//------------------------------// // Magnetic Mayhem // Story: Magnetic Mayhem // by Gairenard //------------------------------// It was a colorful box wrapped in bright pink paper, and held together with a pair of yellow ribbons that tied into a bow on the top. A small paper tag attached to the bow addressed the box to Pinkie Pie in bold cursive. The present sat in the middle of the bedroom, perfectly blending into the bright environment. Pinkie Pie sat before this gift with an intense stare of suspicion. “I don't remember seeing you here last night.” She remarked to the bow. “Who sent you?” The box said nothing. Pinkie leaned forward so her nose was inches away from the wrapper. “Are you a prank present from Rainbow Dash?” The wrapping stared back at her with no emotion. Pinkie sat straight again and put a hoof to her chin. “No, her fancy writing isn't that good.” Her eyes narrowed and she whipped out a magnifying glass to examine the tag. “Maybe Discord sent you, but he would get impatient at this point.” Pinkie lowered the magnifying glass. She felt it slip from her hoof and saw it land onto the box with a dull metallic ding. Pinkie grabbed the handle and pulled. It resisted, only slightly, but resisted her nonetheless. She also felt something pull on her hoof, like the magnifying glass had grabbed her and was pulling difiantly. The resistance was still small though, so both hoof and glass were pulled away from the box. Pinkie Pie looked at the magnifying glass, to her own hoof, then the box. “What game are you playing?” She asked. “Speak! Or I will be forced to open you!” The box did nothing, so Pinkie went to work. The pink wrapper and yellow bows were removed in quick succession. Years of opening presents taught Pinkie how to best go about defeating each style of wrapping. In this case, pulling once in the right place deconstructed the bow, and using a firm and quick grip to tear open the loose wrapping. Pinkie saw the pink paper fly away from the package with an anxious smile and wide eyes. “Ah-uh?!” The face of joy faded to one of confusion when the object didn't immediately register with anything familiar. It was another box composed of thin steel plates. The plates were not connected to each other at the edges since the second layer was visible between wide gaps. The second layer looked to be made of wood. Pinkie’s mask of confusion turned to excitement and curiosity. “A present within a present!” She reached out and touched the top plate. When her hoof was inches away, it landed on the lid by an involuntary pull. Pinkie furrowed her eyebrows and pulled on the plate towards her. Both plate and hoof resisted, but unlike last time much more effort was needed to free both objects from the area of attraction. Pinkie held the plate of metal away from her with both hooves. She examined it closely, saw nothing of interest, and placed it down. The following four plates came away with similar resistance, and each time pinkie hooves would initially stick to the metal. Pinkie placed the last plate onto the floor and looked at what remained. “Are you my present?” The wooden box was made of layers of plywood, held together by strands of thick tape. “Hmm,” Pinkie pouted, “I need to go deeper.” The process of removing the wood was similar to that of the meal plates, but now the pull on Pinkie’s hooves was much stronger, and the wood didn't resist her efforts to remove it. Nor did the tape. Pinkie was now staring at the last layer. A foam box split into halves, and not connected to each other in anyway visible. “Augh!” She cried in anguish, “Don't make me wait any longer!” Pinkie grabbed the foam top and pulled straight up. She felt the pull on both hooves, but her movements were so quick that it didn't matter much. The lid came away with no resistance, revealing the treasure under it. There sat the object. The last thing in the box. Pinkie looked at it with wide eyes. “What?” The object was a shiny disc about six inches in diameter. The gloss resembled chrome plating, but with a slight matte finish. “All that for a shiny button?” Pinkie tossed the foam lid behind her and stared at the disc. “Have at thee!” She lifted her hoof and went to press the button. Something grabbed her hoof and pulled it towards the disc. Pinkie’s fast reflexes were good, but the pull was so strong that nothing could be done. Her right hoof hit the disc with a loud snap! “Hey! Let go of me!” She complained. Pinkie repositioned herself and tried to pull her hoof off the disc. It popped out of the package causing her to fall on her rump. Turns out the disc was also two inches thick, making it quite the sizable object. Pinkie stared at the disc captivated by it’s finish and nature. She shook her hoof lightly to try and rid of the thing, but not only was the attraction strong, the object was quite heavy for it’s size. Nevertheless, she shook her hoof wildly, but that did nothing to remove the object. “Hey! This is my hoof!” Pinkie shouted at the disc before frantically waving it around again, which only made her leg tired. Pinkie laid down on her back and stared at the object. Her left ear twitched at the sound of wood on metal. Looking to the left, she saw one of the metal plates sliding towards her. Pinkie started to lift her left hoof on the plate to prevent it from going further. Pinkie suddenly felt the hoof resist her command, and pull to the object stuck to her other hoof. “Eep!” Pinkie slammed her left hoof onto the metal plate before standing up. Pinkie looked closely at the object and narrowed her eyes. Apart from a faint reflection of herself in the rim, nothing special stood out to her. She looked up and saw the ceiling lamp hanging above her. She lifted the disc high and she felt the weight of the disc lessen greatly. It pulled at the lantern, which was fixed into the ceiling so it couldn't move. “Oh! I get it!” Pinkie lowered the disc and rolled her eyes. “Your a magnet!” She said this to the magnet like it would congratulate her on solving the obvious. It didnt. Pinkie looked under the magnet where it made contact with her hoof. “It’s not my hoof, it's my shoe!” She smiled at the magnet. “Well, what do I call you? Hmmm…” She tapped the magnet against her chin. “Magneto!” She exclaimed. Then looked apologetically at Magneto. “Having two Steven Magnets might confuse ponies.” She pointed at her doorway. “Let’s go, Magneto!” Pinkie and Magneto walked down the stairs together into Sugarcube Corner bakery. Pinkie held Magneto with her leg upright to make sure it didn't attract more of her shoes. Mrs. Cake was working behind the counter handing a cupcake over to a customer. “Have a nice day!” She called as he went. She then looked to the stairs and saw Pinkie. “Hello, Pinkie! What do you have there?” She gestured to Magneto. Pinkie presented her hoof, and by extent, Magneto. “This is Magneto the magnet!” Mrs.Cake raised her eyebrows. “That’s a big magnet, Pinkie! How are you going to get if off your shoe?” She saw Pinkie’s eyes widen and close shut. “What’s wrong?” She saw Magneto leaning itself towards the heavy iron cash register. “Oh dear!” Mrs.Cake backed away, reached up to the register and pulled it away. She could feel Magneto pull on her own horseshoes as well, but she was victorious when Pinkie and Cake flew back from each other onto their rumps. Pinkie shook her head and frowned at Mrs.Cake. “Sorry! It’s really strong!” Mrs.Cake sighed in relief before frowning more aggressively back. “Pinkie! That magnet is dangerous! Imagine what would happen if you got close to the knife block! Or the Oven, or the fridge!” Pinkie opened her mouth to speak but Cake cut her off. “You need to get that thing off your hoof before somepony gets hurt!” Pinkie’s ears fell and her mane sagged. “But Magneto doesn't want to hurt anypony!” Mrs.Cake sighed again, and reset her mood, but still looked disapprovingly. “I’m sure he doesn't, but you can't control his power, let alone work with him on your hoof!” Pinkie’s stared into her blurry reflection on Magneto and slowly noded. “Okay, I’ll be back.” Mrs.Cake’s frown turned to a small smile. “I understand hun, after all, Magneto is quite attracted to you.” Pinkie’s eyes widened and her bubbly demeanor returned in a rush of giggles. “Oh, Mrs.Cake!” She bounced up and walked to the door. “I’ll be back soon!” She paused at the Dutch Door, noting the iron handles. She held out Magneto carefully, making sure to let the magnetic pull get a firm hold on the door handles. The door swung towards her and Pinkie carefully exited the building using the magnet to close the door as well. Celestia’s sun was still climbing higher into the sky, but it had covered enough distance to bless the earth below with plenty of warmth. Ponies were out and about as their morning routines took a seat back to the tasks of the day. “Twilight will know what to do!” Pinkie said to Magneto. “You just need to behave!” She reminded it while going down the road. Pinkie looked around perpetually to check for any incoming items that could be attracted by Magneto’s pull. There was soft green grass, wooden homes, and fabric saddlebags firmly strapped to their owners. The only issue was the weight of Magneto. The dense object was slowly but surely sapping away Pinkie’s strength, making her more vulnerable to unexpected dangers each minute. Also, with only three hooves to trot on travel time was marginally shorter than ideal. Pinkie was only a few minutes down towards the Castle of Friendship when a voice interrupted her. “Yo, Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie flicked her head up at Rainbow Dash hovering a few feet above her. “Hey, Dash!” Pinkie cheerfully greeted. Rainbow pointed at Magneto, it’s unusually enticing chrome surface making it resemble a giant silver bit. “What’s that?” Pinkie softly lifted her right hoof in a half hearted presentation. “This is Magneto, the super magnet!” She lowered her hoof and saw Rainbow’s follow it. “Don't touch!” She warned. Rainbow’s wings started flapping harder. “Strong is right Pinkie, he has my horse shoe!” Rainbow’s leg strained against the pull. Pinkie moved away from Rainbow but Magneto pulled her forward in turn. She felt the magnet pulling up towards Dash, the force increasing greatly with every millimeter. In a push of strength Rainbow pulled backward. Pinkie’s face planted onto the soft grass, while Rainbow rocketed into a small tree trunk. “Oh dear!” Pinkie trotted fast as she could towards her friend. “You okay?” Rainbow was groaning in both pain and disorientation, but the moment she saw Pinkie approaching fast her wings shot out and she launched into the tree canopy. “Keep that away from me!” Pinkie stopped under the tree. “I’m sorry, Rainbow!” “By Celestia, Pinkie, whatever prank you plan on using that for better not be on me!” Dash called down with a smirk while nursing the back of her head. “Where did you get it?” Pinkie smiled back in relief and gestured with Magneto to SugarCube Corner. “I found it in my room wr-” “Stop! Nevermind,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Just, be careful where you point that.” Pinkie’s ears lowered and she looked at the magnet stuck to her. “I’m going to find Twilight so she can get it off my hoof.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “The quickest way is through the market, but-” Pinkie nodded her head and turned away before she finished. “Thanks, Dashie! See ya later!” Rainbow called out after her. “Wait!” But Pinkie was already bouncing through the growing crowd of ponies as the morning drew closer to midday. Eventually the crowd got too thick for Pinkie to bounce through it safely. That and with each bounce the weight of Magneto hit her hoof harder. “Twilight’s castle should be right through the market, I’ll be there lickity splitity!” She thought of Rainbow Dash hovering overhead and how close she was from getting stuck to Magneto. Pinkie looked up and saw the sky buzzing moderately with Pegasi going here and there with many of their hooves hanging lazily down over the crowd. Pinkie lowed Magneto and drew him closer to herself. “Lickity Splitity.” She repeated. It wasn't long before they were in the midst of the market place in late morning. All the merchants were up, which meant the crowd was at the peak of morning business, and ment goods were being cycled around in close proximity as shoppers went about their day. Pinkie pressed Magneto against her chest while her eyes scanned for possible threats. A stallion walked by with a saddle sack strapped around him, and Pinkie suddenly felt Magneto be pulled towards it. She fought back but her leg was getting too weak to properly withstand the forces. Her legs popped forward and Pinkie almost fell on her face again when something else caught Magneto’s attention. A young mare was pulling a short steel waggon full of fruits and other edibles. Pinkie was suddenly jerked to the left and she landed on her stomach. Magneto tired to drag her after the cart and the iron wheel caps, but slumped to the grass when the wagon got too far. Pinkie furrowed her brow. “Behave, Magn-Ah!” Somepony walked too close to Magneto and was caught by the force field. The unicorn looked confused at first, but then started groaning loudly and collapsed to the grass cradling his head. His rear horseshoe was dragging him slowly across the ground to Magneto. Pinkie stood up and leaned back, putting her whole body weight against the magnet. She won, and landed flat on her back. Pinkie Pie stood up carefully, slightly nursing the back of her head. “Okay, Pinkie, you can do this.” She looked at the victim unicorn and saw that he was standing back up again and looking around for the source of his troubles. Pinkie slipped away behind a moving cart. For a moment Pinkie tried heaving a sigh of relief, but then she felt Magneto pull at something right in front of her. The cart wheels wore thick iron fastenings to secure them to the frame. Pinkie tried pulling back, but she lost control. Magneto’s flight was stopped by the wooden wheel itself being between it and the fastener. Thankfully it was not equipped with a iron tire, but as it was Magneto was pulling into the wood and rotating with the wheel. Pinkie frantically began to struggle against the wheel. The pony pulling the cart felt the resistance and heard the commotion behind him. He turned around with a raised eyebrow. He saw Pinkie struggle against a large silver disc stuck to his wheel. “Need something, madam?” He asked. Pinkie was sweating desperately. “Yes! Floor it!” The stallion stared at the scene, but he knew enough about Pinkie Pie to listen and not question. He went into a full gallop. Between that and Pinkie’s efforts, Magneto let go and sent Pinkie sprawling onto her back again. “By Celestia!” She panted. “I gotta get outta here!” Something terrifying called out from the crowd of Ponies. “Magnets! Selling foal friendly magnets here!” Pinkie snapped her head up in time to see a calling salesmare walking in her direction. She had saddle trays on filled with small weak magnets used to make words or sentences. “One bit for five magnets!” She saw Pinkie quickly try to stand up with the bulky and weighty magnet on her hoof. “Need some help miss?” Pinkie panicked when she saw the salesmare trott straight towards her. It could have been her imagination, but the little magnets inside the trays looked to be pressing against the tray lip. “No!” Pinkie shouted. “Get away from me!” Pinkie ran away while the mare stood there confused and surprised. She backed away until the salesmare was buried in the sea of ponies. Pinkie turned around and saw that she had neared a seller stand. The bulky stallion behind it was shouting to the crowd. “Metal piggy banks! Hoof forged piggy banks!” Pinkie yelped and scrambled away from the stand. She turned around in time to see two mares standing in the middle of the road talking. “Night Prancer bought me this lovely denim purse!” The purse was clearly sealed with metal clasps. Pinkie saw the bag lift towards her before she was able to turn tail and run again. Unknownst to her, the gossiping mare was pulled to the floor while her unicorn companion suddenly put a hoof to her head and hissed. Pinkie was swiveling her head in literal circles like a panicked owl when Magneto took off again. Directly up. Before Pinkie knew it she was stuck to the underside of a flying carriage. “What!?” She yelled and looked down. They were climbing higher into the sky. Pinkie hung there thinking about her situation. “Well, at least I’ll get to Twilight’s faster.” She thought about yelling for the carriage to stop and land, but thought it best to wait and let herself rest. Her right leg was so tired that it didn't even try to hold up Pinkie, it was limp. The rest of her body felt tired as well from fighting Magneto. Pinkie felt a drop of sweat trickle down her forehead and onto her nose. She looked at the bead before the wind broke it away. The cool wind smothered the moisture on Pinkie’s body with a cold touch that felt great. She closed her eyes and thought if a little nap was possible. “Pinkie?!” Pinkie Pie opened her eyes and they saw a Fluttershy climbing up towards her. There was something draped across her back, something green and covered in colorful spots. “Fluttershy?” Pinkie called back. “What’s on your back?” Fluttershy was only a yard away when she answered. “Oh! I’m handing out Mane Pin buttons with cute animal pictures!” Pinkie’s eyes widened, even more so when Fluttershy unhooked one of the pins and presented the face. “This one is of Angel!” Angel looked quite unhappy about his photo. His stood with his arms crossed while he gave the camera a grumpy face. Pinkie didn't care about the face, she did care about the sharp point of the pin twinkling in the early midday light. “NO!” She screeched. “Get away!” With strength that Fluttershy never saw before, Pinkie lifted herself by the right arm with enough force to prop herself on to the underside of the carriage then push off in a pink blur. The whole carriage jerked violently which surprised the pullers. Pinkie fell straight into a tree canopy. From the canopy she fell to the ground on her back. She laid there for a few moments before looking up at her chest. Magneto still stuck to Pinkie’s hoof. Her head fell back again when Pinkie noticed for the first time in a while, that she had a headache. It was small, nagging, and increasingly uncomfortable. “I know brain, I’m tired too.” Pinkie felt the soft grass under her and played with the thought of resting. She got bored with the idea and stood up. “I’ve come this far, can't be long now.” It wasn't until she looked straight ahead did she realize Twilight’s castle sat only a gallop away. “Yay! We made it Magneto!” pinkie lifted Magneto to eye level and smiled at it. “Soon this will be all over!” When Pinkie made it to the crystal door she gently knocked on it. After waiting for a few seconds, she knocked again. No answer after half a minute. So, Pinkie let herself in. “Twilight?!” She called into the castle. The building was silent apart from the echoing clopping that was Pinkie’s own doing. “Oh no,” Her mane sagged. “If Twilight isn't here, then what do I do!?” Pinkie thought of that possibility. She pictured herself having to fight her way back through the marketplace, pictured herself literally dragging her right hoof across the ground because of how tired it was, pictured going back through it again the next morning. She looked at the doorway behind her, then to Magneto. Pinkie grabbed her right wrist with her left hoof and shook Magneto vigorously. “Why do you do this to me!? Is this Celestia’s punishment for something bad I did in a past life?!” Snap! Pinkie’s left hoof was stuck to the other side of Magneto now. “MAGNETO!” She dropped to her chest. “I’m not leaving this castle until we solve this! Even if I have to sleep in Twilight’s bed while she’s gone!” Pinkie churned her rear legs and began slowly sliding across the smooth floor with Magneto sliding on it’s side between Pinkie’s hooves. Pinkie found somepony in the map room. “Starlight!” Her legs began spinning rapidly. “Help me!” Starlight Glimmer was poised over the map with her back to Pinkie. It took her a second too long to register Pinkie’s words before she looked behind her and saw Magneto resting at her hooves. “Pink-EAH!” Starlight dropped to the floor cradling her head, hissing and groaning loudly. Pinkie was focusing on Magneto. “You gotta get him off me!” Starlight tried to stand up in visible strain and pain, but part way up she started crawling away from Pinkie. “Magnet, hurts!” She pleaded. Pinkie Pie looked up from Magneto and saw Starlight crawling away. She put her legs in reverse and backed up several yards. “Better?” Starlight stopped crawling. She lay there panting for a few moments before standing up slowly. “Pinkie!’ She began. “Do you have ANY idea what magnets do to unicorns!?” She whipped around and glared at Pinkie. Pinkie only shook her head in innocent ignorance. A bulging vein in Starlight’s temple was pulsing, but she closed her eyes, breathed a few times, and spoke again much more calmly. “Magnets and magic don't mix, don't ask me why, but somehow strong magnetic fields scramble the magic around it. For unicorns, being near something that powerful causes instant migraines.” Pinkie’s ears folded back. “Oh, sorry.” Starlight gave a small smile. “It’s okay,” The smile fell. “How long have you been stuck with it?” Pinkie looked down at Magneto. “Magneto and I have been together since this morning.” Starlight raised her eyebrows. “This morning? Do you have a headache?” Pinkie stayed silent for a moment before nodding. “Just a little one, why?” “We all hold magic, Pinkie, magic that magnets can mess with.” She tapped her head lightly. “Eventually that headache will grow into something much worse if we can't get the magnet off.” Pinkie lifted her front hooves to present Magneto. “Can't you just pull him off?” Starlight shook her head. “Nope, that’ll send me another migraine.” Pinkie flailed her legs. “Then how do I get this off!?” Starlight tapped a hoof to her chin. “Hmm, how did you get here?” “I made the mistake of going through the market.” She admitted. Starlight facehooved. “Great! It’s a miracle that you got through there, it’s been theorized that magnets surrounded by too much magic will cause it to grow stronger.” She sighed and shook her head. “They are a pain in the plot to work with.” She sat on her rump and went back to thinking. “Maybe Discord could do it, his magic is different from ours.” Her head tilted left and right. “But on the other hoof the magnet could cause his magic to go completely out of control.” She looked back at Pinkie and saw her struggle to stand up and stay standing. She turned her head back and called. “SPIKE!” A few moments later the pitter patter of little feet came from the next room. “What’s up?” Spike turned the corner and immediately started staring at Pinkie Pie. “Is that a gem?” “No, it’s a magnet!” Starlight corrected. “Help her up!” Spike crossed his arms and stared at Starlight blankly. “What’s the magic word?” His answer came from across the room in a tired and defeated squeak. “Please?” Spike’s eyes widened at the tone of Pinkie’s voice and he immediately rushed over to her. For a moment Spike just stared at Pinkie’s hooves locked onto the magnet, trying to figure out the best way to help. He then sighed and bent down to grab Pinkie’s wrists. “Com’on, Pinks.” Pinkie’s forelegs went over his head and then rested on his shoulders. He grunted under the minor strain of supporting half of Pinkie’s body. Pinkie looked down over Spike’s head and smiled warmly. “Thanks, Spike.” Spike looked down at the magnet resting before him. “Woah, that’s a big magnet.” Starlight sat down on one of the vacant chairs surrounding the Cutie Map. “Magnets like that are usually handled by minotaurs or by dragons, creatures that are strong enough to use them.” Spike lead Pinkie to her throne where she rested the magnet on the edge of the map. “Steven Magnet could do it!” Pinkie remarked. “He’s big and strong!” A chorus of noise came from down the hall and Rainbow, Twilight, and Fluttershy appeared with Twilight in the lead. “Rainbow told me what happened!” She said before screeching to a halt at the table. She looked at Pinkie, then her magnet, then backed away a few steps. “By Celestia, Pinkie! You don't mess with powerful magnets, or else they mess with you!” Pinkie only stared back blankly. “I know, Twilight. I know.” Fluttershy tentatively approached Pinkie. “Oh! I’m sorry that I almost poked you with my pins…” Pinkie smiled and shrugged. “No biggy!” “No biggy!” Twilight shouted. “Pinkie, this is what we call a biggy!” She turned to Starlight. “Any ideas yet?” “One,” Starlight admitted. “getting Steven here and seeing if he could pull it off.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “He’s out visiting family in the Everfree.” “What’s this I hear about a magnet?” All ponies looked up to see Discord dangling from the tree chandelier with honest curiosity. He was looking down at Pinkie with a little grin. “My that’s a big one!” Pinkie gave Discord her best puppy eyes. “Can you get this off me?” He smiled, “Of course! It’ll be a perfect prank present to Celestia!” He snapped his talons despite the disapproving glare from Twilight. The magnet between Pinkie’s hooves flashed a brilliant light before disappearing. Pinkie lifted her hooves and wiggled them around the air, feeling a strange sense of freedom. “Yay!” Discord however was frowning at his lion paw. The paw was facing up and flat expectantly with nothing there. “I don't have all day.” He complained. Then a brilliant display of light exploded on Discord’s paw. Colors of all shades and varieties danced in a morphing sphere that pushed Discord down to the floor violently. Electricity and magic struck any nearby surface in random patterns of thunder and fire. Starlight and Twilight summoned up a protective shield around the group and the table. Whenever a bolt of power stuck the shield waves rippled like that of cold jelly. The light show stopped. An there in the center was Magneto, suspended in the air, right above the shield. Pinkie Pie wrapped her hooves behind her. “Gravity, have mercy!” Gravity knows no mercy. Magneto fell right into the shield which collapsed like a dry needle to a wet bubble. Spike happened to be close enough to catch the rock before it smashed onto the table. “Gotcha!” He announced. “GAAH!” Spiked looked around and saw Starlight, Twilight, and even Discord writhing and groaning. What Spike should have done is run away with the magnet, getting it plenty far from the afflicted. Instead, Spike ate the magnet. In three large bites and not enough chewing he swallowed Magneto, who slid resentfully down and dropped into the dragon’s chamber. He had his eyes closed in minor pain from forcing down so much raw material, and when he opened his eyes Spike saw that everyone was staring at him. “Your welcome?” “Spike!” Twilight scolded. “That was Pinkie’s!” Spike shrugged sheepishly and glanced at Pinkie. “Sorry, but it didn't seem like she wanted it.” Pinkie's mane had deflated slightly, but a smile sat sirm on her lips. “It’s okay, Magneto was a pain in my pootie anyway.” Discord slithered over and put his arm around Pinkie. “There, there, Magneto was too powerful for his own good.” Pinkie looked at Discord and couldn't help but return the kind smile. Rainbow Dash landed next to Pinkie. “Well, Pinks, you wanna grab some lunch?” Pinkie smiled, adding a wink to what she said next. “Now that’s an Attractive idea!” ...There was a pause of complete silence before Starlight broke it by cupping her hooves to her lips and jeering. “Booo!”