//------------------------------// // FINAL BATTLE: EQUESTRIA! Act 1. // Story: Know your Mare // by overlord-flinx //------------------------------// Ponyville... ...is everything ready...? I put everything in place... ...Just give me the signal and we can light this party up... Easy... ...We need to wait for Chrysy... Refer to me as Chrysalis or Queeny... I thought you hated Queeny...? I've grown used to it... ...I have also finished my part in your plan... Excellent... ...Let's go greet our guests... Ponyville had become all a buzz with the sudden arrival of so many visitors from all over the world; to the point that the town itself was already brimming to burst with such an overflow of ponyfolk. Everyone was chattering among the crowds, trying to figure out why everyone was not only out of their homes, but why so many visitors had dawned on the town. Twilight Sparkle however hung close to her mentor, Princess Celestia, who had arrived with the mass of others. "This doesn't add up..." Twilight muttered to herself, "why would so many ponies come to Ponyville with no clear reason...?" "I came because I was told my sister was having a celebration here," Celestia admitted. "I ventured here myself for the near same reason," Luna pointed out as she came to Celestia's side. Twilight could hear many other reasons mixed in above the chatter. Charity, tea party, poetry slam, something about a box... So many reasons, but not one the same. And not one of them being realized. She continued to ponder this development when suddenly a voice echoed through the city. "Awww... You all showed up for the party," many ponies froze up when they heard that recognizable voice. "He wouldn't..." "But I would!" out from the thin air above the town, Discord appeared with his joyful laugh. "Welcome everypony... And griffon... and dragon... and whatever the doctor is..." "I'm a--" "Welcome to our farewell show of Know Your Mare!" a roar of applause and whistled came out from nowhere and Discord bowed to the non-existent praise. In contrary, all of the gathered ponies and alike groaned in one synchronized group. "I thought you blew up your stage? It was all over the news!" Rainbow Dash yelled from atop a building she and a bunch of other pegasus were. "That's right! You don't have your stage any more. You can't belittle us any more!" Rarity joined in. "Oh gosh... You're absolutely right..." Discord slapped his own cheek in dramatic, "I so carelessly destroyed my one and only stage... Well, except that stage." "What stage?" Twilight Sparkle asked confused. "This one..." Discord snapped his fingers and all of Ponyville began to quake. Everypony looked around in a mount of confusion. Suddenly, the ground of Ponyville began to grow sleek and metallic. In the distance, the trees outlining Ponyville began to sink into the ground, or so it appeared. Ponyville itself was starting to be lifted off the earth as the ground continued to turn into a glossy surface. "You like it? I turned all of Ponyville into my new stage!" "...HOW!?" Everyone shouted out as one. "Well... technically it's not Ponyville... it's an exact replica I built next to Ponyville... You can actually see Ponyville right over there," Discord pointed yonder at a distant village being cloaked behind a cluster of trees. "...How did you--" "Get you all to Phoneyville without you noticing? Now I could tell you how I did it... But I wouldn't want to insult your intelligence," Discord said sincerely with a look down at Twilight Sparkle. "Oh. Well, thanks for being--Wait a minute!" "I would wait a minute if I had a minute, but I've only got four minutes to rock the world!" With another snap of his talon, every unicorn lost their horn and each pegasus slammed into the ground as their wings poofed away from them. "You're all too great. You even got rid of your only means of escaping the show. You shouldn't have." "We didn't have a choice!" the mass of ponies shouted back at Discord. "We all have choices... Just like Pippy has a choice whether to blow up the train or not," with a soft gesture, Discord motioned to Pipsqueak positioning a rather large cannon at the stationed rail cart. Pipsqueak pulled his head out from behind it and gave everyone gathered around a little wave, "Don' fret! It's loaded wi' mashed potatoes! Still got enough push ta' knock over a trolley though!" "But it's not a troll--" Before Gilda could finish pointing out the obvious, a clump of white hot potatoes nailed her against a wall, followed by a very load click as Pipsqueak reloaded. "Next one's squash... Who wants ta' try me?" Pip warned as he shifted his cannon around from side to side. Discord wiped a finger under his eye with a little sniffle as he watched Pip control the crowd. "I taught him everything he knows... So who's ready to start?" "Discord! This is ridiculous!" Princess Celestia finally spoke up, looking a bit off without her horn and wings, "The Royal Guards will notice I nor Luna have returned and come searching for us." "Oh! Glad you brought that up! You see, Chrysalis has already moved a changeling into all of you spots -each and everypony here- so nobody will notice you're missing... It was a perfect plan..." "Princess Celestia, are you feeling alright?" "Princess Celestia is feeling as well as Princess Celestia normally does on any normal day... Normally... Throw yourself in the dungeon for questioning me, Princess Celestia... Who is me." "Awwww..." "A flawless plan... But enough beating around the bush, we got you all here..." Discord suddenly disappeared along with Pipsqueak and the sky slowly turned dark. So let's party...! "I'm having horrible flashbacks..." It's funny you say that Twilight Sparkle... ...Because you're going first...! "Why? Why do you always pick on me?" You ruined my game... ...You turned me to stone... You undermined my plans... You had a princess scare me... AND THAT'S JUST HOW WE MET! "...Let's just get this over with..." OH! WE WILL! ... AFTER A SHORT BREAK! "Why are you taking--" Once more, the cannon fired, this time with a large clump of squished squash paste and nailed Twilight Sparkle against a wall. Anyone else want to ask something...? Or are you going to let us do it...? ... That's what I thought...