//------------------------------// // Extra: Pound and Pumpkin's Matchmaking Attempt // Story: MLP FiM x Fairy Tail: Wizards in Equestria // by SonnL //------------------------------// It was another ordinary day at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was serving customers. Pound and Pumpkin Cake were also on the first floor, playing with Gummy. Pinkie gave Derpy a box of muffins and right after the pegasus left, Juvia walked in. “Hey there Juvia!” Pinkie greeted. “What can I get for you?” “Hello Pinkie. I heard you’re great at baking.” Juvia spoke. “You got it! Now how may I be of service?” Pinkie asked. “I came here to ask for your help. You see… I want to make something for my darling, Gray.” Juvia explained. This caught Pound and Pumpkin’s attention. “Say no more. Come this way please.” Pinkie then took Juvia to the kitchen. “So Juvia, what do you want to make for Gray?” “I’m thinking that I want to make… cupcakes.” “Okey dokey! Let’s get started!” The Cake Twins watched as Pinkie guided Juvia through the baking process. After some trial and error, Juvia successfully baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes with blue-colored icing and sprinkles. “Thanks so much, Pinkie. I’m going to give these to Gray right now.” Juvia left Sugarcube Corner with a box of the cupcakes she made with Pinkie’s help. Curious to see how it will play out, the twins secretly followed Juvia, and they later reached the guild hall. After entering the guild hall, Juvia looked around until she found Gray, whom she eagerly approached. “Hello Gray. I have a treat for you.” Juvia presented the box of cupcakes. After taking a quick look at the cupcakes, Gray took one of the cupcakes and ate it. “So, how was it?” Juvia asked. Pound and Pumpkin Cake were watching closely to see Gray’s response. “It’s okay, I guess.” Gray replied. Gray then left the guild hall without taking another cupcake, though Juvia was still happy that he tried one. However, the twins were not satisfied with the outcome. “Oh come on! That’s it?!” Pound Cake exclaimed. “She worked hard on those cupcakes! Gray was supposed to be acting more romantic!” Pumpkin Cake commented. “Those two are made for each other. They are the perfect pair! So they should be acting like one!” Pound Cake said. The twins thought back to the time when Ponyville first met Fairy Tail and during the welcome-to-Equestria party, Pound and Pumpkin were mesmerized when Gray and Juvia created beautiful ice sculptures together. “Pumpkin, there must be a way to bring them together.” “Actually, there is. I just got an idea.” Pumpkin Cake spoke. The twins have now made it their mission to make Gray and Juvia a true couple. Back at Sugarcube Corner, inside the Cake Twins’ room… “So what’s your plan, Pumpkin?” Pound Cake asked his sister. “We’re going to use… a love potion!” Pumpkin Cake answered. “You know how to make one?” “Yes. I have been taking lessons from Starlight and Sunburst, and I have the recipe for the potion.” The Cake Twins get to work on gathering the ingredients for the love potion. After collecting a tuft of cloud and a bright rainbow's glow, they returned to their room in Sugarcube Corner. Following the recipe’s instructions, the twins used a feather from Pound Cake’s wing to stir the mixture. “It’s ready. Now, we just need to get those two together and have them drink this.” Pumpkin said. With the potion in their hooves, the twins began the next part of their plan. “Hey Pinkie, could you please tell Gray and Juvia to come to the gazebo?” Pumpkin asked the party planner. “Sure Pumpkin, but what for?” “My brother and I… have a special surprise for them.” “Ooooooh. What is it?” Pinkie became curious. “We can’t tell you. It’s a surprise.” “Oh. Okay. I’ll tell Gray and Juvia to come to the gazebo right away.” Pinkie agreed to help without prying. At the gazebo, the twins poured the potion into two cups as they waited for Gray and Juvia. “Now, we just need to wait for them to arrive.” Pound Cake said as he was rubbing his hooves together. “Look! Here they come!” Pumpkin spotted the two wizards arriving at the gazebo. “Hiya, Gray and Juvia.” Pound Cake greeted. “Hello there, Pound and Pumpkin Cake. Pinkie told us that you have a special surprise for us. What is it?” Juvia questioned. “It’s this! It’s… uh, punch! We made this ourselves.” Pumpkin showed the cups of potion. “The special surprise is punch?” Gray asked. “Yes! We want you two to taste-test this punch!” “But why us? Couldn’t you just ask anyone else?” “Because… we thought you two would be perfect together… to test it. Together. So, uh, enjoy this punch.” The twins then quickly ran off together leaving the confused wizards alone with the cups of potion. Gray and Juvia took a moment to look at the cups. “I guess one sip won’t hurt.” Gray said. The two wizards didn’t think too much about what the twins were up to, and they decided to humor the ponies. While hiding inside a bush, the two foals watched with anticipation as Gray and Juvia drank the potion. After their cups were emptied, the two then gazed into each other’s eyes with purple swirls in them. “Juvia…” “Yes Gray?” “Let’s spend the rest of our lives together.” “Of course my darling.” The two then began hugging each other with great affection. “SUCCESS!!!!!!!” Pound and Pumpkin leaped into the air. Gray and Juvia were then starting to get more intimate, which was making the twins a bit uncomfortable. “Okay, no need for us to stay here. Let’s go back home.” Pound Cake said. With their mission a success, the Cake Twins were heading back to their home with happy smiles. “We did it! We did it! We did it! We did it!” The twins sang as they were hopping with joy. The twins happened to pass by the CMCs, who became curious about what made Pound and Pumpkin so happy. “Hey there Pound and Pumpkin Cake.” Apple Bloom called out to them. “You two seem so happy. What happened?” Sweetie Belle asked. “We got Gray and Juvia together!” The twins shouted out excitedly. “Oh, tell us more about it. What exactly did you do?” Scootaloo inquired. “It was easy. We made a love potion for them.” Pumpkin answered. “You made a love potion?” Apple Bloom asked. The twins nodded. The CMCs immediately thought about the time they tried to get Big Mac and Cheerilee together. “Pound, Pumpkin, are you really sure you made an actual love potion? May we see the recipe you used?” Apple Bloom requested. Pumpkin then showed the CMCs the recipe she and her brother used. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo looked at the recipe and their eyes widened with horror. “Pound, Pumpkin… DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!!!!” Apple Bloom screeched. “We made Gray and Juvia a couple, just like how it should be.” Pound answered proudly. “You didn’t give them a love potion! YOU GAVE THEM A LOVE POISON!!!!” Sweetie Belle bellowed. “A love poison?” The twins were confused. “Here’s the story. Some prince a long time ago came up with this recipe and gave it to a princess he liked. He meant it to be a love potion, but things ended up badly. The prince and princess were so lost in each other's eyes that they couldn't perform their royal duties, and that led their kingdom to ruin.” Scootaloo explained. “Gray and Juvia may not have royal duties, but they still got responsibilities! If we don’t fix this, they won’t fight dark unicorns and monsters, and they won’t defend Equestria!” Sweetie Belle added. “Oh… that’s not good.” The twins winced as they realized their mistake. “Fortunately, there’s a way to break the curse. We just need to keep Gray and Juvia from looking into each other’s eyes for one full hour.” Apple Bloom informed. “I’ll go to the guild hall to get help!” Scootaloo wasted no time galloping to the Fairy Tail guild hall. “And I’ll go get Starlight!” Sweetie Belle head for the School of Friendship. At the guild hall… “Did you see Gray and Juvia? They’ve been acting all… lovey-dovey.” Vijeeter spoke. “I saw it too. Looks like they’re finally doing it. I’ve been wondering when this day would come.” Wakaba said. “Everyone! Gray and Juvia need help!” Scootaloo yelled as she rushed inside the guild hall. “What’s wrong? They seem happy together.” Happy questioned. Scootaloo explains the situation. “I see. So that’s what happened. I thought it was strange with the way they, especially Gray, were acting.” Erza commented. “So we have to keep Gray and Juvia from looking into each other’s eyes for one hour to break the curse. Anyone got a plan on how to keep them separated for that long?” Macao asked. “Will we have to use force to keep them apart? I sure don’t want to get in between them.” Levy said nervously. “I do have an idea.” Erza spoke. Later, Erza found Gray and Juvia together at Sugarcube Corner. They were sharing a large glass of chocolate shake. “How is it, Gray? Do you like it?” “It’s sweet, just like you my love.” “Ugh. This really needs to stop.” Erza sighed. She then approached the two. Luckily, they did not notice her because they were too focused on each other. Erza swiftly knocked them out by whacking their heads with her hand. “My apologies, but this takes care of step one. Now we just need to keep you two separated for an hour.” Thirty minutes later, Gray regained consciousness and found himself in the Castle of Friendship. He is imprisoned in a large magical sphere created by Starlight. Guarding him were Jet and Droy. “Uh, Droy. He’s awake! And it’s not an hour yet!” Jet exclaimed. “W-wha… Hey! Where am I?! Where is Juvia?!” “Remain calm Gray. You’re affected by a love poison and you just need to wait for 30 more minutes, and the curse will break.” Droy spoke as calmly as possible. “Let me out! Let me see Juvia!” Gray demanded. He then created an ice sword and began trying to break out of his prison. “I hope this prison holds.” Jet said as he and Droy were getting anxious. Meanwhile, Juvia woke up at the guild hall, where she is also imprisoned in a large magical sphere. Those watching over her were Lucy, Levy, Laki, Erza, and Sweetie Belle. “Gray?” Juvia then looked around for Gray, but doesn’t see him. “Gray! Where are you?!” “Um, Juvia. You and Gray drank a love poison, which is the reason you both were acting… well… weird. So… in order to go back to normal, you and Gray cannot see into each other’s eyes for… 25 more minutes.” Levy explained. “I see what you’re doing. You’re all trying to take me away from Gray!” Juvia went berserk as she also began trying to break out of her prison, making Lucy, Levy, Laki, and Sweetie Belle nervous. Erza remained calm. Back at the Castle of Friendship, Gray continued trying to break out of his prison. “Uh Jet, how much longer do we have?” “Just 20 minutes left!” However, cracks were starting to form on the magic sphere. “Oh no! He’s breaking out!” Jet and Droy started to panic. Gray then broke free. Jet and Droy tried to block his path, but he just knocked them away as he ran past them. “Too bad Freed is away on a mission. He could have made a foolproof prison.” Droy groaned. Gray quickly exited the castle through the front door, but Natsu was standing right outside. At first, Gray did not pay Natsu a glance since he was too focused on finding Juvia. That was until Natsu sucker punched him. Gray tumbled back and he was definitely enraged. “I’m going to have to stop you right there.” Natsu spoke. “Don’t get in way Natsu! I need to see the love of my life!” Gray bellowed. “Sorry Gray, but I need to keep you here until the curse breaks. But hey, maybe I can beat it out of you.” Natsu and Gray proceeded to have an intense fist fight. Romeo and the Young Six were passing by. “Why are Natsu and Gray fighting?” Yona asked. “It’s just one of their sparring sessions. Don’t worry about it too much.” Romeo answered. “But this looks serious. I hope they don’t hurt each other too bad.” Silverstream said with concern. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were also watching. “Does this seem to be a bit… extreme?” Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom. “I’m just glad we had it easy.” Apple Bloom shuddered. Back at the guild hall, Juvia managed to break out of her prison. Once freed, she made a dash towards the guild hall’s entrance. “She’s going to get away!” Sweetie Belle screamed. “Not so fast! SOLID SCRIPT: HOLE!” Levy created a gigantic hole on the floor, which Juvia fell in. “Quick Aries, cover her with your wool!” Lucy commanded as she summoned Aries. “Yes Lucy!” Using her Wool Magic, Aries covered Juvia in pink wool while she was still in the hole. Laki quickly covered the hole with wooden constructs. “With any luck, Aries’ wool will keep Juvia calm just long enough for the remainder of the hour.” Lucy remarked. For a time, the wool created by Aries was keeping Juvia calm and relaxed. However, when 10 minutes remained, Juvia remembered that she needed to see Gray. She busted out of the hole with a water cyclone and once again rushed towards the guild hall’s entrance. Erza stood in Juvia’s path, but Juvia transformed into water, slipped past her, and successfully got out of the guild hall. “We can’t let her see Gray! After her!” Erza shouted as her group pursued Juvia. At the Castle of Friendship, Gray and Natsu continued trading blows with Romeo and the Young Six still watching. The fight has gone to the point where the two wizards are using their magic against each other. “So how long is their sparring session going to last?” Gallus asked. “Who knows? It might be a while.” Romeo replied. “Um, are you really sure about letting them fight like this? This is getting kind of scary.” Ocellus said worryingly. “I think it’s interesting seeing two Fairy Tail wizards going head-to-head.” Smolder commented casually. “Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!” Juvia called out in the distance as she was running to Gray’s location. Erza’s group was right behind her. “No! If they make eye contact, then the curse won’t be broken!” Lucy panicked. Natsu was distracted by the approaching Juvia and during that moment, Gray knocked him aside. “Juviaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Gray called out to Juvia while running towards her. In the nick of time, Starlight arrived and used her magic to place blindfolds over their eyes. She then quickly immobilized both Gray and Juvia with a stasis spell. An hour has passed, and the curse has been broken. “W-what just happened? What was I doing?” Gray groaned as he came back to his senses. “Good to have you back, Gray.” Natsu said with a smile. “What happened? I don’t remember a thing.” Juvia was befuddled. “I’m glad you’re back to normal.” Lucy said with a sigh. The Cake Twins watched the events unfolded and they were relieved that their mistake has been rectified. “Well, the problem’s solved. Next time, make sure you know what potion you’re making, Pumpkin Cake.” Pound said to his sister. “Hey! You helped make the potion, so this is your fault too!” Pumpkin said back. “Ahem!” The Cake Twins nervously turned their heads around to see Starlight staring down at them. “Pound and Pumpkin Cake, we need to talk.” Starlight said sternly to the twins. “Uh… we’re sorry.” The twins said with sheepish smiles. Starlight gave the Cake Twins a serious scolding. She also informed Mr. and Mrs. Cake about Pound and Pumpkin’s mischief and the twins were grounded. Later in the Cake Twins’ room… “So Pumpkin, want to get Natsu and Lucy together?” Pumpkin Cake nodded her head with a smile. Apparently, the twins have not learned their lesson as they planned another matchmaking attempt.