//------------------------------// // Help, I'm Stepping Into the Comfort Zone // Story: Canterlot Crashers // by Orkus //------------------------------// "Nothing's happening, nothing's happening, nothing's happening!" Pinkie Pie shouted, as she bounced up and down nervously on the stony ground, panic filling her voice. "Rarity, I thought you said you cast the spell! Did it work?" "It went off like it said it would... I just... I don't know!" the white-furred unicorn replied as she flipped through the ancient, dust-coated book she held in the air with her magic. "I'm not Twilight! I don't use abnormally complex spells like these!" "You must find out," a brown-furred, but heavily bruised royal earth pony guard, wearing battered, battle-worn gold armor, spoke up. "The fate of the princesses rests on it!" "You don't think I don't know that?!" Rarity hissed back. "I think everypony should just calm down," Fluttershy started, in her kind, fragile voice. "The spell probably takes some time to go into effect, that's all. And you tried your hardest Rarity, so please don't blame yourself if something went wrong. I mean... if that's okay with you..." "I'd reckon you're right, sugarcube," Applejack agreed. "Rarity, we've never seen a spell like this before. Odds are, we probably don't know how long it'll take to... well, finish." "We don't have time for that, though!" Rainbow Dash argued, as she hovered in the air nearby with her wings. "We have no idea where that dragon's going to strike next!" The ponies were inside of the library belonging to the ruins of the Castle of the Two sisters. After a quick, but thorough search through Twilight's library at her tree house, they found nothing that could help them, and so, out of options, came here in an attempt to find a solution. The several royal guards whom accompanied them were the only remaining soldiers from Canterlot to resist being captured by Sablewing's forces. After meeting up with Twilight's friends, they all traveled to the old castle. Only one of the guards was in the library with the former element-bearers, and and the others were keeping watch outside. With haste, Rarity began to flip at a faster pace through the book, desperate to find anything worth reading. Rainbow Dash gave another impatient huff. "Well, Rarity? You know what's happening yet?" "For the last time, Rainbow..." Rarity began, taking in a deep breath for what she was about to say next, not noticing the portal forming a few feet over her head. "I DON'T KNO-" She let out a yelp of surprise as four, armored, multicolored shapes fell from the portal, and landed right behind her with a clatter of metal, creating a pile. Rarity jumped back, and looked with the others at them, as one of the knight-esque, non-pony figures sat up. "Ugh... where are we?" Blue wondered aloud, as he rubbed his helmeted head. His head spun around as he noticed his surroundings. "I don't know," Green replied, as he began to sit up as well, followed by the other two. "But for some reason, I just got a sudden craving for sugar, cupcakes, and marshmallows." "Oh, look," Red said, as he became the first to notice the several equine creatures that stood before them. "Horses." "I'm sorry," the guard spoke up, stepping forward to them. "We're not horses, we're ponies." "Gah!" Red shrieked in apparent surprise, disgust, and horror, as he pointed an accusing finger at the guard. "It speaks!" "Well, of course I speak. Why wouldn't I?" he replied. His response was met with a punch to the face by Red, using enough force that the blow sent the stallion flying to the other end of the room, where he slammed into a wall, and landed on the ground. "Die, aberration!" Red shouted, as he picked his mace up, became enveloped in a nimbus of pure electricity, and charged toward the downed guard, flinging himself forward once within range. "Die! Die! Die!" Acting fast, Rarity used her magic to catch Red as he sailed through the air, moments before he could do any harm, suspending him in a telekinetic bubble. "Hey! What gives?" Red cried out, now held in an immobile state above the ground, bearing a confused look as his eyes searched for the reason he was hanging there. Blue, Orange, and Green, each not as bloodthirsty and quick on the trigger as their comrade, simply stood in silence as they observed the ponies. The quiet that came between them didn't last, as Green spoke up. "Assuming the rest of you can talk, and are as sentient as the one over there, you'll have to excuse Red," he started. "He hasn't stuck his thumbs into the eye sockets of anything for a while, and he's been dying to kill something for the last month. In other words, he's a bit too... easily excited." "Rarity... please tell me these aren't the guys that the spell said would help us..." Rainbow Dash whispered to the white unicorn. With an unsure sigh for a response, Rarity slowly brought Red back to where the other three knights were, and dropped him in front of them. "Listen," she began, taking a step forward. "I used a spell that transported whoever you four are from your dimension, to here. You have to help us with something." "You've really gotta help us!" Pinkie continued. "There's an evil dragon that took over Canterlot, and he's got an army of-" "No, I want answers," Green rudely interrupted before any of the could hear the full story. "Just who in the name of the king's castle are you all?" "I'm Pinkie Pie," Pinkie started in a joyful voice, before gesturing to every other pony in the room when she said their names. "That's Rarity, that's Rainbow Dash, that's Fluttershy, that's Applejack, and that was a Canterlot guard your red guy hit against the wall." "My friends call me Orange," Orange began, in a friendly manner. "This is Green, that's Blue, and that nutjob is Red." "So... now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, now you can explain what's going on," Blue spoke, as he let the bladed tip of his sword tap against the ground. "Where do we begin?" Applejack said. "For starters, an evil dragon named Sablewing the Wicked sprang a surprise attack with his army of monsters on our land's capitol, Canterlot, and our four princesses of the land, one being our friend, Twilight Sparkle, tried to defend it." "Ooh. Princesses," Red whispered to his friends, his elbow bumping against Orange, faintly, but obviously intrigued. "Anyways, due to that varmint Sablewing having a mind as sharp, long, and deadly as his claws, they've all been captured, and we have no idea how to get them back," the earth pony went on. "Without them, Ah'd be willing to bet my tail that Sablewing will take over all of Equestria in no time. In other words, you may very well be our only hope, as of now." "Yeah, screw that," Blue blatantly refused, in an arrogant laugh. "Even if we get the chance to fight some monsters and save a few princesses, I... err... we have no reason to work with..." He looked at each of the ponies in the room before finishing. "...A group of talking, pastel-colored things that I'm having a hard time believing are "ponies." Why should we sully our hands doing your grunt work for you?" "Because, "Bluey," if you don't help us, we're not going to send you back to your home, and you'll be trapped here with us!" Rainbow Dashed replied, tauntingly. "So, what'll it be, huh? Help us and go home, or don't, and never see your friends and family ever again?" Blue raised a finger, about to come up with a witty retort to the comment dealing with so-called "friends and family" he may have possessed, when they all turned as the sudden creaking sound of the door opening rang out. In dashed came another guard, wheezing and out of breath. "Element bearers! Your help is needed!" he cried. "Ponyville is under attack by Sablewing's forces! There are simply too many for us to hold off! What should we do?" "Did someone say "attack?"" Red exclaimed, as his head shot to the guard. "As in, violence? As in, dare I say it, a time when I can use my mace to turn someone's skull into a pulpy mixture of chunky salsa and gray matter, and not get berated for it?" "Yes, but... um... I'm not sure if lethal force would be necess-" the guard tried to reply, seconds before he was flung aside like a paper doll by a red blur that sped out of the door, mace swinging in the air overhead, whilst screaming joyous thanks, blasphemous profanities, and chanting the word "Battle! Battle! Battle!" over and over again to the blue sky. Back with the rest of the knights, a look of both interest and uncertainty began to form on their individual faces. "Guys, I think we should follow him," Orange said to his friends, with only a minor hint of reluctance in his voice. "Ya'know... before he takes all the action for himself." "I second that!" Blue immediately said, raising a hand. Green, folding his arms and shaking his head, turned around and faced the ponies, almost begrudgingly. "Alright, fine. We'll help you," he spoke to them. "But only because we're bored, and you've oh-so generously given us some damsels to rescue, and enemies to fight." "Any... other reason?" Fluttershy inquired. Applejack seemed to silently ask the same question as well, as indicated by the raised eyebrow look she was giving them. "...And to punish evil, and preserve good, and yada yada..." he sighed back, before turning to Orange and Blue. "You guys ready to head out?" "Sure, why not," Orange shrugged nonchalantly, as he inspected the blade of his battle axe, making sure it was nice and sharp. "I'm up for it, if it'll ease the boredom," Blue spoke, as he finished stretching out one of his arms, before gripping the handle of his sword, and lifting it. Nodding in full agreement, they all ran up to the door, carelessly shoving aside the same, dazed guard from before as he was just standing back up. Before they could exit it though, Red's head suddenly reappeared from the corner of it, startling the three other knights slightly. His expression appeared to be a mix of worry, and confusion. "I forgot to ask something," he began, in an embarrassed voice. "Which way is "Ponyville," exactly?"