-Canterlot Castle, Cake Vault, Celestia-
I just had to check, maybe Sekhet hadn’t moved fast enough to… I entered my vault and froze. There was one thing that my vault should never be… in just one word, empty.
Seeing a bit of paper on the floor I trotted over to it and picked it up, maybe it was the kidnappers trying to ransom the cake back to me. It was sad that that has happened to me before.
“Dear Princess Celestia, by now you will have heard about my return from untangling a magical space wedgie. Cave Pukwudgies? What does that even have to do with this atrocity against nature?!” Though that one part confused me, my heart practically dropped out of my chest as I finished reading the letter. “Revenge is best served sweet and my teeth were chomping at the bit for something delicious, so I raided your vault for a snack. Thoroughly antagonistic, Sekky the Secretary of Airship Mauled. N-”
-After one long soul rending scream later that woke up most of Canterlot-
“She stole all my cheesecake stock, the double fudge ripple, the strawberry shortcake, the quadruple M cake… you know what?!” I yelled to Luna while I dragged her into the walk in vault and shook her violently. “It’d be faster to say that she took all of the cakes!”
“And I should care why?” The lackadaisical tone was not one Luna should be having right now, we have a goddess who just declared war by invading my most holy and sacred of territories.
How did Sekhet even find my hidden cake vault that everyone knows about!
“Because she not only stole my cake, but the moon pies that were in the vault too!” Yes, I knew that Luna would likely get angry at Sekhet for stealing her precious snacks as well! I turned away from Luna to give a silent prayer for all the cakes that were lost and not ransomed off like last time.
“What… were my moon pies doing in ‘your’ cake vault dear sister?” The tone Luna spoke in reminded me that I had stolen all her moon pies recently.
In fact, did the room seem darker and about ten times colder all of the sudden?
Turning around, I remembered one of the many reasons Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. There she was standing before me, armored and her horn lit with the rage of a thousand moons.
“Now, Luna, let’s not be too hasty… Sekhet did take the moon pies that I took from you, so shouldn’t you be angry with her? Seriously Luna you’re overreacting and directing your anger at the wrong target, join me in the light side and together we can beat this horrible…” I tried to start off with bringing Luna under my guiding hoof using the blinding power of the light, only for a rock to collide with my head and land on the floor.
I rubbed at the knot now on my forehead and turned in the direction it came from.
“Grabah Grabah!” What looked like a bunch of pony sized demon hedgehogs wielding bulky wooden clubs and pushing stone wheeled vehicles with their feet started invading the vault in droves.
To my horror some of them even had slingshots. They were going to destroy so many stained glass windows with those!
Why that would eat entirely into my cake vault budget!
The horror…
-Sekhet, Airship Mauled-
Celestia had excellent taste in cheesecakes, I might not eat a slice and send it back to her. I’ll just have to make it close to paper thin.
I tossed another slice of cheesecake into my mouth.
-Ponyville, Morning, Twilight Sparkle-
I’ve made a list and checked it thrice, I even marked off the list myself with my magic. I had a lot of free time to give Fizzle a tour of Ponyville, this was going to be so great! Also I was getting quite used to being an Alicorn now.
I can show Tempest how things worked around here and maybe she’ll be far more open to the magic of friendship, it was the perfect plan and nothing could go wrong today! I clapped my hooves together and flapped my wings happily, maybe I could even invite her to live with me. My crystal castle was kind of hollow without friends to fill it with.
“We’re going to have so much fun today Tempest, or Fizzlepop if you prefer your actual name!” She rolled her eyes at me and chuckled dryly. To think, some time ago I was completely terrified of Tempest chasing me.
“Can I do one thing before we do anything else?” That was an odd request from Tempest, but I was open to hearing it as I knew Tempest wasn’t a bad pony. “Also Fizzle is fine, my friends would call me that and ‘Fizzy’ is to be reserved for those I think of as special to me. Tempest is okay and I will probably respond to that as well.”
“Sure, what did you want to do?” I watched as Tempest cleared her throat.
“I want to get something off my chest in song, now if you’ll excuse me...” Inhaling through her nose I can feel the rhythm slowly filtering through the area, this sounds like it was going to be an upbeat one and that was a good thing. She started trotting forward. “You don’t know what it’s like~. I have blood on my hooves and it doesn’t feel nice~. Yet there’s a lovely warm light that shines from you, I hope you never end up like the wreck behind the mask that I still use~!”
“What, how can you be singing an upbeat song with lyrics like that, no heart song is supposed to be upbeat and sad at the same time like that!?” She smiled at my astonishment as she marched into town with purpose.
“I seriously didn’t think I’d win~. I’m so glad that you helped bring my heart back again~.” She strutted through the streets and didn’t care about how any pony was looking at her, I’m kind of surprised by how composed she can be. “I once knew love in a simple way~. And now it’s hurting on this day, but I’ll keep standing strong as the beating in my chest won’t silently fade away~!”
“Well your welcome!” I shouted to her over the music that I felt my butt bouncing to the tune of, why was the music even up upbeat like this?
“And don’t you know that I’m still going, even with this feeling of which I can’t be rid~. I’m feeling like I survived it all, but I don’t think that I ever did~.” We approached Carousel Boutique as Fizzle sang this, she leapt up and spun around a pole and we both went inside to see Rarity. As she sang Fizzle pointed out a cloak and scarf for Rarity to make. “To think I’m still going after all this time, with all the broken pieces of my past being right here on my mind~.”
She looked up at her horn and she rubbed at a spot on her chest, I felt my heart clench slightly. The Staff of Sacanas was powerful enough to restore most of a city… but despite how powerful it was, it couldn’t restore that.
“I’m still going… too, my, woe~!” Fizzle sang as she took the simple cloak and scarf, she paid Rarity the bits and then made her way out of the boutique. Why did it feel like she was leading me around? “I’m still going… too, my, woe~!”
“I would never ever hope to win, not when I’m going back to that long lonely road again~.” It sounded like Fizzle didn’t want to stay in Ponyville, I was still going to make an effort and an offer to her. We were on approach Sugar Cube Corner. I had to divert her into Pinkie Pie, she could possibly stop this sad heart song! “All the threats I made to take you down, if I was actually being serious then you’d have been drowned by now~!”
“Nope, not touching this one Twilight.” Pinkie didn’t even give me a chance to ask, I just opened my mouth for a single second. She simply placed a frowny sack on the counter, Fizzle paid for it and took it. She turned to the exit while smiling slightly at the décor and sending bigger one to Pinkie who waved at her, at least that was something and Fizzle was now bouncing to the rhythm too. “You don’t interrupt heart songs like this, she really needs it!”
My mouth flapped trying to find words to say, but I couldn’t think of anything. A second later Pinkie joined us as did Rarity as we approached the market, maybe Applejack could convince her to stop?
“Don’t you know she’s/I’m still going, with some feelings of which she/I can’t be rid~.” Fizzle, Rarity and Pinkie sang together. They were actually joining her?! Wait, why was I moving closer and was my mouth opening too? “Still/she’s feeling like that little filly, after what that large bear did~.”
“And I’m still seeing how far I’ve got to climb, I can’t see the top while digging upwards and completely covered in grime~.” We stopped at the stand and Fizzle pointed out several sour apples. Applejacks nose crinkled slightly, she force Fizzle to keep her bits and patted her left shoulder. “I’m still going~.”
“See, her, go~.” Pinkie sang as she bounced along in a cheerful manner.
“I’m still going~!” Fizzle stated to Rainbow who came to a stop in front of and they glared at one another.
Rainbow snorted loudly as she hovered with her legs cross. After rolling her eyes derisively, she put a hoof around Fizzle neck and squeezed her in a one hoofed hug. She pointed in the direction of Fluttershy’s cozy cabin and Fizzle nodded while heading in that direction.
“Head, not, low~.” Wait, Rarity was right, despite the sad parts of the song Fizzle was still moving forward with her head held high. That’s… kind of amazing really, I think I might be looking at this the wrong way.
Applejack soon joined us and I saw her waving back at Big Mac as he took to the stand. Fluttershy was playing with her animal friends, she however stopped when she noticed Fizzle approach her. They looked at each other for a moment and then Fizzle pulled Fluttershy into a hug, Fluttershy hugged her back.
Fizzle turned to me and then looked at the Crystal Castle and all of Ponyville in the distance. When she looked back to me, I nodded. We were moving through town towards our final destination as Fizzle sang.
“With more friends like you/us, I’m/we’re not going to kid~.” Fizzle was shaking her tail as the whole town started following the rhythm with us. As we headed towards the castle, she glanced at me. “You’ve/we’ve all made me/her a little stronger, there’s no feelings to be hid~.”
“We’re you’re friends now Fizzle.” I said calmly with a slightly brighter kick in my step.
-Fizzle-
“And I’m still going after all this time, if only they could see me now and the mess that is my mind~!” I thought of Arizona and Velvet always fighting each other despite how close they were. I thought of Fortitude and Flamberge with their big hearts. Jacky and Gene who set out to travel the world to find a solution out there. I wondered what they would all think of me now. “I’m still going~!”
“Go, Go, Go~.” The crowd cheered for me. That’s odd, but I guess heart songs have their own inertia and physics.
“You can’t stop me~!” I said to everyone.
“Oh, no, no~.” They sang back. “She’s still going~!”
“I won’t flee~!” I bowed to everyone and received a lot of stomping hooves.
“Well now…” Rarity stated, she seemed nice and all, but that forced accent is a bit much.
“Well, it’s nice to see you’re looking perky.” Applejack tilted her hat to me, her twang was certainly home grown. “I can’t help but think you’re familiar somehow, before you started chasing us.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it.” She probably saw me at the Hayburger before it got sucked into the chaos dimension that one time. There was also me pummeling a manticore, because that was better than the stark raving madness of the tedium that was working there.
“Um… can we get back to what I had planned for our day?” Twilight poked her hooves together. “Things might have gone a little too fast for us.”
“Sure.” I snorted at her and just shook my head as she levitated a list of things we would be doing together. I was going to pack my stuff and Grubber should be by soon with an airship.
First order of business, also because I’m highly biased, we’re going to Palicoast to deliver the good news. Hopefully they won’t immediately attack us with pitchforks and torches.
Goodness knows how angry mobs get all those things so fast, it’s even more ridiculous if a majority of an angry mob aren’t even farmers.
-Airship Mauled, Sehket’s Pyramid, Kuril-
“Sekhet… why do you have so much cake and when did you start sharing it with all the residents in town?” There was so much cake here that everyone was eating a slice, I don’t think Fresh Start could make this much cake no matter how early she got up in the morning. “It’s practically everywhere.”
“I just won a lottery and recently got a sudden windfall… I just wanted to share it with the town and get back into the swing of things by doing something tasty and somewhat abnormal like buying out a bunch of cake shops.” Why did I get the feeling that Sekhet wasn’t being entirely honest with me? “Don’t you have to go pack supplies to set out and retrieve your wayward lovely cooking assistant?”
Pique queried me and was looking at the cake, Niche rubbed his stomach slightly. I knew Sekhet was hiding something and was deflecting, she was being too nice and supportive right now.
“You guys don’t need to ask for permission, you’re grown adults... you can ask Sekhet if you can have some.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more disturbing than two Storm Creatures giving puppy dog eyes to a goddess.
Even Snickers and Sugar were getting into some cakes, several strawberry cheesecakes by the look of it. It was safe enough for them to eat I guess, and it was cheering Snickers up.
“Have one Kuril.” Sekhet offered sweetly.
“Fine, I’ll have one too, but only because I’m waiting on Pique and Niche’s camping supplies to come in.” I looked at the cakes on display and looked for one that didn’t look dangerous for me to eat.
-Ponyville, Crystal Castle, Nighttime, Fizzle-
I snuggled my pillow and waited for the bad dreams to come, instead I blinked and was sitting in a field of flowers with a three headed being and a lovable snuggle cat next to me and a lot of other beings circling around me in close proximity.
I thought I would be having nightmares, but it seemed that I was resting peacefully.
-Luna-
“Rest easy Tempest, you will not have any nightmares on my watch.” Luna walked up to the dreamer and encompassed her with soft wings.
Celestia could worry about the sphinx problem by herself.