//------------------------------// // Luna versus Ponyville 7 // Story: Progress // by Andrew Joshua Talon //------------------------------// Progress: Luna versus Ponyville Part 7: Cutie Mark Crusaders By Andrew J. Talon - - - - - - - - “HEY APPLEBLOOM! HEEYYYYY!” The cry of a young pony’s voice caused Applebloom to brighten up. She slammed her hooves down around her empty lunch plate and grinned. “Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! AH’M IN HERE!” Applebloom shouted. “COME ON IN!” Luna looked over at Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked back over at Luna. “Er... How many ponies know you’re here?” Fluttershy asked. “Seven... Hopefully,” Luna said as she summoned the broken pieces of her glasses and quickly repaired them with a spell. She placed them back over her eyes as an orange pegasus filly and a light purple unicorn filly entered the cottage. Applebloom grinned as the two fillies grinned back. “Hey Fluttershy! Hey Applebloom! You didn’t forget our quest today did you?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yeah! We need to get to it and... Oh! Hello!” Scootaloo said cheerfully to Luna. “Who are you?” “Girls, this is... Ah... Miss Selene,” Applebloom said, after seeing Luna had her glasses back on. “She’s a dear friend of mine who is visiting Ponyville from Canterlot,” Fluttershy supplied. “Wow! You’re friends with Fluttershy?” Scootaloo said. “Have you been friends long?” Sweetie Belle asked eagerly. “Has she always been so cool?” Scootaloo pressed. “Ah... Yes. Yes she has,” Luna said with a smile. Fluttershy blushed demurely. “We met ah... At the library.” “Yes. Canterlot Library,” Fluttershy confirmed. “This is not at all an elaborate deception to conceal anything.” “... No! No, of course not!” Luna said quickly. Both Fluttershy and Luna laughed nervously. Showing more discernment than many might give a young filly credit for, Applebloom cleared her throat. “Let’s tell ‘em what we’re gonna do today!” Applebloom said as she pranced over to stand with her friends. “What are you going to do today?” Luna asked curiously. “We’re gonna see if we can get...” Scootaloo paused for dramatic effect, which gave Sweetie Belle and Appleboom time to take deep breaths. Luna noticed Fluttershy and Angel both covering their ears out of the corners of her eyes. Wha-? “ARCHAEOLOGIST CUTIE MARKS!” All three fillies bellowed. Luna fell over onto the floor. “Eep!” “So we’re gonna go exploring and dig up buried treasure or somethin’!” Applebloom said. “Before Pinkie Pie’s party tonight!” Scootaloo added. “Can you come with us, Fluttershy? Please?” Sweetie Belle begged. “Oh my... Why would you want me to come? I-I’m not really into archaeology,” Fluttershy admitted. “Yeah, but we heard from Rainbow Dash that there’s this big huge ancient palace in the Everfree Woods and we wanna go see it please please please can you take us?” Pleaded Scootaloo. Luna blinked. “The Palace... The Dios?” “Is that what it’s called?” Scootaloo asked. Luna closed her eyes. She could see it in her mind’s eye, the sprawling palace that had once been the center of court for all of Equestria. The summer and autumn celebrations, the libraries, the grounds... “Yes... Yes, that is what it is called,” Luna said, almost whispering. Fluttershy looked over at Luna, and the Moon Princess glanced back. For a moment, Luna felt incredibly vulnerable under the light yellow pegasus’s gaze, and found it hard to look away. It was as though her blue eyes were able to discern everything about her in a moment. She shivered slightly. Fluttershy turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and smiled. “I think Miss Selene would be a better choice. I um... I need to take care of things, maybe party related things,” Fluttershy said. “What? But you can stare down anything in the forest!” Scootaloo protested. She snorted at Selene. “What’s a librarian gonna do? Read monsters away?” “Hey! Miss Selene can handle herself just fine!” Applebloom said. She then smiled happily at Luna. “Besides... She knows the way, doesn’t she?” “... Yes, yes I do,” Luna replied softly. She smiled at Fluttershy, a bit anxiously, before she turned and headed for the door. “If you’d like, I can show you.” “Ohhh... All right,” Scootaloo pouted. She looked to her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Cutie Mark Crusaders, AWAY!” They charged through the door, laughing and giggling. Luna watched them go through, before look back over at Fluttershy. “Thank you,” she said. “Don’t mention it,” Fluttershy replied. “Er um, I mean, if you want to that is. I’m not going to stop you from talking about it if I’m not around and I...” Luna trotted back over to Fluttershy and nuzzled her cheek. “I understand. Thank you,” Luna said gratefully. She turned and headed back out the door, leaving a smiling Fluttershy in her wake. As well as a heavily relieved Angel. “There. Now you see I’m not so bad, right?” Fluttershy asked her rabbit. Angel nodded furiously, and wiped his brow. Fluttershy beamed. “Maybe now you’ll listen to me?” She added. Once again, Angel nodded, but gave her a look that said “I was just looking out for you.” “I understand completely, but you pushed it a bit too far,” Fluttershy said. “Besides... Just because rabbits smack each other's bottoms doesn’t mean you get to smack mine.” Angel made several pantomiming gestures. Fluttershy blushed. “Um... Well, that’s flattering, but not as flattering to a doe rabbit...” - - - - - - - - “When you’re, a younger pony, and your flank is very barrrre, it feels like the sun will never commme! When your cutie mark’s not therrre! So the three of us fight the FIGHT! There is nothing that we FEAR!” The singing... The singing... By the Stars and Moon and other worlds why won’t they stop SINGING?! Luna thought to herself, her ears and eyes twitching rapidly. “So we’ll figure out what to do next... Until our cutie marks are herrrre!” The three of them belted out cheerfully as they trotted just behind Luna. The moon goddess was beginning to feel the temptation to just cast a silencing spell around her ears and save herself a headache. They’re so small but they’re so LOUD, how do they manage it?! Luna continued to wail silently as the path led into a rocky gully. The sound bounced off the stone walls and Luna’s agony increased. “WE ARE THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! ON A QUEST TO FIND OUT WHO WE ARE!” They happily continued to screech. Luna saw birds and various other critters fleeing ahead of them and she frankly couldn’t find it in her heart to blame them. “AND WE WILL NEVER STOP THE JOURNEYYY! NOT UNTIL WE HAVE OUR CUTIE MARKSSS!” They finished the chorus. Applebloom smiled brightly at the back of Luna’s head. “Hey, Miss Selene, ya wanna join in for the next chorus?” “Ah, no thank you, I’m fine,” Luna said with a strained smile. Oh my poor ears... A low rumble began to fill the forest, and Luna froze. She narrowed her eyes. It felt... Familiar. “Everyone says we have to wai-” “Shh!” Luna said. “Quiet!” “Hey, if you don’t like the singing you could just tell us-” Scootaloo tried, but Luna shot a sharp look at her. “Shh!” Luna emphasized. She looked around, then back to the fillies. “Stay here.” “But, but Miss Selene,” Applebloom tried. “Stay. Here,” Luna said firmly. She turned and galloped into the trees. Scootaloo scowled after her and looked back at Applebloom. “She sure is bossy, isn’t she?” “Nothing like Fluttershy,” Sweetie Belle said. “She just stands off and doesn’t say anything!” “She’s just shy. Once ya get to know her, she’s really nice!” Applebloom protested. “Maybe... But what’s the idea of her just running off on us?” Sweetie Bell complained. “She’s probably just checkin’ somethin’ out,” Applebloom said. - - - - - - - - Luna trotted deeper into the forest, and looked around carefully. Her eyes narrowed. I know you’re here... Somewhere... Something was moving through the trees--Like a gigantic tiger. Luna’s focused sharpened. No, not a tiger... Two legs only... Something big... The ground rumbled beneath her hooves in a steady pattern. Boom... Boom... Boom... Through the trees, the great monster came into view under the shadows of the forest canopy. It’s massive head was long and angular, and filled with teeth like steak knives. It stood on two powerful legs with three clawed toes each. It’s body was black and covered in hard scales, even it’s small clawed forearms. It’s a Rex... Luna thought to herself. What species? It’s been so long since I perused the castle library on large saurians... Never had any reason to do so before-! The Rex paused, and sniffed. “Could have sworn I heard that awful singing... Hope that whatever it is tastes better than it sounds,” it muttered to himself. Luna grimaced. Focus Luna.... She cast a spell and neutralized her own scent. She also subtlety altered her appearance to blend in better with the trees. The Rex looked in her direction, but did nothing else. It sniffed a few times again before moving on, the ground shaking under it’s steps. Luna sighed in relief in her mind... Before the calling began. “SELENE! HEY, SELEEEEEENE!” Scootaloo shouted. The Rex stopped, then turned it’s head back towards the sound. Luna cringed. “MISS SELEEEEEEENE! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Applebloom yelled. “ARE YOU OKAYYYYYYY?!” Sweetie Belle cried. The Rex began moving towards them. Luna groaned, then spread her wings and flew up in front of the Rex. It stopped and growled. “Hey! Hey hey hey, over here, over here!” Luna cried. The Rex growled. “You! Tasty pegasus, COME HERE!” The beastlunged with it’s jaws open to try and catch her. Luna deftly avoided the snapping jaws and flew back around behind the beast. It turned and growled again, it’s massive jaws snapping at her like a steel trap the size of a well. “Grawr!” It bellowed, “Get back here!” Luna came to a stop a few meters away from it in front of the gorge wall. She turned and glared at the monster. Come on, come on....! “GOT YOU!” The Rex lunged, massive jaws wide open. Luna waited until the last possible second, and teleported out of the way. She appeared several meters above the monster as it slammed into the wall hard, it’s gin-trap like mouth finding only rocks. It roared in pain and Luna took the opportunity to fly back to the path, negating her scent through magic the whole way. Coming through the trees, she pranced to a stop where her charges waited. All three were in the process of taking deep breaths to shout again, and in a fit of panic Luna covered Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s mouths. “Applebloom!” She said quickly. “Mmph!” Responded the other two fillies. “Miss Selene! Are ya all right?” Applebloom asked. “Pfft! Where’d you go? What was it?” Scootaloo asked flatly. “And why’d you shut us up?” “Yeah! You didn’t have to do that!” Sweetie Belle protested. “I had to... Deal with a porcupine,” Luna said at last, deciding she didn’t want to panic the fillies. Much staring ensued. Luna coughed. “It was a very emotionally disturbed porcupine, and I had to counsel him about his trauma regarding ponies. We really should leave so he can adjust to it without further trouble, come along come along!” She pushed the fillies ahead of herself, and let them get a bit of a head start before she followed, scanning behind her for any sign of the Rex. It was not far enough, however, for her to be deaf to the resulting conversation. “A porcupine? Really?” Scootaloo huffed. “She is friends with Fluttershy,” Sweetie Belle said. “But Fluttershy could’ve done that in a lot less time!” “Ah’m sure she did her best... Must have been a really, really stubborn porcupine! Maybe we could get porcupine counselor cutie marks!” Applebloom suggested. “Later, Cutie Mark Crusaders! We’ve got more important things to do!” Scootaloo commanded, and off they went with a nervous Luna following. - - - - - - - The bridge across the chasm to the palace was just as rickety and hazardous as Luna remembered. “Hold on,” Luna called to the CMCs as Scootaloo tapped a board of the bridge. “I’ll go across first. If I don’t fall, it will be fine for the rest of you.” “Be careful, Miss Selene!” Applebloom said. “She’s got wings, I think she’ll be fine,” Scootaloo grumped. Cautiously, Luna stepped out onto the bridge. She winced a bit at the creaking sound it made, but she continued on. When she at last made it to the other side, she turned around and smile. “You can all-” She froze when she saw that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were right behind her. They smiled broadly at her. She scowled. “Hang on, I told you to wait-” “Yeah, but now we’re on the other side just fine!” Scootaloo said cheerfully. “You know what that means!” “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! GO!” They shouted, and charged around Luna to the ruins of the old palace. Luna sighed and looked back at the rickety old bridge. She then looked back at the palace. She took a few steps before a gigantic black, furry hand reached up and wrapped it’s fingers around her. “Huh?!” Luna cried as she was dragged down into the chasm. She stopped her descent when she came eye level with some... Well, eyes. Very large brown ones, in a large, black furry face. Luna looked down and back up, and her efficient brain identified the creature: A giant ape, better known as a Kong. “Ah, hello,” Luna said politely. “Can I help you?” “You’re not as colorful as the other ones, but you’ll do,” the Kong spoke in a gruff voice. The ape snorted, and leaped to the other side of the chasm. It then slid down to a large outcropping far below covered in grass, and sat down. It set Luna down in front of it, and sat back as through expecting something. Luna scowled. “Excuse me, but could you kindly please tell me what-OOF!” The ape flicked Luna with one of it’s fingers, causing her to fall over. The ape then chortled as Luna got back up. “Heheheheheh...!” “Now see here, I am-OOF!” Luna was flicked over again, and the ape laughed even harder. Luna got back up and scowled. “Hahahahahahaha!” “Stop that you overgrown-ACK!” Luna fell over again, and the ape continued in his hysterics. The monster primate reached out to knock her over again, when she reached out with her hoof and stopped him. The ape stared, surprised that the small pony could have such strength. “What the...?” “Now... You will stop this at once or I will be upset, understand?” Luna demanded. The ape stared, before glowering and roaring at her. “GRAWRRRR!” It bellowed. “You can tell me to do anything! I’m a KONG! I RULE this forest, I AM this forest! You’re just a PONY! I WANT SOME FUN!” Luna made a face and covered her nose. “Oh dear...! Ugh! Brush your teeth sometime, won’t you?” Luna asked. The ape glared. “Er... If it would be all right with you?” “You cheeky little-!” The Kong reached out to grab her in both hands. She leaped up to evade him, and flapped her wings to escape. She sighed as the ape beat his chest and shook his fists at her, but decided she would be better tasked looking over the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “YOU ROTTEN LITTLE PONY! I’LL GET YOU!” Ignoring the beast’s increasingly distant cries, Luna landed outside the front door of the palace. She found the wagon of supplies just outside. She entered the palace, and looked around for her charges. It was long, given that the fillies had apparently gone all the way to the other side of the east wing, but it was easy to locate them. “WOO HOO!” Scootallo cried as she used her wings to send the chandelier above into a death spiral. “This is awesome! I want one!” Nearby, Sweetie Belle was trotting around ancient coats of armor, brushing them and examining them with a magnifying glass. “This armor must be... A bazillion years old,” she recorded diligently in her notepad. She looked over at Luna. “Oh, hey Miss Selene!” “... Um, where is Applebloom?” Luna asked. “OKAY SCOOTALOO!” Applebloom bellowed in the next room. “LET ER GO!” “YEAH!” Scootaloo cried, and with her hooves she used a crystalline knife to slice through the carefully woven, centuries old rope holding the chandelier when it was swung furthest towards the door. The chandelier was let loose, but to Luna’s growing horror it was not being directed at the door--It was directed at the stained glass window above it depicting the passover of Comet Shadowfax thirteen centuries ago. CRASH! Or rather, through a stained glass window depicting the passover of Comet Shadowfax thirteen centuries ago. Applebloom came through the door, looking unharmed, dirty, and cheerful. The cheerful part dropped and was replaced with a nervous smile when she saw the horrified look on Luna’s face. “Ah, hey Miss Selene! Sorry about the window, but we needed to bust through the floor tiling!” Applebloom explained. Scootaloo landed, using her wings to brake, with a grin. “Yeah! There was this big x on the floor and since ‘X’ usually marks the spot of some treasure, we decided to bust through!” “The X... The x in the center of the floor... Surrounded by pillars?” Luna asked in a choked voice. “That’s right!” Scootaloo said proudly. “With a view up through the observatory mirror system?” Luna asked again, sounding like she was trying to keep from crying. Scootaloo frowned. “Mirrors? Oh yeah, there are mirrors!” Through the destroyed window, numerous mirrors fell as through raining from the sky, the sounds of them breaking like a small thunderstorm. Luna’s jaw dropped as she watched this. Applebloom winced with every smash. Scootaloo winced too. “Oops... Um... Well... Archaeology, ya gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, right?” “You should have let me write all of that stuff down!” Sweetie Belle complained as she came out from the long line of suits of armor. “Now I have to put it all together again!” “Don’t worry, ah brought glue! Ah left it on the wagon!” Applebloom said. “Oh?” Sweetie Belle asked, turning around. She bumped the suit of armor, which wobbled precariously before it fell. The one next to it fell too, as did the next, and the next, until finally every single suit was reduced to a pile of brightly painted metal on the floor. Sweetie Belle coughed at the dust this stirred up and looked over at the trembling Luna. “Um... Oops... Guess we’ll need more glue.” “Don’t worry none, Miss Selene! We’ll fix all this up, promise!” Applebloom said, placing a comforting hoof on Luna’s forelimb. She heaved a great breath, trying to calm herself. Calm... Calm... Don’t get angry... It was all an accident... You can fix it all... They didn’t know what they were doing. “Why are you gettin’ so worked up? Are you all right?” Scootaloo asked, showing some concern. “I mean... If you wanted to do some exploring too, you can!” … You can’t send them to the sun for this. It’s all fixable. Luna took some calming breaths. “No, it’s just that... Archaeology is easier to do if you don’t wreck what you’re trying to study,” she explained calmly. “It is? But that’s how it always happens in the movies!” Scootaloo protested. “This isn’t a movie, dummy!” Sweetie Belle said harshly. “I’m not a dummy, you’re a dummy! You knocked over the suits!” “You smashed the chandelier, the window and the mirrors!” “Calm down! Please!” Luna called, as much to herself as to the fillies. “All right? Listen. To. Me.” The three fillies treated her with undivided attention. Luna smiled and nodded, despite still feeling stressed. “You need to understand the context of everything to understand if one thing was important or not. For instance...” She looked around, and felt relief when she saw a mural on the wall that had escaped any damage. It was an old one, and a bit embarrassing for her seeing how it depicted her driving off several Rexes and other monsters from her palace grounds with a lightning storm around her head and fire coming from her wings. Sure, that’s how it happened but it had always struck Luna as egotistical to have such a mural up. Celestia though had insisted she allow it up, and grudgingly Luna had done so. She pointed her hoof up at it. “For instance, this mural looks like it was held with great importance given how high it was on the wall. The pony who commissioned it didn’t want it to be damaged, they wanted it to be in a high place where everypony would look up at it.” “Ooooh,” the Cutie Mark Crusaders said. “And,” Luna continued, “thanks to the mirror system in the... That was in the observatory, you could reflect sun or moonlight through the window to project onto the mural, getting different color effects.” “Wow... You could tell all that just by looking at it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Neat!” Scootaloo said. “That’s cool!” Applebloom added. Luna smiled and nodded. “Yes. And thanks to the fact that you didn’t bust it up, you can see it, and appreciate it for what it is and how much effort the ponies who made it put into it.” She turned to look back over at the young fillies. “History is the only way the ponies who made these wonderful things will be remembered. That is the core of archaeology...” Luna’s eyes dipped to their blank flanks. “And if it is your special talent, it will be a wonderful one.” Three pairs of shiny eyes looked back at Luna in silent wonder. Applebloom was the first to break it. “Aw right! Let’s go get our gear!” She turned and galloped off for the front doors, her sister Cutie Mark Crusaders in hot pursuit. Luna smiled as she watched them go, and looked back at the mural. The wall then exploded outward, as a huge roaring monster smashed through it. The Rex that had been stalking them snarled in triumph as it beheld Luna, and made to snap her up into it’s jaw. CRASH! With a massive crash the great ape Luna had escaped entered the palace as well. It landed on the floor of the palace hall, and bellowed in challenge to the Rex, drumming it’s fists over it’s chest. The Rex charged the great ape, and the ape grabbed it’s jaws. Flexing it’s powerful body, the Rex rolled over and sent the ape flying into another wall, smashing a fountion. Unshaken, the ape grabbed a statue off the wall and threw it at the Rex, smacking it in the head. Luna very, very slowly brought her hoof to her glasses. She removed them, and set them down on the floor in a relatively safe place. She then trotted with purpose to the two warring monsters. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me.” They ignored her, the great ape punching the huge saurian in the chest. The Rex retaliated by trying to bite the primate’s hand off, but the primate pulled back just in time. “Excuse me...” The ape leaped backward to grab onto the roof with both of his feet hands, and punched the saurian again as it charged. “EXCUSE ME.” Both combatants ceased their combat, and looked over at Luna, whose eyes were glowing. She trotted up between them both and looked back and forth. “Now... We have two questions for you two,” Luna said in a calm tone. “Just two.” She looked up with a glare. “Why are thou fighting?” The two monsters looked at each other, then back to Luna. The saurian cleared it’s throat and spoke first. “Um, well... I was hungry...” “He was trying to eat you,” the ape replied in a cross tone. “Ponies are fun to play with!” “All right... Second question: Whose palace did you just smash into?” Luna asked. The saurian blinked. “The palace of... Ponies?” The ape scratched his head. “I think it was the Moon Palace... In the old times.” “Yes... And whose palace would that make this?” Luna asked. “The old Moon princess,” the ape answered, smiling as though enjoying the game but impatient to get back to clobbering the Rex. The Rex growled, getting more irritated. “What is the point of all this? I can just eat you with one bite! And your young!” The Rex snarled. “You can’t do that! I want to play with them!” The ape growled. “Ahem,” Luna cleared her throat. “One last question, for both of you. To ask thyselves.” She treated them both to a stern glare, and subtlety gestured with her head towards the part of the mural that hadn’t been destroyed. The part with herself as an enraged, avenging goddess. “What happened to anyone in the ancient days who dared attack the Moon Princess, those under her protection, or the palace itself?” Luna asked. Both monsters looked over at the mural. They looked back at Luna. Summoning her magic, she set forth flames from around her wings, lightning to shoot around her head, and her eyes to glow. The two monsters gaped in disbelief as Luna spoke again “Take your time...” They still continued to stare, neither of them saying anything. Luna’s scowl deepened. “... Well?” “... Um... Princess Celestia?” Asked the Rex. The entire palace darkened, the only source of light Luna’s enraged form. “Try again.” “Um, the Great and Powerful Trixie?” The Kong tried. “Pinkamenia?” “Primus?” “Lauren Faust?” Both tyrannosaur and megaprimate were treated to the rare sight of a deity in wrath beating her head against the wall. - - - - - - - - - All of the loud banging and crashing and roaring didn’t escape the notice of the Cute Mark Crusaders, outside the palace they may have been. However, it took several minutes for them to gallop back. They burst through the double doors that had marked the entrance to the sanctuary they’d been exploring. “YAH!” “HAH!” “HIYAH!” Applebloom posed with a trowel, Scootaloo with a shovel, and Sweetie Belle with a flashlight. All three dropped their tools when they saw the state of the grand hall. “Oh... Oh my... Miss Selene! Miss Selene, are you all right?!” Sweetie Belle cried, galloping over to Luna. She was adjusting her glasses in the middle of the devastation. “What happened?!” Scootaloo asked. “You aw right?” Applebloom added. Luna smiled. “I’m fine... A Rex and a Kong smashed through, fighting in the palace.” “Seriously?!” All three Cutie Mark Crusaders asked eagerly. “Weren’t you scared?” Sweetie Belle asked. “A bit, yes,” Luna said. “I just hid and waited until they left. I’m just glad the three of you weren’t here when they were fighting.” “I’m not!” Scootaloo pouted. “Seeing a Rex and a Kong fightin’ like that!” “And now the palace is destroyed! How are we going to do any archaeology now?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Well,” Luna said carefully. “You can’t just give up after one try, right?” “No,” Applebloom said. “But if we’d had a camera... We could’ve gotten ‘Nature documentary Cutie Marks!’” “Maybe we can still get them!” Scootaloo said. “Let’s go check and see if there’s a camera in the wagon!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took off, but Applebloom lingered. She looked back at Luna. “... Princess Luna, did a Rex and a Kong really break in here fighting?” She asked. Luna nodded. “Yes... I just didn’t want to scare you girls when I saw them before...” She sighed. “But it seems I was worrying over nothing.” “Nah, it’s okay Princess Luna,” Applebloom said with a bright smile. “Ah know you were just lookin’ out for us.” She looked around curiously. “So... Where are they now?” Luna just smiled. - - - - - - - - - - “This is all your fault!” “MY fault?! You’re the one who guessed wrong!” “YOU GUESSED WRONG TOO!” Kong and Rex heard something rustling in the grass nearby, and stopped their bickering. A massive white, furry face with black eyes and sharp teeth peered through. “MEOWWWWW...” “RUN AWAY!” Both now diminutive monsters yelled, as they fled from the house cat now about three times their size. A house cat that was caught by a bit of unicorn magic, and pulled away. “Now Opalescence, you know better than to torment poor, small creatures! You’ll muss your coat,” Rarity sniffed. “Come on, it’s time for lunch.” The two monsters watched the unicorn take the giant cat into her shop, and breathed a sigh of relief. “How long did she say this would last?” The Kong asked. “Until we get back to the Everfree Forest,” the Rex said glumly. “Well then... Looks like it’s up to me to save the day,” the Kong said, punching his fist into his hand. “Or we could find the kind yellow skinned pony,” the Rex suggested. “... Or... That, yes,” the Kong grunted. “Which of us was supposed to be the smart one?” “Which of us has a jaw I can snap by pulling it in two directions really hard?” The Rex wisely kept his mouth shut. - - - - - - - - - To be continued...