Chapter Forty: Flash in the Pan
“I’m still not entirely sure what wandering around town is going to accomplish,” Firestorm remarked as they headed between a row of shops in a suburban area of town. They had headed straight away from the school and into a moderately busy part of Canterlot, which was the name of the town they were in. On the street to their left was peculiar pony-less carriages that roared down the black asphalt street, making a loud din that they had to talk over.
“It’s only the sixteenth time you've said that,” Starlight tiredly said as she plodded along ahead of him.
“Let's try to pick up some local gossip,” Rarity suggested, both hands inside her hoodie’s pockets.
“Hey!” came a voice from across the street, and some of them turned their heads to see who it was. It was a student out of school who had noticed the three warriors walking casually down the street. “Comic-con isn’t in town! Where’d you get the armor, Forever 21?” He laughed hastily and continued on his way.
“Look at that, Firestorm,” Noble remarked, folding his arms. “A Philistine on the sidewalk.”
“Should I roast him?” Firestorm asked almost eagerly.
“Commenting on his outfit and his face will make things better?”
Firestorm displayed his twin flamethrowers, wrist-up. “I mean, roast him.”
Noble widened his eyes. “No. No, no no!”
“Come on. I know you want to do it.”
“We’ve attracted worse attention before.”
“Like the Arimaspi?”
“Yes! Exactly!”
“Only difference is the Arimaspi we were laying siege to weren’t as ugly as him.”
“Firestorm. I’m in the same shape as him. You’re in the same shape as him. So is the rest of our party. Including your girlfriend.”
“I wasn’t saying that our new bodies are ugly!” Firestorm was quick to say. “But even for a hyoo-man, he was ugly. Dija see the way his chin bulged? He overindulged on his morning stack of pancakes.”
“Who has the time to make pancakes?” Rainbow Dash wondered. “Just eat some cereal.”
“What kinda two-bit loafin’ hayseeder eats cereal for breakfast every mornin’?” Applejack added. “Wake up early enough, and you’ve got all the time ya need.”
“Who wakes up that early?” Firestorm wondered.
“You do,” Noble reminded him.
“Ah, but you see, I don’t even do anything when I wake up. I simply lay in my bed staring up at the dark ceiling and pondering the mystical secrets of the universe. Or I daydream about Rainbow Dash.”
“That’s kinda creepy,” Rainbow Dash said uncomfortably.
“Daydreaming about you?”
“Well, I guess that’s weird,” she conceded with a roll of her eyes. “But what I’m more concerned about is your answers to the questions of the universe!”
“Like what if the whole universe was in a gigantic cereal bowl?” Firestorm suggested, holding his hands in front of him like he was displaying a picture. “Or what if oranges came from space and they’re an invasive species?”
“I only started listening to you recently,” Starlight Glimmer said from in front of them, “And I don’t think I want to know what led you there.”
“It happens a lot with Firestorm,” Noble explained.
“Well, Twilight suggested we should try to find a place where we can rest and learn some things about this world. Stop the peanut gallery back there.”
“A coffee shop?” Noble asked, creaking along in his armor with every step. “Or a donut shop, or something?”
“A sweet shop!” Twilight finished, snapping her fingers. “While I was here, we would normally hang out there to talk about things! Come on, follow me!” She began to pick up the pace.
“How did she do that?” Firestorm asked in bewilderment, jogging down the street now.
“Discern a location so quickly?” Noble asked him.
“Snap her fingers like that. How can you-” He tried to slide his finger down his thumb in mimicry of her, but no snapping could be heard. “How does that happen?”
“Maybe you need practice,” Noble suggested. “Do it without the gloves next time.”
“Like this.” Rainbow Dash snapped her long blue fingers and held the end position.
Firestorm stared at his girlfriend’s fingers as he followed Twilight. “How can you do that? You've only been here for an hour, and you can just-” He tried to snap again, but only slid his thumb along the edge of his finger.
“Just comes naturally, I guess.” Rainbow shrugged.
“Just comes naturally?” he asked as they rounded a bend. “What kinda crap is that? How can anything just come naturally to you?”
“You really can’t snap?” Applejack asked from behind him, giving a snap so loud it echoed off the buildings.
Firestorm pressed his lips together in anger so hard his nostrils flared.
They arrived at the door of the sweet shop on the corner and entered. Mists of aromas filled their nostrils immediately as they filed in. They all inexplicably felt a little better about their new bodies, felt more comfortable and relaxed.
“Is Sunset in here?” Starlight asked Twilight. “Do you see her?”
“Sorry!” Twilight whispered back to her. “She’s not here.”
“Let’s acquaint ourselves with the locals,” Noble said. “Put some tables together and turn on our gifted charisma.”
“Charisma: on,” Pinkie Pie said determinedly. She quickly went to a table where a boy was sitting alone and said, “Hiya! What’s your favorite kind of food?”
“Um…” the boy said in confusion, looking at his plate of pie. “Pie-”
“My favorite food is pie too!” Pinkie said to the boy excitedly. “We have so much in common! Do you want to be my friend?”
“That’s not charisma,” Applejack muttered. “But... Ah think Pinkie’ll make it work anyway.”
As the others began to pull chairs together, Starlight walked with Twilight to the counter and whispered, “So what now?”
“We try to find somepony here who knows Sunset,” Twilight said, turning her head to talk with Starlight. “Like a student or something. It’s the summer, though, and not a lot of students keep in touch with each other very-oof!”
She had bumped into the back of the person in line for their coffee.
“Ow!” came the reply. “What the-” He spun around to face Twilight, and froze when he saw her face. “Oh, my goodness,” he breathed. “Twilight! You’re back!”
Twilight recognized the orange boy immediately. “Flash!” Twilight cried in surprise. “You're here!”
“Yeah,” he said, spreading his arms. “Where else would I be? This town is where I live.”
“I-I meant here. In the sweet shop,” Twilight clarified, her face rising in color.
“Why are you here, Twilight?” Flash asked, parting his brilliant blue hair. “Did you... miss me?”
Starlight Glimmer was watching the reunion with folded arms and a sort of detached interest.
“Well, I missed you, Flash,” Twilight admitted, a hand to the back of her neck. “But that isn’t the reason I came back from...you know where.”
“Oh, okay.” He shrugged and seemed to disregard the issue. “You can tell me about it later. Do you want me to buy you something?”
“Um…” Twilight bit her lip. “No. I just wanted to ask what was happening with Sunset Shimmer.”
“Sunset Shimmer,” he said slowly. “Man, have I got a story to tell you about Camp Everfree.”
“What happened there?” Twilight asked with concern. “Did something bad happen?”
“I can tell you about it tonight. There’s a slumber party at Pinkie’s tonight. If I remember it right, it’s a 'Glad we came back from Camp Everfree alive and happy yesterday' party.”
“Great!” Twilight exclaimed. “What time is it?”
“Right now? Three twenty.”
“Very funny, Flash.”
“It starts at around seven.”
“Perfect! Now I can catch up on what I missed when I was in Equest-I mean, you know where.” She let out a little laugh. “Right, I’ll see you there.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll see you there too.”
Twilight was walking away from the counter when he said, “Do you still want me to get you something?”
“Oh! Right. Just a hot chocolate. It’s fine.”
Flash nodded and returned to waiting patiently in line, though his gaze would flicker back to Twilight every once in a while.
“Who was that?” Starlight asked her lowly.
“Oh, Flash Sentry,” Twilight tried to say casually but was failing at. “He’s a friend of mine. Over here. It’s... not that big a deal.”
“Yuh huh,” Starlight shrewdly said. She folded her arms. “Tell me, is he your boyfriend?”
“Dgah, what? I have... no idea what you're talking about.”
“I think I do,” Starlight said. “It's impossible for you to have been here and not meet a cute boy.”
“Cute?” Twilight asked, twirling the end of her hair. “Yeah, he’s cute. I guess.”
“Were you and he ever... a thing?”
“Well, we were together…but not, like, together together.”
“Did the long distance not work?” Starlight gravely asked.
Now Twilight looked saddened. “He and I haven’t seen each other in years,” she admitted. “And I think the time between killed it. I was once head-over-heels, but now... he’s just... normal. I’ve been through so much in between my last visit that I just forgot.”
“Do you regret not seeing him?”
“Maybe,” she said, and her voice was flat. “Maybe maybe maybe. I don’t know how events would have turned out if I spent more time in this dimension with him. Maybe I’d be with him. Maybe I would have broken up. But when it all comes down... I just didn't take the chance.”
Starlight was watching her with sympathy and was resting a hand on her shoulder.
“The Guardians of the Sun took their chances when they mattered, and they’ve ended up happy,” Twilight continued. “But I didn't. Would I be happier if I spent more time here with him?”
“Twilight,” Starlight said to her. “This isn't your world. In the world where you belong, you’re a busy princess. How would things have worked out if you were flitting between portals every other day?”
“I know,” Twilight mourned. “I actually considered it and came up with several computational possible outcomes.”
“Somehow that seems a likely course of action. For you, I mean.”
Flash came up to the two girls, stopping the conversation. “Here’s your hot chocolate,” he proffered Twilight, and the mug exchanged hands. “Anything else I should know about your visit?”
“It’s just important we talk with Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight related.
“We?” Flash asked, looking at Starlight. “You mean your friend?”
“Right!” Twilight smacked a hand to her forehead, sloshing the hot chocolate. “Flash, this is my friend Starlight Glimmer. She’s with me to help find answers to what we’re looking for.”
“Is there any chance I know what you’re talking about?” Flash asked.
“Nope!” Twilight said chipperly. “I mean... Sunset’s the one we need to talk to.”
“I’ll text her,” Flash promised. “That way she’ll be ready for you at the slumber party.”
“Thanks, Flash,” Twilight said. “Do you want to sit with us?”
“I’ve got to go to my job,” Flash said disappointedly, and walked to the door of the shop. “I’ll see you at the party, though.”
“Right,” Twilight said with a wave as he drew closer to the door. “See you there!”
Flash smiled and went out the jingling door with a coffee in his hand. The door closed and Flash disappeared.
“Is it still too late?” Starlight asked her friend quietly. “Maybe to take your shot?”
“You said it yourself,” Twilight said, and she fell back into a sorry state. “It wouldn't work out. Different worlds, remember?”
“Right,” Starlight admitted. “But if he’s really what you want…” Starlight looked her in the eyes. “Maybe he could come with us.”
“You just slide the finger down the edge of the thumb,” Applejack was explaining to Firestorm.
“That’s what I've been doing!” Firestorm angrily insisted, flicking his finger down his thumb. He had taken off one of his gloves and was endeavoring to emulate Applejack. “It just doesn't work.”
“Nonsense. Anypony in their right mind can just do it naturally. It’s a snap!”
“You've been here for only a few hours,” Firestorm pointed out. “How’d you learn to do it?”
“Ah just tried it when Ah finally got the hold of these dang fingers.”
“You might just be one of those genetic freaks that can’t do what other ponies can,” Rarity suggested.
“You are ever too kind,” Firestorm sighed. “From my point of view, you’re a genetic freak for doing naturally what you couldn't physically do as a pony!”
“Um, maybe we shouldn’t all harp on Firestorm, everypony,” Fluttershy pointed out, coming over to join the table conversation. “Some ponies are just better at some things than others.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy!” Firestorm gestured wildly to the shy person hovering over Rarity’s shoulder. “Listen to Fluttershy, everypony. Make the world a better place.”
“I thought Rainbow Dash was your girlfriend,” Rarity wondered. “Not Fluttershy.”
“Just because I have a perfect girlfriend, it doesn't mean she’s the only girl in the company with a brain,” Firestorm nastily responded. “What do you have going for you, Rarity? Hm?”
“Now, now, Firestorm,” Fluttershy admonished. “Rarity didn't deserve that. Calm down and let’s take some deep breaths.”
Firestorm managed to look sheepish. “Sorry,” he meeped.
“Twilight’s here,” Applejack announced, and the party, divided into two booths, turned to see Twilight come back with a small mug in her hand, with Starlight tailing behind her.
“Did you find anything?” Rainbow asked her.
“We do now,” Starlight said. “Sunset and her friends are convening at this world’s Pinkie’s place tonight at 7:00. There’s a slumber party to celebrate coming back from Camp Everfree alive and well.”
“Do we know where this world’s Pinkie’s Pie’ses place is?” Pinkie Pie asked her.
“Was that worded correctly?” Applejack wondered.
“I think so,” Fluttershy confirmed dubiously. She was the only one standing up, apart from Twilight and Starlight.
“I’ve been there before,” Twilight was saying. “I know where it is. When the time is right, we’ll go there and introduce ourselves.”
“I’m going to be seeing double when that happens,” Rarity wittily remarked.
“Ooh, good one,” Firestorm said, pointing at her. “Well done, my apprentice.”
Rarity tried not to react, but she did toss her hair with a hand and look into her lap.
“Are we going to explain to them why we have to meet with our other selves?” Fluttershy meekly asked. “The whole point of you not bringing us here before was to avoid our two copies from running into each other.”
“It would have happened eventually,” Starlight interrupted before Twilight could say anything. “And besides, the circumstances kinda demand it. This is potentially the most tumultuous time in Equestria’s history. If there was any a time when we needed to explain this to our other copies, it’s now.”
“Oh. Um, okay,” Fluttershy meeped. “Sorry for asking.”
“ ‘Twas a great question you brought forth,” Noble Blade reassured her, rubbing her shoulder gently through his gauntlet. “Feel no shame in curiosity, Fluttershy. It’s endearing to you.” He gently kissed her on the cheek.
She blushed in relief at his words and smiled. “You do know how to make everything better.”
“Should we get something to eat while we’re here?” Pinkie asked. “I’m hungry. And I want pie.”
“Did anypony bring bits?” Rarity wondered, digging in her pants pocket. “I brought some in my saddlebags, but I don’t know how much we need to cover expenses.”
“Now, hold on, Rarity,” Twilight said quickly. “This world doesn’t use bits. It uses paper money.”
“How can paper be money?” Rainbow Dash wondered aloud. “Lame!”
“Bills, Rainbow. Each piece of paper represents money.”
“Does Firestorm know this?” Rarity wondered.
“I don’t think so,” Twilight said. “Why would he?”
“He’s going to find out really soon,” Rarity said. She pointed at the counter, where a man in rags was leaning casually on the counter as he tried to pick his options.
“What?!” Twilight actually recoiled. “When did he get over there?”
“Has anypony told you that you don't pay attention to your surroundings when you talk?” Pinkie replied.
Twilight ignored her and stalked over to the counter. Firestorm was just finishing up his order, and Twilight could hear every bit of it.
“So the whole dozen cupcakes is fifteen…” Firestorm squinted. “Dollars? Did I say that right?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Cake said--at least, what looked like Mrs. Cake.
“Fifteen dollars…” Firestorm muttered. He looked at the menu above Mrs. Cake’s head, then back. “Is that a lot of money?”
Mrs. Cake said nothing, but she did look at Firestorm with newfound incredulity, as if he was something almost as strange as a talking dog from a land of ponies. She hadn’t seen Spike yet, so this man was obviously the strangest thing to enter her store.
“I’m sorry. I just come from a faraway, um... country. I just want to know.”
Mrs. Cake nodded understandably, but she kept the exact same expression of incredulity.
“All right. Hold up, lemme get my... money…” Firestorm rummaged in his pockets and came up with fifteen gold bits. “That’s half the money I’ve got on me right now. These cupcakes had better be the bomb.”
“Firestorm!” Twilight hissed when she had come close enough. “What are you doing?”
“I’m buying cupcakes, Princess! What does it look like I’m doing?”
“They don’t use bits here.”
“They don’t?”
“No!”
Firestorm looked taken aback. “Isn’t dollar just another way of saying bit?”
“No! It’s a bill! Made of paper!”
He looked down at the pile of gold on the counter with bulged eyes. “Oooohhh…” He looked at Mrs. Cake and started to sweep up the bits into his pocket. “I am so, so sorry for offering you all... this... worthless gold.” He zipped up the pocket he held his money in. “I mean, come on! Gold is worthless. What was I thinking, trying to pay you with such an abundant mineral?”
And it was at this point where Twilight wheeled him around like he was a dolly and pushed him back to their table.
“Sir.”
The sound snapped Captain Slath out of his routinely thoughts. He was walking in long strides down a deserted street in the back alley of the Canterlot suburbs. He snapped the communication device off his hip and held down a button. “Speak.”
“Sor’ak and Korath found an object of curious workmanship in the school. It was in a storage room called Artillery, used for firing on ceremonial occasions. We believe it can be put to better use.”
“Get it to the portal and wait for instruction.”
“As my Lord commands.”
Captain Slath snapped the communicator back to his hip and folded two hands behind his back, leaving two to stroke his chin and pinch his side.
“If there are alternate versions of the Element bearers here,” Captain Slath muttered in thought, “then they must live in this area, since the ponies must not have gotten far on foot alone. The pony filth have probably caught up to them already.”
He stopped near an alley and leaned against the red brick wall, exhaling a fume of repugnant air. “If I can learn the addresses of the pony’s counterparts, it will lead me to the targets. And when we reach them, we will kill them.”
“Oh, my gosh.”
Captain Slath looked up in shock. Near him, walking casually down the street, were three girls with widely different skin tones carrying shopping bags on their arms.
The one in the middle, orange and with glinting eyes, widened them when they saw just how deformed Captain Slath was. Nearly naked, black as pitch, and coated with chitin over a sickly yellow underside, with four arms and six yellow eyes, he was nightmarish enough to make the teenager turn to her blue friend. “Sonata! Run and get somebod-”
Captain Slath grabbed all three girls around the neck all of a sudden and whisked them into the gap between the buildings. It was dark and musty, and had puddles of rancid water on the ground. One hand held each girl’s neck, and the one free one was drawing out a long black sword at his waist.
“Wha-what kind of...creature...are you?” the purple one gasped in absolute fear.
“Speak another word.” Captain Slath drew the sword and stuck the Black Blade into the asphalt. “Say another word and I swear I will do it.”
The purple one pried at the clenched fist with fingers of her own, squeezing her teeth together. “Please! Please, just stop it, and we’ll forget we saw you! Please!”
“What do you know about Twilight Sparkle?” Captain Slath asked, ignoring her plea.
The orange girl in the middle widened her eyes once again at the mention of Twilight’s name. “You’re looking... for her of all people?”
“What. Do you know.” He tightened his grip more and raised the sword until the point was level with the blue girl's chest. “Speak or she will perish.”
“Don’t hurt her!” the middle one gasped. Her face was almost as purple as her other friend. “We’ll tell you! Okay?”
Captain Slath released the girls, and while they were gasping he held the blade so the length was at all three of their necks. “Speak.”
The purple one turned to her orange friend nervously. “Adiago! What are you-”
“Shut up, Aria!” Adiago hissed. “He means business!” She tried to look the demon in the eyes, but only focused on two of the six. “Why do you want to know something about Twilight Sparkle?”
“Where is she?!” he bellowed, and kicked her in the sternum so she hit her back against the wall. “I am not this patient normally with hostages, but you test me. Tell me all you know, or you and your friends will perish here and now.” He yanked on Aria’s hair until she screamed and fell to her knees, then he held her there and planted a foot on her back.
“Adiago!” came Sonata’s cry. Footfalls came closer to the entrance of the alley. “I’ll get help! I’ll just-”
Captain Slath swished his sword through the air the opposite way and it stopped a millimeter from Sonata’s throat, halting her in her tracks.
“For the last time. Spill your secrets or spill your guts.”
Adiago gasped for breath and tried to calm her racing mind. “L-look, I’ll tell you all I know. Twilight’s got a bad history with us.”
“Skip the prologue!”
“She beat us in a singing competition with her friends!” she hurriedly said, cringing. “We lost everything when that happened! We’ve wanted to exact revenge on them for the longest time!”
“A singing competition?” Captain Slath asked in amusement. He amplified the pressure on Aris’s back. “I pity the sore losers that you are.”
“No, y-you don’t understand! She ruined us when she-”
“I have no further use for you if you talk only about singing. Talk about Twilight Sparkle.”
“Twilight’s here! In Canterlot! She goes to school in this area! She’s always surrounded by her friends, who have special powers that prevented us from taking action on them! We were left so weakened by them that we have no chance of going head-to-head with them again!”
She stopped, then grew a sly smile and looked Captain Slath in two of the six eyes. “But you seem like you can harm her better than we ever could. If we were to work with you... would you allow us in on some of the action?”
“You are dispensable,” Captain Slath spat at her. “You have nothing I cannot use myself.”
“All right, fine.” Adiago flicked a hand lazily. “I guess if you kill us, you won’t be able to witness the magical powers of the sirens.”
Captain Slath looked genuinely surprised for the first time. “Sirens?” he slowly asked.
“We came to this vile world because of Star Swirl the Bearded,” she explained lowly. “All we wanted to do was to feed. And because of that, here we are, deteriorating until we become wisps of who we were before. It was Twilight who stopped us and forced us to exile ourselves from social life.”
“You wish to kill Twilight Sparkle.”
Sonata nodded, the wavering Black Blade so close to her throat. “Yes! Yes, we-wait a sec. Kill her?”
“Of course we want to kill her!” Aria added vehemently. “She ruined us!”
“I want Twilight Sparkle alive,” Captain Slath snarled in disgust. He increased pressure on Aria’s back. “And I will kill anyone who fails my mission.”
“Oh.” Aria’s face blanched. “N-no, we don’t want to kill her. We don’t want to kill her!”
“You filth,” Captain Slath spat. “Afraid of your ambition.”
“I am not afraid of my ambition,” Adiago affirmed. “I will do whatever it takes to get my revenge on Twilight Sparkle.” She put her fingers in a walking motion on the dark creature’s arm. “Listen. You need us to get you Twilight’s address. And we need you to destroy the Rainbooms once and for all. Get away from my friends, and I won’t use the power of the sirens on you.”
Captain Slath snorted and narrowed all six of his eyes. “I am unafraid of a slut.”
“And I’m not afraid of a demon who’s so helpless he needs information from a few teenage girls.”
“You test me, slut.”
“You bore me.”
Captain Slath kept his position. Nobody dared to move except Adiago, who folded her arms.
Then he swiftly sheathed his sword at his hip and put his foot off Aria. “My power is above yours.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“Be warned. Cross me, and you cross Marshal Malice. Cross him, and you cross the king of Tartarus. Cross the king of Tartarus... and there is no power in heaven or on earth to save you from his wrath.”
“Pity. He might even be strong enough.”
Captain Slath finally smiled. “Your pride becomes you, slut. If your fat flank worked up and down as much as your mouth does, you might eke out a worthwhile living.”
Sonata tilted her head curiously. “I think he just complimented you.”
Adiago waved her off. “You’ll have to excuse her. She’s an idiot.”
“Tell me the whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle.”
Adiago whipped out her phone. “That can be done.”
After fifteen minutes of searching on the school records online, Adiago highlighted six names on the list, typed out their addresses, and delivered the device to Captain Slath. “Here you go.”
“There are six.”
“Those are the locations of her friends as well. We don’t know which home they convene at, but it’s one of those.”
Captain Slath whipped out the communications device and turned away from the girls to give directions to his underlings. While that happened, Aria and Sonata went to Adiago, massaging sores and looking at Adiago.
“Are you crazy?!” Aria hissed, her purple hair mussed and out of place. “Making a deal with that guy?”
“He’s from Equestria!” Adiago pointed out. “He knows the way back! If we stick with him we can go home!”
“But I like it here,” Sonata muttered.
“I don’t care if you like it here!” Adiago hissed at her. “I’m doing what needs to be done for the good of the entire group. With him, we get rid of the Rainbooms and we go home! Two birds with one stone!”
“You lied to him. We don't have the powers of the sirens anymore.”
“Which is something he doesn’t need to know,” Adiago muttered through clenched teeth, waving a hand across her throat to signal her to cease.
“When the time comes where we need to use them, what will we do?”
“It won’t happen, Aria.”
“But-”
“It. Won’t. Happen.”
Aria huffed and flipped a strand of hair out of her face. “Fine. We stick with this loser. When do we ditch him?”
“We have our power in Equestria. We can kill him then.”
“Oh, so you don't care about him.”
“He disgusts me.” She pushed them away. “He’s coming here.”
Captain Slath nodded his head when he was close enough. “Come with me.”
“Who are you, anyway?” Sonata asked.
The monster stroked the pommel of his long sword with a finger. The hardened skin on his arms reflected the sunlight. “I am inconsequential. I am only one of many, and the many is in one. I am Captain Slath. I seek to destroy everything Faust put on the earth.”
He grinned so all of his sickly, thin, needle-long teeth showed. “I am part of one, and the one is part of me. I am the Noxxa.”
The sky was touched with a few drops of pink and gold in the west when the party of eleven stood in front of Pinkie Pie’s house. It was just past 7:30, and the companions could make out sounds of laughter, conversation, and competitive noises as their night progressed.
“So.” Spike poked his head out of the backpack behind Twilight. “Who’s gonna break the news to ‘em?”
“Dibs!”
“I don't think so, Firestorm,” Twilight denied him with a wave of her hand. “We need somepony who can communicate well.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” he suspiciously asked. “Whenever you need smooth and subtle messages to be passed along, I am always a perfect choice.”
“That was my job before you came along,” Pinkie Pie objected.
“Maybe Noble Blade could try,” Twilight pondered. “You're the most diplomatic out of all of us.”
“My lady, I fear if you give me that privilege, I will fill it with confusing words and irrelevant tangents. I am aware that that old-timey language isn't understood as well by many other people.”
“And Fluttershy is out of the question,” Starlight added. “Giving the shyest person the task is not the smartest idea.”
“Or the talking dog,” Spike contributed from behind the back of Twilight. “Not that I don't want to help contribute, of course, but I just figure that, well... somepony else is gonna be better at this than me.”
“How about,” Applejack interrupted, “we just all explain it?”
After a moment of reflection, the group agreed with many noises like yeah, sure, okay, great, and seems fine to me.
Starlight Glimmer pushed a finger to the doorbell, vibrating her finger with a buzz.
“That must be Twilight!” came the voice of Rarity from inside. “Ooh, I can't wait to see her again!”
“It’s so surreal, hearing that voice come from somewhere else,” the Rarity outside said, folding her arms. “Do I really sound like that?”
After seven seconds passed, the door opened inward.
“Dgah!” Twilight lept backwards.
A grey, monotonous-looking person was standing there, boring her eyes into the rest of the group. Her face was absolutely expressionless, although her purple sweater was freshly ironed. It looked like she had been freshened up just for tonight.
“Uh, hi,” Twilight tried to say with her arms behind her back. “You’re Maud, right?”
Maud looked at Twilight with unfeeling eyes.
“Um... Maud?”
Maud looked over her shoulder. “Pinkie,” she called over her shoulder, emotionless and flat. “There’s a lot of weirdos out here.”
“A lot of weirdos?” came the doubting but high-pitched reply. “That’s crazy, Maud! Twilight’s coming alon-” The other Pinkie Pie poked her head out of the edge of the doorway, but when she saw the collection of bizarre people outside, she was rendered speechless--which was not an easy thing to do for any version of Pinkie Pie.
“Halloo,” Firestorm called to her from the back, waving a hand high in the air. “Surprise?”
The other Pinkie Pie gasped so hard she levitated in the air for a second, then sped back inside with a puff of smoke.
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Gah! No! Brady... Why?!
BAD STARLIGHT! I already have plans for Mr. Sentry in my story, I need him intact and not torn up by the fandom.
9136819
Nothing. All he wears is black armor.
9136916
Exactly.
🤔🧐 Intriguing, my good man.
I absolutely love the reaction EG Pinkie gave to all of her friends’ doppelgängers, and the comedy moments throughout have been pretty spot on.
What especially caught my interest was the Sirens getting in on the action against Equestria. First Blueblood, and now the Sirens! Who next?!
Sounds like there’s gonna be quite a showdown at some point. I also can’t help but want to see who else would want to work with team Tartarus?
9140036
It's also intriguing because the Sirens don't even want to be with the Noxxa in the first place. They just want to go home. I love the fact that you enjoy this so much.
Nice inclusions of the Sirens, though I feel like the activities of the Noxxa need to be more show don't tell.
I liked the little snapping subplot too, that was fun.
Flash.... eh. Timber's worse.
And the comedy was pretty good too.
9147835
Glad to know you enjoy the comedy. And the portrayal of Flash. He was already a weak character, so there's not much I can do there.
I know that the whole "Show don't tell" thing was pretty conspicuous, and it stood out like a sore thumb while I was writing. It felt like it was tacked on, which I hated. I just needed to get the Noxxa into the story. I can't go back now.
9147843
XD, I'm just playing.
9147865
Some of it works and some of it doesn't. The "I don't feel so good" line was a good one, but the Star-Lord "Let me do the plan," wasn't. It just takes practice.