We made our way to Vale. I don’t care if Discord thought the Elements wouldn’t work; he thought the same about Twilight breaking his spell on us before, and look where that got him.
On the way to Vale, we ran into more scattered groups of Grimm, easily slaughtering them. We also found out what those pointy things are that Rarity has: Dust-powered kunai (As in, ninja throwing knives). She has what seems like an infinite supply, but I know there’s probably a reserve of Dust in that bag, creating the knives. She’ll need to stock up on raw Dust when we get to the city. We’ll need all the ammo we can get to stop them.
Pinkie had smuggled her Party Cannon through the portal (don’t ask), and it seems to have become her arm-mounted cannon, as evidenced when she shot confetti all over us and half the forest. She seems to have calmed down a lot, but of course, it’s still Pinkie. I’m sure she’s busy planning Discord’s “Sorry We Have to Beat You, but You’re a Big Meanie” party as we walk.
We break the tree line, and are within the city limits before long. Twilight takes this moment to speak up. “Girls, we need a plan.”
“Whaddaya mean, plan? We’ve got a plan! Find Discord, beat the ever-hating Grimm out of him, and bring him back to Equestria, in stone if possible.” I shoot back.
“That’s not what I mean, Rainbow. We’re going up against a being with the insanity of Discord, and the rage, malice, and power of the creator of the Grimm. We need a plan that gets us to Beacon in one piece.”
“What are you thinking, then?”
“It’s obvious Discord will play some kind of trick, probably separating us like he did before, then go after us one by one. I’m thinking, this time, instead of trying to find each other, we stay as far away from each other as possible. However, if he doesn’t split us up, stay together as much as possible.”
“Why?”
“That way, he can’t try and use imitations of us to try and subdue any of us. As soon as we are in the city, make for Beacon as fast as you can. We’ll meet at the foot of the plateau, where the ferry ships wait; wait one hour, and if nopony else comes, or some of us don’t show, consider us lost and continue to Beacon.”
Fluttershy steps forward. “But if even one of us is missing, doesn’t that make the Elements useless? We know what happened when you tried to use a substitute, and how that turned out. It’ll be even worse if we don’t have one of the Elements!”
“That’s why the Elements are the last resort.”
We all go “Huh?”
Twilight taps her head with her wand. “My original plan. I won’t tell you now, since Discord might be able to read your minds, but trust me, it’s going to be epic if it works.”
AJ now speaks. “Um, Twi? If ya has tha’ plan in yer head, wouldn’t Discord be more likely ta read yer mind? He knows yer the planner o’ tha bunch.”
“Oh, right!” She concentrates, weaving a complex piece of magic, then casting it on herself. She stumbles, and I catch her.
“Okay, I know I have a plan, but I’ve forgotten what it is. The only time I’ll remember is when it comes to pass.”
Pinkie frowns, goes to the nearest city wall, punches a hole in it, and shouts into said hole, “Come on! That’s just cheating! I mean, first, there was that thing with the Relay stuff, but now this?”
I would think Pinkie’s gone insane, but then again, that’s just what she does. I turn back to Twilight. “So, there aren’t going to be any worse effects, right? You aren’t going to forget who we are or anything, right?”
“I shouldn’t. It’s just a light memory blocking spell, reinforced so no outside force can manipulate it. Any questions on the plan?”
“Yeah, any ideas for when we face Discord?”
“We find Discord, beat the ever-hating Grimm out of him, and bring him back to Equestria, in stone if possible, of course.” She smirks, and I smirk back.
“Okay, Team Harmony. Let’s do this.”
----------
Of course, Discord sprung a trap. As soon as we were all within the city walls, six funnels of shadow swooped down and abducted all of us. As I regain my vision, I find myself in the industrial district, ironically close to where the White Fang took us when they abducted us. I dust myself off, and as I stand, the voice of Discord booms over the city. This isn’t quite his voice, though. It’s deeper, without any hint of humor in it.
“Welcome, ladies, to Vale. Now, I imagine you had some grandiose plan to confront me, so I thought to myself, stop the plotters by giving them no one to plot with! Feel free to try to get to the Academy, but be warned: these streets are no longer friendly. Have any of you seen that movie back home, The Running Mare? Well, you’re all Schwarzneighger, I’m the show host, and the Grimm are the Hunters. Expect the unexpected girls!” And with a joyless cackle, he is gone. Several howls, caws, screeches, and other animal sounds rise from the streets.
Okay, RD, stick to the plan: avoid the girls, kill any Grimm in my way, and get to the Academy. Simple enough… if Discord hadn’t messed with the city layout. Crap. Now, I didn’t want to fly unless I really had no choice. Don’t want to show Discord my personal ace until I was ready to, you know?
Ugh. This is gonna suck.
----------
I put down the last Beowulf of the most recent pack with extreme violence. I would say I was about halfway between where I started and Beacon, but I don’t really know. I was right; Discord screwed with the city, making dead ends and traps everywhere. So far, my score is: 27 Beowulf, 5 Ursa, a flock of small Nevermore, one pit of Taijitu, and 1 Deathstalker. That last one was a real bitch to take down. Now I see why it took JNPR the whole team to kill one. I even killed it in a similar fashion: using Rainboom to sever the tail, then impacting where the stinger struck the head.
I’ve seen a few of the girls, and according to plan, if we saw each other, we headed in different directions, usually ducking down side alleys and continuing parallel to the main road until we had passed each other. Once, I saw Twilight running down the street, trying to get my attention, but I hid. In case that was the real one, I didn’t want to kill her.
I saw Rarity get pulled into a partially demolished store by a blue-haired guy, going along willingly. I hope he’s friendly, or he’ll be in for a world of hurt. I caught a glimpse of AJ fighting off a large flock (swarm? murder?) of Nevermore. I saw Fluttershy walking confidently down an alley, a small Beowulf at her side, jumping around her playfully. That’s the Flutters I know; always good around animals, even ones without souls.
I swear I once saw Pinkie blasting holes in a wall and shouting into them. When she got no answer, she would blast more holes into the same wall, and use the holes as grips to climb, then swing herself onto the rooftops and start running. I actually doubt Discord would go after her; he knows she can see right through any trick he pulls.
Surprisingly, I make it to the ferry plaza with little trouble. I swear Discord would’ve pulled something by now. I also got to update my numbers: 40 Beowulf, a baker’s dozen Ursa, more Nevermore than I can count, a pit of Taijitu, one (two, if you count the heads) King Taijitu, 6 Boarbatusks, and 2 Deathstalkers. I defy anyone to beat that score!
I pull out my datapad, which somehow was still on me after going to Equestria and back, and set the built-in timer for one hour. I find a fairly secluded spot where I could be safe and still see the entire plaza, and sit down for a short power nap.
I’m dreaming about being in the Wonderbolts, as usual. The difference this time? I’m a human. As I soar over the crowds, Spitfire to one side, Soarin on the other, I look down and wave. Surprisingly, four ponies I’m sure I’ve never seen before wave back. One has short black hair, red on the ends, another has wild golden locks, one with a white ponytail almost reaching the ground, and another also with black hair, but a bow placed on top of her head. I almost fall out of formation. Ruby? Yang? Weiss and Blake too? How?
“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know?” Luna buck me with the moon… the voice came from the pony-Ruby, and the four of them smile and mold themselves into Discord. He’s even worse than before; his skin is entirely black with scattered splotches of white, and instead of the limbs and such from creatures in Equestria, he’s got Grimm parts. Nevermore wings, Deathstalker tail, Boarbatusk tusk sticking out of his head, stuff like that. He isn’t huge, which is a plus.
Everypony has faded away, leaving just me, Discord, and the field I’m hovering over. I dive at him, but he just poofs away to another part of the stands. “Now now, Rainbow. I’m just here to talk. Can you at least allow me that pleasure, before I see the end to your little expedition?”
I reach for Rain and Boom, but my hands have turned to hooves. I will myself to stay human, and it seems to work. I fold my arms. “Alright, bub. You’ve got two minutes, then get out of my head. What do you want?”
“I would so very wish to know why you came here.” He tries to give me big puppy-dog eyes, but when you look like a demon from the lowest depths of Tartarus, it comes off as disgusting rather than disarming. “It’s obvious Celly told you about how we came to be, and how much power Ol’ Grimmy has, so why try to come on this fool’s errand?”
“Because we were here before. We made friends, and helped those friends take down a cell of terrorists. I thought you would’ve learned by now, Discord. We never turn our backs on our friends!”
“Yes, yes. Ruby has been very helpful in telling us what you were up to here.” I dart forwards, only for him to disappear again. “I assure you I haven’t harmed her; just, helped her see how this world is meant to be. Also, that doesn’t truly answer my question: why would you come after me? I don’t think you plan on encasing me and Grimmy in stone; after all, we’re too powerful together.”
“I told you, we don’t forget our friends. That includes you.”
A little black leeches itself from his body. “What?”
“Why do you think we reformed you? Not because Celestia said so, not because it would stop you from causing so much chaos everywhere you go, something you still need to work on, but because we saw the potential for you to be a friend. And, on a personal note, I was eventually hoping to get some tips from you.”
More black is removed. I can almost see his head. “Tips on what?”
I smile the most sincere smile I can. “Well, you’re the greatest trickster to ever live. I was hoping you’d show me some pointers on pranking. I consider myself the best prankster in Ponyville, but my pranks could become two hundred percent more awesome if I had you helping.”
I can see a tear running down his face. “Well, if you put it like that—”
“ENOUGH!” The unmistakable roar of the Grimmfather sounds through my dream, and Discord is drenched in a literal bucket of darkness. When the torrent stops, he is back to full black, and smiling evilly at me.
“OBVIOUSLY, IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO TRY TO STOP YOU THROUGH WORDS, SO WE MUST ACT BY FORCE!”
“What?”
Suddenly, I’m jerked awake. Applejack is standing over me, shaking my shoulders. “Sugarcube, wake up! We’re all here, but tha Grimm are closin’ fast!” I respond by knocking her through the closest wall.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! It’s not me!” I want to shout, but my mouth doesn’t respond. I get up, and see most of the other girls looking my way, slowly backing off. I am screaming at my body to stop, but it keeps moving. I think the Grimmfather has taken control of my body; I’m a prisoner in my own mind. I can only watch in horror as I pull out Rain, and level it at Twilight’s head, who’s looking everywhere but behind her, scanning for Grimm.
I am crying, begging me, the Grimmfather, Discord, and anything that can listen to stop me as I feel my finger tighten around the trigger.
*BLAM*