//------------------------------// // Pinkie, round two and two for T. // Story: Hooves of Fury Part 1 // by Lock Target //------------------------------// Fluttershy walks up to the orange Earth Pony. "Applejack?" she asked. "In the coat, sugar cube" AJ replied lifting her hat giving a smirk. She then switches to a tense expression getting out of the chair walking over to Fluttershy keeping her right hoof which was bandaged up elevated saying "Twi and the others filled me in on everything from you signin' up for this tournament to the incident with Pinkie Pie. Let's take a walk" Moments later, Fluttershy, Grace and AJ are at a park. "What brings YOU here?" Fluttershy asked. Applejack sighs taking a seat on a bench and tells her, "Some time before Twilight came into our lives, I learned about Granny Smith's secret hobby. I swore to secrecy until she told YOU of it. After I heard of what you had to do to Pinkie, I feel that I should do something to help you" "She needs a new Corner Mare" Grace replied, "During that mess with Pinkie, Rainbow Dash used up her air supply and collapsed at the fight's climax" Just then, a neon green unicorn about Apple Bloom's size with an orange, slightly messy mane and a Cutie Mark of a wrench and a quill formed like an X wearing red-framed glasses, a purple shirt and a pair of loafters on her back hooves shows up with RoboColt. "GRACE!" she shouted. "What is it, Tink?" Grace asked. "It's Hay Flower" replied RoboColt, "She's be ponynapped!" he finished handing Grace a note. She begins reading it. "If you are reading this, your friend is now in my use as we speak. Come and get me if you dare. And tell Hidden Dragon, Apple Bloom is fine...So long as she keeps fighting. Signed, T" A familiar-looking bow falls out of the note. "THAT'S APPLE BLOOM'S!" cried AJ. "This is getting serious" growled Grace, "Hay Flower is the most powerful of the four of us. She's the perfect mixture of all three types of pony and four of Equestria's most fierce creatures, half one of which I happen to be! She's also the Canter-Clash Champ 10 years running making her the youngest fighter in the tournament. If the 'T' character has her, then they're planning something big!" Spike comes in riding on General Command. "So..." General said, "My niece has been captured" Spike climbed down. General then continued, "Third time this month. She's a Unicorn, a Pegasus, an Earth Pony, a Phoenix, a Dragon, a Griffin and a Minotaur all wrapped up into one easy-to carry package" "...Beg pardon?" asked AJ. "He told me this on the way over here" Spike replied, "Like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, she's an Alicorn, so she's got the wings of a Pegasus, the horn and magic skills of a Unicorn and she can run as fast as an Earth Pony, but UNlike them, thanks to her bizarre family tree, she's got the strength and fire-breathing ability of a Dragon, the combined wingpower of a Griffin, a Phoenix and a Pegasus, and the stuborness of a Minotaur...Oh, and she can recover herself like a phoenix" "Land sakes..." AJ said, "...I'd like to see HER in a race with Rainbow Dash" "That's exacly what I said!" Spike told her. "THE POINT IS...!" shouted General, "These atributes made her the most powerful warrior in Equestria and the leader of an elite group called the Knights Of The Triangular Table, which the three before you are the other members" he finished gesturing at Grace, RoboColt and Tink. "If this is all true" said AJ, "then I think Grace would be right...But what's their angle? Why do they want FLUTTEERSHY to be in this tournament so bad?" "I don't know" said Grace, "But whatever it is, this is her choice if she wants to leave" A sound-alike instrumental of "I'll make a man out of you" from Disney's Mulan plays as Fluttershy became angry, picked up Apple Bloom's bow and ties her mane back with it. "I'm staying" she said. General smiles, nods and salutes saying "Then I am at your side, soldier" "The K.O.T.T.T has your back!" added Grace. "I'd like to help too" Spike said. "Good" replied AJ, "With my limited mobility, I'll need an assistant" "I'll find out who T is" claimed Fluttershy, "When I do, I'll ask them why they are doing this, and if they don't answer right away, I'll MAKE THEM GIVE ME AN ANSWER!" She then notices how dark it's gotten as the music stops. "Ooh, it's getting late" she said. "Yeah, we'd better pack it in" said Grace, "Lugubrius takes on Shadow Hoof in the first match tomarrow and I wanna see who moves on. Hey, you wanna go grab a bite before we turn in? It's on us" "Sure thing" said AJ, "All this tension has me hankerin' fer some grub!" "That's very generous of you" added Fluttershy. "I know a place that serves the finest gems" Spike said. That night, Fluttershy is seen in the shower singing. After finishing and drying herself off, she exits the bathroom where Spike's asleep on one bed and Applejack, the other. Her hat is hanging on a hat rack next to a chair where Fluttershy's Canter-Clash outfit and AB's bow sits neatly. She notices AJ tossing, tuning and grunting. "Is there something wrong, Applejack?" asked Fluttershy, "All that tossing and turning isn't good for your hoof" AJ wakes up. "I'm a might' sorry, sugar-cube" she said, "I'm just a bit on edge right now" "It's about T, isn't it?" Flutterhy asked. "You shouldn't worry, I told you I'm going to give it my all to get Apple Bloom back" "I know" AJ replied, "It's just that this whole thing. AB ponynapped, Granny Smith and the girls in the hospital, and when I left Sweet Apple Acres to come help you, Big Mac wasn't gettin' along with the temps I hired" Meanwhile at Sweet Apple Acres, Doctor Whooves and Berry Punch are somewhere in the orchards with a monkey. "...So...What do we do?" Asked Berry. "I'm not sure" replied Doctor Whooves, "I'm still trying to find the barn" "WILL YOU TWO PLEASE LEAVE ALREADY!?" boomed an annoyed Big Mac's voice, "I TOLD YOU I'LL FILL YOU IN ON YOUR JOBS IN THE MORNING!" Looking at the monkey, Berry Punch asks, "Why did you bring a monkey?" A potato (Possibly thrown by Big Mac) beans the monkey unconcious. "MISTER CHIPS!" cried Doctor Whooves...Let's go back to AJ and Fluttershy. "Point is" AJ continued, "I'm worried about everypony" "...Would it help if I slept at your side?" asked Fluttershy. "Maybe" replied AJ. Fluttershy slips into the covers. "Now just relax" she reassured the stressed Earth Pony, "You want that hoof to heal, don't you?" The two fall asleep. "...Rarity..." Spike said in his sleep, "...It's time for your sponge bath..." Outside the room, General Command kept a vigil. He hears a snicker that sends a chill down his spine and looks around. "Oh no..." he said, "THE BYPRODUCT!" He opens the door shouting "EVERYPONY TO THEIR STATIONS! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" "What in tarnation?" asked AJ. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy added. Spike wakes up saying, "...Mommy?" General gallops over to Spike's bed saying "Out of bed, soldier!" "...YOU'RE not mommy either..." Spike said groggily. Grace shows up outside the window of the room and is seen with an elderly, standard blue uinicorn with an Einstein-like moustache and manestyle knocking on the window. "OPEN ZE VINDOW, SCHNELL!" cried the Unicorn. General opens the window letting them in saying "It's a good thing you're here Professor Relativity" "This had better be good" responded Grace, "I haven't been asked on a solo assignment during lights out back at the cabin since that time some GOON by the name of Jet Set got possessed by the ghost of Breaking Monsoon" Professor Relativity walks into the center of the room saying "Ze Pinkamena has been activated!" A disappointed Applejack says "Is THAT all you're worked up about?" "I already took CARE of that" Fluttershy said climbing out of bed. "I'm afraid there's more to it" General said with a heavy heart, "I'd forgotten about it until just recently, but after you saved Pinkamena, you unleashed a byproduct of the spell used to turn her into a sleeper agent in the first place!" "VAS!?" cried the Professor, "DAS IS EVEN VORSE! ZE BYPRODUCT IS MORE RUTHLESS ZEN HER!" "Then it's a good thing I'm here" said Grace, "I'll provide back-up for you" "Achtung, ladies" said the Professor, "Ve must find ze byproduct before it's too late" Fluttershy and Grace followed behind. "And don't worry about your friend" said General, "I'll stay behind and keep watch of her" "And with that" said Spike, "I return to my slumber" AJ looks at Spike saying "How can you sleep at a time like this?" Spike replied "It's 11:00 PM, Captain Fussypants over here interrupted a Rarity dream, what more do I need to say?" then falls asleep. Applejack then tries to go to sleep as well. "Rest well, my little pony" said General, "And pray that the Fates rule in our favor this very night...Good luck to you, Hidden Dragon...You'll need it" To Be Continued.