//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: Giving Chaos 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 8


The Big Stinkin' City


The group, now with Wrath joining them, went back to the train station to depart for Manehattan, where they would find the next element and possibly the next homunculus. Greed scowled as he boarded the train, and Twilight followed him with curiousity "You know, Greed, I'd figure you would be more calm and collected about all of this, but you look ready to buck somepony senseless."

Greed cast a toothy smirk at Twilight as he chuckled dryly "You can read me like a book..." He looked out a window as the train was about to move "I just can't believe I'm actually caring more about my family since they're under Discord's control. We lucked out with getting Wrath back."

Twilight smiled "You can thank Pinkie Pie for that. But I'm sure we'll get everypony back without facing any roadblocks worse than what's presented to us."

Greed scoffed "I'm more worried about YOUR friends accepting MY family. That pansy Blueblood didn't think twice about giving Wrath another chance after Discord brought up his past as Fuhrer."

Twilight looked down and sighed to herself. She was still bothered about what Discord had shared, and could not imagine why he would do such a thing. Twilight approached Greed and nuzzled his cheek "Don't let him get to you. He may be a prince, but he doesn't know how good your family is."

"I can hear you, you know!"

Blueblood scowled at the two unicorns, only to be forcefully pushed away by Rarity "Leave them alone, you! They're sharing a moment as a couple!" She snapped as she pushed the ignorant prince away to give Twilight and Greed time to themselves.

Twilight silently thanked Rarity with a smile before turning back to Greed "As I was saying, I'm not going to let your past bother me since you've turned out to be the best stallion I've ever met. You and your siblings have done so much for us in the past, and it's best to assume that you've all turned a new leaf."

Greed grunted "And then this happens, botching up mine and everypony else's lives..."

Twilight frowned at Greed's excuse and huffed "It's not like you to whine, Greed. Is this whole thing bothering you that much?" Greed looked away with a sour expression, but Twilight could see that she was correct in her assumption. She felt that the avaricious pony was entirely penitent for releasing Discord despite his brash background. She held out her forelegs and hugged Greed, who didn't expect the embrace "Don't worry about it. We can do this..." She said as she nuzzled him with a comforting smile.

Greed wriggled in Twilight's grasp with another grunt until he smiled as well "Hey, cut it out, Twi. Save the sappy moments for later, will ya?"

Twilight broke the embrace and held a teasing smile "Always acting macho..."

Greed flashed a cocky grin "I don't see the problem!" While they stared, the train sped up, knocking off their balance as they tried to recover.

Shining Armor looked outside to see that they were flying again "Look sharp, everypony. Discord might be ready to throw something at us again!"

"Clever boy, clever boy! Can you guess what I'm going to 'throw' at you? I'll give you a hint: All of you are more fun than a barrel full of~..."

Discord's disembodied voice trailed off as it awaited an answer. Pinkie piped up "Laughs?" She asnwered obliviously.

"Mmmmm, close, but no cigar...Take a look."

Wrath looked outside with Shining Armor and noticed an approaching mass in the sky followed by the sound of angry chattering. Wrath was able to scope out both the noise and who it belonged to; He was perplexed upon further inspection of what was headed towards them "Flying monkeys?" He asked in a perplexed tone.

"Bingo. Have fun, everypony~!!"

Fluttershy perked up "Did he say flying monkeys?"

"Don't get any ideas, dear Fluttershy. These aren't the type of animals you can easily communicate with..."

The timid pegasus drooped her ears when she heard Discord's warning. Greed stood up and glanced out one of the open windows "That guy really knows how to piss me off!" He began to climb out of the window, only to be pulled back in by Twilight's magic "Hey! What gives?"

Twilight frowned "I know you've been in a lot of situations, Greed, but I can't let you go through with this again!" She looked sad "I've almost lost you last time..."

"Then leave it to me..."

Twilight and Greed turned to Wrath, who held a hardened stare in his eyes "It's about time I repay the debt I owe to Discord for what he's done to me..."

Shining Armor frowned "Then I'm coming with you." He grunted when he felt a migraine, bringing a hoof to his temple as he caressed his forehead.

Wrath turned to Shining Armor "I'm afraid you'll have to sit this one out, Mustang...I can take it from here."

Rainbow Dash trotted up to Wrath "Hey, Wrath! Can I come? I kinda want to see you in action while I kick some monkey butt myself." She said with a confident smile.

Fluttershy whimpered "We actually have to hurt them?"

Wrath gave Fluttershy a regretful stare "We've no other option, Fluttershy. They're nothing more than an obstacle to our goals..."

Blueblood flailed his legs "If we've all reached an agreement to handle this problem, some filthy winged apes are headed this way!" He complained with fear in his voice.

Wrath turned to Rainbow Dash with a nod, and the two pegasi flew out one of the opened windows. While they flew out, Pinkie thought to herself until she spoke up "Oooooooh~!! I get it! A barrel of monkeys IS fu-Waaagh!" She was interrupted when one of the monkeys collided with the train.

Outside of the train, Rainbow Dash and Wrath flew upward to see the flying monkeys soar towards them while chattering loudly in a primal fashion. Wrath leered as they came close and prepared his wings to fly in and fend off any oncoming attackers. He swooped down when one of them went to strike at him and he flew upward as his wings sliced into the monkey's skin, the winged primate screeching in pain. More of them began to converge around the furious pony, but he simply maneuvered around them while inflicting pain towards each one that came near him.

Rainbow Dash punched one of the monkeys away, and then noticed how they gathered in on Wrath. She was stunned at Wrath's battle prowess after he was beaten in Ponyville 'Seriously...For an old-timer, he's pretty awesome!' She got hit by an approaching monkey and recovered with a glare "Okay, you damn dirty ape, bring it!" She said as she dove in and knocked the monkey away. She performed a series of attacks she remembered as a black belt in karate, defending herself from flying monkeys at different angles. She then looked ahead to see the train moving away "Oh, crud!!" She called out to Wrath "Wrath! The train! We gotta catch up with everypony, or we'll be left behind!"

Wrath noticed and cut his offensive flight pattern short to fly after the train. Rainbow Dash distanced herself from her opponents and followed suit. They both reached the train's caboose, but were starting to feel fatigue the moment they landed. Wrath looked back at the remaining monkeys headed towards them "I suppose this calls for a change in strategy..."

Rainbow Dash frowned "You mean we have to fight them on the train? Lame..."

Wrath shifted his glance towards Rainbow Dash "You realize we're running out of options. We were lucky to take out so many in the air in our current condition." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Rainbow Dash went to present a rebuttal, only to feel more fatigue on her wings. She sighed "Fine, we'll do it your way." The cyan pegasus reared onto her hindlegs and took a stance as she balanced herself on the train. Wrath flared his wings as they made a swordlike sound, ready to use them as weapons. Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes as the battalion of monkeys flew towards them 'I'm coming for you, Envy...Just wait for me, alright?'
_____

Back in the train, Blueblood was in the process of mending Shining Armor's pain while he was sitting down. The ignorant prince frowned to himself while healing Shining Armor 'How droll...I'm a prince that has been reduced to a medic in one night...'

Fluttershy whimpered to herself as she sat on a seat, with Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Spike comforting her "We're very sorry about this, Fluttershy, but you heard Wrath. It cannot be helped." Rarity said with a frown.

Spike chimed in "Yeah. I mean, those monkeys could've been created by Discord's magic and might not be real animals."

Applejack nodded "Spike's got a point, sugarcube. T'ain't nothin' we can do about a band o' flyin' monkeys tryin' t' slow us down."

Fluttershy shook her head "But what if they're actual monkeys under Discord's control?"

Pinkie smiled "Well, we don't know that yet, and I don't think those monkeys are real. Spike could be right about this!"

Fluttershy looked down "I hope so..."

Greed and Twilight watched their friends comfort Fluttershy, and the former sighed "There's just no getting to her about this thing, is there?"

Twilight frowned at Greed "She's very caring about animals. If those monkeys are actually real, she would be devastated."

Greed stared at Fluttershy mourning before shaking his head "She really IS the Element of Kindness..."

Twilight smiled "And here I thought you knew that already." She frowned again "Who do you think we might meet in Manehattan?" Twilight asked curiously.

Greed looked out a window "No clue. We have to be ready for anything, though..." He noticed a monkey falling from the window, screeching while its wings were mangled. Greed grinned "Heh...Looks like Wrath and Rainbow are holding their own. I'm almost tempted to go back up there!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes "Do you always have to throw yourself in the middle of a fight?"

Greed shrugged "Wouldn't be fun if I didn't. Besides, they could use some extra help if things get tough."

"I heard that!"

Greed looked out a window to see Rainbow Dash hanging upside down with narrowed eyes, though she was smiling "Clearly you don't know how awesome I am, Greed!" She quipped as she pointed a hoof.

The avaricious pony stared before smirking "Done already? I'm impressed."

Rainbow Dash climbed into the train with Wrath following behind; the latter brushed himself off when he stood on the floor "It was a small feat, since we took out many of them in the air." He stated nonchalantly.

Greed nodded "Cool. So I guess it's smooth sailing from here then."

Rainbow Dash looked over to see Fluttershy looking depressed and frowned "Wow, she's worked up over this..." She turned to Twilight, Greed, and Wrath "I'm gonna go take care of Fluttershy. I'll be sure to cheer her up once the train stops."

Twilight nodded "Good idea. We're all gonna have to be ready once we reach Manehattan." When Rainbow Dash left to tend to Fluttershy, she noticed Blueblood trot up to her "Hello, Blueblood. Is my brother doing okay?" She asked.

Blueblood scoffed "It's PRINCE Blueblood." He then sighed dejectedly, knowing that his status did not matter in a world of chaos "As for Captain Shining Armor, he'll need some time to recover. I was only able to mend his wounds from the magical backlash he suffered in his previous conflict." He said in a serious tone.

Wrath frowned "I believe I should apologize to Mustang. If you all will excuse me..." He trotted away, leaving the three unicorns by themselves.

Greed chuckled "Twi, if your brother wasn't married, I'd say that Wrath has it out for him..."

Twilight smiled "Well, my brother IS a captain of the Royal Guard. I don't see why Wrath wouldn't respect him for it."

Blueblood frowned "And yet he has more experience and a horrid reputation in his time..."

Greed scowled at Blueblood "Your's could be better, pansy."

"Stop calling me a pansy!" Blueblood snapped.

Twilight got between the two stallions "Both of you stop it! We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves when we have work to do!" The train began to slow down, earning the attention of everypony on board. Twilight looked around "I think we've reached our destination."

Greed huffed "Better get on out there once this train stops..."

As the train finally landed, Discord's disembodied voice was heard once again as the group made their way out of the train.

"Attention, passengers! You're now in the city of lights! Or should I say 'darkness'?"

When Twilight stepped outside of the train, she gasped as she looked around to see that Manehattan was turned into a hexed dystopia covered in a pitch black sky; The buildings were clustered with others to form different shapes and there were doors labeled with numbers.

Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her friends as she shivered "No...Please, no..." She mewled feebly.

Rainbow Dash looked around "This place is darker than night! How are we gonna find the element in here?"

"This is where the game gets interesting. If everypony will please look ahead, you'll find a box resting on a pedestal."

The group did as commanded to see a box with an open hole on the top sitting on a pedestal.

"Each of you will draw a number and find the door that matches said number. One room contains the element, and the rest contain a special surprise for each of you. How you overcome this challenge depends on your conviction. Good luck~!"

Twilight frowned, but looked determined "Let's move, everypony. We have to hurry and find the element we're looking for!" She said as she trotted towards the box, with the rest of the group following after. Twilight went first to draw a number from the box as she lit up her horn and sifted between the boxes contents.

"Remember, everypony: Once a number is drawn, you're to stick with it to the end; No trades, no takebacks, and no excuses."

Twilight silently acknowledged Discord's rules as she brought up a small ball containing the number '3' "Okay, so I'm looking for a door with the number three." She stepped aside to make room for the others as she looked at them "Everypony else ready?"

Rainbow Dash smirked "I'm game." She glided towards the box and dug a hoof inside of it, deciding which ball to pick up. When she found one, she brought it up to see that it was the number '0', causing her to frown.

"What? Zero IS better than one, isn't it?"

The cyan pegasus scoffed "Maybe if I thought like you..." She muttered to Discord's voice as she stepped aside.

Greed was next as he trotted forward and lit up his horn, trying to find a good number. When he pulled his out, Greed's ball contained the number '8' "Eight, huh? Good enough." He trotted towards Twilight and waited for the others to draw their number.

Applejack approached the box and glanced at it hesitantly before dropping a hoof inside of the hole. After sifting through the numbers, she pulled out a ball with the number '11' "Alrighty then..."

Rarity approached the box, and was more quick in pulling out a number as she lit up her horn and pulled out the next ball; the number was '13'

"Oh my~...Looks like somepony's in for a surprise~!"

The fashionista shivered as she stared at her number; Even she knew that the dreaded number thirteen had its history as the 'unlucky' number "Oh dear...Here's hoping things don't end up too gruesome for me..."

Blueblood trotted up "I-I wish to go next. Who knows what might happen if I end up with something worse."

Rarity rolled her eyes and moved aside for Blueblood to approach the box. He lit up his horn and closed his eyes 'Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeease let it be good...' When he lifted a ball out of the box, a scream was heard, causing him to open his eyes and look around "Huh!? What's going on? Are we under attack?" He said as he went to duck.

"The unlucky number! It's working it's magic!" Rarity wailed as she pointed at Blueblood's ball. The ignorant prince widened his eyes to see that he had the same exact number as Rarity "Th-...This isn't right!"

"Consider it a mercy rule. You'll thank me for this later..."

Rarity glared up at the pitch black sky "Discord, when I get my hooves on you, I'll-"

"Blah blah strangle me blah blah rue the day blah blah let somepony else pick a number..."

Rarity gritted her teeth as she kept silent, then looked away in a pout. Blueblood cautiously shimmied next to Rarity knowing that he may end up having to follow her around in the city.

Wrath nodded "I shall go next..." He trotted up to the box and pulled out a ball with his hoof. He noticed he had the number '42' "I see...So I'm to find number forty-two then?"

Shining Armor approached the box and lit up his horn, pulling out a ball with the number '6'. He studied the number before he nodded to the rest of the group.

Pinkie hopped up with a smile "Me next!" She stuck a hoof inside the box "Alrighty, lucky number, come to Aunty Pinkie Pie~..." Pinkie uttered in a predatorial tone as she pulled out a ball; The number was '69', causing her to stare blankly before snickering loudly, putting a free hoof over her muzzle.

Fluttershy trotted up to the box and gently stuck a hoof inside. Deciding to go with the first ball she touched, she pulled it out to see that it contained the number '25' "Um...I have my number now..." She said as she looked over at Spike "Are you ready, Spike?"

Spike nodded "Yeah, let's do this." He said as he waddled up to the box and climbed up the pedestal so he could reach a claw into it. When he pulled out the ball, it had the number '7'. Spike grinned to himself "Well, what do you know? Lucky number seven!"

Rarity moaned "Oh, Spike, if only it were possible to switch numbers." She said with a despondent frown.

Spike frowned "You'd know I'd do it in a heartbeat for you..." He said with infatuation laced in his tone.

"Okay, seeing that everypony has their number, I believe it's time for you all to find your designated buildings containing your numbers. Once you've bested what lies behind your door, you're free to come back out and help whoever's struggling in their challenge."

Greed looked up in the sky with a smirk "That's mighty nice of you. Didn't expect this much of a handicap in this challenge..."

"What can I say? I'm a melting pot of friendship! Now, off you go~..."

Twilight turned to her friends "I guess this is where we separate for now. Good luck with your challenges, everypony."

Greed nodded "Everypony stay alive and kicking now matter how hard the challenge! Let's do this!" The group then separated into the city, trying to find the building that matched their drawn numbers.


End of Chapter 8