//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 (unedited) 
// Story: How I Met Them 
// by The Infinity Doctor 
//------------------------------//

"Jonas? Are you here?" Twilight asked as she entered the house

She noticed the door Jonas and Feedback had passed through earlier

"Odd, that wasn't there before..."

Her curiousity got the better of her and she went through the doorway, minutes later she bolted out of the house and down the street shouting "Spike!"

Incidentally leaving both of the doors open

X X X X X X X 

"I'm not going in there" Berry Pinch said
"Aw come on, who knows what could be in there" Rumble said
"It could be dangerous" Dinky pointed out
"Look, there's another door right there, and it looks like it goes outside- so if anything happens, we've got an escape, okay?"
"I still don't know..."
"Well I'm going in, you two can hang out here if you want" Rumble said

The two fillies looked at each other with uncertainty

"Um, I think I hear momma calling for me" Dinky said, walking away from the house
"I need to think about this" Berry Pinch mumbled, sitting outside the door

(Jonas P.O.V)

I walked out of the house and saw a magenta filly sitting outside
"Hey" I said
She looked up at me with a look of terror on her face

"So what's your name?"
"B-Berry P-Pinch"
"Nice to meet you Ms. Pinch, what are you doing just sitting there?"
"IWaswaitingformyfriendRumbletocomeoutpleasedon'te atme!"
"Wait, he went in here? He didn't go through that door did he?" I asked pointing inside

She gave a slight nod

"*Sigh* Well, we'd better go get him, and by the way, I have a rule against eating sentient creatures"
"D-Do I really need to come with you?"
"I don't know what he looks like, so I'm going to need your help" I walked back into the house, opened the door and motioned for her to pass through

'I really need to put a lock on this door' 

Berry Pinch couldn't believe her eyes, her young mind could just barely comprehend what she was seeing, it seemed almost an entire world was crammed into this itty-bitty doorway, so many strange creatures- some tall, others were short- some looked like and were ponies, but others were just so- so- otherworldy

"Where are we?" Pinch asked
"That depends on what they decide to call this place" I said
"Oh, so where do you think Rumble is?"
"I don't know, he couldn't have gotten too far"

We walked through the small city, enjoying the antics of the citizens; I pulled Pinch into a soda shop and she sat down at the counter

"You stay here, I should be able to find Rumble- I'll be back in a few minutes" I said as I left

Pinch sat on her stool, waiting for him to return

"Can I get you something, hon?" A mare behind the counter asked
"Um, I don't have any bits"
"You want some water? It's free"
"Uh, sure..."

The mare disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water

"Thank you"

She quickly gulped it down and was staring at the bottom of her glass until she noticed somepony sit next to her, she turned and came face to face with another filly- but that wasn't the weirdest part, she didn't quite look like a normal pony, she had hooves and claws poking out of her front, her eyes were all black, her coat was striped black and yellow and didn't have a tail, a little lower than where her tail would've been, she had a stinger

"Who are you?" She asked
"B-Berry P-Pinch"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Buzzer"
"Hi"
"So are you new here?"
"No, I'm just waiting for somepony"
"Oh, so what's your favorite color?"
"What?"
"Dad says that to make friends you have to find out stuff about them"
"Green"
"Really? Mine is orange"
"Hey Buzzy, the usual?" The mare asked
"Uh-huh, thanks"
"Um, Buzzer-"
"Please, call me Buzzy, everyone does"
"Fine, but only if you call me Pinch"

"Hey Pinch, I see you made a friend" I said, walking into the shop with Rumble right behind

The filly and the bee-pony were sitting at a booth drawing with some paper and crayons

"Yup, we've been having a lot of fun!"
"Well I hate to ruin the moment, but I found Rumble, and your mother's probably wondering Where you are"
"Awww, do we have to go now?"
"I'm afraid so, yes"
Pinch frowned
"But I'm sure you two could plan a day to see each other again"
The both of them perked up and talked to one another

"...should ask my mom, but do you think you could come over to my house?" Pinch said
"That'd be great! Saturday then?"
"Saturday"
"'Kay, bye!"
"Bye!"

The three of us left the soda shop and we were soon back in my house with the two foals walking out my front door

"If you want to come and visit, just ask next time" I said as they walked away
I was about to close the door when I Twilight and the other Elements came into view

"Hey girls, what's up?"

They looked at each other

"What?"
"Twilight told us what's behind there" Dash said, pointing behind me to the door
"I believe she was hinting at wanting to look for ourselves" Rarity said
"*Sigh*, Fine- follow me" I said, leading them

X X X X X X X 

"I must say, this town is...peculiar to say the least" Rarity said as she and the others looked up, jaws agape at the ponies and non-ponies milling about
"Did you- do all of this?" Twilight asked
"In a sense" I replied "I gave them the tools necessary, they did the rest on their own" I added in a whisper
"Why are you whispering? And what do you mean 'tools'?"
"Well they can make buildings and anything else they need, and it can be erased with 'Dip'"
"What the hay is DIP?" Dash shouted

Everyone in the town scrambled to get back to their homes, soon it was only Jonas and the Elements in the square

"What did I say?"
I face palmed

"Dash, the ponies here aren't like the ones outside my house, they can be erased by DIP just like the environment; naturally they're scared of it"

"What? Why not just make them normal ponies?"
"They are normal"
"Wait a minute, are Toxic, Red Gala, Jack, and the others aren't resistant to this stuff, are they?"
"Actually they are, but it took alot of work"
"So what exactly makes it so dangerous?"
"Follow me"

We entered a warehouse filled with large oil drums, I went to one of the canisters and tore the lid off

"Oh goodness, what is that acrid smell?" Rarity said, covering her muzzle
"This would be DIP" I said "Now watch this"

I stuck my hand in the green-yellow liquid and brought it back out

"So?"

I picked up a mallet off the ground

"Now observe"

I dunked the handle of the mallet into the drum and a soft sizzling sound was heard as vapor rose out of it I pulled it back out and showed it to them

"How does that work?"
"This mallet was made of ink and paint, much like almost everyone and everything here; if this was to be applied excessively..." I shuddered "I don't want to think about it, which is why I keep it here under lock and key"

"Are you saying this liquid is lethal?"
"Not to you, but yes"
"Then why did you make it?"
"They needed someway to modify the land to how they see fit, if used carefully, this allows them to do that"
"Do you mind if I take a sample of this?" Twilight asked
"Sure, but just be careful with it until you leave here"

She nodded as she took a vial out of her saddlebags and took a sample of DIP
"That should be enough"

"Alright, well this has been fun, but I think it's almost time for lunch and I'd really appreciate it if we could go now"
"Well would you look at that, you're right" Applejack said "I suppose you're right, I have to get back to the farm anyhow"
"I suppose I'd better be getting back to the boutique"
"Well if all of you are going home, I could send you there from here"
"How?"
I snapped my fingers and they all went to their respective homes

(Canterlot)

Princess Luna walked down the hall, on her way to the throne room- she had learned to get there herself since most of the guard went to great lengths to avoid her

She sighed to herself and went on
"Um, excuse me, miss?"

She looked to her left and saw a small filly standing there

"What ist thou doing by thyself, little one?"
"I-I- don't know, I was just at home, and- and then somepony shouted 'DIP' and I don't know where I am and-"
The filly was practically in tears

"Can you help me, miss?"
"We shall do the best We can, wouldst thou like to meet Our sister?"
"Um, yes please"
"Very well, follow us"
Luna led the filly to the throne room and a waiting Celestia
"Greetings sister, hast thou had any problems?"
"Not yet, sister; who is this?"
"Pardon us, We forgot to ask thy name" Luna blushed
"Um, it's Blizzard, miss"
"Dost thou not know who we are?"
"Um, no, I never saw you before"
"I am Princess Celestia, this is my sister Luna, we rule Equestria together"
"Wow"
"Where did you say you lived, Blizzard?"
"A place called ToonTown, a few miles away from Mean Street"
"Sister, those places do not exist within Equestria" Luna whispered
"Yes, but you found her in the castle"
"And she does not know who We are"
"This is peculiar"
"Little one, do your parents know where you are?"
"Um, I think so, mommy can get around really fast so she should be able to find me"
"She is skilled with magic?"
"Nope"
"She is a fast flier then?"
"Uh-uh"
Both Luna and Celestia were confused
"What? Was is something I said?"
"Your mother is an earth pony?"
"Yes"
"And what of your father?"
"He's a pegasus"
A blue earth pony walked into the throne room
"Bliz? You in here?"
"Forge?"
The filly ran over and hugged the stallion
"Your father We assume?"
"Nope, this is my brother"
"Bliz, we've been looking for you everywhere"
"I don't know what happened, one minute I was there, the next I'm here"
"Looks like we need to work on your speed there, well let's get home- Mom, Dad, and Light are probably worried"
"'Kay"
The filly ran up to Luna and hugged her leg
"Thank you miss"
Luna didn't notice the smile on Celestia's face as this went on
"Excuse Us, but may we come with you?" Luna asked "We would love to see your town"
"Sure, we could give you a tour"
"Excellent, how do we get there?"
"I'll get us there, now hold my hoof"
"What?"
"If I'm going to take both of you there, you'll need to be in contact with me"
Luna hesitantly held his hoof, Blizzard did the same
She remembered seeing the landscape melt into a blur for a few seconds before she found herself and the other two in an open field
"What sorcery is this?"
"What? It's just Toon speed, can't you use it?"
"No, the fastest way to get around is teleportation"
"Huh, weird, well let's get started on that tour, shall we?"
"Yes...lead the way"

Hours later

"Hello, Lulu- I trust the tour of this mysterious town went well?"
"You could say that" Luna responded shakily
"Was it a nice place?"
"T'would give the chaos god himself a run for his bits"
Celestia's eyes widened
"What of the ponies there?"
"They aren't ponies, at least not all of them are"
"Tell me about it"

X X X X X X X 

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Coming" Berry Punch said, opening the front door
"Hello? Is this where Berry Pinch lives?" I asked
"It is, just how do you know her?"
"Well see, she just sort of wandered into my house one day and she met a friend of mine's foal and they hit it off" I lied
"I'll talk with her about that later..." Punch mumbled
"Pinchy! You're friend is here"
"Who? OH! Hi Buzzy!"
The bee-pony hid behind my legs
"H-hey Pinchy"
"Well you two have fun, I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up"
I said to Buzzer
"'Kay bye Jonas! C'mon Buzzy, let's go play in my room"

Berry Punch shook her head and went into the kitchen

X X X X X X X 

*Flash*
"Gah! You couldn't have knocked first?!" I screamed
"I'm terribly sorry to intrude like this, but I must speak with you" Celestia said urgently
"Oookay, what about?"
"Might you have opened a portal to another world?"
"I didn't just open it, I sort of created it"
"Sort of?"
"Like I told Twilight and the Elements, I just gave the beings life, they did the rest on their own"
"My student and her friends already know?"
"Eeyup. How did you find out anyway? The only way there is through this door"
"A filly by the name of Blizzard appeared in the castle, a short while later her older brother came looking for her"
"Whoops"
"And Luna went with them to see their world"
"Oooooohhhhhh, sorry about that Celestia, it won't happen again"
"I hope not, my sister spoke of them throwing exploding sticks at each other, they bash themselves over the head with giant hammers, and disappear in one place and appear in another"
"It's just their nature, not all of them can do things like that, but I would prefer we keep this a secret- who knows what would happen if word got out"
"Yes, now have any of these...ponies gotten out like Forge and his sibling?"
"Not escaped per se-"
"Jonas"
"Fine, a few days ago Rumble got lost in there and I had to go in there and find him"
"And?"
"AND I had to take Berry Pinch in there with me because I didn't know what he looked like, anyway, she met Buzzy while we were there, and Buzzy's over there right now for a play-date"
"Is she dangerous?"
"She's a filly! What's she going to do?"
"Based on what I've heard, a number of things"
"Well I'm going to pick her up in a few hours, and your sister and the Elements already know, would you like a tour of your own?"
"Sadly, I cannot, I have other business to attend to in Canterlot"
"Alright, bye Celestia"
"Goodbye Jonas"
She teleported out of the house and back to the castle Toxic came bounding into the room
"Hey dad, whatcha doin'?"
"Nothing much- hey, you wanna do something today?"
"Sure, like what?"
"Um, how about you pick"
"You mean it?!"
"Yup, so what sounds good?"
"Let's go explore the Everfree!"
"Remember our last little trip out there?"
"Yes" He blushed
"Uh, there's a convention or something going on in Canterlot- can we go?"
"You of all ponies want to go to a convention?"
"Um, yes"
"I swear, you're going to be just like Twilight"
"Does that mean-"
"Yes, I'll get our train tickets"
"Alright! Can we fly?"
"Do you want to?"
"Uh-huh"
"Then let's go, just let me make sure the door's locked and we can leave"
He grinned and ran outside After checking to make sure everything was locked, we left the house and took off towards Canterlot

"That was exhausting, I've really gotta start stretching these more" I said as we landed
"I don't think it was that bad" Toxic said
"Well I guess it wouldn't be to you, you're a pegasus"
"Oh, right"
"So let's see what this convention is all about"
We walked around the city and quickly found one thing
This was a science convention
"Twilight would enjoy this" Toxic commented
"Yeah, wonder why she isn't here"
"Probably something to do with her friendship reports"
"Yeah-"

We passed a table where two stallions were arguing
"-will work! I've tested it!"
"But you haven't mixed it with other chemicals! You could easily take out half the city!"
The first stallion ignored the second and poured the orangish liquid into a beaker of blue liquid
An explosion resulted from the two volatile mixtures, I was sent flying to the castle gates and I lost track of Toxic
"What in Tatarus happened?" One of the guards asked
"Two ponies were arguing about a formula, one of them tried it and it caused an explosion"
One of the other guards turned
"Alert Shining Armor, get as many guards as we can to contain the spill"
"Spill?"
"There were other chemicals in the area, the explosion could have caused leakage-"
"Then I'm coming with you, my son is in there"
"I'm sorry sir, you'd be a liability- we can't allow you to enter"
I felt my teeth grind together and hissed
"Fine, but if you don't find him, I'm going in there myself"
"We'll do our best sir"

"Mister? Mister are you okay?" Toxic asked, prodding the unconcious stallion
The answer he recieved was a groan
"Dad? Daaaaadd! Are you here?" Toxic was met with silence "Hmmm, I guess I'd better go find help"
He walked around the streets and found nopony
"Hey! Where did everypony go?"

"Starlight, what's the situation?" Shining Armor asked
"We've evacuated the area, and we've got a clean-up crew scanning the area as we speak, sir"
"Good, everything's under control then"

"Is that all of it?" One pony asked
"Almost, we've got this block to clear and then we can do a second sweep of the area"
"Hey, is that a colt up ahead?"
"What? I thought everypony was evacuated"
"Apparently not, he's right there- clear as day"
The green pegasus colt walked up to the other two ponies, his hooves covered in a thin film of slime
"Hi! Have you seen my dad?"
"Is he a real tall fella? No fur or hooves?"
"Yup! That's him!"
"Span, do a scan spell on him, we want to get him cleaned up as soon as possible"
The colt was enveloped in a red aura and the stallion fell on his flank
"N-Not possible!"
"What? What is it?"
"Th-those chemicals, they- they should have eaten through his flesh by now"
"WHAT? Get him to a clean-up station! Quickly!"
The stallion picked up the colt with his magic and the other ran after him back to the castle gates

"Sir, we've found your son" A pegasus guard said
"That's great! Where is he?" I asked
"He's getting a saftey check"
"What? What for?"
"They found some dangerous chemicals on him"
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, it's the strangest thing- they chemicals haven't affected him, oddly enough"
'Toxic's going to be bouncing with joy in a moment'
"Ah, there he is now"
"Hey dad! What's up?"
"Nothing much Toxic, did those nice ponies over there say you could leave?"
"Yep! The keep looking at me funny, though"
"You wanna know why?"
"Why?"
"Look behind you"
He turned and saw he now had something emblazoned on his flank

A black-and-yellow hazard symbol

He gasped and looked about ready to explode
*THUMP*
"Awww"

I picked him up and started the journey back home