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// Hors d'oeuvre 
// Story: Harmonic Gourmet 
// by Robomac 
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Six multi-colored pony mares walked into the Castle of Harmony's central throne room, with the exceptions of the pink one aptly named Pinkie Pie who bounced along smoothly and the cyan pegasus with rainbow hair with an equally apt name of Rainbow Dash chose to fly. A short distance ahead existed six large thrones and a smaller one where a young dragon slept. Each throne bore a different mark matching the cutie-mark of one of the six. Pinkie and Dash promptly sat on the thrones bearing their mark as Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn of the group stood in the center. "Let's go through this one more time."

Dash sighed. "We've been over it like a million times Twilight. We found all six keys, defeated Tirek, and got this sweet castle; end of story."

Twilight gazed down momentarily in bewilderment. "Yes, but why?"

"I don't know sugercube. Maybe it's just your new house and there ain't nuthin' more to it than that." added the orange coated blond mare wearing a stetson known as Applejack as she sat in her throne.

"I must say, speaking strictly on aesthetics, there really doesn't need to be more to it," said the white unicorn Rarity as she sat on her throne. "It's all simply divine," she added while tilting her head up in a mild swoon.

Fluttershy, a yellow pegasus with long pink hair also sat upon her throne. "I agree with Twilight, and Rarity, and Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie." She looked towards each pony as she said their name then towards the snoring dragon. "Oh, and probably spike."

Twilight started to walk around. "As princess, I've been chosen to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria; so why would the Tree of Harmony want us to sit in a castle in Ponyvile. It doesn't make any sense." She hopped onto her throne with a little assistance from her wings. All six of the larger thrones started to glow. Before they could wonder what was happening, everything went black.





The six found themselves hovering in an empty space with countless stars littering the background in all directions. All of them, even Pinkie, groaned from a fierce migraine punctuating every beat of their hearts with a pulse of pain. Dash recovered first due to her experience with crashes. "What the hay did your castle do to us?"

Twilight groaned as her horn glowed due to a numbing spell. "I," she looked around apprehensively, "I have no idea."

"Silly Twilight. We're in space." Pinkie Pie gasped loudly with wide eyes. "We're aliens. Do you know what this calls for?" She reached beyond anypony's field of view to retrieve a party hat and a generic green alien mask. "Alien party!"

Twilight put a hoof to her face then sighed. "Pinkie, going into space doesn't make us aliens. We'd have to visit another world first."

"Awww." Pinkie whimpered due to being shot down so quickly.

"Now no pouting Pinkie," said a decidedly male voice. "Princess Twilight is right."

With the migraines instantly forgotten, six pairs of eyes widened at the deep unfamiliar voice coming both from nowhere and everywhere at once, though one pair widened in excitement rather than fear. "Oh, a new guy. Are you going to join our alien party?"

The voice chuckled as the sound started to centralize a short distance ahead of them. "You are truly incomprehensible Pinkie Pie, even to a being such as I." A muzzle poked out of empty spaced followed by an earth pony stallion with bright blond hair and an off-white coat. His cutie mark was revealed to be a globe with a pen in the process of writing upon its surface. He regarded them all with a gentle smile then focused upon Pinkie. "It just so happens that I did have a party of sorts in mind. How does Alien Gourmet sound as a theme?"

"Ooooooooh, that sounds like fun." She turned towards towards Twilight with a moderate smile. "Hey Twilight; what does incomprehensileble mean?"

Twilight sighed at her butchering of the word. She then immediately entered her lecturing mode. "It is pronounced incomprehensible."

"I do~ know how to spell Twilight," said Pinkie, interrupting Twilight. "I got out of elementary school three days ago."

All six others blinked in confusion with Twilight being first to regain her senses. "Okay. First off, spelling has nothing to do with pronouncing words correctly."

"Well I defiantly know that."

Twilight's eye twitched. "It's pronounced definitely. Did you really get out of elementary school three days ago?"

"Of course. How else can I throw Cheerilee's birthday party?" she replied as if it were obvious.

As the five stared at Pinkie dumbfounded, the stallion entered a fit of wild laughter. He quickly reduced it to a wide smile as they turned their eyes towards him. "What can I say; the element of laughter was a title well earned."

Rarity tried to step towards the rather handsome stallion only to fail due to having no surface to walk upon. This however was no inconvenience to her current intent. "Excuse me dear sir, but would you do us the pleasure of telling us your name." After all, the stallion's apparent understanding of gourmet dining certainly must indicate a certain level of sophistication.

The stallion gazed at Rarity with a kind and, much to Rarity's disappointment, a rather platonic expression. His expression then went deathly serious in the next second. "Yes. I should at least provide my name before I get down to business. As I am now, you may call me Wordsmith."

"And what kind of business you talking about Mr. Wordsmith?!" asked both Applejack and Rainbow, with the farmer bothering to use his name.

He smirked at them, the kind aura he was projecting from before replaced by something considerably more mischievous. "Like I said, I have the intention of inviting you six to a Alien Gourmet party." His gaze narrowed as his aura silenced any response. "You should know that refusal is not an option."

All their heartbeats quickened as their breaths were caught in their throats. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! The alien pony's going to eat us!" With that declaration, all five join Pinkie Pie in her screams. They all flailed and flapped around only to continue hovering in place; which served to further intensify their panic.

Wordsmith on the other hoof watched the display with an amused smirk. He realized in hindsight that he should have realized that Pinkie would bring things to this conclusion. After a few moments, he decided to spare their throats further abuse and stomped upon a surface only he could touch. All six mares were instantaneously silenced against their will. "Well, now that you can hear me, it is time we continue."

With another stomp of his hoof, he freed them and summoned a large jellyfish contained in a sphere of water in the center of their midst. What panic they felt was calmed as they looked upon the shimmering brilliance of the creature before them, with Rarity being brought to tears. Its bell looked to be made of the purest dark gold while still being completely transparent, allowing starlight to twinkle in a mesmerizing manner as well allowing full view of small tendrils sticking up from it's mouth; all of which looked to be comprised of the richest red rubies to ever exist. Beneath the bell hung three bright golden frills that sparkled brilliantly even without the added starlight. These frills were accompanied by numerous platinum colored tentacles that swayed lazily with the flow of water. "What is this creature? I've never seen anything like it."

"Well my dear Fluttershy; this very special jellyfish just so happens to be how I intend for the six of you to survive." With a swipe of his hoof, the jellyfish was sliced cleanly in two. Their eyes widened in shock and fear at the sudden display of brutality.

"Why  " started Fluttershy with tears in her eyes before switching to the fiercest stare she's ever managed, "  why did you do that?!" Her protest was ignored as a gentler swipe of his hoof pulled one of the halves out of the water. He then stomped again which was followed by the half to break into countless particles that coalesced into six golden spheres. "You killed it just for that!"

Wordsmith returned her rage induced stare with a calm gaze. "Perhaps you should look again before making accusations."

Her stare wavered to glance at the jellyfish's remains; except it was once again whole and moving about as if it had never been injured at all; which effectively shattered her technique. "You...healed it."

"No, that regeneration is one of the things here that I'm not responsible for." He looked towards Pinkie with a hint of confusion in his creased brow. "As is that party hat and alien mask. If I didn't know better, I would ask you how you did that."

He turned back towards his shimmering captive with a gentle smile. "For what you have allowed me to take from you, I offer my thanks." Wordsmith bowed his entire body so that his chin was clearly touching the surface he seemed to be standing on. In the next instance, the jellyfish as well as the six orbs formed from the other half's remains shined with thrice the brilliance as before. This coupled with the shear aura of gratitude coming from Wordsmith put the six mares into another state of silenced awe. "Now I shall return you to your home." The jellyfish and water vanished without any display, leaving behind the seven ponies and six golden spheres that still glowed with the added brilliance.

After a moment, the stallion slowly stood as a sense of indifference started to replace his gratitude; though it did not do so completely. "Now then my little ponies. I feel as it if this is starting to drag on so I'll be wrapping this up."

"Wait!" exclaimed Twilight. "We have no idea what you even want from us. Are you really going to send us back without any kind of direction? How am I supposed to spread the Magic of Friendship without some kind of goal?"

Wordsmith chuckled in a way that was clearly at her expense. He then paused, as if contemplating what he should do next. "You are sorely mistaken princess. I assume that you believe me to be some sort of manifestation of your castle, but I can assure you that I have no connections to the Elements, Tree, or Castle of Harmony whatsoever. Additionally, you are not going to Equestria."

This immediately triggered a cacophony of five panicked voices as well a slowly rising panic attack from a single pegasus. "How am I going to be a wonderbolt?!"

"Surely you jest! What of all my unfinished projects?! What of my sister, my parents!?"

"I've got a farm to worry about! Ah can't leave leave Big Mac and Applebloom to do all the work! They need me!"

Pinkie pie threw her head back as comically large stream's of tears cascaded from her eyes. "I'm ... never going to ... see the cakes again~!"

Twilight looked at her crying, panicking, and enraged friends then looked at the cause of their distress with an expression of raw anger. Her hair flared up into a raging flame and her coat turned an off-white matching the target of her ire. "NO! I will not let you take us from our homes, our friends, our families!" She pointed her horn at the stallion and unleashed the full might of her magic.

The large beam of energy tapered into a thinner beam that flew directly into Wordsmith's waiting mouth where it was promptly swallowed  as if it were nothing. "I apologize both for this and for what comes next, however hollow that apology may be." The six mares showed no reaction other than being stunned from how he took Twilight's attack. They didn't even notice the six orbs flying over and phasing into their bodies.

After that, they began to fall. Within a second, Twilight lost sight of her friends as they blended with the blurs of starlight. She screamed soundlessly as a flood of pain unlike anything she'd ever felt permeated every cell in her body. The mental overload was so great that her brain made the independent decision that it was time to shut down; but before it did, she heard the stallion's voice one last time. "Taste of GOD and you will once again know home."





Twilight opened her eyes with a groan, feeling glad that the pain from before didn't remain. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the low light conditions of a swampy forest and began searching for her friends to no avail. Her ears swiveled rapidly, only to pick up little more sound than leaves in the wind. Her nose crinkled at the musky scent of decaying marsh.

The bushes dead ahead suddenly began rustling as something quickly approached. Before she could think to avoid the encounter, a bright orange and yellow blur shot past. The part of her hoping it was Applejack died as she turned to make out a massive saber-toothed feline with mostly orange coat aside from a yellow mane and underbelly. The beast snarled and glared at her with vicious red eyes; whatever plans it had gone with a chance for and easy meal.


Baron Tiger
Mammal Beast
Capture Level: 3