Chapter 5
Going Ape
At City Hall, Mayor Mare was busy filing her paperwork with a calm smile; At the moment, they were made up of suggestions and minor complaints from the ponyfolk, business papers, and legislative notices. It wasn't easy being the mayor of a small town; No matter how much work is accomplished, there is always a big situation to tend to when you least expect it. Finishing up her last batch of papers, she sighed contently to herself as she placed them away in her desk drawer "And now for a small break before I get to sending them..." She said with a worn smile as she got up from her seat and strolled towards the lounge. Mayor Mare stopped when she heard the sound of glass breaking, but then continued, thinking she was hearing things.
When she made it to the door, she heard muffled grunting and shuffling, followed by crashing and the sound of more glass breaking. Feeling threatened by whatever was behind the door, Mayor Mare kicked it open "What is going on in he-HUH!?"
Mayor Mare noticed what appeared to be five of the element bearers, a live puppet, and the same mare that wouldn't stop talking about the things called 'humans' chasing an oversized monkey in an oriental garb. They circled around the lounge, toppling over each object that came in their way. The only one that stopped was Fluttershy, who quickly flew up to Mayor Mare and bowed in apology "We're sorry about this! So very sorry!"
"Just what on earth is going on in here!?" Mayor Mare asked as she gawked at the scene behind Fluttershy.
Fluttershy shifted her eyes back at the circling chase "Umm...Well, long story short, Pinkie found this old puppet called the Monkey King, and now she's been turned into a puppet. We're trying to stop him so he can change her back." She paused before bowing in apology again "I'm sorry if that was too long!" Fluttershy squeaked nervously.
Mayor Mare went to say something, but screamed when the Monkey King leaped towards her. She ducked as he leaped over and laughed "Sayonara, suckers!" He quipped as he made his way out of City Hall.
Rainbow Dash flew over Mayor Mare "Don't let him get away!" Pinkie followed close behind, bellowing an unintelligible battlecry.
Lyra stopped next to Mayor Mare "Don't worry, Mayor Mare! This might seem big, but we can handle it!" She galloped after her friends.
Applejack was next to stop "Ah'll make it up t' ya by giving ya some free food!" She sped off.
Rarity smiled "I'll give you a fancy new dress as a token of apology for this mess after we capture this cretinous ape! Ta-ta!" The fashionista made her way out.
Twilight was the only pony who didn't say anything as she passed Mayor Mare. She figured it was best to save her words for when she wants to lecture the Monkey King for his mischievous misdeeds. Fluttershy and Mayor Mare stood in the tossed-up lounge in awkward silence before the timid pegasus shimmied away with a nervous expression, catching up with her friends outside.
Mayor Mare only stared at the fresh mess from her precious lounge and heaved a sigh as she donned a deep frown "Sometimes, I think we let too many calamities go in this town..." She said to herself.
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The Monkey King was huffing mockingly as he ran away from the cadre of mares hot on his tail. He pulled out a small black can with the word 'AXE' on it, leering at it with a mock scowl "You lied to me!" He tossed the can behind his shoulder, and it connected with Rainbow Dash's forehead, further agitating the cyan pegasus.
Up ahead, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were found riding around Ponyville; Applebloom and Sweetie Belle sat in the wagon being pulled by Scootaloo and her scooter. They stopped when they noticed the Monkey King running up ahead "Hey! Is that a monkey wearing clothes?" Sweetie Belle asked inquisitively.
Applebloom looked behind "Why's my sister and her friends chasin 'im?"
Scootaloo widened her eyes "They're headed right towards us!" She flapped her wings and turned her scooter around, riding away from the thundering group; The fillies were unsettled when they were catching up with ease. Scootaloo spotted a ramp up ahead and rode towards it, soaring into the air after riding on it. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle held on tight as they lingered in the air.
Down below, the Monkey King flipped over the ramp and ran ahead. To the dismay of the crusaders, the mares that chased the Monkey King swerved across the ramp and were right under them "Look out!!" Scootaloo called out
Twilight looked up and her eyes widened when she saw a scooter and wagon dropping towards her and her friends. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy easily avoided it, but the mares on the ground had suffered the wrath of the flying scooter/wagon combo courtesy of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Fluttershy stayed back in concern for the safety of both her friends and the fillies that dropped on them.
Rainbow Dash was conflicted on staying behind to help her friends or continue her pursuit on the Monkey King. Being the Element of Loyalty that she was, she grunted to herself and joined Fluttershy in helping the others. It was hard for her to ignore the raspberry the ancient prankster blew at her as he ran off. She flipped the wagon over while helping up the others "Is everypony alright?"
Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash and grinned dreamily "I am now..." She lightly swooned.
Sweetie Belle shook herself when she stood up "What happened just now? How long was a giant monkey in Ponyville?"
Rarity growled "I've no guess myself, but I know he's going to pay for his mischeivous deeds..." She leered at the trail where the Monkey King ran.
Twilight brushed herself off and helped Lyra up "This monkey's no laughing matter! Not to mention he's hard to catch even with Pinkie at our side..." She paused and gasped as she looked around "Where's Pinkie!?"
"I'm over here, Twilight!"
Twilight turned to the sound of Pinkie's voice, and her jaw hit the ground when she spotted her friend-turned-puppet as a pile of body parts nearby. Pinkie, for her part, didn't really mind "I don't know why, but I can't move! Can you come pick me up, please?" She said, not noticing the scattered parts behind her head. Fluttershy stared at Pinkie with widened eyes before she fainted on the ground.
Rainbow Dash swooped down towards her friend "Oh no! Now we gotta put her back together again!"
Rarity trotted up to Pinkie with a collected and confident smile "Just leave that to me, darling!" She said as she levitated every single part and carefully placed them back together again. When Pinkie was completed, Rarity set her on the ground "There we are. Good as new!"
Pinkie was unable to grin, but she was more than happy with being able to move again "Thanks a bunch, Rarity!" She darted her head around with squinted eyes "Now where to find that meanie of a monkey..." Pinkie said to herself vigilantly.
Applejack sighed "It can't be helped! Twi's got a point with that filthy varmint bein' tough t' catch!"
Lyra stood silently in thought before an idea came to her "What if we lead him to us?" All eyes were on Lyra as she continued with a smile "If there's anything the Monkey King loves, it's to make a good joke and making sure everypony's there to see it! He's like a showpony craving attention!"
Twilight assessed what Lyra was saying until she perked up with a smile "So all we have to do is make it seem like we're putting on a better show! That'll draw him to us for sure!" She turned to Rainbow Dash "Seeing as how you love to be the center of attention, what say you become the star of our little show, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked coyly with a smile to match.
Rainbow Dash sported a smug grin "I'd thought you'd never ask! And who said anything about a little show?" She placed a hoof on her chest "Your's Truly is gonna put on the biggest show in Ponyville!"
Scootaloo hopped up and down in excitement "Alright! Can we help?"
Rainbow Dash tussled Scootaloo's mane "Of course you can, squirt! We're gonna need all the help we can get to make this show a good one!"
Twilight nodded "True that! Let's get started and quickly!" The group galloped off to prepare for both a memorable show and a well-crafted trap.
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The Monkey King giggled to himself as he beheld his newest work of pranking art: A group of cows dancing against their will in enchanted clogs.
One of the cows, Daisy Jo, mooed in anxiety over being controlled "This isn't working out for my legs!" She shrieked as she continued to dance.
The Monkey King laughed "Now there's an act worth milking! I wonder how I can top that..."
"Fillies and Gentlecolts! May I have your attention please!"
The ancient prankster ceased his laughter at the sound of Twilight Sparkle's voice from a megaphone and looked behind him to see a vast crowd of ponies flocking in at town square; There was a tall tower with a pegasus standing on it "What do we have here, hm?" The Monkey King asked curiously with a frown as he hopped up to a building, leaving the group of dancing cows behind. He leaped from roof-to-roof until he got a better glimpse at what was seen in the center; A small stage with a group of mares standing on it.
Twilight was seen gathering more attention from the ponyfolk with her megaphone "It is our pleasure to give you an entertaining spectacle of skills being performed by none other than Rainbow Dash! The fastest flier in Equestria!" She pointed a hoof up to show the mentioned pegasus standing at her post at the top of the tower.
As planned, Rainbow Dash received a flurry of cheers as she waved with a cocky smile 'Oh, I'm so gonna enjoy this!' She unfurled her wings with determined eyes and she jumped up to swoop down at an intense speed. She quickly pulled up to fly over the crowd, twisting into a rapid spiral as her prismatic trail twisted with a brilliant glow. The crowd kept up their cheering as the cyan pegasus moved on to her next trick; She landed towards the ground and performed her practiced 'Super Speed Strut' with a smug grin on her face.
From behind the stage, the other mares peered over and noticed the Monkey King watching from a distant building. Applejack smiled up at Twilight "It's workin'! He's takin' th' bait!" The farmpony whispered triumphantly.
Twilight grinned "Then we better reel him in and wrap it up..." She whispered back and prepared her megaphone for the crowd "Okay, everypony! Who wants to see Rainbow Dash perform her spectacular Buccaneer Blaze?" The crowd cheered in response "Alrighty then! Get ready for a wondrous feat!"
Rainbow Dash took off into the air and grinned 'That's my cue! Let's see if all that training paid off!' She flew into the air to where she was unseen behind the clouds, and a brilliant flash had spread across the sky, sending the crowd into a hypnotic state of awe before they went into a frenzy, applauding Rainbow Dash for her amazing trick. She landed onto the stage with her chest puffed out, grinning proudly as she relished in their cheers 'Oh, if only the Wonderbolts were here to see this!'
From the building he stood on, the Monkey King trembled profusely in anger while the Buccaneer Blaze faded "So, we got ourselves a bunch of show-offs, huh? Those ponies won't be hogging the spotlight for long!" He pulled out a piece of paper and pencil "They just made my list!" He proclaimed irately as he jotted down words at the top of his list:
- "Stupid Ponies"
- "Chans"
- "Humorless geezer"
- "Kong"
- "Anyone more famous than me"
After stashing away his list, the Monkey king prepared his staff and took a leap of faith as he jumped onto the crowd, using their heads as stepping stones until he flipped and landed onto the stage in front of Twilight and Rainbow Dash. He turned to the crowd with a grin "Now wait just a cotton-picking minute, folks! Clearly, you haven't lived until you've seen the Monkey King perform feats of his own!"
He used his staff to summon a giant magician's hat "Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" Out of unexplainable reasons, the Monkey King pulled his royal fur back on his right arm "Nothing up my sleeve..." He reached into the hat and pulled out Fluttershy with a set of bunny ears "Presto!" The ancient prankster directed his free paw to the timid pegasus while he grinned expectantly.
Fluttershy whimpered nervously "Oh...my..." Rainbow Dash and Twilight were genuinely surprised for their part.
The crowd, impressed with the Monkey King's display of magic, cheered him on, and he took it in with pleasure as he took a bow. He then turned to Twilight and Rainbow Dash with a smug grin "Didn't expect that little turn of events in your act, didn't you!?" He asked arrogantly.
Twilight smirked back "Actually we did..." She looked behind the Monkey King "Now, girls!!"
The Monkey King arched an eyebrow, then looked behind him to see a trio of fillies carrying a net while shouting "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MONKEY CATCHERS! YAY!" The ancient prankster then found himself caught in a net, fussing with it as he grunted irritably.
Applebloom grinned "We did it!" She and her friends turned to their flanks to see if they got a cutie mark, but chorused an 'Awwww' to see no mark appear.
The other mares came out of their hiding places and came onto the stage to gather around the Monkey King. Twilight trotted up to him with narrowed eyes while he fussed with his net "Alright, Monkey King! We've tried reasoning with you long enough! You leave us no choice but to force you to change Pinkie back!"
Rainbow Dash stepped up next to Twilight and bashed her forehooves together "That's right, you stupid monkey! It's pounding time!" She snapped as she glared at the captive king.
The Monkey King ceased his fussing to leer back at Rainbow Dash "Hey! Don't make me angry, toots!" He squinted his eyes "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry..." He hissed before his eyes shot open with large green pupils. The ancient prankster curled up before he began to grow in size, ripping out of both his shirt and the net containing him while his fur turned into a sickly green. He then revealed himself to be a large muscular monster, roaring as he beated on his chest "Monkey King angry! Monkey King smash!" He brought down his two large fists onto the stage, demolishing it into a pile of planks. The group was overwhelmed by this happening and hopped off of what was left of the stage.
The ensuing destruction startled the crowd and caused them to scream and run away in fright. The Monkey King stopped and looked around with his seemingly angry eyes until he turned to the wooden tower next to him. He hopped over to it and pulled it out, swinging it as a weapon towards the mares.
Twilight widened her eyes "Everypony run!" They wasted no time in retreating from the Monkey King's wrath, barely avoiding the tower being swung at them.
The Monkey King drew back his substitute weapon as he hyperventilated in anger, then dropped it as he poofed back into his regular form with a frown of mock sadness "Why does everything I swing at leave me?" He asked insincerely before shrugging "Oh well!" He did a spin before he was found in an old-fashioned hunter's outfit, complete with a pith hat. His staff transformed into a boomstick as he pointed and aimed with a devious grin "The hunt is on!"
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Twilight and company were back at the library, away from the Monkey King as they caught their breath; Pinkie had no trouble breathing, but chose to act like she was out of breath as well. Rainbow Dash grunted "Great...So now we ticked off the Monkey King and we ran off." She smirked confidently "What say we go back there and show him who's boss?"
"Are you out of your mind!?" Rarity scolded Rainbow Dash "Some of us nearly lost our loved ones back there!" She said as she held Sweetie Belle close.
Lyra frowned "Not to mention he's good at magic! It was hard enough to catch him, but now we have to avoid getting hurt by him!"
Twilight frowned "We'll have to consult with the princess if we're gonna stop this prank-loving monkey!"
"What's all this talk about the princess and a monkey?"
Twilight turned to the stairs to see her assistant Spike waddle down with a quizzical glance "Are you girls planning something?" He noticed Pinkie and examined her appearance with impressed eyes "Wow...Neat Pinkie puppet." Spike complimented curtly.
Fluttershy fidgeted her hooves "Umm...Spike? That is Pinkie..."
Spike frowned "Yeah, that's what I said!"
Pinkie spoke up "Nonono, she means it IS me, Spike! See?" She moved around to prove her point.
Spike stared with widened eyes before turning to Twilight with a raised eyebrow while pointing a claw at Pinkie "Did you do this?" He asked inquisitively.
Twilight shook her head "No way, Spike. This was the work of a magic monkey who shouldn't even deserve to be called a king!"
Spike stared "...A monkey king?"
Pinkie trotted up to Spike "Not A monkey king! THE Monkey King!"
Twilight shook her head at Pinkie's redundant correction "Spike, take a letter to the princess! We have to put a stop to this madness!"
A gunshot was heard, and Applejack's stetson was knocked off of her head. She leaned down to inspect a bullet hole on it, then joined the group in examining the front door having a hole as well. Applejack went pale "Ah think ya might wanna send that letter pretty quickly, Twilight..." She uttered in terror. Everypony in the room screamed and ducked when more bullets pierced through the front door.
When the firing stopped, Twilight hopped up on her hooves "Everypony hide! Quickly!" She hissed as the group separated through the library and found different places to hide.
The door was kicked open by the Monkey King, who gripped his boomstick as he tiptoed into the library and shifted his eyes. He stopped for a moment and shushed at a certain angle "Be vewy vewy quiet..." The Monkey King whispered to no one in particular as he grinned evilly "I'm hunting ponies..." He went further inside the library and searched for his quarry, aiming his boomstick as he went.
He went up the stairs and noticed a lump under the covers on Twilight's bed. The Monkey King giggled quietly as he leered at his target, inching over to it before he tossed the sheets and pointed his boomstick "Gotcha!" He blurted triumphantly until he noticed it was just a set of pillows lined up. The Monkey King drooped with an annoyed frown "I can't believe I fell for that one..." He muttered bitterly. Underneath the bed, Lyra desperately held a hoof over Fluttershy's mouth to keep her from squeaking in fright.
The Monkey King perked up "Of course! It's not what's ON the bed, but what's UNDER it!" Before he went to check under the bed, the sound of writing filled his ears. He stopped, then shifted his eyes down the stairs. His eyes squinted as he held a toothy grin "There you are..." The Monkey King whispered as he quietly went down the stairs.
End of Chapter 5