//------------------------------// // It ends here // Story: Celestiphilia // by Dr Atlas //------------------------------// “Here Stan, take this.” Mike tossed a cylindrical metal container at Stan, making him fall of his chair from the force of his throw. He stood back up like nothing happened and asked, “What is it?” He held it and turned it around multiple times. “It’s a bucket.” Mike said with a smile. “Dear Chrysie…” Stan looked at it in horror. “There’s more.” “No…” Stan hugged the bucket and stared intently at Mike. Mike rolled his eyes and continued. “You’ll be needing it once we’re done with this.” “Why?” Stan gasped and wagged his tail. “Do I get to wear it afterwards!” Before others could object, Stan place the bucket on his head and smiled. “Now I can act like a soldier.” Carl pushed Stan back on the stool and smacked the bucket off his head. “Look Stan, will you just get this over with, it’s really weird for me to hit you. Usually it’s you who does it.” Stan spun around and faced the bar table. “Probably because you were...swichin’ our brains, and I lost your’s somewhere...so now It’s just me and this bucket!” Stan picked up the bucket and hugged it like a hatchling hugging a queen. “I shall call you Mr. Bread.” Mike slammed a mug full of alcohol on the table, making Stan jump and toss the bucket onto his head again. “No more games changeling…” Mike said dramatically. “But aren't we playing a game right now?” Stan adjusted his bucket so he could see that Mike had a look of death on his face. “Make one more smartflank remark…” Mike grabbed Stan by his neck and looked him straight in the eyes. “I dare you.” “Okay. Your face is-” Shift and Lift shoved a tube down his throat and held the other end with the funnel in the air. “How about we just-” “Get things moving Mike.” Mike grumbled and climbed over the table. He grabbed the tube and sat next to Stan. “Ready insect?” “Good sir, I was raised ready.” Stan then grabbed the bucket and puked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 15 minutes later… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “BLEH…..Can’t you give me sumthin’ wif a lietal beet, one that I’s can tap mah stuff wiff…” Stan said as he started wobbling on his stool, as for Mike, he was beginning to remember why he just sold alcohol and not drink it. “Can’t ya just *hick* give up changlang.” Mike said as he continued to hang on to the tube, by letting it go, it meant he would lose. Stan looked back up at him and continued holding his own tube. “I’d rather fly a truck then drive a truck Mike, cause that’d give me double D’s.” He snickered and put the tube in his mouth again and raised his hoof in the air. “Mhhhmmhmhm.” Shift and Lift just shrugged and poured more bottles down both of the funnels while the ponies in the bar chanted. All the while, Carl was holding his heart, unable to keep a steady breath. He knew that if his friend lost now, he’d be working in a dank and dirty bar. He would rather drink in it then work in it. As Stan finished chugging, Carl ran up to him and looked at him in his drunk eyes. They were starting to turn an even darker blue, almost black. “Stan...How many hooves am I-” “Twenty dollas is what ur holding man, can I have some to eat on the way home?” Stan smiled and hugged Carl with one of his arms. “Ey Carl, did I ever tell you how your eyes look like mine…” “Stan, your eyes are starting to turn dark, so there nothing like mine...” “It was just a compliment, after all, Celly, you need to take the hint that I’m tryin’ to hit on you, so be sure to duck before I make a move.” Carl started walking back. “Stan...are you trying to-” “CARL!” Stan yelled as he tightened his grip on the tube. “Can’t you take a hint! Come here…” Stan pulled Carl’s ear and whispered. “Stan’s like me explore our smexequality at old ages. How you doin?” Carl grimaced and started turning away, then he saw how Mike was starting to tilt off his chair as he watched the two. “What are you two doing?” Mike asked as Carl started seeing him lose his grip on the tube. Then an idea came to his mind, he knew he would regret it, but doing so would get him out of this. He turned back at Stan and put on a fake smile. “So uh...Stan, how are uh….you...doing…” Stan smiled and leaned back, kicking Carl and laughing. “I duno man, why are you asking me this stuff, you likey likey what your eyezies see?” Carl heard a bottle crash in the distance. He rubbed his nose and looked back at Mike. His jaw hung open and his grip was getting looser. Shift and Lift were doing their best to hold in their snickers as Stan stared intently at Carl. “Carl, we both know that we can change into stuff, so how about you turn white while I change into clothes so you can wear me like one of your fresh mares.” “Uh…” The gears in Carl’s mind were starting to skip a couple turns with Stan saying all of this. “How about you just-” “Oh just shut up and kiss me!” Stan closed his eyes and leaned into Carl’s face, where he then fell to the floor, landing on Carl. The entire bar gasped, except for Mike who threw the tube on the ground and laughed. “HA! You let go first bug, that means that I am a winner!” “Actually Mikey.” Shift said. “You may want to-” “Take a second look.” Lift finished and pointed at the two changelings on the ground. “Get off of me Stan!” Carl shoved his friend off of him, revealing that Stan was still holding the tube in one of the holes in his hoof. “But Caaaaaaaaarl!” Stan said with a sad tone of voice. “I trying to be sheshual!” Stan then fell on a pony, who had ran up to him to held his hoof in the air. “We have our winner everyling!” He yelled, making the crowd cheer with glee. Mike got up and held his head in pain. “What do you mean every….ling…….no…” He opened his eyes to see that every pony in the room started getting engulfed in green flames, turning them all into- “Siblings!?” Carl yelled. “You mean you guys were-” Shift and Lift got off the bar table and walked into the crowd of now changified ponies. “They were bugs all along Mikey.” Shift said. “Like we said, you really need to get better ID.” Lift clopped his hooves, as did the others. “Can we get a big hoof to our friend Stan here for letting us bring the party here?” “You what?!” Both Carl and Mike said. “WOOOOOOOOOOO. PARTAAAAY!” Stan wore his sombrero, which had a bucket on it, and glasses again. “Carl, let us dance to party time!”  “Wait, wait, wait.” Carl shoved Stan out of the way and looked at the DJs. “You guys wanted to bring the party...here?” “Yep.” They said in unison. “And they wanted Stan to win because he was a changeling too.” “Yep.” The others said. “So...where’s the-” “Where’s the song table thingy.” Stan said as he leaned on Carl again. “We can’t have parties without moosic.” “The hero's right Mikey.” Shift said to a still shocked Mike. “How about we-” “Get this party…STARTED!” Lift lifted a turntable and shoved the empty bottles to the floor. He then slammed it on the bar table, turned it on, and put on headphones. He flipped the switch and a song that Carl would normally like, but now hated for some reason came on, though Stan seemed to clop his hooves to it. “Yay…” Stan said silently to Carl. “Moooooooosic.” He laughed and rested on his friend. Carl groaned. “Come on Stan, lets go home.” Carl hoisted his friend’s arm over his neck and carried him out the door, leaving the changelings to their music, and Mike with his sorrow.