• Published 14th Jan 2015
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Caverns & Cutie Marks - TheColtTrio



Discord's hosting a little game of Caverns & Cutie Marks, and the Mane Six are invited! But that's boring, so he adds in three others: three very, very strange colts.

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Chapter 68: We Don't Want to Set the World on Fire

“Any idea which way he went, Pinkie?” Applejack asked as they trotted through the streets looking for the errant stallion.

“Nope! I figure we just keep walking around at random until my Pinkie Senses kick in,” Pinkie replied cheerily, bouncing alongside Applejack before she suddenly froze mid-bounce. Her nose suddenly twisted up, her legs went straight out ahead and behind her and she rotated in the air like a just shaken compass before she focused on pointing a single direction. “Found him!”

“That’s your Pinkie Sense for a sad friend near by?” Applejack asked as she opened the door to the building the pink mare had indicated.

“No silly, that was my ‘Nearby Sad Friend who is also stuck in the same Caverns and Cutie Marks game with Discord as the Game Master Pinkie Sense’.” Pinkie replied checking under a rug.

“Sure,” Applejack replied with a sigh. The farm pony’s ears swiveled to face the direction she thought she’d heard crying. With a shush motion given to Pinkie, she quietly trotted to the door to the room the sound of crying growing louder with each step. “Light Patch, ya in here?” She quietly asked, opening door.

Light Patch looked up from where he’d been laying while crying and with speed that could have rivaled Rainbow Dash, he bolted over and hugged Applejack abruptly, surprising the mare. “I wanna go home,” He managed between sobs. “I miss my family, and I just wanna go home and let this whole thing be over.” Applejack patted the pegasus and simply held him, knowing he wasn’t ready to hear anything and just needed to finish crying. Over the stallion’s shoulder, she sent Pinkie Pie a look to back off. The pink mare had a somber look on her face. She may look before she leapt on occasion, but nopony ever called Pinkie Pie stupid.

After a solid few minutes, Light Patch’s sobs lessened and receded. Applejack pulled away and looked at the grey pegasus, concern evident in her green eyes. “Ya okay there, Light? Need some more time to calm down a bit?”

The stallion blew his nose with a hanky that’d come from one of his pouches. “I think I’ve worked most of it out.” He rubbed a fresh tear away. “Sorry about that, but sometimes you just gotta cry. It’s like puking for the soul, you know.” The stallion gives a half hearted laugh, “Sorry, joking is one of my more used coping mechanisms, also about making y’all have to look for me.”

Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement. “Joking is how I cope too. Nothing to be sorry for.”

Applejack waved a forehoof dismissively at the apology. “And no worries, Light,” she said. “Friends look out for one another.”

“C’mon, Light!” Pinkie Pie chirped, bouncing in place beside the prone pegasus. “Turn that frown upside down! You’re supposed to have fun when you’re with friends!”

The stallion gave a small laugh, “I know. I’m trying. I guess I just needed to vent some. I’m one of those who likes to save the break downs till after the fact. I guess I let too much build up...” he trailed off and looked to be thinking, “How do you girls do it? Deal with all of the stress of being the hero, the fate of everything on your shoulders. But unlike Atlas you don’t have a Greek hero to con into holding it for a few moments.” The pegasus blew his nose on a hanky and rubbed his eyes. “I must look kind of pathetic, all of that bluster, and yet I barely have it together under the surface.”

Pinkie Pie and Applejack shared a concerned look. Seeing this side of the odd stallion was off-putting for the two mares. Applejack walked closer and laid a hoof on Light’s shoulder.

“Us girls have grown to become something akin ta heroes only because we are there to support one another,” the Element of Honesty said. “We hold each other together and help one another get back up after falling down. Sure, we have some rough spots, but we still care for each other.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie added. “Friends should always stick together. Crying together can always turn into smiling together.”

The stallion chuckled. “Truer words are rarely spoken, but any more sap and a vampire fruit would think it’s still on a tree.” He wiped the last traces of tears from his face, “So do we all need to reassemble the Avengers or should we snoop around seen as we’re already split up?”

“Twi said we should go around looking for anythin’ that might clue us into why the villagers left town,” Applejack said. “Seeing as we’re split into two reasonable groups, we should fan out and start searchin’.”

“Right, no time like the present, to drink these draining seconds.” Light Patch sang holding the door open for the mares. “To adventure.”

“Yeah~!” Pinkie Pie cried, bouncing out of the room. “Let’s find some clues! Blue’s Clues! Yays!”

“Pinkie, slow down!” Applejack barked, trotting out into the street after the energetic pink mare. She peeked back into the room. “You comin’? Pinkie’ll escape if we don’t hurry.”

“Right behind you,” Light Patch replied. He hummed a tune quietly.

Pinkie Pie had stopped at a cross street and bounced in place, waiting for Applejack and Light Patch to catch up with her. A small divot had been pounded into shape beneath her when the two ponies arrived.

“Which way?” she asked, still bouncing. “Straight, back, right? When in doubt, go left?”

“Left, or Wits End will never forgive us,” Light Patch said, smiling. “So, did I miss anything important after I... uh...” he paused to think for a few moments, “stormed out in a shower of manly tears and drama?” Applejack chuckled as they followed the bouncing Pinkie Pie down the left street, glancing around at the buildings in search of clues.

“Twi and Rainbow stayed with Purple,” the orange cowpony began. “Twi because-”

“Oh gods~ Oh woe is me! Mien friend is surely dead at her hoofs by this point,” Light Patch standing on his hind legs and leaning against a wall in mock greef. “Tis the saddest day when the purple ones turn against their own kind, even if justified.” The two mares paused to blink at the dramatic pegasus.

“Ah’d say Rainbow woulda offed him if he tried to bash Daring Do,” Applejack mused, narrowing her eyes at Light. “Like you and Wits did. That’s why Rainbow stayed in the first place; she didn’t want ta pummel you or Wits into the ground. Twi just wanted to interrogate Purple about his cult thing, I think.”

“Sounds reasonable, I’ve still got a few questions for PH Balance myself, especially about this whole Chaos Emerald thing. I wanna poke it, but I also wanna know if I need to watch out for a blue hedgehog.” Light Patch finished in a mutter while looking around the patio of a restaurant, “Any thoughts as to exactly what we should be looking for?”

Applejack shrugged, peeking into the kitchen to see cooking implements and ingredients left in pots, on cutting boards, in sinks as if the ponies working had just stopped and left. “Ah dunno,” she called back. “To me, it seems like they were told to stop what they were doing and leave as soon as possible. No sign of a struggle or hostile intent.”

“They must have been offered free cake!” Pinkie Pie suggested, popping out of a empty barrel in the kitchen. Applejack just blinked at the pink mare’s sudden appearance as she had grown used to her antics long ago.

“That’s a possibility,” Applejack conceded. “But don’t ya think the cake would be in the town instead of somewhere else?”

“I doubt cake would be enough. What about the ponies who don’t like cake?” Light Patch said, opening the pantry. He quickly closed it, clamping his nose shut with both hooves. A shiver ran down Applejack’s spine and she looked to where Pinkie sat in the barrel.

Oooooh, the orange earth pony gaped. Light’s gonna get it now.

“Light Patch,” Pinkie Pie called, her voice strangely serious. “Did I just hear you say you don’t. Like. Cake?”
Light Patch opened one eye and looked up from where he laid on the floor at Pinkie. “Actually you didn’t, my thoughts on cake weren’t brought up in the previous sentence, I was just noting that some ponies might not like cake, but since the topic has come up...” he trailed off into his thoughts. On the one hand, I could lie and hope Applejack doesn’t sell me out on the lie, but on the other hand ‘the truth will set you free…’ right into heaven. The stallion sighed. “No, I don’t like cake.”

Eeyup, Applejack thought, he’s gonna get it.

Pinkie Pie inhaled, eyes flashing at the grey pegasus. “You don’t like cake? HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE CAKE?!” she screeched, jumping out of the barrel to advance on Light Patch. “The Art of Cake Crafting has been passed down the Cake Family FOR GENERATIONS! They are the epitome of Cake Crafters and I, as their lone apprentice, understand the secrets of the Cake! Blasphemy! It is all you speak! Cake is One! Cake is All! You know nothing, Light Patch!” She rapped a hoof on the still pegasus with each following word. “You! Know! Nothing!”

The stallion hopped to his hooves and struck the pose of an accuser, “I know one thing Pinkie Pie. I know the truth! The cake is a lie!” He shouted back. “And yet you spaketh of it as if it was the truth. But I know the truth, the whispered words of life. The truth of the pancake! Slathered in butter, and maybe a little strawberry or apple jelly on the side. Maybe even some syrup. They can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. Or even dessert if that's your thing.”

Pinkie Pie reeled back as if physically struck by Light Patch’s retort. She placed a hoof on her chest and panted, eyes wide in confusion and disbelief at the harsh words the pegasus had spoken. Blinking, she stared at Light Patch. Then her eyes narrowed. Reaching over her shoulder, she grasped at something with her hoof. Pulling her leg forward revealed her party cannon, which was now aimed directly at Light Patch.

“Move,” she growled. Applejack stared at her, then behind Light Patch. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Ya might wanna move about now, Light,” she urged.

Light Patch rolled to the side, readying his hammer. After he was standing again, he swiftly bashed a disgusting looking pony that was about to bite Applejack.

“Thanks,” Applejack said, eying the pitiful earth pony as it tried to rise from where it’d fallen after being struck by Light Patch. “Don’t tell me that’s a zombie pony.”

Pinkie Pie darted over to a window and peeked out, trying to keep as hidden as possible. “Whatever they are, there’s more of them outside, shambling down the street.”

“Wanna bet this is related to the villagers disappearing?” Light Patch said sitting down on the zombpony so it couldn’t get up and using his hammer to pin its head to the ground. “Because I’d be more than willing to take your bits. I was thinking of having my armor pin striped.”

“No bet,” Applejack grumbled, ignoring the pegasus’ ‘aw’ of disappointment. “We need to get back to the town center and tell Twi about this.”

“Should we make a run for it,” Pinkie Pie asked, “and go braining ponies along the way? Or should we just haul tail?”

Light Patch lifted his head to peek through the window as best as he could while still keeping the zombpony pinned. “There’s too many. If we try to just book it through we’ll get picked off and turned into zombie chow. Our best bet is to send them all in for some basic braining. Hope we’ve got enough psytanium,” he said looking at the zombie below them. “Oh, this looks important.” Light Patch said pulling something off the zombpony and shoving it into his own gear. “I’m ready to go when you two are.”

“Ready as ah’ll ever be,” Applejack sighed, tensing for the coming carnage.

“On three,” Pinkie ordered, her tone unusually surly. “One… Two… Three!”

Light Patch swung his hammer to knock the zombpony through the kitchen doors and into a small cluster outside. “Schnell, schnell!” the stallion shouted, following the zombie he’d used like a giant hockey puck. He swung his hammer in a wide arc to clear the way for the two mares to follow up. Applejack and Pinkie Pie darted after him, Pinkie’s party cannon firing blasts of high-yield confetti bombs into the knot of zombponies while Applejack fended off any that got close with powerful kicks.
They slowly retreated while Light Patch continued to fend off zombponies with his arcing hammer. Applejack dealt with any that managed to sneak past the pegasus’ arc of defense. Pinkie Pie simply lobbed party bombs onto the zombponies, always keeping an eye behind her in case they were flanked.

“On my mark, run backwards to the cross street!” Light Patch called. “One… Two… M-”

“LIGHT!” Applejack barked. “The cross street is thataway!” She pointed with a hoof towards the advancing group of zombponies. Light Patch blinked and groaned.

“Seriously?” he grumbled. “Okay, fine then. On my mark, we charge through. Pinkie, take point and blast a hole.”

“Aye!” the pink party pony saluted, edging forward to stand directly behind Light Patch. “One High-Yield Cake-Canister Shot coming up!”

Light Patch swung his hammer to knock away a zombie while he counted a few seconds for Pinkie and Applejack to ready up. “Mark!” he shouted jumping to the side allowing Pinkie to surge forward the party bomb scattering the zombies as it went off. Her party cannon finished the job as she lead the other two through the gap. “Nicely done, Pinkie. Now, which way from here, Applejack? Also should we ask the question of exactly where all of these zombies came from and how they got behind us? Or we gonna save that for later?”

“We turned left at the cross street, so right, back to the town center,” Applejack said. “As for where they came from, we can discuss that in detail after we’re all back together. We also need to warn Wits, ‘Shy, and Rarity about the ‘zombponies’ as you call them.”

“Let’s go then!” Pinkie called, bouncing up up the street to their right.

“At least it looks like it’s thinned out some,” Light Patch said, following the party mare. “On the plus side, I’m feeling a lot better.” He knocked another zombie into the group following them. “It’s like they say: 'wanton zombie destruction is good for the soul'.”

Applejack rolled her eyes at the grey pegasus.

“At least you feel better now, right?” she asked.

“Dah, comrade,” he replied in his best Russian accent. He watched Pinkie as she used her party cannon to take out the group of zombies following them. “Aw, we’re all outta zombies,” he moaned, making his way over to loot the nearest redead.

Applejack sighed, smiling gently at Light Patch. Things were going to get a lot more interesting now...

* * *

“Looks like somepony went on a No Mercy route through here.” Wits End let the door of yet another empty townhouse close behind him. “Everypony’s up and left. Where’d you think-” He turned, only to find empty air where he had been talking. “Right,” he muttered. “Left on my own.”

He sighed as he came up to another building; this one a small clothing shop if the large window was to be believed. “Seventeenth time’s a charm,” he said as he shoved the door open. “Patchy? You, or any other ponies, in here?” The mint-colored pony was greeted by silence. “Sounds like no. Anything fun in here?”

“So this is where you’ve been hiding, darling.”

Wits spun around to find Rarity standing in the doorway behind him; Fluttershy peeking around her. “I haven’t been hiding anywhere,” he replied. “You can tell by the way I’ve been yelling to see if anypony was around.” He scoffed. “I’ve seen enough horror movies to know not to do that.”

“Wits End,” Fluttershy muttered. “We’re here for-”

“I’m fine,” the mint-colored unicorn cut her off with a smile. “I’ve just got an upset friend I gotta take care of. You girls know how that is, right? Friendship and magic and all that.”

“And we know that more friends are better for this,” Rarity said. “So, why not look for him with some assistance?”

Wits paused. “So we really are friends, then?”

Rarity chuckled. “Well, you are a bit of a mess, all three of you.” She hesitated. “You… perhaps more in some ways. But yes, we are friends.” She held a hoof out, holding the stallion at bay. “No hugs, darling.”

“I’m gonna hug you.”

“You are not.”

“I’mma do it.”

With a glimmer of her horn, the Manipulator mare used her magic to shove the stallion back, sending him stumbling into a rack of clothing. “Honestly, darling. Sometimes I’m not sure when you’re joking.”

“Sometimes, I’m not sure myself.” One mint-pattern foreleg stuck out of the pile of fallen tunics, dresses, and trousers. “Help. I’m drowning in villager fashion.”

Rarity shook her head. “Fluttershy, give me a hoof, would you?”

“Oh, um, okay.” The two mares grabbed onto the outstretched hoof and pulled. After a moment of straining, the stallion came loose with a comical pop. “Are you alright, Wi-” The mare stopped, suddenly overtaken by a giggle fit.

“What?” Wits End narrowed his eyes at the two giggling mares. “What’s so funny?” He caught sight of a flash of pink and white in the corner of his eye, and turned to find himself face-to-face with a mirror. Somehow, in the fall, he had slipped into one of the more ornate dresses in the shop; a white gown highlighted with pink lace and golden filigree. It, over his usual travelling attire, gave him the appearance of a rather lumpy princess. “Oh. Yeah, no, I completely understand now.”

Rarity suppressed another fit to curtsy. “A pleasure to meet you, Princess Witless.” Fluttershy mirrored the bow, and the mares fell into giggles once again.

Even Wits had difficulty keeping a straight face. “H-hey now! How dare you speak to your princess like that? I could have you sent to the moon for such an insult!” The mares broke into outright laughter as the stallion pointed a hoof dramatically at the ceiling. “Right to the moooooooon!”

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy gasped. “You look… I have no words for this.”

“Amazing?” Wits End leaning in, a look that might have been confused for a sultry trout on his face. “Spectacular? Absolutely faaaaaaabulous? After all, I am the prettiest pony princess!” With each description, the mare’s laughter intensified, and by the end even Wits himself was on the floor, incapacitated by giggle fits.

Finally, the three ponies calmed themselves. “Ah,” Rarity sighed, wiping a tear from her eye. “I haven’t laughed like that for some time.”

“Me neither,” Wits said, Fluttershy nodding close behind. “You know, if the rest of the party had seen that, maybe there wouldn’t be so much drama going on.”

Rarity nodded. “It’s a shame they missed it. That was a magical moment.”

Fluttershy nodded again. “...Actually,” she said softly, “maybe they could.”

“What do you mean?” Wits asked. “You can’t bottle this magic.” He emphasised by striking a dramatic pose, eliciting another fit of giggles from the three of them.

“No, but we can do something like it.” Fluttershy sat up. “When you transformed before, your clothes disappeared.”

A red hue spread over the mint-colored pony’s face. “I was naked?”

“We don’t usually wear clothes,” Rarity said plainly. “What were you thinking, Fluttershy dear?”

“Well, what if we put your other look in these princess clothes?” Fluttershy motioned to the dress. “That should look good on him- Er, her? Them?” The pegasus shook her head. “It would look good. If you transformed in front of everypony, I’m sure it would be funny.”

Wits and Rarity imagined the juxtaposition of the two forms and their respective clothing, another fit of giggles threatening to take over. “It’s absurd enough to work,” Wits said. “But what about Light Patch?”

“Oh, Pinkie Pie and Applejack went after him.” Rarity took a moment to straighten her mane, which had become loosened in the laughter. “I’m sure they’ve found him by now. We have time to prepare. Come on, let me help get those off.”

With a nod, Wits turned around to let the dressmaker work. “I don’t even know how I got into this,” he muttered. “It’s gonna take hours to get out of thi-”

“Done!” Rarity chirped. “Now you can change into… whoever that is.”

“I’ve been calling it Keen Palm, but despite everything, it’s still me.” With a flash of light, Wits transformed into the raven-maned unicorn. “Now, let’s get that back on so we can spread joy to the world.”

Rarity frowned, looking the now taller and thinner unicorn over. “It will take a little bit of time. I’ll have to pin it to fit and make some alterations.” She threw the dress onto Wits End, watching it drape awkwardly as she retrieved a number of needles and pins. “Hold still so I can work.”

“Hold still to avoid being stabbed. Got it.” Wits End kept silent, so as to let the expert do her work without distraction. Nothing will move me, he thought. I am a rock. I am an isla-

Fluttershy cleared her throat. “So, um, I told Rarity about what happened in Gallopilli.”

Wits spun around, almost dragging Rarity off her hooves in the process. “You what the what now?” he exclaimed.

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t take it anymore!” Fluttershy was frantic; more from the needles now imbedded in the raven-maned pony than by his reaction. “Once we left the others, she started talking about how suspicious you were acting, and I… Um, well…”

“She defended you,” Rarity said, pulling the needles out all at the same time to the tune of a yelp from Wits End. “She said you were just trying to protect the rest of us. It all came out after that.”

Wits winced, resisting the urge to check the multiple pinholes that now peppered his body. “Geez… Well, it had to come out eventually.”

“And when were you planning on telling us that you had worked behind all of our backs to overthrow a pony with the power to bring doom and destruction down on us all?” Rarity said in a tone of perfect innocence.

Wits started to slump before remembering the pain awaiting that action. “I was gonna tell you all when we met up,” he said. “Honest to Celestia truth. But once all of the drama started spilling over, I thought I’d wait for a more opportune moment to reveal my betrayal of everyponies’ trust.” He tilted his head slightly to look at Rarity. “Seemed more polite.”

“I suppose so,” Rarity mused. “Still, I do wish you’d told us instead of keeping it a secret. If I had known, I wouldn’t have given you such trouble with the nobility. Hold your leg out a bit, like that.”

The raven-maned pony stood with one hoof outstretched as the dressmaker pinned the sleeve to fit. “Believe me, I get that now. You know how I said that I got this form because of Discord’s influence?” The purple-maned mare nodded. “Well, the truth is that the spell literally had a mind of its own. It let me know exactly how wrong I was to keep it a secret.” He turned slightly to look at Fluttershy. “He’s the one who contacted you with telepathy, saying I was gonna come clean.”

“And where is he?” Fluttershy asked. “He seems like an interesting pony. I think I’d like to meet him, if it’s not too much trouble.”

One corner of Wits’ mouth turned down. “He, uh, doesn’t exist anymore. He wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place, so his time was limited. I’m sure there’s some bit of him still in here,” he tilted his head a couple of times, “but he doesn’t exist as a separate entity anymore.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy’s eyes trailed downward. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. He was like a split personality. And a clone. And an evil twin.” Wits frowned. “Our relationship was weird. You gonna be done anytime soon? I’m getting a cramp something awful.”

“Just finished,” Rarity stated, taking a step back to admire her work. “Not bad for not having the rest of my boutique… Here, try these on and see for yourself.”

Wits End found a pair of foreleg gloves and a matching floral headdress being forced on him, his mane being pushed back in some places. When he looked in the mirror, what looked back was a pony who could quite easily pass for a princess; if not of Equestria, then of some local kingdom. “Woah,” he muttered, looking the ‘princess’ over.

“Easy there,” Rarity said, putting herself between the raven-maned ‘mare’ and the mirror. “Wouldn’t want you falling in love with yourself, darling.”

“At least, not anymore than I already am,” Wits finished for her. “Thanks, Rarity. I almost got another space on the Expert Host achievement path.” He fell silent for a moment. “Well, maybe one more look.”

“Wits no.”

“Wits yes.” The raven-maned stallion took a step forward, catching his hoof on the hem of his dress. With an unladylike yelp, he tripped and fell, tumbling past Rarity and landing in an upside-down heap against the mirror. “Maybe ‘Wits no’ was the right choice,” he muttered, wriggling against the glass in an attempt to right himself.

The face of the mirror sunk in with a click, followed shortly by the sound of machinery behind the wall. After a moment, part of the nearby wall-mounted display slide away, revealing a cave entrance lined with lit wall sconces.

The three ponies sat in stunned silence for several seconds. “Wits, darling,” Rarity said. “Did you just find a secret passageway… with your flank?”

Wits End pulled himself upright, adjusting his headdress. “It, uh… It certainly seems that way.”

Fluttershy thought for a moment. “Would, um, that make you the, uh, butt of a joke, then?”

The two other ponies turned their stunned looked from the cave to the cream-colored pegasus. “I’m gonna hug you,” Wits said plainly.

“Eep!”

Rarity sighed, placing a hoof on the hem of Wits End’s dress to keep him from moving. “This day just gets stranger and stranger…”

“Wait.” Fluttershy paused. “Do you hear something?”

Wits perked an ear. “Yeah. There’s definitely something moving down there.” He shifted back to his mint-colored form, replacing the frilly dress with more combat-ready attire as he peered into the darkness. There were shapes moving, barely lit by the light outside. “Looks like… ponies? Quite a few of them, I’d reckon.”

“They’re awful slow,” Rarity mused. She held a hoof over her nose. “And smell dreadful. Haven’t they ever heard of a bath?”

A cold shiver ran down Fluttershy’s spine. “Um, I don’t think they’re friendly.”

As if on cue, a pony emerged from the darkness of the cave, making an awkward lunge for Rarity, jaw open unnaturally wide. Before it could reach, the haft of Wits’ extended sword slammed into its chest, forcing it back into the blackness. “I think you’re right,” he said, bringing the tip of the sword-turned-spear back to face the other shapes shambling towards them. “I don’t think they’re friendly at all.”

Author's Note:

Authors: Light Patch, Wits End

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