Stories in Stone, Capricorn's Curse

by TDR

Hell to your Doorstep [11]

Stories in Stone
Capricorn's Curse
By TDR

Hell to your Doorstep

[ Crystal Empire, Nap time]

“This is by far the second most delicious looking dream I have ever been in.” Dawn state in awe as she drooled profusely.

“I can say I have been in worse, though I am curious what was first?” Rynthia asked still not noticing her own rhyming.

“Auntie Bleu had a dream full of sugar diamonds and candied gemstones one time when mommy and I were poking around. It was the best thing ever!!” Dawn proclaimed.

Rynthia nodded, looking around the odd landscape surrounding the pair. “ I understand how that would please, but I find it odd this dream is made of cheese.”

The two foals stood in the center of a large field that seemed to be layered mozzarella cheese, with various Swiss and Munster cheeses growing up out of the surface shaped like various plants. In the distance they could see a castle that bore a remarkable similarity to New Canterlot castle that was made entirely out of cheddar.

“Did we make a wrong turn Dawn, I don't know any one who would fear a cheese lawn?” Rynthia sighed.

“Nah... we somehow got into Brainy's dream I think. And this is a nightmare for him trust me.” Dawn smirked stifling a giggle.

“What?” Rynthia stammered looking at her sister.

“Sorry can't say, when we find him you'll have to ask him.” Dawn chimed, darting over and taking a big bite out of a 'tree' made of Gorgonzola. The 'plant' groaned and fell over sending a number of Gouda squirrels and birds darting out of the branches. The swarm made a dash for the other 'trees' as Dawn gave chase.

“Noooooooo get back here and git in mai belly!” Dawn yelled.

Rynthia slapped her face with a hoof turning to go after Dawn and try to get her sister to calm down and help her find Elusive when a scream snapped her attention to the castle in the distance.

“Sounds like Brainy to me.” Dawn stated floating over Rynthia.

Rynthia blinked looking up at her sister in surprise.

“Dawn I know you often try, but since when can you actually fly?”

“Same way you are rhyming without any effort. It's a dream, you can do what you want so long as it doesn't screw up some one elses dreams.... though I think that went out the window with that spell thingy. Any way Brainy's in trouble. Super Dawn away, WOOOSH!” The Kirin filly took off like a shot towards the castle making wooshing noises and other flying sounds like her comics did. Rynthia rolled her eyes and took off after her sister her hooves thudding on the yellow surface beneath her.

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[Tamberlane, inside the shield ]

“.....and that's why we need to find the bell. Otherwise there's a chance that the whole island will vanish with us on it for whoever knows how long.” Twilight concluded.

“Delightful. Do you think the bell on his neck was the one we need to find?” Octavia asked.

“Not likely. It chimed a little as he moved so it's more likely a fetish, or maybe a focal point that may connect him to the bell, but it is unlikely the actual bell. Still it may be enough of a connection that he can activate it to BE the actual bell as he needs it. That would explain how he rang it quickly enough that Starswirl barely made it off the island.” Trixie pointed out.

“That's a good observation.”Twilight admitted. “Have you read Green Beard's theorem of metamagical manipulation?”

“You have three copies of it in your library, one of them autographed, of course Trixie has read it.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Though Trixie thinks Seth the Scaleless' book on quantum entanglement and connectivity is a better read if a bit more technical.”

“Hmm true.... though I think you can stop calling it my library. You've lived there longer than I have now. I'm pretty sure that makes Golden Oak Library yours.” Twilight agreed.

“Well then Trixie would like you to come and get the last of your boxes out of the basement then. One of them smells funny and keeps making noises and Trixie is afraid to look.” Trixie sighed. “Though that is still a relief. Trixie was unsure how to remove the arch way where she has made Trevor's growth chart.”

“Hehe, at least your foal stood still long enough to measure his height every year. Dawn is far too wiggly and Pip's didn't change much at all.” Luna added in.

“There is also a mural he painted in one of the upstairs rooms.... just a bunch of colors he smeared every where when he was three, but Trixie thinks it looks wonderful....”

“I know the feeling. Pip made this amazing Macaroni picture when he was younger and some how it even survived the castle's destruction.....” Luna began.

Lyra and Octavia spare a glance at each other as the two mares begin to chat about their respective foals with Twilight chiming in about Elusive every so often. The non mothers both had friends already who wouldn't shut up about their foals, but at the very least these three didn't seem interested in asking when Lyra and Octavia might have foals of their own.

The five of them had gone down the stairs in the prison room after finding the main door was mage locked. Underneath their cells was a massive set of catacombs. The group was going to head back up and ambush Grogar when Luna caught the scent of salt and the sea again, stronger than before. The idea that there might be an exit to the water down here was enough for them to choose to press on. So far they had found nothing of note save some old bundled sticks and ancient rags near the end of the stairs, which they used to make torches. Lyra had helped out considerably by pointing out some of the crumbled stones near the base of the stairs were flint and could be used to make the fires. With no magic they were forced to carry them in their mouths, though they took turns as the torches burnt down. It was Lyra's turn at the moment, a fact some of them were quite thankful for due to her constant chipperness.

The catacombs looked to have once been the basement of the castle above as old empty barrels and rotted wood and crumbled stone rested against the walls like this was an old storage area. Under hoof there was nothing but black sand, though if one dug down a bit they could find the old stone floor under it.

The sand itself felt damp as if it was washed in by recent waves rather than blown in or sunk into the under-croft. The odd part was that they had been walking for some time and nothing seemed to change. They could see their own hoof prints trailing back into darkness, but they had come upon no walls aside from the one to their left they had followed, not even any pillars to support the ceiling. It was odd.

Still it wasn't too long until all of the group could smell the salt air and hear the faint echos of the waves crashing against rocks. They all rushed forward towards the sound the crashing progressively getting louder. Twilight had started to pull ahead of the galloping group when the purple mare suddenly vanished before them causing every one else to pull up short.

There was a loud yelp and an even louder splash. After a moment there was some thrashing and a good bit of cursing from below them.

Lyra moved the torch closer noticing that the black sand simply ended with a little cliff that seemed to be made of the same stone as the floor under the sand.

“Looks like it's an underground dock.” Luna observers leaning over the edge to look at the stone work.

“Interesting but I still don't see any light. Is it night time or is the entrance still too far away?” Octavia commented.

“Trixie sees a set of steps leading into the water, there seems to be a small boat of some sort over there at the edge of the light.” Trixie added looking over to the right.

“Oh yeah thanks guys... let me drown.” Twilight cursed.

“One you can't drown from water and two you have wings that you keep forgetting to use.” Luna rolled her eyes. “ How you continue to forget you are an alicorn is beyond me.”

“Well excuse me I'm still new to it.” Twilight snorted, her wings fanning lifting her out of the water.

“Sparkle look out!” Trixie shouted. Twilight turned her head glancing behind her to Where Trixie pointed, her eyes widened as a massive form rose out of the water behind her. Dark water dripped off it's body as the water foamed and frothed around it. Blackish green flesh covered it with small patches of scales here and there. Bare rotted muscle, and in some places bone, shown through places in it's skin and scales reflecting in the torch light. The creatures massive head was mostly skull, the skin and scaled flesh peeled back like a rolled up sock around it's neck. It had no eyes. but tiny points of red light flickered from within it's hollow eye sockets. The massive serpent opened it's mouth with a hiss, fangs dripping with oranges icor.

“SNAKE!!!” Screamed both Twilight and Lyra as the latter dropped the torch.

Twilight whipped herself back wards trying to get as far from the water as she could, though Octavia rushed after her trying to grab the panicked mares tail before she could get lost in the darkness.

Lyra however took a different approach to panic after she screamed she rushed forward and launched herself off the ledge over the water surprising the massive undead serpent by landing hooves first on it's open mouth , slamming the jaws shut with her weight.

Luna and Trixie watched as the lime green mare continued screaming as she very quickly began ripping the undead snake apart, jamming the unlit torches she carried into cracked sections of bone or simply bludgeoning it's head with her hooves as she clung onto it.

The massive serpent didn't sit still for this and started thrashing and jerking around trying to dislodge the green menace on it's face, The massive coiled body flung water into the air smashing against the rock walls and ceiling as it lashed about snapping and trying to smash Lyra to paste as it drove it's head into the walls, knocking holes in them and collapsing the tunnel out to sea behind it.

Luna blinked as Lyra slipped inside the hollow eye socket still screaming, though very quickly the snakes head started jerking around as the green unicorn started kicking the fool out of it from the inside.

The snake it self seemed to have gone mad from the intrusion and was repeated smashing it's head against the far wall trying to kill the pony that had crawled inside of it. The scene itself was sicking and disturbing as bits of stone, water, rotted snake flesh, scales, and bone were flung about in a shower of gore and destruction.

Finally there was one last resounding crack of bone and a very large section of the serpents skull was kicked free spiraling through the air to crash in the sand before Trixie, the shard larger than the mare it nearly hit.

The serpent thrashed a few more times, the red lights in it's eyes going out before it finally fell, crashing into the sand and flinging more debris into the air in a choking cloud. Luna and Trixie backed away from it coughing as the dust slowly settled showing a lime green mare still kicking the snake's skull into pulp.

“Well that was interesting.”Trixie admitted.

“She was part of the Six Sixty Sixth monster hunters. A well renowned member as well. Supposedly her first mission had her destroying a large serpent that had been attacking a village...... I think we just witnessed the how of it and possibly the why.” Luna muttered.

“Trixie has never seen any one panic into a fight before.”

“I have, though that doesn't make this sort of twist to a fight or flight response any less impressive.” Luna stated.

“Not to interrupt but would one of you lend me a hoof the Princess is still going nuts.” Octavia called from further away in the darkness. There was a sound of impact and another thunder of collapsing stones as the repeated panicked mantra of ' snake' went silent.

“Oh never mind, the wall seems to have stopped her.” Octaiva added. “ Hmm? Well now , it seems she found another room.”

Luna rolled her eyes before blinking, taking note that she could see , even though the torch had sputtered out. Looking up she noticed several holes the snake had punched in the walls showing what looked to be sunlight streaming through.

“Well now things are looking up.” Luna stated smiling at the sunshine.

“Did I get it?” Lyra asked looking around in a panic.

===================================================

Dawn was giggling like a mad mare when they finally found the source of the scream. A large black scaled Kirin was running across the sliced baby Swiss cheese lawn while a trio of Gorgonzola diamond dog like monsters with mozzarella hair and a odd cone of Munster on one of their heads that red Dunce with several letters backwards, ran after him.

“I would think all of these surprises would have made be numb, but after seeing this I still think it's dumb.” Rynthia frowned watching the full grown Kirin running around screaming.” First of all why is he wearing a hat, and secondly who is that?”

Rynthia pointed to the galloping Kirin.

“That's Brainy. “ Dawn stated between bites of the ground. “ The dunce thing is because he's afraid of Auntie Twilight and Auntie Celestia being disappointed in him.”Dawn muttered chewing on the cheese. “ And you didn't hear this from me, but the cheese is cause of what happened to him a couple months ago. Auntie Celestia got a new cook at the castle and he specialized in Muleican food. Well the first dinner they had, the cook made enchiladas. Well turns out auntie Twilight is really afraid of them cause of all the cheese or something and when she freaked out she managed to fling the entire serving dish of enchiladas off the table and onto Brainy. So he gets covered in pipping hot cheese and his moms freaking out with Celestia trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Well he loses it and starts tearing around the dining room slinging cheese every where and smashing into things cause he can't see and he thinks the cheese was attacking him and his moms and then the Guards bust in and see Twilight panicking and this cheese monster running around and they start chasing it and the noise and shouting just make Brainy panic even more. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, but yeah, so now he's got a fear of cheese.”

Rynthia just stared at her sister as she told the story her ears flattening to her head.

“How is that something that I could miss? Seriously when the heck was this?”

“Mommy and you went off to see the snow ponies. Daddy and I were in the kitchen for a snack when it all started and we poked our heads out to look. Daddy managed to stop the Guards from attacking Brainy while Celestia tried her best to quiet both Twilight and Brainy down.”

Rynthia slapped her face with a hoof and sighed. “While the story has me taken aback, why is Elusive an adult and black?”

“By the stars Stripy, you can't just go around asking why some ones black!” Dawn gasped.

“Not sure I under stand that slight, but I mean he's supposed to be short, seven, and his fur should be white.”

“Oh that. Yeah that's what he looked like in a past life. Guess he was a full grown Kirin then.” Dawn nodded.

“What he was like before he was born? Does that explain why you were an alicorn.”

Dawn winced a little at that though she didn't respond. Rynthia thought her sisters actions were rather odd but Rynthia didn't think this was any sort of trick, still she would need to ask Dawn a few things later , right now there was a more pressing issue.

“I think Brainy needs help.” Dawn muttered watching as the other Kirin rushed towards a cheese tree as if to climb it, only to freak out at the sight of it and run off the other way as a horde of birds made of provolone started chasing him.

“On that I can agree. I suppose we can eat the villains, but pity there is no brie.”

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[Tamberlane]

With a last push the wall gave way fully with a loud crash as rocks tumbled into the other room. Moving in carefully Octavia and Luna glanced around the new area , both of them disappointed.

Lyra and Twilight moved in quickly afterward happy to get away from the dead snake with Trixie following up the rear.

“She plowed face first into a wall, how is she not even bruised?” Trixie demanded.

“It is very very difficult to hard a god. There are ways but they are not common. Most injuries that might cripple a normal pony are barely noticeable by us.” Luna commented.

“Sounds like fun to me.” Lyra commented.

“It usually is not for many reasons.” Luna sighed sadly prompting the others to let the conversation go.

The group had opted to try the hole in the wall rather the water logged tunnel, just in case there were more snakes in the water.

The room they entered was much like the catacombs they had left, though there were glowing torches along the walls and unlike the last room this one was filled with stuff that were still intact.

Chests, suitcases, ladders, boxes, wagons, random piles of clothing, weapons, and dozens of other things that seemed to come from both ancient times as well as modern filled the room. Luna even took note of a few pieces of a train, likely the one that they had rode in on. There was a large double door on the far side of the room and a shadowy lofted roof with exposed rafters and a few other items hanging from the old surprisingly sturdy look wooden beams running the length of the wide room.

“My Cello!” Octavia surprisingly shouted as she made her way across the room towards a large instrument case that Luna had overlooked before. Given the parts of the train it wasn't surprising that their luggage was here.

“I don't suppose you see a little box about yay big.” Lyra mutters gesturing with her fore hooves. While the ring she got to propose to Bon Bon wasn't that pricey she'd rather get it back than have to buy a new one.

“Trixie thinks there is something off here. Who brought all of this here and why is none of it dusty, not even the old stuff?” Trixie muttered.

“Good point.” Twilight commented, scanning over the stuff. She froze as she noticed something move, rather close to the gray earth pony.”OCTAVIA GET AWAY FROM THAT!”

“What?” the gray earth pony asked. She was currently standing on her back legs having set her cello upright before opening the case. Her ear twitched a little as she caught the movement from the corner of her eye. She turned to look at what at first seemed to be a wooden box at least until it suddenly sprouted ragged teeth and a large tongue as it lunged for the earth pony it's splintery wooden limbs like a scarecrow outstretched to grab her. Octavia's ears flatten at the otherworldly snarl the thing emitted and she pushed back hard with her fore hooves, falling away from her cello and onto her back as the creature's lunge carried it over the prone earth pony.

The gray mare kicked with her back legs, forcing herself to roll backwards avoiding another of the creatures that lept at her. She winced as her roll pushed her back into a wooden ladder, her head hitting the bottom rung. The creatures both turned, rushing at the prone mare only for her to reach above her head and yank the ladder down over her body smashing the tall wooden ladder down atop it's head, or whatever counted as a head. The second one moved to the side as the first struggled to push the ladder off it's body only to find that it's prey had stood up and twisted the ladder in her fore hooves pinning the creatures spindly arm between the rungs. The second made a dash for the mare only for her to fling open the ladders other legs into a locked V shape tipping it so it fell on top of the first monster. The pair of them started to thrash as Octavia turned her body dragging the ladder and it's captives across the floor and into a pile of ship parts knocking the large pile over atop of them.

The others had their own issues as a half a bakers dozen of the creatures had emerged to take on the four mares.

Trixie hung back staying out of the others way, without her magic she wasn't much of a fighter. The former show mare wasn't happy with that, but watching the others she was well aware of how far out of her league she was compared to them when it came to fighting.

It was like those games Trevor played with his friends. Trixie was like that rogue class, not good at direct combat, but useful in random skills, maybe even a bard or duel classed with a mage. The others on the other hoof.

Twilight flapped her wings as she reared up onto her back hooves blocking an attack with her fore hooves as her wings shoved her backwards across the floor sliding on her rear hooves to another pile of rubble. The creature that came after her looked like a metal crate with iron arms and legs and a body that seemed mostly mouth and teeth. Bug like eyes on stalks poked up from the top of the crate like body, the black orbs fixated on Twilight.

Turning to the pile of rubble quickly, Twilight yanked free the pry bar she had spotted, bringing the metal bar to bare gripped in her teeth. She blocked the next attack, knocking the things clawed limbs aside. The vibration rattled her teeth and probably cracked a few, but if her alicorn god hood still held , they'd be fixed before she even felt the first flash of a tooth ache.

Trixie watched Sparkle trade blows with the creature. Neither of them gaining an advantage,though Twilight's weapon put a large number of dents into the thing. The mare wielded the pry bar like a sword, darting in and out of range of the thing and striking it where she could. Had the monster been flesh and blood she likely would have split it open by now.

Trixie didn't know Twilight could use a sword, but she recognized that she knew far less about her former rival than she once thought. Still the bookworm could easily be considered a wizard with levels in fighter, or that one class... what was it, black blade or something like that?

Lyra had found a weapon as well and she had snatched it up in her forelegs without hesitation, turning to face the pair of chests chasing her. The two creatures were both odd as one had six legs with it's body looking like an old steamer trunk. As the lid flipped open it displayed a purple slimy looking tongue and rotted teeth that would be more at home in a dentists office on a 'don't let this happen to you' poster.

The second creature had eight ragged looking limbs with the body like a large purple hat box. It was smaller than the first but much quicker and seemed to have dripping fangs poking out of the box rather than a wide open maw.

Being faster didn't help it as Lyra shifted onto her back legs bringing what looked to Trixie like an old boat gaff around and into the smaller creature. She yanked upward on the pole lifting the smaller creature kicking wildly into the air. She started spinning the gaff around her head, slinging the smaller creature around , the weapon picking up speed with the flailing creatures weight hooked on the end.

The larger creature was hesitant though it tried to time it so the small creature spun past before it lunged only for Lyra to change the arc to bring the weapon up suddenly and down over her head smashing the smaller creature to bits on the larger steamer trunk , and causing the larger monster to stagger under the blow as two of it's limbs were ripped free from the impact.

Trixie thought Lyra fought like the descriptions of the barbarian class. At least when it came to snakes.
Perhaps a ranger if serpents were a favored enemy. The mare was quite scary.

Queen Luna however was absolutely terrifying. Of the seven that came after them all, four had gone after Luna and two of them were turned to splinters before they even finished their first lunge at the mare. The former Princess of the Night didn't even seem to be fighting, she seemed to be dancing though the attacks. Her hooves or wings not blocking so much as guiding blows away with ease as she slipped between or past attacks directed at her. The monsters might as well have been standing still. That wasn't to say she was purely defensive, the first two scrapped chests showed the power of the few blows she did land, but with the other two she almost seemed to be playing with them.

Trixie blinked as she caught on, Luna wasn't playing. The Changeling Queen's eyes were keeping tabs on the others of the group with glances here and there. She was watching the others fight, perhaps gauging their skill? It was hard to tell what the Changeling Queen thought. Still when Lyra felled the smaller one Luna slid under an attack from one of the ones she was keeping busy and punched her hoof through it's body in one fluid motion.

Trixie was not sure what class to consider the Goddess of War. Probably one of them that was banned for being too broken.

Still it was the musician that surprised her most. Octavia was moving and flipping about like a mare half her supposed age, using bits of furniture, be it the ladder, random poles, chairs, or even the dazed creatures themselves, everything seemed to be both a weapon and a shield to her. Like the Queen every move she made seemed calculated, though she was more reactionary than Luna, and far less violent.

One of the creatures ripped free of the ladder and swung the half of it that remained intact at the gray earth pony. The mare dove at the ladder, stretching out so that she passed between the rungs without getting touched, although the other monster that was on her tail was not so lucky and met it's end at the forceful swing and subsequent destruction of the ladder.

Octavia's moves were like a dance as well, though where Luna's were impact laden and soaked in violence, Octavia's seemed more about positioning where she should be and using momentum, random objects, and even her own opponents against her targets. Unlike Queen Luna's movements Trixie found she actually recognized the style that Octavia was using. With that style Trixie pegged the gray earth pony as an easy bard duel class monk.

Trixie still wasn't sure why she was assigning classes to every one, perhaps she was just bored, or trying to distract herself from the fact she was a captive again. Most likely the latter, as she was struggling not to freak out.

It seemed like longer, but only two or three minutes later all of the creatures were either destroyed, or what ever passed for unconsciousness for them. Granted Luna made quite sure that they would never rise again, so dead was the proper word even though Twilight and Octavia hadn't struck any killing blows.

“Oh wow Octavia? Where'd you learn to fight like that?” Twilight asked moving over to check on the musician. “ I didn't know you knew any kinda kung fu.”

“Kung fu?” Octavia blinked and sighed. “That was not any sort of martial art I assure you.”

“You're kidding? “ Lyra commented. “ That was amazing what ever it was, I've never seen any one moves like that.”

“I have, though not quite that fluidly.” Luna admitted getting a look of sadness on her face as she thought of her friends who knew such skills who were no longer with her.

Octavia winced a little cracking her back before moving to check on her cello, opening the case to look over the instrument. “I've never trained in any sort of martial art. All that fancy hoof work was just Ballet from when I was younger before I picked up the cello.”

“Ballet? That was ballet?” Lyra demanded.

“Griffonese Ballet if I am not mistaken.” Trixie commented as Luna's eyes widened.

Octavia glanced back at at Trixie apraisingly. “ Indeed. You are familiar with it then? It is not as well practiced as it used to be, and rarely by any one without wings.”

“Trixie used to travel quite a bit and has been to the Griffon lands. Trixie has seen the training that those seeking to master ballet go through and Trixie would rather join the Guard, their training seems easier.”

“I doubt that “Twilight muttered looking at Luna, surprised when the Changeling simply shrugged.

“Jer'rahd has studied it as well, though he does not posses the dexterity required to preform it, he has incorporated some of the teachings into his own training.” Luna stated. “Miss Melody might I suggest you not rush ahead of the group like that again. This whole place seems like one big trap. The giant snake, the baited loot in here.”

“It's like one of my brothers games, ogres and oubliettes, we've got a party of adventurers and there's traps and monsters every where.” Twilight stated getting a curious glance from Trixie.

“It seems so. Though I am not a fan of those sort of games, they always wind up being to wordy to be good video games. Still we should be careful, and be quick. All the noise has likely attracted Grogar or other monsters and until these rings are removed I would prefer to avoid encounters. I am not comfortable fighting at partial strength.” Luna admitted.

The others nod in agreement as they all head for the door on the far side of the room, Lyra and Twilight carrying their new weapons and Octavia slinging her Cello onto her back.

Trixie paused at the door looking at the devastation wrought behind them. This was HALF strength?

======================================================

Rynthia shook her head slightly looking at the carnage wrought by her sister. Dawn had plowed into the swarm of cheese monsters , claws and teeth ripping and biting as she not only fought but ate mouthfuls of them as well. Honestly it wasn't that far off Dawn's normal table habits when presented with a dish she loved. Her mother was not thrilled with the manner of her daughters eating, though her father seemed to have no issue with it so long as she cleaned up after ward. Seriously their father was such a push over.

The large black furred and scaled Kirin looked on with shock as the monsters designed to deal with him were quickly wiped out by a bottomless appetite.

Rynthia looked up at the larger Kirin and felt herself blush a little at the muscular stallion's visage. She whipped her head trying to clear the thought of it from her mind. Sure he was handsome like the princes in her books but this was Elusive, her auntie's son.... sure they were not really related, and if this is what he was going to look like when he grew up....

No... bad Rynthia..... you're only six she told herself.

“ I am unaware who you are, but thank you.....” the Kirin began before he screeched in panic as Dawn threw a chunk of string cheese at him. The 'attack' sent the stallion leaping into the air in a panic to get it off of him. Rynthia frowned as her handsome prince image was destroyed and at Dawn's lunatic cackling at her prank.

“Dawn your antics may have a price... at the very least that was not nice.” Rynthia shouted.

“I couldn't help it Stripey. This opportunity prolly will never happen again. “ Dawn cackled.

“Wait, Stripy? Dawn, Rynthia? What? Why are you grown up and why is Dawn a black alicorn?” Elusive asked.

Dawn's mood suddenly shifted as she stopped laughing and got up dusting herself off. She snapped the answer at Elusive before Rynthia had a chance too.

“Cause we're in a stupid dream Brainy, Swhy you look like your grandpa and Stripey looks like she thinks she's gonna look, Just focus on how we are supposed to look and you'll see how we are supposed to be.” Dawn snorted. “ And hurry up cause we gotta find the others.”

Elusive blinked glancing back to stare at Rynthia a moment making her feel some what uncomfortable as she wasn't sure what the colt was seeing, though after a moment or two elusive returned to how he normally looked

Rynthia frowned not thrilled with their situation at all plus she wanted some answers. “ Hold it Dawn something is amiss, I want to know how you know all this?”

“And why your attitude suddenly shifted when I mentioned what you look like.” Elusive added as the cheese fields around them faded.

“I dun wanna talk about it. Side's I told you already Stripey.” Dawn sighed.

“ You told me little of why you are like this, you know more than you let on, what is going on sis?” Rynthia stated.

“Yeah and how is Rynthia getting all her rhymes right?” Elusive added, finally back to the age he was supposed to be, though clearly a little surprised that they were all floating in a starry void.

“Cause I remember what I was when I'm here.” Dawn stated solomly and in a voice that didn't seem right coming from the small Kirin.” Birdy said I wouldn't remember, but I do when I'm here and I don't like it. It worries mommy that I know it..... I don't know I know it when I'm not dreaming, but I know I know when i am.”

“I don't think that helped.” Elusive added completely confused Rynthia nodding in agreement.

“GOOD!! I'm done talking bout this. I'm not supposed to be serious and moody, I'm six. I don't have to be grown up until I'm at LEAST nine and that's still FOOOOREVER away.” Dawn rambled. “ Let's just go find 3P, Buggy, or Puffyhead.”

Dawn started marching off over the cheese fields leaving Rynthia and Elusive completely confused about her. Granted that was sort of normal, so they quickly followed after her.

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[ Four months ago, Crystal Empire ]

This mare was maddening. Glimmer fanned her wings in aggravation as the bucket of oatmeal she had set up as payback for being tricked into eating her alfalfa at dinner fell perfectly.... into a larger bucket that didn't even splash.

The white furred earth pony mare set the larger bucket she had produced out of no where aside and continued walking down the corridor as Glimmer seethed in the closet where she had been spying on her.

Her parents both left for about a week, choosing to go represent the Crystal Empire in the first Equss games. Evidently at one of the last Council meeting of the gods the Equestrian games were opted to be expanded to include all of Equss with countless new events being added for the best each nation had to offer. It sounded exciting, but she and Shin were not allowed to go due to the fact it was being held this first year in Stalliongrad in the far east. There had been a lot of political turmoil in the area in the last few years so neither of her parents thought it safe. So they had hired a live in sitter that evidently came highly recommended. Her father didn't like the idea, but as usual her mother convinced him.

The sitter was a white furred Earth pony mare. She had a darker pink mane and tail, though the former was covered in a large faded blue and white bonnet and the latter was in a bun and covered by a large , way out of style, blue school marm dress that the mare wore every where. She insisted on being called Mrs. Diane, though she acted like it was her first name rather than her last.

This was confounding her. While Glimmer normally didn't go after the foal sitters her parents hired to watch her and Shin, this one had aggravated her from the start. She had yet to call Glimmer by her proper name, calling her glimmy or glam and once she had been called Charlie. The white mare didn't seem old enough to be forgetful so Glimmer figured she was doing it on purpose, particularly since she called Shin by his full name once and when he corrected her she had called him Shin since. Glimmer tried correcting her and got a lecture about not correcting her elders. That was the speech where she had been called Charlie.

There had been other things too, earlier bed times, more naps, limited play time and harder focus on studies even though it was the weekend and nearing the end of the school year. The thing that pushed her over the edge was the trick from dinner last night. A promise that if she ate all her alfalfa she and Shin would get a special desert that the sitter had made.

Glimmer hated alfalfa.

Still she ate the horrid stuff, curious about what the mare might have made, it was clear she had been baking something as she smelled like flour and Glimmer was curious.

The special desert turned out to be Candied Alfalfa.

That had been the last straw for Glimmer.

Shin didn't have any problems with her, also he actually liked alfalfa...., it had to be a Changeling thing, also the mare was actually nice to him.

Despite that she was set on getting revenge on this mare and making sure she never came back.

Unfortunately everything she did failed.

Rubber snakes attacking from the cabinet, largely ignored as they landed on her. Mane dye shampoo didn't seem to change the color of the white mare at all. Hot pepper in the food, she added more pepper before eating it with no issue. Leaky drink glasses didn't work. Collapsing furniture some how managed to fall apart in such a way that it put itself back together in a more comfortable position. Trapped pies, falling buckets, everything Glimmer could come up with the mare either stopped, dodged, or didn't activate properly. It was like she had some weird sense that warned her of anything the pink pegicorn did before it happened.

Glimmer briefly considered upping some of her attempts, but some of the pranks she knew might actual hurt the mare and she didn't want to hurt her, just run her off, or at the very least let her know that she wasn't welcome here. She considered setting up something with some mice she knew she could find, but she knew the reaction to a mouse was often to try and kill it. Given this mare's completely disarming of everything Glimmer did, she didn't want to risk the mice getting hurt.

Late in the night the pink pegi corn snuck out of bed and into the adjoining playroom. Once there she searched a few of her books by the light of her horn looking over the lists of pranks and jokes that could be done. There wasn't anything there she hadn't tried or was willing to try.

She also found Shin's new copy of Haylights. While the foalish magazine was usually beneath her with it's simple puzzles and lame jokes and such, occasionally the morality comic thing caught her interest.

Gosling and Gander, a good foal/ bad foal comic. It was a simple 'do this and don't do that' scenario with little ducks playing the good foal and bad foal. She didn't care about the morals, as most times they were simple and obvious or completely ridiculous, but occasionally Gosling was shown playing a prank or doing something mean. Sometimes what ever the duck did was something Glimmer could do herself or at least base a payback off of. It was where she found the rubber snake trick.

Finding nothing this time but dining etiquette Glimmer left the magazine on the floor hoping perhaps even the slight mess to the room would annoy the foal sitter some how.

She rolled over onto her back with a sigh on the carpet. She couldn't think of anything to deal with the foal sitter. Maybe she could turn the oven up really high so she burned all the food and they had to order take out, or get one of the castle chefs back at least? Mrs' Diane had been insistent that she prepare all the meals and had Glimmers mother give the staff a few days off.

Knowing how the last four days had gone, the sitter would probably serve the burnt food, give a speech that it built character to suffer though something like this and then eat it herself like it was nothing after calling Glimmer, Greg or something.

“ARRRGH. This is driving me insane, why won't she go away!!!!” Glimmer flails on the floor in a shouted whisper.

“Oh giving up already? Pity it was getting rather interesting, despite the fact you never had a chance.” chuckled a voice.

Glimmer rolled over quickly to her hooves, her eyes shifting around the dark room lighting up the corners without seeing anyone.

“Who's there?” Glimmer stammered.

“Hmm oh dear seems I said that part out loud, ah well I was getting bored any way. You're a interesting one. You have a bit of a mean streak in you, but you are only willing to push it so far. You care about yourself the most, but you won't go far enough to actually hurt some one. You also care enough about others to worry about how they feel. While you are upset that Shin is being treated better than you, you don't blame or target him for it.”

“Hes my brother ….... now who are you?! We demand you show yourself.”

“Did you just slip into the royal 'we'? Oh my stars that is so precious.” The voice giggled and Glimmer blinked as it seemed right above her.

She slowly looked up to see a face that was vaguely pony like with a goats beard, mismatched eyes, a zebra mane, and a pair of horns that each seemed to come from a different animal atop it's head. The rest of the creature was oddly serpentine with differing legs and a draconic tail that was wrapped around the light fixture dangling from the ceiling. The long figure dangled down from above with it's head almost eye level with her. It met her gaze and smiled showing a single long fang in one side of it's mouth.

“Hello.” it said.

“AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Glimmer said.... loudly.

The door was flung open as Glimmer back peddled tripping over her her own hooves as she fell over some of the toys she had left out and flipped back to crash into the toy box with a loud thud.

“Dissy the goal wasn't to scare the pink off of her.” stated another voice coming from the doorway.

“I know. I know, but I was getting bored and with as slow as that rabbit's writing this it'll take forever to get it done, let alone get to the point. Besides she was giving up.” the one called Dissy stated.

Glimmer peeked her head out of the box seeing the large creature still swinging from the light by his tail, talking with the foal sitter Mrs Diane.

“ Well if we had a clear reason why we were watching her it would be different. All we have is a vague hint to come and see her from Mirth.” The foal sitter sighed. “ And I'm bored too, and do you know how much wearing all this flour itches?”

“I can imagine dear. Still if the rabbit would get his act together to explain compassion properly we wouldn't need to be here. Is it animals? Is it kindness? Is it the law of the wild? Who knows? Make up your mind already!” Discord rolled his eyes, the orbs falling out of his head and tumbling over across the floor to stop at the toy box looking up at the peering Glimmer before rolling back to the hanging Draconians. “What is that!” Glimmer shouted pointing a hoof at the Draconequus as she peeked up from over the edge of the toyboy.

“Hmm what indeed. I'm a who Missy.” Discord ranted turning suddenly into a odd little big bellied biped creature, with a long nose, rosy cheeks and a very odd curling hairstyle that was decorated with hearths warming lights.

“Dissy we haven't been up here very much since she was born, and it's not like you're a household name any more.” Mrs. Diane giggled. Glimmer thought that was even weirder than the creature.

“Oh well then. Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a beast of wealth and taste. I've been around a long long year, Turned many a pony's hair to toothpaste.....” the one called Dissy stated as music started in the back ground.

“No, No stop it, stop it, you're not going to do a song while I'm here. No singing!” Glimmer fussed.

“Fine...” Dissy snapped tossing his hands in the air, and the arms along with them. The two limbs bounce off the ground on either side of him and he sighed.” Oh lovely, disarmed by a seven year old, this day is going great.”

Mrs. Diane smirked picking up one arm with her hooves and reattaching it. “His names Discord, he used to be a pretty big deal until he met me, now he's still a big deal, just not in the same way.”

“My dear did I just detect a hint of innuendo from you?” Discord cracks a smirk.

“A little bit.” Mrs. Diane chuckled helping him with his other arm.

Glimmer however had had enough.

“ Nope, no that's it. I've had enough of this madness. I don't care who you are Dissy or Discord or whatever but you are not supposed to be here, I'm getting the Guards and you Mrs. Diane are the WORST FOAL SITTER EVEAH!!” Glimmer all but bellowed as she climbed out of the toy chest yanking a stuffed monkey from her head and storming off towards the door, her little pink hooves thudding heavily on the carpet.

Discord blinked at that wincing a little before turning his head quickly to Mrs. Diane whose eyes had gone wide with shock. The earth pony's eyes suddenly started to water and Discord quickly broke out a little mini umbrella.

“Now you've done it.” The Draconequus sighed as the white earth pony mare suddenly started to bawl.

“SHE SAID I'M THE WORST !!! AHHHH I'VE TRIED SO HARD.... AHHH WHAT IF THE CAKE TWINS REALLY HATED ME TOO BUT JUST PRETENDED CAUSE I LIVED WITH THEM AHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

Glimmer stopped and stared at the scene in confusion. Massive twin fountains of tears flooded from the mares eyes showering the playroom to the point where Discord had pulled on a yellow raincoat and hip waders. The strange creature also seemed to have constructed a boat some how and had gathered the stuffed animals in the room and put them in pairs on the small ship.

Glimmer took another step towards the door and hesitated as Mrs. Diane's bawling continued and her words turned into unintelligible gibbering. Discord seemed to be trying to calm her down , but it wasn't working very well.

Despite everything this mare had done, Glimmer felt bad. She hated feeling bad about doing something to some one who deserved it, but a lot of times she did. It was never enough for her to stop, particularly if she thought her target deserved it. If they got mad about one of her pranks she felt more justified..... but this..... This wasn't the sort of aftermath she wanted.

Glimmer sighed turning around and walking back over to the bawling mare, taking the little umbrella that Discord handed as she got closer. The play room was gonna be flooded soon.

“Hey... ummm Mrs. Diane.... “ Glimmer muttered , barely heard over the bawling pony. “ Hey! Look.... okay.. sorry i shouldn't have yelled at you... you're.... you're not the worst foal sitter ever........”

“Really?” Mrs. Diane whimpered loudly, with the largest snot bubble Glimmer had ever seen growing out of her nose.

“ Ummm yess.....” Glimmer blinked as Discord handed her a tissue which she took with her magic and held up to the mares nose.

The sound of a fog horn filled the room as the earth pony blew her nose and left the rag dripping with goo. Glimmer quickly flung it into a trashcan.

“Really” the earth pony sniffled.

“Yes.. you arn't a bad foal sitter.....” Glimmer sighed lying through her teeth if it would get the mare to calm down. She hadn't expected the reaction at all and it was making her feel as miserable as the foal sitter looked.

“Pinkie Promise on it!?”

“What?” Glimmer asked before Discord cut in.

“Now now, I don't think we need to go that far. Besides dear keep in mind that you have been intentionally playing the worst foal sitter you could for the last few days for this test.” Discord commented.

“OOOOOOH yeah....” Mrs. Diane stated, perking back up like she hadn't been sobbing uncontrollably for several minutes now.

“Wait!? She's been playing at being a bad sitter!?!” Glimmer demanded.

“Yes....” Discord admitted. “ Though I don't think she needs to any more. While you're not as good as ole Flutters or even the stripey one, trying to comfort some one who wronged you does fit with what we were looking for.”

“Alright now then for cake!” Mrs. Diane chuckled. “ You want some chocolate cake Glimmer?”

“It's not alfalfa again is it Mrs. Diane?” Glimmer grumbled before blinking. “Wait did you just use my actual name?”

“Yup, though I still say I should call you Charlie, that's a good name too.” The earth pony pulled off her hair kerchief letting a mass of surprisingly curly and bouncy dark pink hair free before she started wiping her fur down with the kerchief as she got rid of the school marm outfit. Her white fur turning pink under the ministrations before her cutie mark was finally revealed as a trio of floating balloons. Glimmer had seen those before. Though it took her a moment to process the sudden change from white school marm to bouncy party pony.

“Wait a minute … you're the mare from all the stained glass windows and that statue the ponies put out side the palace!” Glimmer stammered.

“Yup , Call me Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie grinned cleaning the last of the white off her hooves.

“Why is the hero of the Empire foal sitting!?” Glimmer asked. “ You supposedly saved every pony from King Sombra's attack and kept the Crystal heart from being taken by Sombra!”

“Cause I like foal sitting?” Pinkie asked.

“I'll take obvious answers to rhetorical questions for three hundred Alex.” Discord stated mashing a button on a pedestal with a blue square on the front that had his name on it Glimmer didn't even care any more that hadn't been there a second ago.

“But why have you been so horrible!?” Glimmer asked.

“It was a lesson” Pinkie stated. “ Plus we were in the script to be here.”

“A lesson?” Glimmer demanded.

“Yup we needed to see how you would react to some one who you normally would hate but couldn't do anything too. We wanted to see if you would escalate things and be a meanie pants or would show kindness and stop before some one got hurt.” Discord explained. “Really we didn't have too but that blasted rabbit needed to further the story along. We should have got the half lizard kid, but noooo we get the one for the other Element....”

“So wait.” Glimmer interrupts the rant. “I was treated like crap, to teach me a lesson, that I wouldn't need to learn unless I was treated like crap.....?”

“Yup” Pinkie agreed.

“That makes no sense!” Glimmer shouted.

“Thus you have achieved a understanding of Life the universe and everything.” Discord nodded sagely.

“42!!” Pinkie shouted as Glimmer rubbed her head, hoping the promised chocolate cake was at least very good chocolate cake.

Author's Note:

Title is Hell to your door step, from the Count of Monte Cristo

Discord and Pinkie's taunting of me aside i did have issue with this chapter. There's a lot going on and i'm trying to shoe horn it in. I might have bit off more than i can chew, so something might be ended earlier than others.

It also bothers me that the title synopsis lists only those on the island and here i am going on and on about the foals.

I've started to much and i have a lot of work to do to get everything where i want.

Comments

[Nadir]

For some reason I'm drawing a blank: How did Twilight become a goddess in this continuity ?

[xaldinlance]

So that's how she got the scales

[TDR]

7524714 Epilogue 2 of Lost Empire. Luna gave it up to her because she doubted that ponies who already doubted and were afraid of her would deal well with her being a changeling too.

7525028 come again?

[xaldinlance]

7525668
Lyra had scale armor in her banter with Bonny in the climax of the last book

I'm going to assume it's enchanted Python armor

[Nadir]

7525668

Right of course. How could I forget?

[Mop_Hop]

7524714 gained luna's powers pertaining to the moon and I think dreams, while also being married to Celestia I believe

[TDR]

7526226 Celestia and two are not officaly married. Their relation ship is publicly all bussiness. But a lot of ponies know any way.

[TDR]

7525680 oh right . I did out that in there for that reason too. The collosal serpent was her first kill as a member of the 666th. I plan to write a takes in stone chapter that goes into the details

[xaldinlance]

She's nocturne isn't she?

[Noctus Umbra]

The others had their own issues as a half a bakers dozen of the creatures had emerged to take on the four mares.

how does one fight six and a half monsters?

Trixie was not sure what class to consider the Goddess of War.

Monk. She has great power unarmed and is almost impossible to hit

[TDR]

7579273 Your are dealing with strange and unusual constructs A half a monster is indeed possible. Though in this instance adding 'rounded down' wouldn't have sounded as cool in Trixie's head.

The issue with regarding Luna as a monk is that she uses magic to aid her combat abilities, her alignment is not lawful,[ NG at best TN at worse, Hell Starfalls probably the only LG this group has and she dipped into LN for a while] Her only monk quality is she primarily fights without weapons, though she has displayed prowess with the Waning Moon several times. She is likely a Fighter/ mage with ranks in unarmed and a high dexterity. Rhede had more ranks in Int, Jer in Con, Starfall in Str, Velkorn in Wis and Bleu in Cha. Together the six of them were one op char.]

[treos]

hadn't checked it out till now but that's quite the nice music video in this chapter. :)

[mestreJ]

bro, I love the idea you had with the kids, but for some reason I can't fix who is whose daughter and I didn't capture the reference of who they are the reincarnation, I've read everything up to this point and I know it's not a bore script, it is my memory that is not so good.

[TDR]

11181578
Dawn is Jer'rahd and Luna's Biological Daughter, she's also the reincarnation of Nocturne the 'daughter' created by the discord machine back in LRG.
Shin is the son of Chrysalis and Sombra. Adopted by Shining and Cadence.
Rynthia is the daughter of Rhede and Velkorn adopted by Jer and Luna
Glimmer is the daughter of Shining and Cadence[ Biological]
Elusive is the son of Lion Heart and Rarity, adopted by Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia, he is the reincarnate of the original Lion Heart.
Talon is the son of Breezy and Dusty[ biological]. He's a reincarnate of the griffon god killed in the last book.