//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Idol Playthings // Story: The Wackiness of Unofficial Life // by edward18 //------------------------------// Chapter 21: Idol Playthings What was normally a rather quiet and revered hall was again thrown into a series of discussions and exclamations. Within its walls walked Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle. The six chosen bearers of the Elements of Harmony. At the end stood the two leaders of their world. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The alicorn sisters that oversaw the protection of Equestria from all that should threaten it. And from how Celestia had acted it was something of the upmost importance. That's why even Rainbow Dash had no hesitation in joining the group when she received word. Celestia closed her eyes and dipped her head a bit. An uncomfortable silence caused the gathered ponies to exchange unsure glances amongst each other. "Are you sure you want to be the one that tells the tale sister?..." Luna question. Firmly, the white alicorn lifted her head back up and nodded. She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes once more. "I'm...fine..." she sighed. She took one last look over Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash wishing that such a story would never have to be burdened by their generation. "This tale that I am about to tell you you will never find in any book," Princess Celestia warned, "If anypony does not think they are up to the responsibility of keeping Equestria safe from any and all harm that may threaten it please leave now." Rainbow Dash and Applejack in particular had to admit that they were rather impressed that even Fluttershy didn't so much as back away. With each of the group standing their ground Celestia focused and her horn lit up. "Micron..." she muttered. Now the ponies jumped. All in one bright flash the stained glass windowed hallway that they'd been called to shattered giving way to a dark void. The only thing providing lighting were the stars that hung around them and the bright lively planet below. Equestria. "It was...a long...long time ago..." Celestia started, "As you well know Discord ruled as Equestria's Spirit of Chaos until I and Luna put a stop to him one thousand years ago...but he wasn't the only culmination of that element that ever existed in this realm." Fluttershy pointed towards a glowing red speck in the distance. It was approaching, fast. In seconds it'd slammed into the surface of their primitive world. For just a moment Twilight could've sworn she saw red lines slithering out from the impact site like veins snaking into their planet's very being. But it could have just been her eyes. "It was simpler times back then, and not entirely uncommon for meteorites to hit the planet. But never had one been so big that didn't cause too much immediate damage," Luna pointed out. Celestia nodded and the scene shifted to that of a field where a crater lay smoking. Approaching it was a silhouetted pony with wings and a horn. "Curiosity overtaking society, the most impressive Alicorn of the time was dispatched to investigate. It truly was nothing but a meteorite, most of which had burned up in the atmosphere...but...something changed him..." Fluttershy gasped and ducked behind Rainbow Dash who could only watch the inherent coolness of the lifelike vision as the red vines Twilight had noticed before slithered up from the cater and worked their way into the Alicorn. Luna cringed at the memory. Ultimately the figure had absorbed all the redness from the crater and indeed its form had been warped. Instead of a unicorn horn it now bore two devil-like horns jutting out of the side of its head while its wings had been separated into four tentacle-like structures, two on each side. "His return...would mark an era of chaos that's knowledge would only be allowed to a select few in the eras to follow..." Even Applejack had to wince at a few of the shadowed ponies that stood up against the evil Alicorn's forces which were easily run through. The implications of how viciously the shadows were done away with was horror enough. "Eventually though...it was driven out of Equestria..." as Celestia continued the scene again changed. To the evil creature's shock six round forms swirled around it siphoning out the vile presence that had inhabited the Alicorn. While the lifeless form collapsed to the ground below, the swirling stones spun faster and ejected the abomination back into the cosmos beyond Equestria's skies. "It was never destroyed..." Luna told them. Outer space had once more become the backdrop allowing for a much easier transition back to the stained glass hallway they'd started out in, "and now it's coming back." Every pony present was completely silent allowing Celestia to get in control of her senses more easily. The memory had obviously been tasking to the two rulers. But their wellbeing aside, the utter shock of such a tale pierced the group's calmness like a steak knife through butter. None of them had been prepared for such a revelation. "...so what are you saying exactly?" Applejack was the first to speak up, "This thing was thrown back into space right? The bad guy's done been expelled from Equestria hasn't he?" "Correct," Luna answered, "But he's coming back. He will arrive very shortly. Within a chapter or so at least." "But those were obviously the Elements of Harmony that sucked out the evil in him and shot it back out into space," Twilight stated, "We have those. Can't we just do the same thing again?" To her surprise, her teacher shook her head. "We don't want it to have to come to that," Celestia told her, "They were barely able to manage that the last time. And even then the losses were far greater than the ponies of this time period are even able to comprehend." Again the room lessened in noise. "Great," Rainbow Dash spat, "So what? We just wait for this thing to come? I mean how else are we supposed to fight it if we aren't sure if we can even rely on the Elements this time?" "By not giving it the chance to regain its former self," Luna told them. Quite a few of them lifted their brows. "When the damage was done and the smoke had cleared the body parts of the Alicorn that had been possessed were decided to be hidden away in different areas of Equestria in case the entity ever returned to reclaim its former body. If we can collect them and keep them here it will not be able to grab anywhere near as powerful a body as it had last time," Celestia elaborated. "...but the dude's dead isn't he?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I mean...even if it found the body again there'd be no muscle or anything to animate would there?..." "Magic is powerful," Celestia told her, "We can't take the chance. Even in our prime this being far surpassed our own abilities." Now Rarity took up the opposing side. "So...if you can't stop this...and the Elements of Harmony might not even be able to...you're expecting us to do it?..." she checked to make sure she had everything straight, hoping of course that she did not. Celestia closed her eyes. "You are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony," she reminded, "You are that which this world is entrusted to now and relies upon. Whether or not you always agree with the responsibilities placed on you doesn't mean anything if fate already has a path figured out for you. It is your duty. Now are you all ready to defend this world no matter what, even if the attempts are in vain?" Celestia opened her eyes back up and viewed her audience with her sister. The ponies glanced at each other for a while but ultimately directed their attention back at the sisters and nodded. Celestia sighed. "Then let's get started..." --- "So why aren't we going after the one in Ponyville first again?" Spike wondered aloud, "I mean yeah, they're all singular body parts and all that good stuff but why not go for the closest one?" "Cause it's so close to home and safe due to being surrounded by citizens," Twilight told him, "And besides, it's not like anyone's after them. Oh, and actually they're the armor that the body wore. The actual body is somewhere else." Spike muttered something under his breath and slouched into the back of his friend's neck, his body rising with each step she took. It was always pleasant to have a ride for all the hard work he put into taking care of all the studying that Twilight wrapped herself up in. But a trip across the world was not what the dragon had been looking forward to when he assisted Twilight in returning Princess Celestia to power. It was just supposed to be getting her back on the throne and going back normal life. "It'll be fine," Applejack promised, "We just done gonna head on out ter the buffalos, get them arm pieces, and get on back down to Ponyville where we rendezvous with the others! Piece o' cake!" "Did someone say-" "Stick with your group Pinkie," Twilight sighed as the orange earth pony pushed the pink one back into the hole of the tree she'd popped out from, "But Applejack's right Spike. If the parts were entrusted to that land back then then the Buffalo must have at least some knowledge as to the whereabouts of them. All we'll have to do is ask and explain the situation." Spike had stayed rather quite while listening, partly cause he'd been daydreaming about if they'd been paired up with Rarity instead of her polar opposite. But that didn't mean he wasn't listening. He hadn't been told that it was the buffalo that they'd be visiting. "Oh awesome!" he exclaimed. Absentmindedly he squeezed Twilight's sides reddening her face a tint. "Those dudes are great! Can't wait to see how many of those blue rocks they have to munch on!" Applejack just chuckled at the dragon's newfound enthusiasm. At least some of the regret of not having the white unicorn with them had vanished. "How long do you think it'll take us to get there?" "Well if we can catch a train we should be there by the next paragraph that deals with our group," Twilight told him. Another press of Spike's limbs against her body transfered his excitement to her sending shivers through her. She was glad that he'd agreed to go with her despite his longings for Rarity. He was her assistant. --- "Aright Pinkie Pie, now you're sure that Twilight spent enough time casting the spell on you? Don't want you falling through the floor or nothin...oh and ya know you may wanna lay off the sweets. You're nowhere near as light as Fluttershy..." To an athlete like her it was normally no problem for Rainbow Dash to hoist her friends around and fly them where they needed to go depending on the distance. But Pinkie Pie was another matter. She literally had to force herself to give the pink earth pony a ride! "Nah, sweets are fine. Just heavy right now for rule of funny," the possibly insane mare replied. Rainbow Dash glared down at her passenger. "Well stop it." "Alright!" Pinkie exclaimed. To the pegasus' amazement the earth pony actually did get lighter! All of a sudden it was like carrying a bag of feathers! Rainbow Dash couldn't help but do a few somersaults through the skies with the nearly nonexistent anchor! "WOOHOO!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Their shouts of delight filled the stratosphere of Equestria. That is it did until Rainbow Dash screeched to a halt. "Oh...right...gotta get the armor for the legs...hang on Pinkie!" The excited passenger didn't even need to be told. She was already expecting the ride to be like a roller coaster with how she was used to seeing her friend soar through the heavens. It only increased the sheer thrill that raced past her as the pegasus zoomed towards a patch of clouds below. The winged pony's hometown. Cloudsdale. With little more than a thud the duo landed provoking quite a bit of bouncing from Pinkie Pie as she traversed the more fluffy ground. Despite the fact that she had visited Cloudsdale before she was always so enthralled by its nature. While it certainly did not stack up to the tall tales that Rainbow Dash spoke about it, the sky-dwelling community was enthralling nonetheless. Rainbow Dash could only smile watching her friend bounce along the fluffy material on which they trotted. But they had a mission. And they had to stay focused. She couldn't let the princess of all ponies down! "Now...if I were a sacred item of ancient evil that's supposed to be kept out of the public eye...where would I be?..." she quietly asked herself and rubbed her hoof against her chin in thought. "Well well, if it isn't Rainbow Crash," a dull voice chuckled. The mare rolled her eyes knowing full well who it was. "Yeah Yeah! Rainbow...uh...Crash!" a somehow more unintelligent voice followed its leader's. "Look Bulk and Skull, I don't have time for you right now. And besides that I thought you wanted to be my friends after my Sonic Rainboom," Rainbow Dash waved the childhood bullies off without even bothering to turn around. "Yeah, but this is a fanfic! Gotta make as much references to the show as often as possible!" the first voice protested. "And in the lamest ways possible," Rainbow Dash added under her breath, "Look, unless you guys have information on some evil pieces of leg armor I suggest you get lost. Sorta on a mission from-" "That's probably at the old Cloudsdale Museum in the restricted section," the gray pegasus cut her off. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. Finally she turned around to acknowledge their presence. "What?" "I said-" "I heard what you said!" Rainbow Dash stated, "I'm just wondering why I'd never heard of any of this-" "Because it was made up for the fic," the brown bully repeated. Rainbow Dash smacked her hoof against her forehead. "Makes sense to me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "Let's go get those legs!" Rainbow Dash sighed. As long as it got the horribly constructed plot over with faster she supposed she would tolerate her role for just a bit more. --- "Oh my, are you um...sure we should be here? I mean what if she's not home? Or if she um...doesn't want company?...I know if I'm asleep I can usually get a bit miffed from someone knocking on my door...not that I've ever been mad at you for that of course! But it's just that maybe she wouldn't want some pony-" "Fluttershy, darling..." Rarity put a hoof up to stop her friend's increasingly quieting suggestions, "Please kindly be stop talking. Zecora is always willing to help us when-" "My home isn't getting wrecked by your shenanigans," the zebra finished. Rarity's mouth dipped into a small hole at the bottom of her face upon hearing the voice. "Fluttershy is right to be wary in such centimorgans. But what brings you here my dears? Normally our meetings would reduce some to tears." Knowing that the shy one certainly wouldn't be answering, Rarity stepped forward with as business-like a smile as she could muster and coughed into her hoof to begin. "Pardon our intrusion, but we are currently on a mission from Princess Celestia. So unfortunately this is not an...informal visit. Just stopping by to see if you had any information that might help us is all. If you don't mind of course." Rarity informed. "Not at all! It's always an honor to prevent Equestria from a fall," Zecora replied happily and lead the way into her hut. Fluttershy may have been more terrified than any other pony of the supposed witch back when she first showed up in Ponyville, but Zecora had proven time and again to be a great aide to many of the troubles that had been encountered since her arrival. "I must say though, I am very thankful. Informalities from the pink one can be quite a handful." Even the timid pegasus had to chuckle at the comment. "Well thankfully Pinkie Pie's Rainbow Dash's partner this time," Rarity said, "but we do have to be quick. Fate of Equestria sorta depends on this and all..." "Then let us waste no time," Zecora suggested and turned to a wall of books, "my knowledge is for you anytime. What is it your are looking for? I have such details on this forest and more." Fluttershy gave Rarity an uneasy look. The fashionista didn't have to ask to know what the yellow one was wondering. She too was concerned with how the foreigner might react to the description of the item. But they needed to find it and fast. "...you wouldn't happen to know about any...evil items in the Everfree Forest...would you?" Rarity gulped. Zecora just stared into space for a few seconds before her eyes narrowed and shifted to the unicorn. "...what kind of evil items?..." she muttered. Rarity bit her lip. While she was attempting to form just what kind of description she should give in her mind however something unexpected happened. Fluttershy stepped up. "It's some orange and bluish leg armor that was supposed to be hidden here before Discord's reign," she told the potion mistress. For a split second Zecora's eyes went wide which was followed by their closing and a low sigh. Slowly her head dipped. "So the end is finally near..." she muttered, more to herself than her guests, "Yes, I know the location, it is close to here. But know this. The monster you seek to undo is not a toy. Should you fail all will become void. That which you love and care for shall be no more. The land, the sky...all will bear this terrible sore. The plague on reality has no care. It can be seen in its very stare. Friendship, love, kindness...it's not that it dislikes these precepts. It is that its foul mind simply can not comprehend such conepts." Rarity and Fluttershy backed up more and more with each ensuing elaboration on the beast that they had been tasked with protecting the world from. "Yes, I know where your items lie. In the remains of the old castle which the princesses used to reside. The location where you first found the Elements of Harmony. Go there to recieve your leggings of antimony." The room fell into utter silence once the fountain of words had come to its close. Rarity just hoped that Fluttershy had understood everything other than the location of the items. Cause she sure as hell couldn't follow. Part of her agreed with Scootaloo's disdain towards the wording of the zebra. But they had the information they needed. And they knew just how to get there. With as polite of farewells as possible, Rarity and Fluttershy slipped out of the hut and started towards the ruins. "...please don't fail..." Zecora said quietly. --- The sun was high in the sky by this point beating down upon the three four legged figures below with a smaller one riding on top of one of them. All things considered they had been making an amazing amount of progress giving the amount of time there'd been since they left Canterlot. And if it kept up they'd be at their destination and have their parts in no time! "You know, you all could visit when you aren't trying to save things sometime...just relax and all that..." Braeburn almost muttered. He never mind helping his cousin or her friends out, but it did get a bit...irksome never having them actually enjoy the town. Still, helping others came first, especially when it was something that Princess Celestia was involved in! After their previous visit the buffalo had even given the folks of Appleloosa a detailed shortcut on how to reach them if ever Flim or Flam ever thought of showing their fowl manes around their town again. Needless to say, Applejack and Twilight had emphasized something much more dangerous than those swindlers could ever hope to be. "Well I would have loved to come last time had Twilight not had me stay home..." Spike was sure to press his cheek up against hers as he informed their guide. The unicorn returned an innocent smile. "You guys didn't have an epic pie fight like the first time we were here did ya? I would've definitely helped in uh...cleaning it up..." "Nah, nothing of that sort. Hardly anyone fired anything off before them brothers started using live ammo. Your mare friend and Jacky here helped take down their train fortress thingy with all the buffalo me and Pinkie rounded up," Braeburn told him. Twilight's smile grew as the dragon's face pressed even more against her's. "Oh well, then that's just fine that I missed that epic of an adventure and had to stick around to see Rainbow Dash get drunk off her ass instead...actually...that part really did make up for not tagging along..." "Yeah, I sorta wish I coulda seen that myself," Twilight admitted. "Oh don't worry, got it on tape," Spike winked. The pony's face lit up. "Movie night when we get back?" "If you buy the snacks and soda," Spike told her. "Deal," Twilight agreed. Playfully the unicorn and dragon nuzzled their faces together inciting a gag from the other female of the group. "Sorry for taking ol' Dashy's persona here, but we got a mission love birds," Applejack reminded in an annoyed tone. Spike and Twilight exchanged rather bemused looks. "She's just jealous," Twilight figured. "Totally," Spike agreed. Applejack just stifled a grunt. "Braeburn, how much longer till we get there?" the earth pony inquired from her cousin, "...Braeburn?" "Oh it's so good to see you again!" a new female voice exclaimed. The next moment Applejack saw her kin he was pinned to the ground by Little Strongheart. Eagerly the young buffalo helped the pony she'd knocked over back to his hooves. "Why shucks little missy, you sure know how to down a varmint," Braeburn complimented adding her reddening face to his. Applejack's eye twitched. All she was thankful for was that they'd finally made it to the buffalo tribe. "Yep...definitely jealous," Spike reiterated. "Definitely," Twilight repeated. Their smiles broadened evermore from the death glares their subject shot at them. --- "Stealth suits." "Check!" "Gas spray canister." "Check!" "Night vision goggles." "Check!" "Escape ropes!" "Duplicated by an insane amount from the Missing No. glitch!" "so..." "Check!" "Alright! And the final item...fifty five cupcakes?..." Rainbow Dash squinted to make sure she was reading it correctly. "Already eaten sir!" Pinkie Pie saluted. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and threw the scroll of paper off the roof. Now all they had to do, provided Pinkie Pie didn't provide anymore interruptions, was slip inside. Rainbow Dash felt the invigoration she had when she had stolen the Daring Doo book from the hospital as she pulled the hood of the stealth suit over her head. It hadn't taken long for them to reach the top of the Cloudsdale Museum and Rainbow Dash wasn't about to ask where Pinkie had amassed their equipment from. What mattered was that they were there. It was now or never. "Now if my calculations are correct, then we should be just over the door that leads into the restricted section..." Rainbow Dash said trying her best to sound like she knew what she was talking about. She was professional enough however to not shove her face against the glass that made up part of the ceiling over said hallway. "But how to get in..." "I got an idea!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Before Rainbow Dash could even notice, let alone stop her, the earth pony had somehow acquired a rock and threw it straight through the window! Rainbow Dash cringed as the glass shattered around the impact sight. It worsened upon hearing the dull thud of the rock landing far below. "Pinkie Pie! You retard!" the pegasus yelled trying to strangle her into a headlock, "I am not going to prison because of you!" "Well duh! Who'd wanna do that?" the pink pony laughed. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. Surely if security had found out they'd already be surrounded. "...just get the rope out..." Rainbow Dash reluctantly told her partner. Oblivious as ever, Pinkie did as she was told and dropped the end of it down the opening she had made. "Once I'm in you come down too." She didn't know if she was supposed to take the salutes that Pinkie Pie gave her as serious or not. She knew better than to ask however and decided instead to lower herself down towards the museum floor. Her blood pumped faster with each part of the descent she made. She was just like Daring Doo! "Look out below!" Except with one of the dumbest sidekicks in history. Rainbow Dash hardly even had time to look up before the crazed pony's butt slammed against her head. "Gah! Pinkie! Hold on to the rope tighter!" Thankfully she slowed to a stop about halfway to the bottom. "I told you once I was in that you could come down!" "Yeah, and you're in," Pinkie Pie pointed. Rainbow Dash let her face hit the rope in defeat. Then she realized something. "Uh...Pinkie...what's holding the rope up?" Rainbow Dash gulped. Pinkie Pie thought for a moment. "You know...that's a really good question..." The moment the realization washed over the pegasus, the top end of the rope fell down beside them. The duo eyed each other a few times before gravity took effect and sent them plummeting to the floor below. Just before they hit, Rainbow Dash managed to dive into a glide and slower their fall to a small bump. That didn't stop Pinkie's cries of delight however. "WOO! Let's go aga-" Rainbow Dash knew she needed to use all the force she could to keep noise from passing through the hoof she clamped over her friend's mouth. They'd already screwed up far more than enough to make her idol facepalm at the performance. It was only when she felt Pinkie Pie's muzzle stop moving that she let go. "Hey Rainbow?" "Ugh...what is it Pinkie Pie?" "Why didn't you just fly originally?" she asked. Rainbow Dash glanced upwards from the question. "How would that make for a cooler infiltration sequence?" she asked back. Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin. "Yeah, guess I see your point," she nodded, "Ooo! There's the door!" "Pinkie! Wai-" Clack! To Rainbow Dash's relief there wasn't an alarm to sound once the door was flung open. Didn't stop the mental heckling she sent towards Pinke though. "Well, you coming?" she called back. Rainbow Dash's face glowered. She was so happy that Daring Doo was not her audience right now. --- "Are you sure we should be back here? I mean last time it was all of us together...now it's just...um...two of us..." Fluttershy's voice faded to a whimper at the last few words. Rarity just continued the stroll through the faded ruined chamber that she only guess must have been a hallway in its prime. Aside from some dust though there wasn't too much she could really complain about in the venture, especially with the price at stake. "We'll be fine darling," she assured her more timid spa-buddy, "Just keep your chin up and your eyes alert. We've been going further and further beneath the ground and still nothing. Besides, it's just some old castle. The Elements of Harmony were lying here alone for ages. If there were any sort of criminals or anything they'd have been long gone before either us or Nightmare Moon had a chance to get to them." Fluttershy continued a bit more confidently than she had been but still some fear clung to her. "It's just that...I heard this place was where Nightmare Moon had holed up when she became evil..." she whimpered. Rarity's brows rose a bit. Perhaps this would be funner of a conversation than she had thought. "Well I heard that it was where our princesses had set up a sanctuary from when Discord ruled. The forest being "Everfree" from his chaotic grip," Rarity discussed her own gossip. "What about the one where it was where ponies lived before Equestria was founded?" Fluttershy asked. Rarity puckered her lips and blew through them. "Puh-lease, you think that our kind would ever willingly live in this eldrich location? The princesses could since they're all super magic and stuff, but normal ponies? No way." "Actually I don't think it'd be all that bad. Nature is nice...when it's not attacking you...besides, I heard on one of those National Ponytainment channels that some archaeologists actually think that all of Equestria might have been like the Everfree Forest before Discord messed up the world. That's why we have to manage the weather and nature and everything now," Fluttershy informed. It only took seconds for her to realize how outspoken she'd been and stole her voice back to silent embarrassment. "I honestly have never heard such a load of horse apples in my life," Rarity detested the notion, "Really? ALL of Equestria was like the Everfree Forest? That's just complete lunacy my dear. Ponies taking care of nature and making sure everything runs properly is just the natural order. Nothing more. Really, this forest is more than likely just a permanent effect of Discord's chaos." "O-of course...sorry for suggesting that..." Fluttershy mumbled. Her pacing began to slow with her confidence. "Not at all dear," Rarity responded happily. For a bit they walked in silence, their hoof-falls echoing through the hallow underground passages. The ambiance alone displayed how long it had been since any living being traversed them. Their ancient mysteries and treasures lying in wait for the day when one might stumble across them. But right now there was only one treasure that the intruders sought. And contrary to what they might have believed, it too was searching. It's malicious nature slithering through the emptiness. Filling it with dread and horror. Only the ponies' most primal senses were alerted to such a presence. The rest of them just trudged on in search of what craved them. Craved release from its imprisoning home. "Fluttershy, you did eat before we left right?" Rarity asked. Both ponies stopped. "Um...yes...why do you ask?..." Fluttershy replied. "I just thought I heard your stomach grumble is all..." Rarity muttered, "Well...it's probably nothing. Just my ears wanting some noise in here or something." Now a bit knocked down to Fluttershy's level of boldness, a slowness could be felt in her trotting. Something had made a noise! She knew she had heard it...hadn't she? Rarity had just tried to comfort herself was all. There was something down there with them...but they had a mission..they couldn't turn back. "Eep!" Fluttershy squeaked. Instantly Rarity swiveled around, a tinge of horror filling her gaze. All that she could see was a shivering pegasus. "Fluttershy? What's wron-" "I heard it too," she whispered, "Just now...behind me..." Both ponies froze. This time they'd both noticed. The deep growl hissed towards them from the direction they'd entered. Something was following them...something...evil... --- "Dude, I'm telling you, all you gots to do is keep the B button held down and press start," Spike could hear his voice saying. "And I'm telling you that it's the A button," his voice responded. The angel and devil had decided to make a little camp site on his shoulders once they'd reached the buffalo herd. It hadn't taken long for them to explain the situation to the leader, but it was doing so for actually finding the item. Spike had just assumed that they would have had it in a chest or something and he could just spend the rest of the day munching on their blue rocks. But no. It just had to be in some spooky cave on the outskirts of the tribe that they had to "prove" their worth by finding it inside. Fortunately for them Braeburn and Little Stongheart had decided to accompany Twilight and Spike in their quest. "And I'm-" "Will you both shut up?" Spike hissed. Everyone gave him a curious glance. Spike waved back to them to get them to continue as quick as possible hoping to hide his embarrassed face. The two earth ponies and the buffalo shrugged and decided to do as suggested. Twilight however fell back to the smallest member of the group. "Your conscience is acting up to eh?" she whispered. Spike rubbed his arm. "They've been bickering ever since we got in this place..." he muttered, "Getting pretty...annoying..." "I hear ya," Twilight sighed, "Mine won't stop arguing about which had the better experience with your angel or devil that one night..." "Doesn't matter either way cause you know you're the one that got the best out of that, eh?" Spike wiggled his eyebrows while nudging her side with his elbow. All he got in return was a bonk to the back of the head. "Not in front of the others..." she grumbled, "At least Rarity isn't here to distract you from remembering that event though." Spike rolled his eyes and continued in his steady, though a bit discomforted, pace behind the others. Despite the bickering of the two sides of his mentality, the cave itself just gave him the creeps. He'd expected it to smell bad. But even in that regard it didn't provide such a comforting backing. It had no odor. No sound. No life. Just a dead cave. And yet...Spike could have sworn he felt something. "I say ya off the dumb apple folk and the buffalo," the devil suggested. Spike lifted his brows in surprise and looked at his shoulder. The miniature version of himself was busy filing his claws. It wasn't that he was not used to the...questionable decisions that his tempting mind proposed. But the severeness of the words had taken him aback somewhat. Normally the actions the devil gave weren't so harsh, especially not to ponies that he was friends with. "I mean ya don't wanna do it with Twi in front of em or have em here if you two decide to get "lost" and have your moans echo through this place. Just off em and have your way with her. Gotta show her she shouldn't be ashamed to have fun with ya." "...what happened to wing boy?..." Spike asked having realized the absence of his other self. Added to the mysterious disappearance the devil form of him now seemed a bit...larger than he was used to be. "Why would I do that?" Twilight suddenly asked. Now the attention was on her blushing form. Like Spike before her she signaled for the group to continue. The others got back to discussing just what kind of freaks they were accompanying. "You're angel gone now too?" Spike asked as quietly as possible, "Wanting to kill the others?" To both of the questions the unicorn gave uncomfortable nods. The two purple beings knew that there was something very wrong. But even so...they couldn't help the excitement crawling over them. The thrill of the suggestions alone peaked their interests. They knew they shouldn't try to, but they couldn't help themselves. "So this here buffalo leader guarded the evil item even til he died?" Applejack replayed the story in her head. Little Strongheart nodded rapidly. She always loved sharing her people's tales to those that didn't know of them. And from all she could tell her favorite listener was ever intent on what she had to say. Had the others not pressed matters over who deserved the land more, she and him probably could have come to a calm peaceful solution. Braeburn definitely looked kind enough on that first meeting. "Why shucks Strongheart, you buffalo are pretty brave. Think the old guardian left any clues for finding the..." Braeburn trailed off. Having heard it in his hoofs at first the apple-based pony could already notice his words fading into the rumble that ensued. Before the two ponies or buffalo had time to react a large rock slammed into the rims of the tunnel behind them. And Spike and Twilight weren't anywhere to be seen. They were trapped on the other side! "Oh now what in tarnation is this malarkey!" Applejack hollered and threw herself against it. All she got in return was quite a dizzying spell and some wobbly legs. It was no use. The rock wouldn't budge. "Hey! Twilight? Spike? Can ya all hear us?" Braeburn hollered. There was a muffled noise on the other side. The trio looked between each other uneasily. "This place was designed with multiple passages to confuse grave robbers a bit. There are ways back," Strongheart assured them. Applejack sighed. "Alright you guys, just hold your horseshoes! We're a coming!" Applejack yelled and turned to the others, "As for you all, keep your eyes peeled for them armor pieces. Fate of Equestria and all that." The buffalo and pony nodded. --- CRASH! "Oh come on Pinkie! That's the seventh ancient pegasus guard helmet you've knocked over!" Rainbow Dash growled. "Must be my lucky day!" Pinkie Pie giggled. Rainbow Dash's eye twitched. She knew that the party animal could be a bit...careless. But this was pushing it! They'd only been searching the place for about thirty minutes and already Pinkie had done enough damage to set research back a good few centuries probably! And it was only made worse by the guards they now had to avoid due to the alarms that she'd inevitably been setting off in her clumsiness. Fortunately the karma hadn't caught up with them yet. But it was only a matter of time... "Ooo...what's thi-" "DO NOT TOUCH," Rainbow Dash ordered through clenched teeth. She had enough problem concentrating on keeping lookout for the guards without her ditz of a partner breaking something else. "Alrighty," Pinkie Pie replied happily and bent down to read the name on the base of the stand, "Ancient Cursed Leg Armor of the Evil Alicorn. Highly Cl...cl...classified. Hm...they really mispelled class..." "Wait, what!" Rainbow Dash yelped. The next second she was standing next to Pinkie Pie and looking the item over herself. It was the item they'd been sent to find! "Oh hell yes!" Rainbow Dash thrust her hoof in the air and jumped for the leg pieces, "Pinkie, I'm gonna need your-" "Step away from the armor!" a voice spoke from the stand it was set up on, "Alert! Intruder! Lethal force authorized!" "...what?..." Rainbow Dash gulped. She only hesistated for a moment, but that was all it took for the guards to track the thieves down. "Step away now!" one of the guards barked. The energy that flowed through Rainbow Dash that she felt whenever the need to overcome an opponent pumped into her body. It was a contest just like any other. And she needed to win. She could not let the princess, no, she couldn't let Equestria down! Without even thinking she tossed one of the legs to Pinkie Pie and tore through the maze of displays with the earth pony somehow keeping up and avoiding the shots that the perusers were firing. "Damn it, where's the fucking exit?" Rainbow Dash muttered. "Right there," Pinkie Pie jerked her head to the right. There was no time to feel exasperated from the cuckoo lander's nature right now. Instinctively she dove to the door and tackled Pinkie Pie into the hall they'd entered the museum from. The blue one was about to breathe a well deserved sigh of relief but stopped herself. Waiting for them were about ten other guards on the other side. "...Pinkie Pie?..." "Yeah?" "Hold on. Tight." The earth pony had no time to ask what she was talking about before Rainbow Dash leapt at the guards. They backed up in surprise just as she planned giving her ample opportunity to breach towards the windows above and shatter clean through them, glass raining down on the roof below in her wake. But they weren't out of the heat yet. Rainbow Dash knew that some were on her tail. It wasn't hard to spot the rainbow trail she left behind with how fast she was going after all. But she was the best flier Cloudsdale had. Limberly she swam under a slew of clouds. Ever since they'd exited the museum bullets had been whizzing past them but it was near impossible to get hit by such an inaccurate device at the speed they were going. That's why most of the guards had taken to attempting to grab at the pair. Some had managed to latch onto Pinkie Pie a few times, but even then it was a simple matter of the giddy pony wiggling her legs to get free. Eventually Rainbow Dash did feel an arm lock around her throat, but it didn't last long. The guard was sent hurtling back at two others leaving only three to deal with. Rainbow Dash was thankful that the air around Cloudsdale was scheduled for a downpour that day. Pinkie's screams of delight had only escalated at the lightning bolts they dodged. And the currents of electricity would be the way to make their escape! Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed. One false turn and they'd be fried and ready to serve at the local prison! She was part of the weather patrol for a reason however. Her experienced body knew how to swerve through the mass of clouds above them. Once they'd exited the fluffy airborne material she could see only one guard remaining. That was what she had grabbed one of the clouds in the bed below for. Giving the cutest wave she could, Rainbow Dash kicked the cloud she'd saved towards the brown pegasus and it smacked him dead in the face, its lightning rippling all across his body before it dissipated leaving him to fall to the bed of clouds below. "And that is how you make an escape," Rainbow Dash declared bowing once they were out of sight of her hometown. Pinkie Pie was still shaking from the excitement she'd endured. It was better than any ride she'd ever been on! "That was way more fun than just explaining to them that the princess wanted us to get the armor pieces!" Pinkie exclaimed. Rainbow Dash fully accepted the compliment until she realized the last part of the sentence. "...I hate my life..." she sighed. --- "Wh-what is it?..." Fluttershy whimpered. Ever since the dark entity had made itself known to them she'd been huddled behind Rarity as securely as possible. Surprisingly whatever was in the labyrinth with them hadn't tried really attacking or anything, but every now and then its sounds would echo behind them causing shivers to spasm throughout their bodies. It definitely was scary. From all that they could make out from whenever it briefly showed a glimpse of any part of its body it was reptilian in nature. Something that could hiss and snarl in the most vicious of manners. Its animosity untamed. But it was different than just some other animal. Normally Fluttershy felt a sort of connection. But with this...nothing... Just emptiness...hate...that which she'd sensed from the creatures that had try to do her and Winona Jr. in when she'd run into him... "We're just here for some ancient cursed leg parts!...along with any speck of treasure that might lie alongside them of course..." Rarity added in a hushed tone. Her eyes snapped to full attention at the roar that followed her statement. "...I just said we MIGHT take some treasure...I am a fashion desi-" The unicorn was cut off by another spiteful snap from the shrouded being. Now Rarity's eyelids lowered. "Now that's just rude. You could at least let me finish. If it's any consolation it'll just be gems or rubies or-" This time her mane was blasted back from the noise that pressed into them. Needless to say Fluttershy was frozen with fear. A bit more hesitant than she had been before, Rarity eyed the pegasus and then turned her attention back to the darkness with her friend's equally worried look. "Gems?" A hiss slithered towards them. "...Diamonds?..." A growl responded. "...Sapphires?..." A roar tore through the chamber. Fluttershy wrapped her hoofs around the unicorn's mouth in a strangling hold to keep her from uttering anymore of the obviously offensive words. But it was a lost cause. Before their very eyes a sleek claw stomped into view in front of them. Then another. All passion drained from their bodies as the third object slithered into view. Like the rest of its revealed body the head was completely black, as if it swallowed up light and hope itself. Like the dragon they'd encountered at the mountain, this one's face ended in a sharp beak. But at the sides of its head jutted out two horns. And above its snout were two glowing red eyes. It peered into their's. Searching them. Looking over their very being. Corrupting them. Then the monster did something that neither pony expected. It stretched out its hands cupping them before the intruders. All at once Rarity's face glistened from the treasures that began to pile up before her very eyes. It was as though someone had snapped open a bottle of shaken up soda. Only in this instance treasures and wealth were the liquid within the bottle! Hypnotically Rarity began to approach. Fluttershy could hardly do anything to hold her back! "Rarity stop!...please?...That thing's been following us around! It can't be good!" Fluttershy attempted to plea. The unicorn was too far gone though. Drool slid down her lip. "Gems...jewels...must...have..." Rarity mumbled. Fluttershy stole a glance back at the dragon. Its claws were now overflowing with the glittering materials! Money and valuables of all forms were tinkering to the ground! With all the force she could muster Fluttershy dug her hooves into the ground and flapped her wings in her attempts to stop her zombified friend. It nearly did the trick but still she pursued. "Come on Rarity..." Fluttershy urged in a strained voice, "It's just a distraction...remember our mission...these jewels...they mean nothing... not if we fail..." For a moment the unicorn stopped and her eye twitched. Something had certainly clicked in her head. "Go for the gems and then everything's done for. Your friends... Equestria... Spike..." Rarity's open mouth shut and she blinked a few times. Then a darker expression graced her face. "While I would love these gifts, we have a job to do," Rarity told the dark figure, "Now then, please get out of our way." The dragon's eyes grew a bit and he jiggled the wealth of his hands up and down suggestively. "My decision's final," Rarity spat. Realizing its defeat, the dragon's eyes closed and it faded away, the treasure with it. Fluttershy saw a tear streak down the white pony's cheek. But the sudden loss was interrupted with a loud clang. Where the dragon had been was a set of armor designed for a pony's legs. The darkness of the entity was still lifting from them. --- "Oh...oh! Yeah! Right there!" Twilight's moans echoed. Spike at the moment was busy digging his face into the pony's neck which her hooves eagerly persuaded him to continue. Even if she wasn't wrapping their bodies together he'd still be engaging in the actions. His devil was enough of an indication of that. He could feel it practically pressing against his back. The two had been interacting like this ever since they'd managed to get the boulder to collapse and separate the others from them. They need to in order to get some privacy. Just then though, Spike's head jerked back. Twilight cracked an eye open curiously. "What is it?..." "Shhh..." Spike put a finger to his lips, "Listen..." The unicorn's ears flapped around a bit to search for whatever noise Spike might have heard. It didn't take long for the other voices of the other members of their group to reach her. Applejack, Braeburn, and Little Braveheart were definitely getting closer! "Damn it..." she grumbled, "Come on, let's go find somewhere else..." Just as disappointed as Twilight, Spike broke from the embrace and began following her through the tunnels of the cave. They didn't know where they were going, but they did know that they were getting farther away from the others. The only consolation Spike had was the swaying of Twilight's hips in front of him. But that wasn't the only thing on his mind. Or on his shoulder rather. The devil hung lazily next to him. "Yeah, that was good," he yawned, "but really, you can do better than that." Spike rolled his eyes. Twilight's voice showed that wasn't alone either. "Dude, we nearly got caught as is. I doubt we could've-" "You seem to think I'm talking about miss nerdette over there," the devil chuckled, his tone a bit darker than normal. Spike cocked a brow. "You know who I'm talking about...wink wink, nudge nudge..." Spike's pupils shrunk a bit in realization. Quickly he shook off the thoughts. "Dude, I'm trying my best to keep her outta my head so it won't cause problems with Twilight. You're not really helping..." "I'm the devil part of you. Shock and amaze there," the smaller him commented sarcastically. The dragon scoffed a bit of smoke at the image. The, for lack of a better word, evil side of him was not one that usually had good ideas sure. But how it'd been acting ever since they entered the cave was new. Never had it wanted to actually hurt others before. At least not physically. And he and Twilight had nearly been influenced to kill the others. And for what? Some free time to snuggle up and have some fun? But now it was trying to steer him towards Rarity...why? "So first you want me to shag up Twilight, then you tell me to forget about her?" Spike wondered aloud. The devil shrugged. "Just telling ya what you want lizard boy," it shrugged. The face was beginning to gray a bit. "No...you and the angel are supposed to argue and that shows me what I want. He's not here...and why are you getting so big?" "Man, you're just chalk fulla questions today ain't ya?" the devil smiled, "Look, just off Twilight here, get out before the others find out you're the one that did it, and go find Rarity. All problems-" "Hold the fucking phone! You want me to kill Twilight now?" Spike asked in flat astonishment. The devil's eyes narrowed. His horns had been growing a bit it seemed. "I'm telling you what you want...what you need to do..." it hissed, its voice growing darker towards the end of the sentence. A wave of fear washing over him, the dragon backed up a bit. "NO!" Twilight suddenly yelled snapping Spike's attention to her. Furiously she fidgeted around everywhere. Eventually, she managed to fling her devil self off of her and onto the floor. Spike gasped at what he saw. What should've been a pony with a cartoony devilish outfit was now a warped monstrosity that's outfit was now streaked orange and its eyes glowing red. It too bore the same grayish skin that his devil's face had been fading to and its horns were immeasurably sharp. The face didn't even have a snout anymore. It was more that of a primate's which had lines running down the cheeks from the eyes. That's when Spike remembered. He still had one on his shoulder! For a moment he just stared at the parody of himself. It looked almost exactly the same as Twilight's devil. Only his had what looked to be the frames of wings growing out the back. It didn't even need to open its mouth to speak. "Kill her..." a deathly voice uttered causing the eyes to light up a bit, "Destroy...if she is not one with us...she is one with the void..." "YAH!" Spike screamed and tossed the creature to the ground next to Twilight's. The two Equestrians huddled together and trembled as the devils wrapped around each other spiraling into a single entity. Red light illuminated the areas where the bodies wouldn't cover up in their melding. "Kill...destroy...assimilate...begone with the other...that which remains is that which is mine...do as I say...kill her...kill him..." the voice grew louder with each passing phrase. Spike and Twilight turned to each other. They could see it in each other's eyes...as well as feel it within themselves. The urge. That dark force accumulating behind their civilized selves. Primal natures coming to surface. Slowly the duo reared their upper limbs back to strike each other. But the blows never came. They just remained staring into each other's eyes, the dark natures swirling within them constantly being fought back by their bond. "Attack!" its voice came from all directions. It could be heard even in their heads. "ATTACK!" "No," Spike and Twilight replied together. They could sense the being's sudden surprise and lift a bit from the hold it had on them. "We are not listening to you," Twilight continued. "So fuck off," Spike finished. The entity was fading now. Fast. Its form spun out of control while the possession on their mentality finally lifted completely. With a loud bang it exploded leaving behind a rather unusual form. What stood before them appeared to be the shadow of a large buffalo. "Please do not let this fall into the wrong hands," its voice faded with its form. In the spot where it had been was a large piece of armor that looked to be made to cover a pegasus' body. Twilight and Spike looked at each other and then back at it. "There you two are!" Applejack interrupted the calming atmosphere. Braeburn and Little Braveheart happily followed her over. "Oh and lookie here! You two found the armor piece! Good work crew!" --- "Um...are you sure we should be doing this?..." Apple Bloom questioned. As nervously as she had all the others, she plugged the final cords into place that Sweetie Belle had instructed her about. That wasn't to say the instructor wasn't just as shooken up as her friend. Sweetie Belle was just following orders. As per usual, the most thick-headed one was the one orchestrating the event. "You saw what the future was like!" Scootaloo reminded slamming her hoof on the computer console for emphasis, "If we don't do something our world is gonna be destroyed!" "What about Discord saying it was all because of us though?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Oh he was just making reference to when we freed him off screen in chapter eleven probably," Scootaloo figured, "But think about it. We know what the future is gonna be like! We can stop it! And what better way than with an army?" Mischievously the filly rubbed her hooves together. "But...will these even work? I mean they've just been sitting in their tubes ever since we've seen em," Sweetie Belle inquired. All it took was one look at one of the mangled Spike lookalikes to make Apple Bloom shudder. "Only one way to find out!" Scootaloo grinned. Eagerly she slammed her hoof down on a big red button. It was simple logic to deduct that Pinkie Pie would've made such an easy-to-use system. At first Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom sighed, both in disappointment and relief. Even if an army might help, none of them wanted any Spikes with limbs falling off just following them around. But their air was sucked back into them soon enough. All at once the tubes lit up with an ominous green glow from their bottoms and the liquid within began to drain. Then a Spike opened its eyes. The hue of them was a bright red. Then another...and another. Eventually all the experiments had been activated...and began breaking out of their cryogenic sleeping pods. No matter what the Cutie Mark Crusaders said they wouldn't stay put. Some of the clones scratched at walls while others bit at structures around the room. Every now and then one might attempt to lunge at the young ponies. Then one found a door. And that was when they all exited. Despite the Cutie Mark Crusaders' cries to help them and explanations the situation, the clones scurried out the door and through the halls. And towards the elevator shaft... --- "So you're saying you guys found a dragon?" Applejack questioned. Rarity and Fluttershy nodded, the latter a bit more rapidly. "Well, it was more of an... entity I guess you could call it. We felt it more than anything," the unicorn told her. Spike had been listening rather intently to the story. "It was probably the cursed armor taking shape in order to manipulate you," Twilight reasoned. The others gave her a glance. "Think about it. Tempted you with wealth and everything. If it fully corrupted you what would've stopped it from using you to get out to the rest of the world? Princess Celestia must've sent us cause we're the ones that can do this stuff. Gotta admit though, it is sort of neat to get these armor pieces as prizes..." "Yes, even if they are a bit...heavy, they certainly give quite the statement to whomever would wear them," Rarity agreed. "Can I put em all on? I wanna play the dark god of chaos!" Pinkie Pie cheered hopping up and down. Fluttershy and Applejack allowed a few giggles to escape. Rainbow Dash was less amused however. "I think you've caused enough trouble already oh "god of chaos"," the pegasus murmured being sure to keep their leg armors out of her reach, "But now that we're all together there's no way we're gonna fail in getting this last piece. All we gotta do is head back on...down...to...what...the...hell..." The group came to a complete stop at the top of the hill that had blocked their view of their community. What lay before them was sheer chaos. Buildings were being caught up in explosions and flames while ponies ran through the streets screaming in terror. "...fuck this story..."