieked, "Servant! We are in public, unclothed! Unacceptable! Bring us our royal garb, AT ONCE!" Aria did a double-take, and then a dark grin spread across her face. "Right away, your highness!" As luck would have it, the studio had filmed a production of Alice in Choasland just last month, and the royal gown of the Red Princess hung on a rack in the corner. "Put this on, highness, before the peasants see you!" Even better, the shelf behind the rack had a glittering necklace, a sparkling pretty princess tiara, and a royal scepter topped with a red heart. "Your royal regalia is here as well, heh heh..." She pulled out her phone and made sure there was plenty of space for some embarrassing photos. "Let's get you looking your best for the royal portrait." Session 90.15 Kendell2 OOC: Okay, I looked everywhere, but couldn't find any sign this part had been done, so if I missed it, forgive me. Snips the minotaur blinked, finding himself trotting through a labyrinth-like monolithic city. "Where is the Snips?" "You, my little man, are in the Tauran Peninsula!" shouted Iron Will, towering over him intensely. "Homeland of the Minotaurs!" "...Aren't you that Minotaur who scammed Princess Twilight?" "She forgave me for that and I was desperate the time...Iron Will also got kidnapped by Storm King and forced to provide information for a terrible movie for him with his family as hostages, which Twilight deemed more than enough punishment," Iron Will replied. "Oh..." Iron Will lifted the little minotaur up on his shoulders. "Now come on, little man! Let Iron Will show you the power of a minotaur!" he said, climbing up a nearby building. "First thing about Minotaurs! Our homeland is the land of HEROES! Heroic champions throughout history! And now you get to join them!" he yelled, placing him next to a suit of gallant armor made just for them. "And teach those Time Changers a lesson, Minotaur style!" "Awesome!" Snips yelled, jumping into the suit of armor. "...Now what?" "First off, the war cry!" Iron Will screamed. "Rattle your opponent to their core before you give them what for!" he called. He then inhaled. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Snips was forced back from the sheer force of Iron Will's war cry. "Whoa..." "Now let me hear it!" "AH!" "LOUDER!" "AHHHHHH HHHHHHH!" "LOUDER!" "AHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHH!" "Still not loud enough!" Iron Will replied. "Let them hear you all the way in the nose bleed seats!" Iron Will chanted in his 'motivational speaker voice. "Now fill those scrawny lungs and ROAR!" Snips inhaled so deeply his chest puffed up almost to the size of Iron Will's chest. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Iron Will smirked, his mane blown back horizontal to his head and gave a thumbs up as Snips panted. "GREAT JOB!...Iron Will can't hear very well right now, but that means you did well! Now! Once your enemy is intimidated, close in for the kill!" he replied. "Minotaur's magic is like an Earth Pony's! STRENGTH! POWER!" he said, grabbing a pillar and picking it up over his head. "Now! Flex those muscles!" he yelled, pointing to a nearby, much smaller pillar. Snips struggled to lift it. "Not with the back! With the legs!" Snips adjusted his stance, lifting the pillar over his head and laughing excitedly. "GOOD! Now come on, we're going to go punch some monsters in the face!" "Why?" "Because they're evil and harassing the elderly! You gonna let some harpies steal your grandpa's food?!" "No!" "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?!" "PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE!" "GOOD!" Iron Will said, pointing to a flock of harpies indeed stealing food from an old man. "And what do you do before that?!" Snips charged in, giving a bone rattling battle cry. "Alright, class, now that we've repaired the damage done by that history swiping incident," Cheerilee replied, snarling. Dragon instincts making her understandably upset at Shadowlock destroying the hard work she and others had put into this. Thankfully, after his redemption he'd help repair it. "Now we can continue and get some actual studying in." Session 90.16 Unown3 Sandbar asked, "And this is the new fantasy species for my campaign setting! Werewolf-pixies!" Silverstream said, "Sandbar, how can you write something so lazy, and contrived? Just smooshing two existing fantasy beings together? That's just bad world building!" "Should we say something?" Gallus asked. "Naw, I wanna see how far this goes," Smolder said. Session 90.17 Unown3 "THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME ADAGIO!" "OH? WHAT'S THAT?!" "I DO'T GIVE A BUCK WHO THE STRONGER MIND CONTROLLER IS!" And Starlight grabbed a old record player with her telekinesis, and caught the sound of Adagio's mind control magic... and blasted it back at her... "I'm just trying to keep your sister from turning this city into a new Our Town. Do I want all ponies still be equal? Yes. All I did was realize that 'the same' and 'equal' have never been the same thing." "Exactly!" Starlight turned to see... herself? "I told everyone that this new show was using mind control but no one believed me! You're me from the other world aren't you!?" "I'm a unicorn! Every time you've seen me I've been a human! How did you even know that!?" "I recognized your voice... and Our Town is the name of the commune I play to found on the principle of TRUE Marxism as it was INTENDED after I finish collage." Human Starlight said. "Of course..." Unicorn Starlight rolled her eyes. "Command me Mistress." Adagio said blankly. "Though I hate you with every fiber of my being and want to eat your innards, I am but your slaves." Adagio's voice remained even and vacant never rising in anger. "... Tell me EVERYTHING about Sonata's plan! And how we can stop it!" "I'd rather tell you where to stuff it, but I shall obey Mistress," Adagio said obediently, her eyes pin pricks. Session 90.18 Unown3 "Your friends have all been led into a trap. Now that Sonata's song and brainwashing have reached critical mass spread so far across town and so deeply in her audience's brains, she just needs a good zapping from your friends love and friendship death-ray-of-pain. Since her stupid niceness song is based on harmony, your friends' stupid light show will actually cause it to 'tip over' spreading it all over the city, turning them, and everyone in range into Sonata's happy little slaves, never fighting, never quarreling, all in peace and harmony whether they like it or not, makes me sick." "WHAT?! I know there's a way stop it somehow! Tell me!" "It's not like ... yes I did plan to ruin my sister's moment in the spotlight since I'd rather do that than live knowing I owed her everything... You need beings whose hearts are aligned with chaos rather than harmony, selfish, brash, greedy, rude, violent..." "GILDA! WHERE ARE YOU! I NEED YOU TO SAVE THE WOLRD! Okay! I need to get a call in to Trixie! Okay! What other creatures do I know who are more chaotic than harmonious?! I need to warn Sunset and the others!" "I'd say I'm pretty chaotic, I hate the current order of things," said human Starlight. "Ugh! Better than nothing!" Session 90.19 Ardashir "Hey! What's going on here?" Garble snatched Blueberry and Smolder up, one in each claw, and held them apart. As the two girls useleslsy tried to sink their claws into each other, he said, "We're here ta listen ta Mistress Sonata's show, dorks! I mean," the happy magic of the Singing Siren renewed its grip on his mind, "this isn't making Sonata happy!" "Leggo of me, jerk!" Blueberry yanked free from Garble's grip and dropped to the floor. "No skank in a silly lizard costume is gonna steal MY boyfriend --" She froze as from her new angle she could see up and inside Smolder's open muzzle. Real flesh and fangs were there, not rubber or latex. "What the? AHHHH! Y-you're real!" "Figure that out all by yourself, did ya?" Smolder growled, feeling her neck and wincing. "Yeesh, are all humans this crazy?" She gave Norman a dirty look. "Hey, why didn't you save me from her?" "You really ought to stand up more for your girlfriend," Spike innocently said. "We're not going out!" Smolder and Norman both yelled at once. Even as they did the music coming through the speakers seemed to intensify. Their eyes went wide and innocent. Smolder turned to Blueberry as her eyes also went googly-moogly. Blueberry, hands clasped together, said, "I'm so sorry I tried to tear your head off with my bare hands, you adorable little dragon who was making eyes at my boyfriend!" Smolder glared for an instant, and then giggled and waved a claw dismissively. "And I'm so sorry I tried to take him from you without knowing he was claimed, even though he never told me he was cheating on me, er, you! LET'S HUG!" They did so to a chorus of 'Dawww's!' from the crowd. All save one blue-skinned silver haired girl who hurried away, gagging in disgust. Norman just shook his head in disbelief ".... All girls are nuts.". Then Sonata's magic affected him as well, and he added, "And there's nothing wrong with that whatsoever ever." *** Outside the nearest exit door Trixie, who'd come to see what kind of power this 'Singing Siren' had and how she could use it, was shuddering at what she'd seen. Why couldn't she get crowds like that for her singing or magic? "Urrgh! Trixie is glad she skipped lunch!" She shook herself. "That was stomach turning. All that sappy love and forgiveness, and none of it aimed Trixie's deserving way." "I bet we can use her," a scratchy voice said nearby. "We've got no choice," an oddly familiar voice added. Trixie turned and blinked to see a small purple pony with a sort of star brand on her flank, and was that a griffin beside her? Together with them was that self-help guru Trixie loved listening to, looking like a zombie, as well as two of the three Dazzlings from last year at school. Further back was that little brat from school Diamond Tiara -- Trixie remembered her being furious over her little toady Silver Spoon forgetting all about her for the Singing Siren, and that wannabe Rosa Luxemburg and full-time paranoid Starlight Glimmer. "The last time the Stunned and Confused Trixie saw something like this, she was running a 103 temperature," Trixie shook her head and felt her wrist. "No fever." "Listen, no time to explain, but we're real." The purple pony walked closer, her hooves clicking on the floor. "Trixie, this will be hard to believe, but --" "You're friends of the three for-real dragons Trixie just saw inside, and are here to free them and everyone else from the Singing Siren, who is the blue ditz sister of these two?" Trixie waved her hand at a smirking Aria and a blank-faced Adagio. As the purple pony blinked in confusion, she said, "What? After what the Getting Used To This Weirdness Trixie has seen over the past year, that is the most logical conclusion!" "Okay," Starlight turned to Gilda as they made their way around the mall theater. Whenever a security guard tried to stop them Iron Will got them past. They made their way to the stage door and saw -- "Sunset? Girls? What are you doing here?" "Trying to get back inside!" Sunset peered through a crack in the door. "Great, Sonata has those three dragons, Spike and the other two, on the stage with her. The dumb-looking big red one is closest to us." "That's Garble," Gilda waved one claw. "Eh, I vaguely know him." "Sure." Sunset blinked slowly. "Why not. Anyway, Sonata caught us and had her security toss us out the door." "She didn't mind control you?" "Naw," Applejack had a look of grudging admiration on her face. "She said she was gonna be controllin' everyone after the show, so might as well just have the mall security toss us out an' lock th' door." "Heh, way to go, little sis." Aria leaned over and stage-whispered to Adagio. "Hey, why didn't you ever come up with plans that simple?" Adagio just growled. "Okay, anyway," Starlight gathered the others around her, saying, "Sonata is using a kind of corrupt harmony to control everypony. So, Gilda and I figured that anti-harmony, chaos, could break the spell." "That could work," Sunset pressed her ear against the door. "But where are you going to get six 'Elements of Chaos' on short notice? Sonata's starting the show!" "And it's nationwide," Sci-Twi said, checking her Ipad. "Oh, that's the great part, we have most of them already!" Starlight pointed to her human self, Trixie, Gilda, and Diamond. "We may need one or two more." "Great so where do we find them?" "HEY!" The doors burst open as Garble walked out, smoke and flames trickling from his nostrils. "What are you puny humans up to? Huh? Gilda and," he gulped and suddenly looked afraid, "Heh, Guidance Counselor Starlight? W-what are you doing here?" "Recruiting you," Starlight said as she gave him a blast from her horn. Garble gave a howl as she said, "There, that should remove the mind control. And give him a serious headache but we're in a hurry here. So that's five, one more to go..." "Actually? None more to go," Sci-Twi held up her Ipad. To everyone's shock a message was flashing on it, under the heading URGENT: CAN I HELP? SCREWBALL THE AI Session 90.20 Unown3 = This Song's Gonna Get Stuck Inside Your Head - Lego Movie 2 = Gallus, Sandbar, Yona, and the other friendship students at the computer lab, found a link forwarded from their friends ... "Hey! Did they go to the human world without telling us?!" Gallus asked. They clicked on the link. And a minute later the room was fill with grinning creatures that Our Town would have found a little freaky. All with but one happy thought on their minds, "We love Mistress Sonata!" And began spreading the music through the school and to their teachers. And the free loaders. "I am so sorry I abandoned Spike and then tried to use him to win at dice... I want to give him a big hug," said Sludge. The crystal material of Twilight's castle proved very effective, after all, transmitting harmony magic was what it had been made for. Princess Twilight was grinning. Meanwhile, in the run down mansion outside of Ponyville, the mean six were snarling in disgust. "It's like this music is made out of the opposite of me!" Mean Twilight hissed. "PUSH IT BACK NOW!" Screamed Mean Fluttershy. The dark magic they'd been born from actually pushing back against Sonata's self-sustaining corrupt harmony music. Session 90.21 Mtangalion “Hey! Excuse me!” Rainbow waved a blue-skinned hand over everyone’s heads as she elbowed her way through the crowd toward Gilda. “Can I just say how totally awesome it is that you turned all the way into a griffon? Seriously, you’ve gotta teach me how to do that!” Gilda groaned, resisting the impulse to shove the human Rainbow away. “Dash, don’t be a lame brain. I’m the other Gilda. I mean, you’re the other Dash...” Aria reached into a pocket, snickering, and then her face went blank. “Where’s my phone?” She started patting her pockets frantically. “I can’t have…” She looked to Gilda. “You! When did you...” “This is for making me wear a dress!” crowed Gilda, pulling out a very expensive-looking phone and twisting it apart with her claws. “Hey, you’re right! That was way more satisfying than calling you fishface.” “I’ll kill you!” bellowed Aria. Starlight moved over behind Gilda, ready to dispel any further attempts at mind control, and Adagio lunged, holding Aria back. “Well, we certainly aren’t lacking for chaos,” snarked Trixie, “but noisy bickering isn’t going to help you all combine your chaotic powers with Trixie’s to save the day.” Garble snorted, laughing. “Um, your powers? I’m the one with powers!” The young dragon flexed his muscles and breathed a spout of flame. “Okay, maybe the griffon is worth a quarter of a dragon…” “Excuse me?!” snapped Gilda. “But besides that, we’ve got three monkey girls and a computer screen, so I have to do all the tough stuff myself.” Garble smacked a fist into a scaly palm. “We should just go in there and beat them up. I’ll hold Spike and Smolder off, while you dogpile the siren.” Everybody started talking at once. Gilda grinned. “Now you’re actually talking sense for once!” “We need a plan!” Diamond was saying. “Quick, fill me in on Sonata’s psychological weaknesses and anything we can use as blackmail.” Starlight waved her hand in the air. “I still think we can reason with…” “Flash grenades!” Trixie was telling Screwball’s screen. “We need lots of flash grenades!” The air between the six of them began to warp and crackle... And a dozen miles away, Crystalsoft Lead Designer Discord was just heading out to his car when he sneezed multi-colored confetti. “Huh, that hasn’t happened in a while.” He sneezed again, and a bunch of rubber ducks went flying. They bounced off the walls, then started quacking and waddling away. President Sombra stared at this through the door of the break room, then looked at the cup of coffee in his hand, his fifth of the day, and poured the coffee down the sink. Session 90.22 Ardashir "Hi, everyone!" Sonata waved and smiled at her audience of soon-to-be slaves. Thousands of faces here, maybe hundreds of thousands around the nation, all gazing at her in utter adoration. The fragment of the Memory Stone at her throat pulsed with power. "I always feel great when I see my flunkies -- I mean fans!" Fortunately no one noticed the mix-up "Hi, Sonata the Singing Siren!" The crowd cheered back. She felt relieved that she'd been able to get the minor scuffle two of her three pet dragons were causing back under control. Smolder and Spike flew on either side of her, their faces wide and blank and smiling as her magic controlled them. "How much do you love me?" Sonata asked her audience. "With all our hearts and minds!" They cheered back, their voices striking and rebounding from the walls. "And if I ever went away," Sonata leaned out towards them, cupping one hand to her ear, "what would you do?" "We'd all go to the aquarium and jump in the shark tank!" "That's just what I want to hear!" Sonata jumped for joy. This was great! No having to share with that grouch Aria or her bossy big sis. She wondered where they were and decided it didn't matter. She'd just have the studio cut their pay in half afterwards. Besides, she had a pair of dragons. Well, young dragons for now but she had an idea. A perfectly wonderful, horrible, awful idea. "Everyone, I want you to meet two more of my very best special friends," She turned to the pair. "Spike the Silly Dragon and Smolder the Happy Dragon!" Spike, waved, forgot to fly as he did (as she'd ordered), and slammed face-first to the floor. He got back up, his eyes rolling. The kids laughed. Smolder looked at Spike and her smile froze on her face. Sonata cleared her throat. Smolder ignored Spike and gracefully bowed to everyone like a pretty and mindless little doll. Sonata waved the mike. "And there might be a third one later!" Where was that big red idiot Garble, anyway? Somewhere in the theater she thought she heard a gagging sound. Spike and Smolder waved again as everyone cheered like the perfect little thralls they were. "Now, most dragons need treasure to get big and strong," she squared her shoulders and mimed stomping back and forth across the stage. As the kids laughed she said, "But not Smolder and Spike! They're like Windy. Remember her?" Across the screen  behind her flashed some of the footage from the 'Windy' holiday special, with Windy freezing the mean nasty ponies who wanted everyone to be miserable so only they could be happy. "Windy gets stronger when people are happy, and so do these two silly lizards." The dragons winced but kept smiling. "Anyway," Sonata pointed at her pets with one hand as with the other she gripped the Memory Stone fragment, calling on its now-distorted power to warp reality. "Let's be happy for them!" The kids cheered and focused as much as possible on being happy for the two goofy-looking little dragons. Sonata felt that happiness come in, pure raw power and nothing else. She focused it into the stone fragment, 'aimed' it at Smolder and Spike. She let it go, let it war their magical biology into what she wanted it to be. Sure, might be some side effects, but nothing she couldn't handle. Right? And before the delighted eyes of the kids and the stunned eyes of their parents and elder siblings, the dragons began to grow. *** In the control booth for the show, the show's producer and director stared in disbelief as the two little people in dragon costumes (That was what they were. Right?) doubled and then tripled in height to twelve feet tall, bending the fanged and horned heads on their long necks to avoid hitting the ceiling. "Uh..." Filthy Rich rubbed his eyes and looked again. "You're the director, Zoom. How the heck did she do that?" "Special effects." Canter Zoom cleaned his glasses and looked again. "Right?" *** "Okay, that can't be good," Sunset looked up at the two near-adult dragons from where she stood below the stage together with the 'Elements of Chaos'. "Ugh!" Garble shuddered, closing his eyes and wincing. "I always thought greed growth was the worst. But happy growth?" He mimed sticking a claw down his throat before he gathered himself and threw his chest out. "Okay, now I haveta save Smolder. And, ugh, that pony-loving punk Spike too. Even he's too much of a dragon ta deserve this!" "You say we have stop her, but how?" Diamond Tiara half, but only half, hid behind Gilda ad Starlight. "She doesn't even notice us!" Before anyone could come up with any ideas Trixie pushed her way to the edge of the stage. "Trixie knows how to do this." She smiled coldly. "She knows the one things all performers hate." Gilda rolled her eyes. "And that is?" She looked uneasy at the wicked smile Trixie returned her. "Hecklers." She cuopped her hands and managed to yell in a tone precisely calculated to cut through the music and cheers like a knife. "Hey, has-been! Tone deaf! Trixie is talking to you!" Sonata glared and Smolder and Spike growled as Trixie yelled, "Trixie and her cohorts..." "Cohorts!?!" Starlight the pony and Starlight the human both said it as one. From the latter's I-pad screen, Screwball the AI humphed in disgust. Trixie ignored them. "Have seen better shows by drunken birthday clowns! Overgrown geckos? Another crappy holiday cartoon and songs that are barely even in tune? Let us up there and we'll give these people a REAL show!" "You, you shut! Up!" Sonata screamed and tossed the mike down. She whistled like someone calling dogs. "Spike! Smolder! You two be good enforcers and," she stabbed a finger at the 'Elements of Chaos' and shrieked at the top of her lungs, so angry the veins in her eyes were visible, "GET RID OF THOSE BIG MEANY JERKS!" Snarling and hissing, Smolder and Spike stepped up to do their mistress' bidding. Session 90.23 Mtangalion Spike and Smolder lumbered towards them, grinning maws full of sharp fangs, headfins scraping the ceiling, and floor tiles caving in and shattering beneath their huge paws. Smolder grabbed a half-dozen studio lights with one sweep of her paw, twisted them up like wire hangers, and tossed them aside without even slowing down. Garble gulped. “We… we should fall back! Well, come on, idiots, let’s get outta here!” Starlight was gawking at him. “*You* want to turn tail and run? Who are you, and what did you do with Garble?” The red dragon scowled. “Hey, if there’s one thing a dragon knows better than any other creature, it’s that you don’t mess with another dragon who’s bigger and stronger than you are.” “Oh, is that so?” said Starlight. “Funny how that never stopped Spike from standing up to *you*.” Garble opened his maw and raised a claw… and froze. “Wha… but that’s… Well, it’s not like we ever had a *fair* fight. Yeah, yeah that’s right! He always had his pony friends getting in the way, or Dragon Lord Ember… or he tricked me! Real dragons settle things with their fists!” Trixie patted Garble on the shoulder. “Well, here’s your chance, big guy. Go get him!” Garble snarled, taking one step forward… and then he stopped, looking up and up at Spike. “Aw, crap...”