//------------------------------// // VI: Cupcake Factory (Part 1) // Story: Where in Equestria are we? // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Trixie and her group had returned to the Terminal again, mostly so they could hoof over the second key to the Gatekeeper and get on with the mission. They had returned to their natural forms, though their new friends were still in their humanoid forms. It must have been some strange magic of the Terminal that made that happen, Trixie reasoned. She eyed the opened gateway hanging behind the Gatekeeper and wondered where he was planning on sending them this time. "So this is your natural form Lass," Captain Jack said, looking at the white pony next to him, "I must say, I'm not surprised. If you'll excuse us, we need to patch some things up and make camp." Shining face-hoofed as the Captain and his crew left to go to some other area of the Terminal, leaving their ship behind in a large pool of water that appeared with it. "You have retrieved the second key, the Key of Deception," the Gatekeeper said, taking the key with his magic and placing it in a container that rested right behind him, "I will allow you to rest before I send you after the third key, the Key of Violence." "Why is it that all the keys are already in the hooves of ponies serving Oblivion?" Derpy asked, wishing she had a muffin and eating the one that appeared in front of her. "I wouldn't count your new allies are servants of the Dark Lord Oblivion," the Gatekeeper replied, which allowed Trixie to notice that the container held two keys and not one, "after all they helped you escape his forces and provided you with the very key he was searching for in the first place. Plus you managed to gain some allies in the process. Looks like a loss for him and a win for us." "I'd like to stick around and chat," Trixie suddenly said, inching over towards the opened gateway, "but I'd rather find that key and get this bloody nightmare over with. See you losers later." Before anypony, including the Gatekeeper, could stop her Trixie ran through the gateway and disappeared to the next world by herself. Captain Jack stared at the gateway and frowned at it, his mind lost in thought. "She'll ruin everything," Shining Armor exclaimed, stomping a hoof on the ground, "Are all ponies from the main world this difficult to deal with Commander?" "Some aren't too bad," Vinyl sighed, lifting up glasses up so she could pinch the bridge between her eyes, "but 'The Great and Powerful Trixie', as she calls herself sometimes, is one of the worst ponies of all. She doesn't understand the dangers that could be lurking in a world filled with complete violence. Nor can she expect the ruler of that world to be cooperative in the search for the key, unless he or she opposes Oblivion like we do." "Say Gatekeeper," Lyra said, munching on a cinnamon roll, "Whose supposed to be ruling the world that Trixie went to?" It was a fair question to ask since the Gatekeeper kept taps on each of the worlds and the people or ponies that inhabited that world. It also made sense that he'd keep taps so they knew who to find when they wanted to fight against Oblivion and his forces. "That is, unfortunately, all too easy for me," the Gatekeeper replied, setting down what appeared to be a cup of tea, "It is one Pinkamena Diane Pie, one of the most violent and evil ponies that you would have the misfortune to meet on her home world." "Pinkie Pie? Violent?" Derpy asked, "Sure she's got a split personality that only comes out while she's depressed and even that version of her isn't violent. She's the funniest pony I have ever met. Why would we have the misfortune of meeting her?" "Because it isn't the Pinkie Pie you know," Vinyl replied, the glasses nearly slipping off of her face, "This Pinkie is the Element of Violence, one of the Elements of Hate that serve Oblivion." Vinyl turned on the Gatekeeper, staring at the Alicorn stallion who was content to sipping his cup of tea at the moment and not return her stare. "What the BUCK is wrong with you?" Vinyl asked, nearly shouting her question at the Gatekeeper, "None of them are prepared for the horrors that we'll find and the monsters that we'll have to fight before we return with the key. This isn't a snatch and grab mission, this is a suicide run." "What are you talking about?" Shining Armor asked, trembling as his commander turned on him before calming down a little bit. "This Pinkie is a monster of battle," Vinyl answered, "A monster who beats her foes into a bloody mess before even asking if they're willing to give into the hate inside them, though she kills them swiftly if they're still refusing to change. The Gatekeeper isn't sending us into a world filled with criminals or a world filled with freezing mountains, he's sending us into a war zone." -World of Violence- Trixie couldn't believe her eyes; resting before her was a gigantic metal building with huge pipes that were blowing smoke into the air. She wasn't seeing smalls amounts like she had on her tour of Manehatten. No, this factory was expelling huge amounts of smoke that twisted into chocolate milk rain clouds. Those types of clouds meant only one thing; Discord was somewhere in this world. She calmly approached what she assumed was the front door of the factory, her eyes watching for any signs of the notorious prankster. The more distance she covered the more she worried that Discord was lurking behind some bush or tree, just waiting for her to pass him before he made his move. She heard a twig snap and she bolted for the factory door, but stopped when she saw the figure standing in front of it; the Hateful Pinkie Pie. The evil dragon-pony raised what looked like a warhammer and grinned before she was tackled to the ground by what looked like another Pinkie, except that this one was dressed in silver armor. Next to the silver Pinkie was a pegasus filly dressed up in identical armor, but Trixie immediately recognized the young filly. The filly was none other than Scootaloo, but what she was doing here was a mystery to Trixie. "I've had it with you coming here you big meanie," the silver armored Pinkie shouted, drawing what looked like a sword, "How many times must I tell you the same thing? Whatever you're searching for isn't in my factory." "Doesn't matter if the Key of Violence is in the factory or not," the Hateful Pinkie snapped back, "I am to corrupt those who haven't been turned to Oblivion and kill those who side with the Warriors of Harmony. And along the way I am to search for the key. Now, turn to your hatred and let it consume you." "Never you big bully," Silver Pinkie shouted, running at the hateful her and bashing her weapon into her knee. The Hateful Pinkie growled and swung her weapon, missing her other by a few inches. She advanced and the two locked weapons, sword meeting warhammer as their wielders fought for dominance. Hateful Pinkie noticed Scootaloo approaching from behind and swung her empty clawed hand at the filly, who ducked and kicked into her side. Hateful Pinkie buckled under the hit and her weapon faltered, which allowed Silver Pinkie to bash the base of her sword's handle into the face of her hateful self. Hateful Pinkie fell backwards a bit and raised her warhammer in time to block another bash to the face, but not quick enough to notice that Scootaloo was behind her again. Silver Pinkie faked backing and led the hateful her into a trap that resulted in Hateful Pinkie getting kicked in the back of her spine. This time the hateful her was ready for Scootaloo, grabbing her by the leg as she passed, but the distraction caused her to receive a cut directly to her right arm. Trixie watched the Hateful Pinkie fall to the ground, her warhammer cluttering to the ground not far from where she ended up laying. Silver Pinkie and Scootaloo stood over the defeated dragon mare and breathed deeply, their eyes never leaving the body before them. Hateful Pinkie wasn't dead, that much Trixie could tell, but neither of the mares would have her slain for some reason. "Hail traveler," Silver Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, which was so much like her own Pinkie Pie, "What brings you all the way out here to the Cupcake Factory?" Trixie had to be careful with her wording; if this Pinkie thought she was here to cause trouble and search for the same key that the Hateful Pinkie was after she might lump two and two together. "I'm here on a mission from the Warriors of Harmony," she answered, already cursing her word choice, "I'm here to locate the Key of Violence and return it to the Terminal before Oblivion's forces get a hold of it." "Aren't you supposed to be part of a team or something?" the Silver Pinkie asked, tilting her head to the side as if she was lost in thought, "And if so then where is the rest of your group?" "I went ahead of them," Trixie answered, "That was likely the stupidest thing I have ever done considering that the Element of Violence was here waiting for me to show up." "Well she's on the ground in defeat now," this worlds Pinkie replied, turning towards the factory doors with Scootaloo following close behind her, "Come on slow poke, let us show you around the factory and see if this key everypony is searching for is actually here." Trixie smiled and trotted after the two mares, excitedly passing them as they opened the doors to the Cupcake Factory, unaware of the danger she was in. Pinkie and Scootaloo smiled as their eyes changed to a deep red color before returning to their natural color as they followed Trixie into the factory. The Hateful Pinkie stirred for a second before a mist covered her and the small wounds quickly healed. Her body twisted and changed until Discord, the God of Chaos himself, stepped out of the mist and trapped it in a crystal orb. He smiled and began eating some popcorn, everything was going according to their plan to twist Trixie against the rest of her fellow warriors. And the best part was that she didn't even know that she was in danger yet.