//------------------------------// // 13. Frozen Treat Track // Story: Kirby: Equus Defender // by QuartzScale //------------------------------// Boing! Boing! Boing! Pinkie pronked along bouncing to the beat in her head. It had been hours since she had been dragged into a royal meeting with the Dreamland Delegation or DD for short. She couldn’t use DDD though because it was the leader’s name already. She giggled at the small joke though kept it short. The Waddle Dee that had led her to Ice Cream Island had been very informative and jovial though he hadn’t mentioned that the island wasn’t actually made of ice cream. She coughed up several scoops of sand making an extremely elaborate sand castle of Canterlot Castle with detailed trebuchets and even a sloping mountain it hung on. The Waddle Dee said nothing about it which surprised her since Twilight was always questioning her methods though the two of them, her and the Waddle Dee, weren’t besties just yet so it was understandable. They hopped about a small dinghy which made her laugh as they rowed out to the largest island which held surprisingly a large art gallery. Truly a majestic sight to behold… though the paintings on the outside were very… cartoonish if she had to say. Although, there was nothing wrong with that style, afterall she was a bit looney tooney. “So this is where one of those mystical pieces of the Star Rod, the holder of all good dreams on this entire world and only thing stopping a dreadful Nightmare and Nightmare Moon from plunging the world into total nightmare where they feast off our sleeping forms till we wither into dust and usher in an apocalypse the likes this world has never seen, is being held then?” Pinkie summarized before gasping and taking in another breath. “And if we fail most likely we’d be suffering the worst out of all sorts of punishment because we were the ones who stopped it from being released because we didn’t want nightmares to ruins the dreams of the future we have. Is that what I’m getting here?” The Waddle Dee nodded and opened the door for her. Pinkie was surprised, no outright shocked, that someone listened to her entire rambling thought and not only didn’t stop her, but follow along perfectly. It was a breath of fresh air since everypony always had so much trouble following her thought processes even though she had detailed every section of her plan almost perfectly every time she made one. ‘Just smile and nod Waddle Dee, smile and nod. Fifty percent of the time your right and she seems to still not be able to understand you speaking.’ The Waddle Dee nodded some more before the preppy pink pony pronked into the gallery. Pinkie stepped almost gracefully into the gallery since it was an important mission from Princess Celestia. Also Twilight gave her a note card to follow since it was a diplomatic meeting. She was always so nice to give her the instructions when she knew how to get through to others with a little jig in her step and a smile in her heart. The sound of wheels broke her out of her revelry as she saw the figure whom she was guarding the piece of the Star Rod with. The figure was an orange sphere with two large eyes and two pink blush stickers left of where his cheeks presumably would be. His hands and feet seemed to float where they would be connected on his body but they didn’t exactly have anything connecting them. He wore two white roller skates with a red stripe on them alongside a four sectioned baseball cap with red and blue sections and a grey rim. It was the paintbrush that really got Pinkie’s attention. It only had red, yellow and blue on the brush but they weren’t drying or dripping. In fact it looked perfectly capable of making any picture at anytime as the Paint Roller, as she was told he was called, slapped his brush across a blank canvas drawing her picture. The colors matches hers to the right shade and hue even if it was even more toonish than her. It jumped off the canvas… quite literally as it pronked over to her. “Hi I’m Painted Pinkie Pie! Who are you?” The painted Pinkie smiled. “Hi! I’m fleshy Pinkie Pie! Ooh~ do you know what this means?” Pinkie exclaimed before the painted one dragged her closer. “Oh do I! It’s time to partay!” Painted Pinkie shouted as all the guards of the gallery got up. The music started and the dancing grooved on. “Sing! Sing! Sing!” Painted Pinkie chanted which got the other guards to do so as well. Paint Roller even gave her the thumbs up. “Well… okay!” Pinkie got up on the makeshift stage. My name is Pinkie Pie, And I am here to say, That I’m here to make you smile, And Brighten up your day! Several of the guards bounced to the music turning over to each other as they danced to the beat. Paint Roller took the time to create several light machines and fireworks which immediately turned the gallery into a pseudo club of sorts. It doesn’t matter now, If you are sad or blue, Cause Cheering up my friends, Is just what Pinkie is here to do! The fireworks lit up the gallery but to the whole world outside it was silent and peaceful. Luna and Kirby had just landed the Warp Star several islands away only to notice strange lights coming from the building off in the distance. Reluctance built up as Luna was… uncomfortable of moving forward right away. Kirby noticed and the two decided to sit down. Even if it was only a short chat… maybe he could soothe her fears away. Pinkie… unaware new beings were on the way to the party continued her song. 'Cause cheering up my friends Is just what Pinkie is here to do 'Cause I love to make you Smile, smile, smile Yes, I do It fill my heart with sunshine All the while Yes it does 'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile From these happy friends of mine I like to see you grin Several Sir Kibbles and Sword Knights used the clinking of their blades to punctuate certain words of her song allowing a satisfying clash of blades which Pinkie assumed was part of the music she was hearing. “Hey Paint Roller… where’s the music coming from?” A Sir Kibble asked only to get an incredulous look from him. Paint Roller looked around noticing that his stereo was actually unplugged… but music was playing regardless of what was going on. I love to see you beam The corners of your mouth turned up is always Pinkie's dream But if you're kind of worried And your face has made a frown I'll work real hard and do my best To turn that sad frown upside down 'Cause I love to make you grin, grin, grin! Pinkie finished with a small twirl as she bounced around making friends left and right. It was a magical time for all the party goers and she was having a blast. Even in the interim of other beings playing musical instruments after she had finished her song she still hadn’t forgotten what she came for. Her Painted self returned back to the canvas though she smiled regardless. It was a gift for her to enjoy. It was something to give her some amount of comfort for what she needed to do now. Maud had taught her long ago that someday she might have to use her hooves to crack some stones… though there was a niggling thought in the back of her mind that she didn’t mean actual stones. Maybe she meant heads… or that euphemism that stallions use when they wanted to refer to their masculinity as her mom would tell her. It made her giggle though when her father had used it it had almost seemed… natural. It was like she understood what he wanted in her and her sisters potential suitors. That was something she ignored since it was far too early to think about that sort of thing. Paint Roller waved her over and the two looked as the remnants of the Star Rod kept under his hat securely fastened to the underside of his cap. She gave him a satisfied smile and went off to get some food for the party. There was no telling how long it would go on for and she wanted to be prepared. Kirby and Luna had finally finished their long and ornate talk about many topics. “So that’s what your stomach is like? You may give Pinkie a run for her money in the eating department. Even Celestia can’t eat that much cake.” Luna admitted feeling both queasy and mortifyingly curious. She enjoyed the macabre. Knowing that her new Pink Knight was far and above a black hole of infinitesimal size in an ever expanding pocket dimension with no discernible way out was horrifyingly interesting. “Poyo. Poyo poyo poy.” Kirby finished off. “My word that does sound as though it is a hitch to feed yourself. Is that what the foals are saying?” Luna rubbed her head. She was certain she had heard in one of the foals dreams that they said that when it was a bother to deal with things. Kirby shrugged and got back on his feet before pointing his nubbly out at the strange building. It seemed to be hopping to a beat all on its own and he was curious about what was out there. “Ah time to go? Right, lead on Sir Kirby we shall restore dreams!” Luna announced before noticing that Kirby already took off. “Wait for thy Princess of the Night!” Luna galloped off as the two ran along the beachside racing through the palm trees. Kirby forced them to stop as some of the coconuts fell from the boughs. She scoffed that that was enough to stop them from running forth… then they exploded leaving a large crater about the size of a large dog in the sand. “They explode…” Luna muttered almost going cross eyed from the experience. “Poyo…” Kirby sweated a bit since he didn’t remember this happening before. “Right… Sir Kirby allow me to lead then… I shall make sure we’ll be fine.” Luna admitted as she formed a shield in her magic as they rushed past the trees in question. The first star door they came across led underground through a small cavern. Luckily, there hadn’t been any water hazards in their way. Luna wasn’t looking forward to swimming any time soon. Together they pushed onward fighting off the random Blippers that hopped out of the few pools of water they passed to attack them. It was a strange sight since they flopped in place everytime they missed their target. Luna… graciously threw them back into their pool though they would just try again. Luna gave them a stern frown before bucking one several meters through a wall and draining a pool into said hole. Kirby patted her leg making her slowly take a few breaths. She knew that this would happen and what she was getting into but that was the risk she took for being nice about things. She needed to be better eventually and building patience this way was in some ways cathartic. That was when they met their first strange looking being. A small orange creature with floppy ears like protrusions. They were smiling and floating in midair which made the two relax almost uncharacteristically. The Scarfy just flew there mindlessly keeping pace. Unfortunately that was when another Bronto Burt flew past. Kirby had tossed his power since then and was waiting to get a new one. Unfortunately the Bronto Burt didn’t ignore the pair dive bombing directly at the pink hero. Kirby began to suck it in… which also managed to catch the trio of Scarfies as well. Luna watched as the Scarfies all resisted the suctioning power of Kirby’s breath and suddenly stepped back from fright. The orange balls turned a deep brown as fang burst from their mouths. Their pair of eyes turned cycloptic leaving behind that single bloodshot eye glaring at the two. The trio charged at the pair and before Luna could react one of the creatures bit her leg. “Yeowch!” Luna cried out as she slammed the Scarfy against the sand making it explode on contact. The other two hit Kirby but at the same time made him spit up the Bronto Burt he had sucked in for ammunition. With the Scarfies defeated the two continued on their trek clearly distraught at how horrifying that that creature had been. It was employed within the confines of the Dreamland Army which made Luna question just how multicultural the entirety of DeDeDe’s army was. Through sandy beach and odd ocean cavern the two kept up their adventure until they hit the first true roadblock they had come across. It was a large water filled tunnel. There was no other way forward and the star door behind them wasn’t there to take them back. “I knew we should have flown there.” Luna grumbled into her hoof as her flank hit the ground. “Poyo. Poyo poyo.” Kirby stated with a resolute stance. “What do you mean that’s cheating? It’s not cheating. It’s strategy!” Luna challenged the pink puffs logic as she came to know it. “Poyo poyo poyo.” Kirby fired back. “No I don’t like being shot down by shotzos but still this is ludicrous. I mean what shall I do? Swim?” Luna balked at the notion. “Poyo.” Kirby simply stated to Luna’s incredulous stare. “Are you crazy!?” Luna yelled though not at Royal Canterlot Voice levels. Kirby waved his little nub back and forth as if symbolizing that yes he was a little crazy. Luna slammed her head against the rock wall and a section broke down… which led to the other side. Kirby cheered as his plan worked perfectly. Something Luna wanted to slam her head against another wall because she was just played in a way that was both refreshing and frustrating at the same time. Refreshing, in that someone treated her like a pony instead royalty, and frustrating, in that she was treated like a tool. It was a confusingly optimistic experience that filled her with the hope that she would have normal friends eventually. Then Kirby rushed off forcing her to go after him. It had taken a few hours before they reached another large body of water. Only this time there was no other way then through the water. Luna sighed as she lit up her horn and gave herself a bubble charm over her head. It was something she should have remembered but Kirby’s argument on going on foot for adventure had made her blinded by unimaginable forgetfulness. It was a truly debilitating disease that had also afflicted Celestia by making her forget she had already had fifths of the same cake. The two swam beneath the waves being attacked by far more aggressive Blippers who desperately wanted to stop them. Several Squishies had tried to ambush them but Kirby’s water gun knocked them out while Luna tied up their tentacles to keep them from grabbing her. She had seen that one stallion’s dream with the tentacles and she wanted no part of that. The two had exit into a new room where Kirby saw something amazing. There floating around was a UFO! Kirby immediately sucked it in to Luna’s shock. In a blinding flash of light Kirby was now in his own little saucer of sorts. He constantly hovered in place and had trouble turning around but he seemed quite happy now. “Are thou alright Sir Kirby?” Luna asked to which Kirby bobbed up and down in an affirmative manner. “Well… so long as you are fine then.” The two continued on until they were stopped by a veritable army of Sword Knights. Luna was aghast at how many there were only for Kirby to once again zoom ahead. He glowed an eerie light before a laser shot out of the saucer he was in piercing through several knights and leaving them twitching on the ground. The others charged in only for a wave of energy to pass through them knocking them to the floor. Luna was flabbergasted. ‘Was this the fabled OP power I’ve heard colts speak about in their video games!?’ With the knights defeated they entered the next star door. As soon as they did Kirby’s UFO ability disappeared leaving the pink puff back to having no ability. “I call hax! Nerfed down!” Luna shouted though it was only a mimicry she heard from that colt, Button Mash, when he was having a nightmare. “Poyo?” Kirby wondered what that meant. Forgetting it the two continued off… after Kirby had soothed Luna from all craziness that had happened.