//------------------------------// // Rockets and Trees // Story: Song of the Draconequus // by Ownageburrito //------------------------------// Just walk to town I said. I can find help there, I thought. Clearly rethinking that decision as I sit here in the town jail, thrown in here because I look like a monster. I can't argue, I bet I really do look like one, but I was never given a chance to explain. Just a rush of activity and here I was, caged like some kind of animal. No one would speak to me or even listen to me until they figured out what "the monster" was. Then again it was difficult to tell how fast time was passing. Seconds felt like years and minutes flew by without me even noticing. Most I can remember coming to town was some shock of pink jumping at me for a hug, then running away immediately yelling about... something. Was that Pinkie? I can't remember... I'm in... where was I? The grayness had invaded my memories, changing everything I knew into the same dull blank grayness as it. Nothing made sense, and I felt myself slipping further and further... I felt like crying, tears already making their way to the forefront. But I deny them not wanting to lose control of myself to that infernal fog. I'll just wait it out until someone comes to get me. They wouldn't leave me here would they...? I'm so tired... maybe a quick rest will help... ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Creeeaaak... "Is it asleep?" A quiet timid voice asked as a cream colored nose pokes through accompanied by a large eye to view inside. "Yea, seems like it. Let's go!" A scratchier voice filled with courage calls out in a loud whisper behind the quiet mare, shoving her into the cell room, shutting the door as quietly as possible behind herself. "Eep! Don't push Rainbow! Y-you'll wake it...!" She pleads with her friend as the two finally make their way towards the cage, where on the ground lying on it's side was a totally grey Stallion unicorn. "Come on, you got your friend Rainbow Dash here! Even if it did wake up I'd knock it out in two seconds before it could do anything!" The boastful cyan pegasus reassures her friend with a menacing gesture towards the monster before them. Although it seemed to just scare Fluttershy more then anything. "W-we aren't here to hurt it, just figure out what it is..." "Well hurry up and figure it out then! This place smells pretty bad." Crinkling her nose at the obvious smell of various body fluids and unkempt clothing. "Well... um... it looks like a normal pony..." "Well DUH. But you saw what it did to the other ponies that touched it! No normal pony could do that, unicorn or not!" She shivered a bit as everything that touched the gray unicorn slowly became just as gray and dull as the creature before them. "Come on you're sure there's nothing you know about him? I mean Pinkie... You saw what happened to her." Rainbow looked to her friend almost pleadingly for answers. "I-I know... but there's nothing different about him, except his cutie mark. It's just a gray splotch on his flank." Wait... what...? No it's not supposed to be that, it's... what was it? I don't remember... Rainbow Dash gives a gasp and backs up, pulling Fluttershy with her as she gives a frightened squeak "He's waking up!" It took every ounce of strength left in me to meekly call out to them in a normal voice, the incessant gray making even the smallest of actions difficult. "Wait... help me..." Fluttershy was the first to respond, "Help you? But I don't even know what or who you are." "Name... is..." "Your name is...?" The brightly colored mare looked accusingly at me, I felt insanely jealous of all her colors. If I was capable of feeling that anyway. "I don't... remember." I felt myself slipping back into that deep grayness behind my eyes, like a fog that simply wouldn't lift for me. "What?! That's a big load of horsefeathers if I ever heard it... he's just playing us Flutters. I mean how do you forget your own name?" The cyan colored pegasus floats through the air with her arms crossed, not trusting this gray thing one bit. Fluttershy on the other hand taps a hoof to her chin, "I'm not sure... he seems sincere about it..." Remembering hurt. I couldn't pull forth my name or anything close to it... I kept getting images of pink and a device... a rocket-ship? Pain keeps flaring, it's unbearable... but no, I'm not going to submit to it that easily. "Pink... and rockets..." "Pink rockets?" Rainbow just looked at me with confusion, and nodded towards the gray that was starting to seep all around my cage now, as if my presence here was poisonous. "We uh... we better go. We need to go check on Pinkie anyway... Come on Fluttershy." "Okay..." And that was that. Nothing else happened, other then watching as my cell slowly became gray. I thought it was just my imagination, but did I hear cries outside? Or am I just hearing things now? It's so hard to tell... Maybe I'll just sleep a little longer... _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Meanwhile... "Oh it feels so GOOD to flex the chaos! And I really do think they look better this way." Discord had finished with his tasks rather quickly today, and was out causing a little bit of mischief as usual. Today he had decided that the green trees were just too boring around Sweet Apple Acres, and decided to give them a little more... life. "They're bucking PURPLE Discord! Ain't no one's gonna want to eat a PURPLE apple! Ah mean just look at it, looks like it's rotten!" A very upset Applejack stamped her hoof at the prankster who was busy crushing apples into grape juice. Somehow. Eh it's Discord... "Well, I don't know about you but I think they look delicious! Maybe there's a market for them, think about it. Colored apples. Apple pies that look more festive! Who wouldn't like that?" Pouring his freshly made grape-apple juice into a carton he inspects it for a moment before finding it lacking and tosses it behind him where it promptly explodes. Into pudding cups. "Discord, ah'll say it just once now you hear? Turn im back the way they're supposed to look, or I'll tell Twilight what you did!" she says in annoyance with the infamous prankster. Discord simply rolls his eyes and with a snap of his fingers the myriad of colored trees revert to their normal green state. "There, happy now? I still say ponies would like a little more variety in their apples." "Variety and just plum strange are two different things Discord... Ain't you supposed to be helpin' Pinkie with a party today or somethin'?" Anything to get him out of here... she thought to herself quietly. "Oh that's right! She wanted me to make more of those delicious cotton candy clouds, stroke of genius if I may add. I swear, she's the only pony around here who genuinely appreciates me," a couch popping into existence behind him to fall on dramatically as he really starts putting on a performance, "Oh woe is me, the unappreciated, unnoticed, unrewarded, unvalued, unsung hero that is... DISCORD! Forever doomed to be nothing but a statue..." His performance was impressive to say the least, accompanied by holy chorus and lights with a fountain in the background. Didn't do much to impress Applejack, especially right as he finishes he rolls on the ground laughing at his own apparent stupidity. And with a huff she just sighs tiredly, shifting her weight as she looks off to the western orchard, which had yet to be bucked. "Just get outta here Discord, I ain't got time for your shenanigans..." The problem apparently dealt with, she turns to leave and finish out her days work. Discord shrugs and levitates one of the aforementioned pudding packs to his side, fork in hand as he thoughtfully munches away at the apparently crunchy pudding. "Hm. Pinkie throwing a party is always fun to do, the girl is fun to be around. Then again I could just go take a nap. But that'd be boring..." He walks a little further along before noticing gray splotches on the ground resembling hoofprints. "Oh. Someone made a mess! But what is that anyway...? Looks familar." Realization dawns on him and he gives a sigh, tossing the pudding cup away as he follows the trail. "He SERIOUSLY found him? What an idiot. And now he's gone and gotten himself into this. Hope no one else has contracted it at least! Otherwise Ponyville is going to become a very boring place..."