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// Chapter 7: Mannequin Mayhem 
// Story: Equestria Quest 
// by Iwano Imagination 
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When I was in the Wizardry world—the world of Harry Potter—I was chasing my broom, which was being enchanted by the ghost of Albus Dumbledore as a part of my test in that world of how worthy I was. That story was just like this, except this wasn't a test at all.
The flying cape above us was cobalt blue with a hood, an embroidered Poké Ball on the center (what?), rainbow-colored rims and two holes, which I guessed was for wings to pop out. It was moving above us like a vulture circling around a dead animal.
“Okay, now that is weird,” I said. “Why would there be a flying cape?” 
Pinkie Pie was following it with her head turning like an owl continuously until it reached its limit and spins her head from the start, except she was a bit more “reflexive”.  Coming from a distance, we heard a panting sound of an exhausted pony. The pony came towards us and it was Rarity. She was sweating and her mane was smudged with mud. We were all in shock of her appearance—dirty and non-Rarity-like at all.
“What happened to ya?” Applejack asked. “Why all dirty and unlike ya?”
She was catching her breath. “I am fine, except I was chasing that annoying cape for an hour now and I’m now all filthy and tired!” she said all of that in her usual trans-Atlantic dialect, although she didn't use any complex and sophisticated words—in front of me yet. I wanted to talk sophisticated and complex right now.
“I’ll let myself actuate into this right now!” I said as I flew to the sky to catch that cape. When I closed into it into my grasp—my mouth—it veered away from me to the left. I veered as well, but it kept dodging me. It was fast and quick. It started waving its corners into me. Was it mocking me? I then tried to tackle it into a tree, but I ended up crashing into it and apples rained down on my head, covering me in piles. I dug out of the apples, fuming in annoyance. The cape was then wiggling from above while I scowled.
Okay, I was getting sick of it already!
My temper rose immediately and filled me with irritability from that teasing-and-mocking cape. In Reality, I hated those who would go away from me, especially when they’re trying to make a fool out of me! Yup, I was angry.
The cape saw my expression and it said something like: Okay, what about another game, friend? What about hide-and-seek? And then it ran—or flew—away from me again.
“You will not abscond from me, you fuss-of-a-flight cape!” I snarled. I then zoomed right after it. We were like Tom & Jerry, except we’re more like in our own show, Alicorn & Capey. The cape was trying to lead me to trees for me to crash again while veering impressively, but I’m smarter than that. “I am not going to be fooled by that trick!”
While chasing the cobalt blue cape, Twilight asked Rarity, “Rarity, tell me what’s going on?”
“I was waiting for Iwano to come back to the boutique after he gives gems to everypony in Ponyville,” Rarity began to explain while Pinkie Pie got another pack of popcorn (seriously, where did she get those?). “I was just planning a new design when the cape suddenly come to life and started flying out of my window. I was desperately finding it all over Ponyville. There was a part when it led me to a mud puddle near Sweet Apple Acres! Oh, my mane’s now all filthy!” She tried to rub the mud out but was still stained on her mane. “I was actually then chasing the cape around Sweet Apple Acres in circles for an hour. It now led me here!” She was more exhausted in explaining than doing physical fitness around the acre. 
That reminded me. I made a quick glance at my watch before I dodge a trees branch by lowering down.
“Did you use some sorta magic again like ya made all of the ponies in Ponyville go cuckoo?” Applejack asked, though Rarity took it as an insult.
“Why, no, Applejack,” she replied to her sarcastically. “I was just using my magic to sew a new hat for you just in case it get shredded by the cape.”
“Are you insulting me?” Applejack demanded.
“You were—” Their uprising argument was interrupted when the cape swoop Rarity of the ground, making her scream in terror in the open sky. I imagined the theme song A Whole New World to Rarity’s ride which was kind of funny, but I was still mad chasing that dumb cape! Now I had to both save Rarity and chase the cape. 
“How was that cape able to come to life without Rarity even knowing that spell?” Twilight asked herself as she scratched her mane, though she wanted to help but couldn't help herself from thinking.
“I don’t know about ya, Twilight,” Applejack said clearly as she twirls a lasso with her mouth. “But I’m helpin’!” 
I wasn't sure if Applejack was about to lasso Rarity or the cape, but either can help. She fixed and focused her eyes on the flying duo—Rarity or cape? She breathes to gather focus, examined her trajectory and she tossed the twirling rope…at the cape! The cape was tied tight. Rarity was then about to fall down with a scream. With no hesitation, I swooped down to save Rarity on my hooves just in time before her rear can touch the ground. I then settled in midair watching Applejack tying the troubling piece of cloth like it was a rodeo. 
“Way the go, you two! Yipee!” Pinkie Pie cheered and bounced in joy. Twilight, snapped out of her questions, was glad that her friend was safe. I wanted to say something to this princess.
When we gathered around, Applejack was done rolling the cape and tying it up nearby an apple tree’s branch. 
We began our conversation with me glaring at Twilight.
“What are you looking at me like that?” she asked me as if she didn't know I was feeling. And she shuddered.
“May I remind you that you’re an alicorn, Twilight Sparkle? You could had either used your exceptional magic or fly to catch that cape for me.”
She cleared her throat as if she’s about to give a speech. “First, I am still not accustomed to my wings yet; second, I was actually testing you since you said that you’re a powerfull and skillful king in your land; and third, you didn't ask me to help you, if you don’t even remember.” 
I winced. She was right—all right. I was reckless of my actions and just let my irritation of the cape took over me. I shook. “But you’re supposed to be a good princess to—” 
“Enough!” Applejack chided. “What’s more important is that this whole thing has been all tied up.” She winked at me. I guess she’s trying to be a humorous since I already apologized. I blushed. 
“I guess you’re right, Applejack,” I agreed to her. “At least this was just a minor mishap.”
We suddenly heard another panting. And this time, it was from a small dragon. Spike came running to us, all sweaty and tired. 
“I got… to say… something…” he said while trying to take a breath.
“That I was too fast for you to follow?” I asked.
“No,” Spike replied as he breathes deeply and calmed down… from what? And then he started to panic “You all have to come to Ponyville—pronto!” We all exchanged looks of worry and followed Spike to Ponyville. I got the rolled up cape all tied up with Applejack’s rope inside my saddlebag. I wondered how much stuff my bag could store. I meant, the cape fit with all my notebooks and writing materials. Nah, that doesn't matter!

At least I eating the whole orchard’s apples wasn't the weirdest thing to me anymore—pony mannequins were.
We were by the entrance of Ponyville when we stopped to see this. We stared in both horror and astonishment of pony mannequins moving—all alive—and galloping all over Ponyville, wreaking havoc to the ponies and their cottages. There were some who were chasing ponies, some stealing and wearing the clothes of other ponies—I saw a mannequin with a Wonderbolts uniform—and destroying property. Ponies were panicking. Some tried to defend themselves even in numbers, but the mannequins were smart because they worked together like a team in taking down a pony. Ponies locking their cottages on time or in advance couldn't hold the dummies’ strength in kicking down their doors. 
“What in the name of Luna is going on here?!” I was the first one to say something from my horror. 
Twilight gave me a stern look. “Did you’re magic worked a little too well back in the orchard that it also sends a shockwave here in Ponyville?”
I was a bit confused, and then I shook. “There’s no time to argue, Twilight,” I told her as I turned to face the situation. “We have to—oh my Glob…” I saw a mannequin wearing Rarity’s Scarlet Steak Bloom dress.
Rarity followed my gaze and instantly became distressed as she stood up with her hooves on her head. “Not my latest creation!!!” She trotted out to her rose dress when I was about to stop her.
“Spike,” I snapped. “Give me a summary—now!” 
Spike hesitated. “I-I was looking for you everywhere in Ponyville for an hour. When I passed by the Carousel Boutique for Rarity, she’s not there. But what I found instead inside when I came in were pony mannequins coming to life. And before I knew it, they started wreaking Ponyville of their homes and clothes.”
“We got to take action,” Twilight said. “Maybe I have a spell that can stop these mannequins into themselves again.” She looked around fast. She saw a mannequin crushing a mailbox. She trotted towards the mannequin, concentrated for a minute and quickly zapped the dummy with a beam from her horn—the aura was light brilliant raspberry. The mannequin shook for a second and froze. Twilight smiled in success. She turned to me with an expression that I liked: Let’s do this together. After that, she galloped away and began freezing other dummies in her surroundings.
I smiled. That was the way I liked it. “Spike, help Rarity in catching her rose dress,” I said to him as he was biting his nails in panic.
“What about you, Iwano?” he asked.
“I’m gonna go ‘zappy’—”
“Iwano, Iwano, Iwano!” Pinkie Pie called out for me. “What can I do?”
“You and Applejack have to knock out any mannequin from wreaking anymore havoc.”
“You can count on us!” Applejack said. “Yeehaw! Let’s go buck up us some dummies!” 
“Roger, commander Iwano!” Pinkie Pie said as she wore a soldier camouflage helmet—where did she get that?!
Spike nodded in understanding and went off to help his pony. Applejack and Pinkie Pie—hopping happily yet fast— followed as I said. I was the only one left. Ordering them around made me feel a little bit of a leader in this world like what I was in IW—it felt great! I closed my eyes and concentrated on what Twilight did—using my powers to copycat. After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and my eyes glowed golden yellow again. Even if I felt that this was a mode, it felt like it was just magic. I guessed Equestria was mostly all about magic and stuff like that.
I started looking for a mannequin with my eyes glowing in power. I saw one chasing Mayor Mare by my north-west. I lunged forward, thrust my horn on the mannequin’s location and zapped it. It froze back to normal. Mayor Mare stopped running, took a look at the mannequin and sighed in relief as she waved to my in thanks, though she was frightened of my eyes. But I just waved back and went on.
Next, I saw two mannequins playing by a fountain like little infants on my east. Were they trying to cool off from all the horrid making? I thrust my horn at them, zapped, and they froze back to normal, floating on the water. 
I then ran to every street in Ponyville to find any kind of mannequin wreaking havoc. I zapped a mannequin who was wearing Vinyl’s glasses. I froze the dummy and took the glasses, but there was no sign of Vinyl looking for this, so I stored it in my saddlebag to give it to her if I had a chance.
Rarity was holding on to the rose dressed dummy like Applejack in a rodeo contest, but with annoyance rather than fun. Her grip was very tight on the neck and she gritted her teeth in exasperation. “You are not going to trot away with my masterpiece of roses!” Spike was doing his best to corner the rose mannequin. I zapped a little of speed on the little dragon. He instantly had gotten faster—zipping and swift—in cornering, making the mannequin nowhere to run. 
“Whoever turned me faster, I like it!” Spike thanked, but I that spell would wear off when this situation was over. 
Rarity was sweating again from her unofficial rodeo contest. She gritted her teeth even harder. “That’s it!” She raised a hoof and karate-chopped the mannequin by its head repeatedly, causing it to crack. Her chopping was so fast that I thought she had a triangular hoof. The mannequin slowly crumbled and a dust cloud covered their scene, making Spike cough a bit. The scene cleared and the mannequin was completely disintegrated into dust and Rarity got her rose dress on her back. “Never abscond from me again!” She tenderly said to her dress as she rubbed it. I swear to Luna that I would never try stealing any of Rarity’s dresses. I didn't want my skull turned to dust. I guessed her anger must have boosted her strength.
Applejack was doing well. She was knocking off dummies with tackles and rams, especially with her applebucking kicks that could even send one flying, that were terrorizing the citizens of Ponyville. Pinkie Pie was sort of helping by distracting mannequins by dancing the can-can in front of them from terrorizing anymore ponies—she was even wearing eye-popping glasses, a tuba (seriously with the tuba?!) and fifteen balloons tied on her tail. When a dummy was about to hurt a pony, Pinkie Pie just steps in and do some random dance like the robot, can-can and break dancing—she could break dance? Glob, she was random! 
Twilight was galloping her way in the streets, blasting mannequins nonstop like a gatling gun. Even if she was doing a great job at it, she was now beaded with sweat on her face. I wondered how long this was already. I took a look at my watch—it was 1:40 PM. I got to end this fast.
I flew high up in the sky to get a full view of Ponyville. It wasn't a bit pretty. The houses’ and stores’ windows and doors were all shattered and broken, respectively. Pegasi were swooping ponies to the top of any cottage roof for safety. At least they were helping. Speaking of pegasi, I wondered where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were. Rainbow Dash could really help since she was really fast to bring ponies to safety and could fight these dummies with Applejack, but I doubted Fluttershy would help due to her timidity. But that was fine by me—she was herself, after all. Some ponies were defending themselves well like Applejack. Unicorns were using some magic to defend as well like shielding or levitating stuff. But those ponies were just a few. 
I was in midair motionless for a while. I closed my eyes again and used my imagination—shockwave for normalcy all over Ponyville. I then glowed with an aura of golden yellow around me. While I was at it, I glowed brighter and brighter every minute that the mannequin swarm were all looking at me, though they didn't have any eyes.
Twilight was in the middle of zapping when she realized what was happening to me above. She looked at me with her hoof covering half her face from my brightness. “What in the worldwide of Equestria is he doing now?” she asked herself. I span my wings wide and glowed even brighter that the citizen’s of Ponyville were blinded, even the mannequins. Multiple beams shot out of my horn into every mannequin in Ponyville, even the ones hiding from sight.
“What are you, Iwano?” Twilight asked softly in amazement. She was now very curious of my magic and identity. “I want to know you more.” 
After a few minutes later, all the mannequins have been frozen. But I was not done yet. I raised my hooves up and again caused a golden yellow shockwave. As the wave passes, all the mannequins disappeared, everything damaged was instantly repaired and the stolen clothes were returned.
Everypony in Ponyville cheered for the mannequin chaos was over.
Below me, I heard Rarity screaming. I looked down—my eyes back to normal—and saw her chasing a mannequin who has her rose dress on its head. I thought I missed one. I swooped down and snatched the rose dress away with me in midair. I quickly blasted the mannequin back to it lifeless.
I slowly went down with the rose dress on my hoof and walked towards Rarity. “Here’s your dress back.”
“Oh, thank you, Iwano! Thank you!” she thanked me as she took the rose dress and hugged it. It made me all fuzzy inside to see her happy, but it was the right thing for something good like that. “You are the most splendid and most talented pony ever!” 
I just smiled with happiness. I helping her find gems, amaze her with my magic in front of her for the first time, donating and giving gems, stopping a dummy chaos and recovering her dress made me really happy and worth being here in Equestria. I closed my eyes and think of happy thoughts. 
Suddenly, I got smacked in the cheeks with a kiss. I opened my eyes and gasped. I frantically looked around with my heart pounding and me panting.
“Who in the name of Luna kissed me?” I asked the ponies around me. Coming towards us were Twilight, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, all agape (I was getting tired of these girls doing that). I looked at Spike and he was agape as well and eyes widened.
“Spike, is there something wrong?” I asked the paralyzed dragon. I blew him and he fell with a thuk sound like a wood. “Is there another mannequin I have to blast?” I looked around frantically again.
Rarity chuckled. “There’s no more mannequins trotting around anymore, Iwano,” she confirmed. “Well, the pony who kissed you was the creator of your ravishing cape and the sophisticated rose dress.” She winked at me.
Faint Mode: activate.