//------------------------------// // 20: The Story // Story: Bring the Thunder // by Ze Guest //------------------------------// I had unofficially collected my head. Glisten. See? I can think clearly for the gli- the most part. And while I kind of have my head. I wondered why this didn't happen when Icarus died in real life. Rarity on the other hoof seemed a bit distressed. She kept rubbing her side, feeling the stitches and most likely was thankful the whole thing was over. I heard her say that she could still kind of feel the pain, other then that, she seemed almost too fit to keep going for someone who had just experienced being awake for eight hours and having their guts torn out by an amateur doctor. I told her about the time we all thought she was dead for a couple seconds but it turned out that she was alright. She just smiled and asked if that actually happened. I would keep an eye on Rarity every once in a while. Just to make sure she was alright. But I would also stay by Twilight as the ghost's request reverberated in my mind. I would look up and see Rainbow Dash doing flips and tricks saying she wasn't trying to impress anyone but she obviously was. Other then that, there wasn't much to do. Well... actually there is never anything to do except talk and follow Astheno. I was hoping this silly thing would end soon, but we still have to get two more elements. Hopefully, we'll get one today. The weather was overcast in a sheep deprived meadow when Pinkie Pie whined. "I wanna do something! Anything!" I rolled my eyes. "Why don't we play that road game again?" I suggested. "But we've played that game so many times! I know! Let's play Candy Land!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Who has it?" "Pinkie Pie, I don't think anyone brought that." Twilight said. "Yeah, and even if we did, I would not play it." I said. Neon, being confused as he always is about pop culture, said this, "Where is this Candy Land you're talking about? And more importantly, how can you bring it with you?" Pinkie Pie stopped dead in her tracks and very slowly, pivoted around to face Neon. "You- you don't know what...Candy Land is?!" "Oh yes. He was brought to life by a cult of magic natives and has been living in the woods his whole life, running from them. I'm sure he knows quite well what Candy Land is." I said sarcastically. In fact, so sarcastically it might have brought the great Discord to his knees. "It's okay! I'll go get it!" Pinkie Pie said. And Pinkie Pie ran away. "Hay! Where are you going!?" Rainbow Dash shouted. For about five seconds she was completely out of sight and she came back. "Hay Volt." "Uh-yeah...?" "Let's play a quick round! Please?" Pinkie begged. "I'm sorry, what?" Pinkie Pie put a brightly colored box on the ground and it said, Candy Land... should I even say more? I've already seen her defy the laws of physics and now, she can teleport. Of course, how could I have not figured that. "This-this sorcery," Neon said in awe. "It's-it's overwhelming!" Everyone else stared at the Candy Land box. If Pinkie Pie could do this, I wonder how many times this could have been useful. "Please Volt! I've never played this with you before!" Pinkie pleaded. I looked around at everybody. "Look, not now. Maybe later. Let's go." We started to leave when Pinkie Pie circled around the game box and sat down in front of it. I was lucky I looked back because if not we probably would have left her there. "What you doing?" I asked. "I'm not going anywhere until you sit down and play." Pinkie said stubbornly. "Are you kidding me right now?" I asked. Pinkie sat there in with her Candy Land box in front of her and not moving. "Volt," Twilight said with a hoof on her face. "Just play with her." "No way! With the attitude she has now. I don't think-" " Play with her!" everyone shouted at me in unison. Even Fluttershy shouted at me which was surprising. I reluctantly plopped myself down in front of Pinkie Pie as she happily opened the box. "What color do you want to be?" Pinkie Pie asked. "How about red? Like fire?" a voice echoed. A little flame came up out of the ground. "Or would that be orange? " The fire quickly grew and was soon scorching the grass of the meadow and was heading towards the woods we had just gotten out of. "Alright, what do we do know?" I asked watching the fire destroy the meadow. The fire was rising as well as the heat. Sweat rolled off my head. "Over here!" Twilight shouted. Everyone gathered around her and she made a purple force field around us. Except me. I banged on the shield. "Hay! What the hell Twi?! I shouted. She didn't move. In fact everything stopped moving, even the fire. I looked around for answers. Nothing, until someone came walking out of the motionless flames. Her blood red fur and, well, everything abut her made me realize who it was. "Hello Volt." Malice said. "Malice? What are you doing here?" I asked. Malice shook her head. "This doesn't look good at all. Being left to die. Burn to death. What a shame." I knew what she was doing. "I know what you're doing." I said. She smiled evilly. "Oh really? And what might that be?" "I've read too many books before I needed reading glasses. You're trying to make me hate my friends so we split up and you win. It's to obvious." I said. "Oh, no. That's not what I had in mind. That is a good idea, though. I want to tell you a story." she said. "Alright, hold it right there!" I said annoyed. "Why does it seem like everyone is after me?" Malice raised an eyebrow. "Explain." "Well, first, I'm struck by lightning, second, I have to watch as my friends are mentally and physically tortured, third, I have to do a favor for that ghost of yours, and now you're stopping time just to tell me a story." Malice looked only more confused. "Ghost? What ghost?" "He's referring to me." As if things couldn't get worse, the ghost showed up. "Speak of the devil." I said. "I know, right." the faceless ghost said. "Sorry about the fire by the way." "Wait," I said. "You did this?" The ghost nodded. "Just setting your friend up." he pointed to the motionless Fluttershy looking horrified at the fire destroying the meadow and the forest. "I'll be in the woods over there." I looked over at the wooded area we just came from. Why there? We already got out of there? Maybe Astheno might know more about this. "So, you're the one causing turbulence in their little quest?" Malice asked the ghost. "Hell yeah! And if it weren't for this guy- well..." he said with a foreleg around my shoulders. "What do you mean if it weren't for me?" "And you're the reason these guys are here in the first place?" the ghost said, completely disregarding my question as usual. "How did you guess?" Malice said. "So I guess this makes us enemies then." "I guess it does." the ghost said. "Well, I'll leave you two for now. No funny business, now." and, if you hadn't figured by now, he disappeared. "Now, this story of yours?" I asked. Malice smiled at me with her sharp teeth. "It's not all my fault you're here, you know." she said. I raised my eyebrow. She continued. "I grew up in an orphanage. Never adopted. And when-" Just like me. How? "Like me." I said. "Like you? Must be a coincidence. Anyway, Years later, when I left, Princess Celestia saw me and believed that I would one day be able to rule Equestria. I did what she told me and soon, she gave me the gift of flight and- well- partial immortality. Don't you find it odd that you are going on a deadly quest for a rather incompetent, maybe even corrupt ruler?" Malice said. I guess what she said did make sense. If Princess Celestia couldn't figure out that a name like Malice would, maybe, possibly, most likely, probably make her a complete psychopath, maybe she wasn't fit for her position. "So maybe Celestia is nowhere near a good ruler, but I don't think you would fit the bill either." I said. "Yes, while that might be so, doesn't this kind of put a damper on your whole quest? What if she wasn't specific enough? What if you're missing something? I certainly am not stopping you. I'm already in control of almost all Equestria. By the time you come back, what if I control the world? But you do what you want. Like I said, I'm not stopping you." What if she was right? I haven't seen the impact Malice has had on Equestria, but I've heard of it. Chances are, when we get back she will be the insane tyrant of the world. Even if we beat Malice, what if the world is destroyed beyond repair? "Well-" Before I could say anything, fire flashed in my face and nearly ignited me. Time in I thought. I turned to bang of the force field Twilight left me out of. "Hay! I'm kind of not in the mood for dying right now! Open up!" Twilight jerked her head and looked at me. She gasped and I had to roll in because the fire was closing in on me fast.... okay, not really, I just felt like rolling in. Problem? "So what do we do? Just wait it out? Because I think that will be long." Rainbow Dash said. "Why didn't I expect ya to say that?" Applejack said. Flutershy looked horrified as she watched the forest in the background burn to ashes. I remembered how the ghost said on how this was him burning the place down, setting up Fluttershy. "Hay Twilight?" Neon said. "Yeah?" she said. "Open this thing up. I can deal with this." Neon disappeared for a second and condensed into his water form. "Yeah! Let him go Twilight!" Fluttershy said. Twilight stood there for a moment. Thinking about it. "Be quick about it." she said. The force field opened a little bit and Neon slipped out. We sat around while Twilight looked for a spell to get rid of the fire. Though it did take a while. About, I'd say 45 minuets until she found something useful. "Alright, this might work. Hold on." She opened the force field up and her horn started to glow a light purple and magic sprang out. Soon, the fire started to warp and shrink. The vast fields of dead grass were- well, vast, and completely void of life. Astheno landed on Fluttershy's shoulder. Fluttershy smiled weakly at her but for the most part, she looked at the meadow and the woods. "You know where to go, Astheno. right?" I asked. Astheno flew up and started heading for the dilapidated woods.