Fluttershy hummed softly as she attended to her animals. She poured feed in the appropriate bowls for all of them as they scampered up to eat. Quickly she took a head count in case one was missing. She came out with two extra heads. “Hmm… I don’t remember having quite so many.” She spotted a cat sitting to the side not eating anything. “Oh, what’s wrong, kitty? You’re so skinny you should really eat something.”
The cat licked its paw and rolled its eyes. “I’ll just order some take-out.”
“Hey Rita!” A big shaggy dog jumped from the crowd of pets around the food bowls. “You definitely gotta try this grub! Definitely!”
“Just finish up Runt and let’s go.”
Fluttershy fell silent. “Um, did you just talk?”
The cat waved a sarcastic paw in the air. “Lo and behold, it can think.”
Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and her smile grew big. “EEEEEEEEEE!!!!” She scooped up the cat and hugged her tight. “I’ve always wanted a talking pet!”
Elsewhere by the food bowls a white rabbit let out a loud huff. Runt finally finished eating and walked over to see Rita struggling against Fluttershy’s embrace. “Daaww! Rita, you made a friend.”
Rita finally slipped out of the pegasus’ grip and landed on Runt’s head. “The day I let myself be a pet to a horse is the day I stop singing.”
“You can sing!?” Fluttershy’s eyes sparkled even more.
“Oh, Rita’s definitely a good singer! Definitely! Definitely a good singer!”
Rita gave a smirk of superiority and shrugged. “Eh, it comes naturally.”
Fluttershy excitedly flew in her face. “Oh! I love to sing too! THERE’S MUSIC IN THE TREETOPS, THERE’S MUSIC IN THE VALE! AND ALL AROUND THE MUSIC FILLS THE SKY!” Suddenly percussion and instruments began to play from seemingly nowhere as she sang. Rita looked around in bafflement as the animals also began to move to Fluttershy’s song. “THERE’S MUSIC BY THE RIVER, AND THERE’S MUSIC IN THE GRASS! AND THE MUSIC MAKES YOUR HEART SOAR IN REPLY!! WHEN YOU FIND YOU’VE GOT THE MUSIC! YOU’VE GOT TO LOOK INSIDE AND FIND! THE MUSIC DEEP INSIDE YOU! EACH TIME YOU LOOK INSIDE YOU’LL SEE IT! YOU’RE GONNA FIND THE MUSIC IN YOU!” Her song ended on a beautiful note and the critters all howled in appreciation.
Rita let her mouth hang open as Runt rushed forward knocking her off her perch on his head. “That was DEFINITELY DEFINITELY good! She’s as good as you Rita!”
Rita got up to dust herself off. “Yeah, well, you’re just lucky I can’t sing anything copyrighted in this fanfic,” she grumbled.
---
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walked briskly back to their treehouse after a long day of crusading. “Is it just me, or has our job gotten harder since actually getting our cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked.
“There don’t seem to be a lot of ponies that need our help,” Apple Bloom lamented.
“What do you expect when we live in a secluded ruralized town with only one major city close by that more ponies travel to as opposed to visit from,” Sweetie Belle extrapolated. The other two gave her confused looks. “I’ve been doing some research on this. Have to do something with all this free time.”
They began to walk up the ladder to their clubhouse. Apple Bloom stopping at the door. “Well, at least we know there’s one place we can feel at peace in. And that’s right here!” She pushed on the door but it didn’t budge. She tried again but it was locked.
“Did we have a lock?” Scootaloo asked.
Tentatively Apple Bloom knocked on the door. The window to the side opened up and a graying squirrel in a green hat poked her head out. She pulled up a face mask that was around her eyes. “There a reason you’re interrupting my nap?”
The crusaders looked dumbfounded. “Uh, we want you to open the door?” Apple Bloom suggested.
The squirrel tapped its chin and thought for a moment. “Nah.” It slammed the window shut and went back inside.
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Did that squirrel just talk?”
“Ah can’t believe that varmint kicked us out of our own clubhouse!” Apple Bloom stomped her hoof in anger.
“Yeah, what a gip!” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“Seriously, I don’t think squirrels are supposed to talk!” Scootaloo insisted.
A sound came from below and the girls saw another squirrel, this one shorter with brown hair, carrying a large pile of acorns. He was humming softly as he walked but stopped short as he bumped into them at the bottom of the ladder. They quickly surrounded him. “Um, hi ladies,” the younger squirrel greeted hesitantly.
“Why are you squirrels taking over our clubhouse?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“And why can you talk?” Scootaloo reiterated. “I really feel we’re glossing over that fact.”
He set down his nuts and twiddled his fingers with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about this. My aunt Slappy was just tired from coming all the way her from Burbank. I told her this wasn’t a hotel but she didn’t listen. She never listens to me.”
Apple Bloom’s anger subsided slightly. “Ah get what that’s like. Sometimes mah sister doesn’t pay attention to what Ah say too.”
Sweetie Belle shrugged in agreement. “Rarity’s no better.”
Scootaloo threw up her hooves. “Squirrel! Talking! Is nopony going to address this?”
“Anyway, we’ll be out of your hair soon.” The squirrel gathered up his nuts and began to walk off.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared a look. “Hey, you want to hang out with us in the meantime?”
The squirrel’s eyes widened and he threw the nuts in the air. “Sure!” They all began to walk back through the forest. “My name’s Skippy!”
Scootaloo held out a hoof. “Hi Skippy.” Skippy shook it but then she pulled him in close to whisper. “Seriously, why can you talk?”
---
Mayor Mare walked slowly over to the Ponyville fountain where she’d usually eat her lunch. She smiled pleasantly as she sat on the stone rim and pulled some oats out of her bag. She was about to eat them when three pigeons flew down and cocked their heads at her. She smiled and grabbed another hoofful of oats. “Oh, you want some?” she asked politely.
One of the birds, a shorter stockier pigeon with purple and blue feathers frowned at her. “Do you think I look hungry? What am I some kind of overbloated bird balloon that just screams feed me to every passerby I meet?” He flew up and into her face. “Does that amuse you?”
The mayor let out a scream and dropped her oats before running off. The oats scattered to the floor and the other pigeons, one brown and the other green, waddled over to the pile. “Good work, Pesto,” the green pigeon said.
“Thanks, Bobby,” he replied.
“Yeah, now we have all the oats we could want!” the brown pigeon said.
Pesto raised an eyebrow. “All the oats I could want? And how much is that, Squid?”
Squid shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“No, no, I want to know how much you think I can eat? Do you think I’m fat palooka that always needs something in my beak to chew on?”
“No! No! I’m just saying there’s plenty to go around!”
“So you’re calling me fat!”
“What?!”
“That’s it!” The two began to squabble while the green pigeon laughed and continued to eat.
---
Yakko, Dot, Rarity and Rainbow all walked out of the Boutique and into a scene of disarray and chaos. A skeleton in a blue suit did stupid things and ponies cried in horror as they ran away. Two hippoes tried to squeeze through a small street squishing Lyra and Bonbon against the wall. A dog ran across the street chasing a small blonde girl riding down a cart. They nearly clipped Spike as he stumbled toward the group looking around in confusion. “What the hay is going on!?” he shouted.
Yakko’s face went deadpan. “Don’t do that. Just don’t. I can handle swearing to Lauren Faust but… ugh.”
Pinky and the Brain sat on Rainbow’s back and observed the chaos. “Hmm, I thought we had arrived quite early but I guess not.”
Twilight flew down from above, a short blading man in a fairy outfit next to her shaking her hoof and prattling on about something. “…and I remember it was a Tuesday because that’s usually the day that my Aunt Lucretia’s birthday ends on, or maybe a Wednesday. Either one of those. Anyway…”
Rarity and Rainbow frowned at her as she looked at them. “I see you found a new friend as well?” Rarity asked jokingly.
“All I did was shake his hand to say goodbye!” she shouted in desperation. “But that’s not important. Well, it is because I’m about ready to gnaw my own hoof off, but WHAT IS GOING ON!?”
Suddenly Yakko was beside her and wrapped a friendly arm around her neck. “In due time, Princess Mononoke. Right now we have to find the third member of our little entourage.”
“Princess who?”
---
Wakko and Pinkie stopped at another fork in the road. It was more junk on one side compared to more junk on the other. The twins giggled as they clung to Pinkie’s mane. “Okay, it was fun at first but now its getting a little sad,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “We need to ask for directions.”
Wakko put down the map he carried and frowned. “Psh! Women and needing to ask for directions. This is my bag and I know it like the back of my hand.”
“Haven’t you always worn gloves?”
Wakko blinked. “Psh! Directions.”
A pile of trash by them rustled and they started. “So if you know so much about your bag you’ll know what that is, right?” Pinkie asked tentatively.
Wakko gulped. “Uh sure. Here kitty kitty.” A figure burst out of the trash and they both screamed, one slightly higher and shriller than the other. Pinkie stopped screaming first and let Wakko’s high pitched girlish scream continue until he noticed her staring. “Sorry.”
“Wakko? Is that you?” They turned to the new figure and saw that it was a tall blue skinned man with a shock of black hair and a red suit.
“Freakazoid?” Wakko asked. “What are you doing here? You were never on Animaniacs.”
“Special guest appearance,” He winked to the camera. “Anyway I got a text about the new show!”
He pulled out his phone and showed it to them. There was a simple text from a no name number that just said “NEW SHOW LOOKING FOR CAST! COME TO EQUESTRIA! BTW BYOB!”
Wakko rubbed his chin tentatively. “Something smells fishy here.”
Pinkie held her nose. “I think I know what it is. Why were you hiding in that pile of garbage?”
Freakazoid pulled out a beaten up carton of milk. “I’ve been out of work for a long time. Don’t judge me!” He proceeded to down the last of the carton.
Pinkie’s cheeks inflated and her eyes spun. She turned to puke off screen. “Hey! You can do a gookie too!” Wakko noted. He looked back at Freakazoid and felt his own nausea build. “Yeah, that is pretty gross.” He gookied and ran off screen too.
---
Pinkie wiped her mouth, the twins still seeming perfectly fine on her head. Wakko stood beside her wiping her own mouth. “You have some really weird friends,” she said.
“Tell me about it.”
“Ahem.” They both looked up and noticed Twilight standing next to them. A pile of whatsit by her hooves.
“Whew!” Pinkie wiped her forehead. “Can you imagine how angry she’d be if we puked on her?”
“I think she looks pretty angry right now.”
Pinkie studied her friend. “Hey, yeah. Twilight, what are you doing in Wakko’s sack?”
“What are you talking about? You just ran in from out of nowhere!”
Wakko and Pinkie looked around in confusion. They were back in the streets of Ponyville. Wakko rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Huh, that was an abrupt scene cut.”
Yakko appeared next to him and shrugged. “Guess the animators got tired of drawing all that new footage for you.”
Dot appeared between them. “That or we’re beginning to wrap this clunker up.”
Pinkie spotted a short balding man in a fairy costume shaking Rainbow’s hoof, a look of exasperation and a twitch in her eye. “Uuuuuhhhh, do I wanna know?”
Twilight smiled slightly. “Pip’s just saying goodbye.”
Rainbow glared at her, Pip continuing to shake her hoof and prattle on. “I will pay you back for this.”
Twilight noticed that all the Warner siblings were gathered together. Three creatures, that’s what Discord’s letter said. She pushed past her friends, the chaos around town still playing out as in the distance a small flock of pigeons flew through the sky and smacked against a nearby wall. “You!” she shouted to the Warners. “Just what are you things and why are you here?”
They lined up and presented themselves. “We’re the Warner Brothers!” “And the Warner Sister!”
Twilight’s frown deepened. “Okay. Setting aside that I don’t know what that means. Why did you bring all these others with you?”
“Oh that wasn’t us,” Yakko insisted.
“Yeah, someone else must have invited all these side characters,” Wakko said.
“Fluttershy?” Rarity shouted as the Pegasus zipped past them trailing a gray cat riding a dog.
“Wait kitty!” she shouted after it. “I just want to sing in harmony with you once!”
“Step on it, Runt!” Rita shouted and they zipped out of sight.
In the distance, there was a large explosion and four small figures fell from above landing in a smoking mess before the group. Skippy the squirrel lifted a slightly burned hand and snuffed out a small flame on Apple Bloom’s bow. “Thanks,” she said with a stunned expression.
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity shouted and ran over to her to help her up. “What in the world happened?”
“Skippy wanted to show us his aunt’s explosive collection.”
“And why did you think that was a good idea?!” Rarity asked.
Apple Bloom shrugged. “We kind of assumed he meant it was explosively interesting.”
Skippy shrugged as well. “It’s not their fault. I should be a little more clear with my words.”
“Aw, nuts to that!” An old gray squirrel walked out from behind a house and stepped on one of the goodfeathers as they tried to stand up. She slapped them with her purse. “Skippy I thought I told you, explosions are always funny.”
“This is not a cartoon!” Rarity said sternly.
“Says the talking pastel horse.”
“ENOUGH!!!!”
Twilight’s eyes went red and she shot a bolt of lightning into the sky. All the movements immediately ceased. “Anypony that does not belong here, line up right now!” In a blur of motion, the Warners and all their side characters lined up. Even Slappy who walked a little slower to her place than the others. “This is everyone?” They all nodded. “Good!”
Her horn began to glow even brighter and she began to lift off the ground. Rainbow, Pinkie and Rarity looked nervously at each other. “Um, Twilight,” Pinkie asked. “What are you doing?”
Her magic released and they all disappeared in a flash of light.
---
The Director and the animators hustled around the floor as they saw the characters suddenly disappear. “Sir!” one shouted. “This isn’t in the script! Off script! Off script!”
The Director punched the hysterical animator in the face and he spun around, a stupid look on his face before falling over.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re off script,” he chuckled. “I know exactly where they’ve gone.” He rose from his seat. “And I’m going to meet them.”
Another animator grabbed his collar. “Sir, you can’t. The cartoon can’t take anymore! It’s already way over the time slot!”
He pushed them away. “I will have my revenge! One way or another!” He laughed evilly as he checked his phone a new number set up to dial. “Bwahahahaha-HOIL!” He ran from the room before anyone could say anything.
“So does this mean we can go home?” a new animator asked. They all looked at each other then shrugged and walked off.