Road Trip IV: Destinations
Chapter 52- Road Trip IV: Destinations
“Its so hard, you know?” Celestia said, crying a bit. She was sitting down at the edge of her bed, resting on her haunches to have her front hooves up to hold her eyes. Salty tears fell from her eyes. “I mean, I had no idea that Discord still loved me *sniff* All this time, I had nothing, but contempt for him. And all this time, all he has done to this point, has been for my kingdom.” She blew into the handkerchief to hand back to Bravo.
“Umm, keep it,” Johnny Bravo said, frowning a bit. The poor human was hopelessly weak to crying women, even animal ones. He’s dated an antelope and a werewolf, and he only did those because they cried in front of him. For a moment, he had been afraid that he was going to have to smooch this pony, only to have her break down cry. Once again, he was the stand in for the other guy. “So, who is this Discord guy anyway?” They could at least tell him who was the guy in his head.
“Oh forgive me, I must look like a mess,” Princess Celestia said to give Johnny a small smile. “Discord must not have told you much about his plans. But when I found out that he was going to die and lose him forever, I just-” She stopped talking, closing her eyes to face the ground and get off the bed. “I had no idea I had buried those old feelings. I thought they died.”
Tell me about it. This is just, unexpected. I mean, I told her I missed her when I freed myself from stone the first time. All I got was looks of contempt. I have to put my life in danger to get her to take me seriously...
“Least she’s keeping her hooves to herself,” Johnny said under his breath. Why couldn’t it be a nice human girl for once?
“Discord is a spirit of- Well, a god. One of Chaos. For a long time, we believed he was the oldest and greatest threat to Equestrians,” Princess Celestia said to sniff. “He was sealed away in stone, twice, for crimes against the throne and realm.”
“Really?” Johnny asked, lifting his head to look up, as if trying to talk to Discord.
Sue me. I don't deal with rejection really well. She picked her country over me. I thought if I took over, she could be my queen and get a two for one. Though the second time I was mostly over it.
“Thanks to a wizard, I was able to find out the true intention of his plan. To think all he wanted was to make the guardians of Equestria stronger through trial...” Celestia said, turning her head to look out the window that lead to the hedge maze. “Though some part of me should’ve realized there was still good in him. He has never killed anypony.”
“So, why don’t you just make up with the man?” Johnny asked, arms lifted in a shrug. It sounded weird. Why were they making this such a big deal?
“I wanted to. When I heard Discord wanted to date me again, I was so happy,” Celestia said, smiling. “I had my sister back, and found a new nephew in Shining Armor... My country is flourishing, and the Crystal Kingdom has capable rulers. The Elements of Harmony and of Change will save the day. All I missed in my life, was my own special somepony. One that was powerful, intelligent, romantic, and... I just wanted it to be Discord. Back when I was younger, he was still so immature for me to pick him.”
Wait, what?! You’re the one that encouraged me to do pranks and make you laugh- And you called me immature?
“Um, Discord is calling you the imma-whatever one...” Johnny said, frowning a bit.
“I suppose in my own way, I was. I possess too much faith in others. But I am glad that I can put my faith in Discord once more.”
So... Now what? We pretend it never happened?
“I hate being a middle man! Discord wants to know, now what?” Johnny said. He needed to find a girl if they wanted to double date.
“Now, I will do everything in my power, to make sure I earn Discord’s love again. Now about that date...”
Johnny gulped.
____________________________________
“So... These, are the troops?” Vergil asked, frowning at the two sets of troops collected. On the left side stood the Celestial Guard, proud and standing like a white line. On his left were the Night Troops, filled with pride that one of their own, Travis Touchdown, was in charge. The human in question, was at the moment busy with Luna doing interrogations, and Terra had taken off to learn magic from Princess Cadance. Fine by him, he didn’t want to talk to his partner this moment. Although injured, Jack stood at his side.
“Soldiers!” Jack cried out, projecting his voice to step forward. “Until a new captain is called forth, Vergil Sparda and myself shall train you.”
“Why should-”
The poor Celestial Guard found himself silenced in an instant, when both swordsmen drew their swords to dash forward and point the blades at the guard’s neck. Shadow Cloud winced, as the Night Troops already knew not to question the humans that could beat Captain Armor like a naughty puppy.
“As it stands, you are not fit to even guard a pebble...” Vergil spoke in a low voice as his eyes were narrowed dangerously low. Unlike Jack who wanted to make a point, the half devil wanted to show that he meant business.
“You are now guards, accept this as truth,” Jack said to lift his sword away from the gulping white pegasus. “But at this moment, your Princesses need you. Your country needs you, more than ever, a danger looms. What is needed is not guards, but soldiers.”
“Sir? What’s the difference?” Shadow Cloud spoke, stepping out from formation.
“The fact you ask that proves your ineptness,” Vergil said, bringing his sword back from the other guard. Shadow Cloud wanted to frown, but he nodded. Although he was willingly to give his life- The Night Troops were very young in comparison to the Celestial Guard. They had not been in service until Princess Luna returned not more than a few months ago.
“A guard vows to give his life in order to protect,” Jack said, turning to look over at Vergil and frown a bit. One catches more bees with honey than vinegar. “But a soldier lives on.”
“Sir? I don't understand.”
“A dead guard gave his life because it was the last ditch effort, the last line of defense. But a soldier,” Jack said to face both sets of pegasi. “A soldier is the first line of defense. If a soldier does his job well, it means the last line of defense is never needed. A soldier must never die, for a broken shield does no one any good. A soldier lives on to fight again.”
Spike took a moment to write these things in his diary. Although these two humans were so different from each other, they understood war. Something these pegasi had never even had to worry about in a long time. A lot of the looks the guards were giving showed signs of... Regret? The moment the changelings attacked was not the guards finest moments. The fact no one caught the fake pink alicorn was also fresh in all their minds.
Least the Night Troops had the excuse of lack of experience.
“What we will teach you, is to lose fear on combat. How many of you actually struck down another, with the intent to kill?” Vergil asked out loud to face the Night Troops. They said nothing and turned their heads away from the gaze of the white haired human. Some of the Celestial Guards also frowned. At the first signs of hostility, a few of them had frozen.
“I do not wish to teach you to die for a cause. But I do want you to know you can defeat the enemy, instead of hoping to beat them,” Jack said to smile.
________________________________________
Ash stood with both of his arms crossed on his chest, staring at the KND. He didn't understand it though, just, how had these kids make such a huge tree house out of a small club house? Then again, he built his metal hand with a basic college education. Maybe there was truth that kids learned things sooner and faster with each generation. Still, the little ones looked happy. All of that worked tired them out.
“Look at that...” Mayor Mare said, a small smile on her face. Ash turned to look at the mare and raised an eyebrow. The children and ponies had worked so hard that they had all fallen asleep. Wally lay asleep on some wood he had been sawing with Scootaloo. The both drooled on their metal tools. Kuki and Rumble were asleep in a pile of flowers. Applebloom and Hoagie were hanging from some rope, done hammering away at some boards. Sweetie Bell and Nigel were leaning against each other, paint brushes in their hands and mouth.
“Oh, those guys,” Abigail said with Pipsqueak in tow. Though she yawned, bit exhausted from carrying supplies. Pipsqueak looked like the only one that had any sort of energy. Then again, he hadn’t worked as hard as the others.
“Lets get them in the tree house,” Derpy said, smiling as she walked over to the others. “I told the other parents that the school is having a sleepover.” Sokka nodded, shaking his head to the side. He started to collect the sleeping ponies to carry them up the steps to the treehouse.
“Someday...” Mayor Mare said quietly to look down at Rumble and move a hoof to pet his mane and lift him up. Ash picked up the Hoagie from the rope and turned to study the Mayor. According to Phoenix, ponies had over 30 blood types, while humans only had 8. While not a science nut, those numbers didn’t add up. Not to mention that pegasi, unicorn, and earth ponies could cross breed. That meant there was no scientifically way possible that a human and a pony could have children together. He said nothing and continued to help the kids to bed.
____________________________________
“So... How do sleeping arrangements work?” Nate asked, looking at the sleeping beds the ponies had in the train cars. One bed looked like it could easily hold from 2 to 4 ponies. And Dan could easily fit with no problems, and Soma would be a tight fit. The evening was settling faster as they moved further away from Ponyville. They were traveling east afterall.
“You figure it out. What are you, a child?” Dan asked. Dinner over and done with, and Dan’s eyelids were getting a bit heavy. He moved to a bottom bunk and lay under a blanket to shut the curtain. After a second, Pinkie Pie came bouncing up and down next to Dan’s bed and move the curtain to step inside.
“Well, they are engaged, so-” Rarity found herself going quite as Pinkie Pie was pushed out of the bed. The Baltimare group could only stare as the party pony once more moved to get into the bed of her fiance. Her eyes were determined. Once more she was pushed out. Frowning a bit, Pinkie Pie narrowed her eyes and once more jumped into the bed. This time, the sounds of lips sucking or smacking were heard. This time, the pink mare stayed inside the bed booth.
“I guess that answers that...” Soma said to shrug. Rarity smiled and winked at Fluttershy.
“Well then Nathan, lets get to our bed. They have bigger beds in the rear...” Rarity said to lead Nate away. The treasure hunter turned to look behind himself to mouth “Help me.”
“What was that?” Fluttershy asked to look at Soma.
“I think... Nate was telling me ‘good luck.’ I wasn’t sure...” Soma lied, having no idea how to help Nate. No way was he going to shack with a dude. At least now he knew he wasn’t gay.
“So...” Fluttershy said, blushing a bit. She turned her eyes to look at the bed bunk set aside for them. It was a top bunk, luckily not over Dan and Pinkie’s. Her eyes darted left to right, looking from Soma and then to the bed. Soma immediately blushed, taking a step back to look at the bed with the purple blanket.
“I guess so,” Soma finally responded.
“Unless you don’t want to, you can fit in your own bed...”
“No! I mean...” Soma stopped himself, finding his voice was louder than he wanted it to be. “I mean, its okay. We are just sharing a bed, right?” Soma said, lifting his left hand to rub his nose with an index finger. Dan peeked from behind the curtain, with Pinkie Pie holding her breath on top of him. Nathan and Rarity ducked behind a booth to peek at the hesitant ones.
“Yes. Sleep... We have a big day tomorrow,” Fluttershy said to nod. She had to force her voice out, the blush still on her cheeks. Soma turned to the side, letting her go in first. The yellow pegasus fluttered her wings to fly into the bunk and settle herself inside, moving a hoof to push the bedsheets off.
“Yeah, we arrive tomorrow,” Soma said to steel his nerves. Was that strange dream from last night a vision? His right hand moved to take off his white duster jacket and let it hang from a peg on the side of the bunk. Kicking off his boots, he released a sigh and decided to stop delaying. Fluttershy picked her head up to look as Soma moved headfirst into the bunk. Once under the blankets, the teen had to bend his legs a bit in the fetal position to fit.
“Are you comfy?” Fluttershy whispered in a low voice. Half of her face was covered by the pillow and her pink mane, leaving only one light blue to look at Soma’s face. The two were only inches apart.
“Oh... Yes. Goodnight,” Soma said to whisper back. He stared at her face a second, wondering what Dan or Nate would do. Be bold, do what you want, and show style. He shut his eyes a bit to lean in and place a kiss on Fluttershy’s forehead. That was until Fluttershy leaned her head up to have her lips meet his. It was a quick peck, though she had held her breath during the brief encounter. The teen’s eyes opened wide by her move.
“Goodnight,” Fluttershy said, eyes closed to give Soma a large smile. She then leaned her head into his chest a bit to give a contented sigh. The soul hunter debated sleeping with one eye open. Dan stuck an arm out to give Nate a thumbs up. Nate nodded, along with Rarity as she smiled.
_________________________________
“So, find anything yet?” The Doctor asked, turning to look over the shoulder of the wizard. Snape had a bit of a hard time making out Nathan Drake’s journal. Most of it was nothing but diagrams, drawings, notes about languages and tombs. He didn’t find anything relevant until the second half of the book.
“Are you serious?” The champion of Discord said with a frown. “You are asking me to read the journal of the muggle I nearly killed.”
“Come come Snape. I figured with all of Nathan’s notes, you could piece together things better than I could. You were a school teacher after all,” The Doctor said to hold up Spike’s journal. “While I may know human history better than anyone, you may know more about human behavior than I do.”
“There is not much to tell. This... Mr. Drake fellow... is more of a note taker than journal or diary writer,” The black arts wizard said. There was some truth to what the alien was saying. “According to his notes though, nothing transpired between the midday report and the evening report,” Snape said to lower his glasses. “The only relevant is that the Ash fellow was placed in charge of the muggle children. Ah, this as well. The samurai Jack will oversee the Celestial Guards, while the devil Vergil would oversee the Night Troops. What particular information must we find anyway?” Severus picked up his head to look over at the Time Lord.
“Mostly updates, I should think...” The Doctor moved to sit across from the black haired man. “While we have a lot of dirt on Celestia, we need something else to have the humans to distrust or second guess the ponies. Our only lead is the summon spell...”
“How is the summon spell a clue? If you could just let me study the spell, I believe I could understand it,” Snape said to place the book down.
“But I figured the originators of the spell would be a better person-” He stopped himself to laugh. “Ponies to ask.”
“And who is that exactly?” Snape shook his head to the sides. Unicorns and their magic was so... Limited. Did Princess Celestia ban magic experimentation? Seriously, hair growing was a legitimate lesson of magic to learn? Back home you did it with a potion, and most didn’t even bother studying it.
“Well, as it turns out, it was two. Discord was one, and the other is Star Swirl the Bearded,” The Doctor said to look up from Spike’s journal.
“Really? Why am I not surprised?” Snape said with his eyes closed to scowl. Why was it that whenever something took a complicated turn it involved Discord? The one time he wanted to talk to him and there was too much of a time difference to attempt it.
“We can talk with Discord when we return to the future, but we need Star Swirl’s input...”
“I have the feeling we won’t like the answer. I am convinced there’s a reason the Bearded one has a restricted section in the Canterlot Library. Wait, why do I know that?” Severus said with a frown. His right hand moved to the side of his head. Just how much did Discord mess up his brain while he was in there?
“Oh well you are Discord’s personal champion, so I’m not surprised. Star Swirl is Discord’s father-” The Doctor stopped, turning to look as the Tardis stopped making noise. “Ah. We are here...”
_______________________________________
Gathered inside the dining car, Team Appleloosa smiled and laughed with each one another. The Ruler’s game had lots of results- Mixed ones at least. Lyra and Sephiroth each sported a mark over their left eye. Ralf had ordered them to give each other a cutie mark on the face with a marker. Lyra had a heart over her left eye, and Sephiroth had a teardrop hanging from his left eye.
Then, then things got weird.
1. Cherilee and Ralf were made to shout out her love though the train, and also open a window and ask for Celestia’s blessing for her union with Ralf.
(She heard that, by the way.)
2. Rainbow Dash was made to give Phoenix an erotic dance.
3. Spy was made to propose to Zecora. While sober.
4. Zecora was forced to not to rhyme while confessing her love to Spy.
5. Sephiroth was ordered to give Lyra a dance.
6. Ralf had to give to make out with Cherilee for a full minute.
Once Cherilee regain consciousness, much revenge and other making out was forced. Then, things got ugly. She went after some truths.
1. Zecora was forced to tell what was her most embarrassing confession. It was about Spy, she wanted to see what he was hiding under all the clothes he wore.
(He had shown her unknowingly when he showered, by the way.)
2. This made Ralf reveal his deepest desire. It was to get married, live in a quiet rural town, and have three kids. It surprised a few- Then again, he was a soldier and had seen a lot of war.
3. Phoenix had to confess what he would do on his most wild kiss. It was to make out on the defendant's side of the table, after he won an objection.
4. Lyra was forced to reveal why she was so obsessed with humans. It was to find out how they reproduce. For science, she said.
5. Spy was forced to take off his mask. Though it was a mistake on the ponies fault: It was the guys that got jealous over his James Bond look.
6. Rainbow Dash was asked to forced to reveal her hero, and why. Phoenix blushed because he was “An uncool, looser, ditz, that had the courage to make her believe in love.” She quickly changed her answer to “Underdog.”
Needless to say, much straining, blushing, and other cheeky shenanigans took place. But it was all in good fun. Dinner was over and done with, and they were all enjoying some drinks over stories. Mostly personal triumph ones, such as Rainbow Dash’s first sonic rainboom. But soon enough, evening came for them. Ralf turned to look out the window after the evening check in. Well, time to bunk with a guy. With any luck, it wouldn’t be Sephiroth. Thoughts of the naked long haired fellow made Ralf shudder.
Then again, all the drinking games the Spy knew was making everyone a bit tipsy that it made the evening fly by faster. No one got drunk though. Lesson learned. Hard. Unlike Team Baltimare though, Team Appleloosa split up sleeping arrangements. The ponies shared a booth bed, while each of the humans got their own bunk.
_____________________________________
“Now arriving, Appleloosa!” A voice cried out as the train started to slow down. It was around 9 am, time to check in. Miss Cherilee turned her head to look out the window of the booth. Gone was the vibrant green. Orange, brown, and various variants of the two mixed with white and black started to decorate the ground and hills. While not exactly a desert, the ground looked dry and arid. Vegetation grew scarcer and scarcer, and cacti started to become the new normal instead of trees.The humans managed to clean their faces in the bathroom, getting ready for the hot climate.
“This is it, Phoenix. Its a bad time guys, we just arrived into town. Can we catch up at 2? Great. With any luck, I will have good news for us all. Team Appleloosa out.” The Element of Hope smiled, turning to look at they were all in good spirits.
One by one, they all begun to step off the train to look around. Finally glad to be out of the moving vehicle, the ponies stretched out their legs. The humans however, walked out with smiles on their faces. Phoenix was used to travel, Ralf as well. Sephiroth’s super human physique gave him resistance to ailments, and Spy was used to traveling in worse conditions. He was, after all, a spy. One of the station ponies dressed in a short blue hat drew a cart to them, revealing several suitcases.
“Are these the gear Merchant gave- Sold us?” Rainbow Dash blinked, hovering over the metal storage devices. She grabbed hold of the top one, which had Phoenix’s name on it to hand it to him. The former lawyer raised his eyebrows, moving to grab the case to set it on a wooden post to open it up. Inside was standard gear they all got- An olive colored cloak, a vial with red and green crushed herbs, and some food. However, Phoenix blinked at the note inside.
“What does non-combat special mean?” Rainbow Dash asked as Phoenix handed her the note. Phoenix had a few flash grenades, a stun rod, and a first aid spray. Pens and a notebook were also inside. What made him raise his eyebrows though, was the Riot Shotgun.
“That’s looks like a standard anti-personnel weapon used by prison guards. It shoots bean bag like rounds, only lethal if you aim for the head, and even then in the cranium weak spots,” Ralf said to look over as Phoenix held the shotgun up. “Its weird though, this one looks like it had been modified. I think that one had been modified to shoots real rounds, then re-modified back to its original condition.”
“This is...” Phoenix stopped to look over at the others in his team. Sephiroth had been given the same as Phoenix, save he had been give only flame grenades, combat knife, and some sharpening equipment. Sephiroth only required his long sword, but the flame rounds made him raise an eyebrow. Ralf took the submachine gun and pulled the loading bolt. He then set it on a side holster. The Punisher he was given was slipped into his back belt. There was extra ammo as well. The soldier had also been given a few extra hand grenades and incendiary grenades. The Red 9 was also inside his case.
“Huh. I see you have an eye for things. Gun's not just about shoot'n, it’s about reload'n! You'll know what I'm talkin' about!” Spy quoted, sounding just like Merchant Creeper Pasta as he read his note. Everyone turned to look at the masked man, shocked he could mimic people’s voices. He didn’t care, just smiled like a child on X-mas when he opened his case. Inside were a Broken Butterfly magnum, the upgraded Enforcer, combat knife, the Black Tail handgun, and several rounds of ammo.
“Alright guys, I think its time to go...” Phoenix said after gulping a bit. Weapons still made him uneasy. They all put on their cloaks to stand out less and begun to leave the train station and head into main street.
The whole town was alive, constantly moving. Ponies, donkeys, minotaurs, griffons and other beings walked the dusty streets. Stands of food, items, western gear like hats were on sale. Sheriff Silver Star stood overlooking the crowd with his deputies to smile. The Salt Lick had its doors open and close regularly. Team Appleloosa smiled at each other and nodded, making their way to the crowd and head for the Sheriff.
“Why are we not joining them? I can feel human footsteps among them,” Toph said, leaning against a wall. Little Strongheart, Vash the Stampede, and Braeburn were all hidden in an alley to look at the new humans.
“I don't know how to explain it...” Vash said, his head held down a bit. While looking at Phoenix gave him some hope, the other humans lack the noble vibes Phoenix had. “But I saw the weapons the humans have. All from my world, and nothing good will come of it. I’m afraid if we don't take care of things carefully, there will be a bloodshed.” Vash moved to stand up straight, smiling a bit. “But I’m sure it will all be okay. Let’s just observe them a bit, see if they are friendly.”
“With any luck, they will join our team for the Rodeo!” Braeburn said, smiling. “We need at least four, and they won’t let the young uns join...”
“But what if they are not nice humans?” Little Strongheart asked. Toph moved to stand up straight, moving her fingers to lock against each other and then stomp the ground. Small rocks levitated in the air before landing back. Like the earthbender, Vash reached for the giant cross on the wall to set it on his back to get ready.
“Then you know what we do. LOVE AND PEACE!”
Chapter Notes: Behold, I give you the first to uphold the ideal behind love and tolerance. But how and why is he here? I’m afraid, it's time for a flashback or two.
Chapter proofreaded by LyonAzakura.
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
942 users online
119,697 hits today, 2,591,549 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRaVCA0DlK-QQsbZWK5xJtbsby8pwcAPRqi2-Xdv57fRDyuhrX-qQ Love and peace you to injury!
Now that I've finally caught up, time to voice my opinion on what other teams to add (If it's still going on, at least.)
Have Thunderlane team up with Gene from God Hand.
That sick pony (I think they called him Hay Fever?) with Guo Huai from Dynasty Warriors 7.
and a favorite of mine: The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well with The Question from the DC Universe.
Just wanted to say this as I've thought of who to add while reading
I agree with the mare=do-well and question pairing. Good chapters bro
now that one was out of the blue
2273839 Does this mean star swirl mated with a dragon?
...
This will not end well...
Discords is Starswirl's son...mmm...better than been starswirl himself.
“But what if they are not nice humans?”
"Total slaughter. Total slaughter.
I wont leave a single man alive.
La di da de dide, Genocide.
La di da de dud, An ocean of blood.
Let's begin the killing time."
IM GOING TO LOVE AND TOLERATE THE SH*T OUTTA YOU
You really need to watch your wordings bud.
If you say "the children and ponies", despite the fact that the crusaders are children as well, you are insinuating, perhaps not with intent, that the ponies aren't children or are not to be catagorized as such, since they are not human. That's a form of saperation that can be frowned upon or interpreted as 'discrimination' to the ponie race. They are all childreen there, 'sapient' (human level intelligent) children of two kinds of species.
Would have been better if it simply said "The children, both human and pony, had worked so hard..." Or just "The children had worked so hard..."
Again with the differentiation of human and pony.
It's supposed to be funny I know, but especially for the Doctor it would seem strange abnormal (for what is casual with the doctor), and out of character if he says something like this.
He calls a lot of alien species "people", specifically when he directly speaks to them. If he knows they are an individual, an intelligent being, he will adress them as a 'person', their kin as 'poeple'. There is no reason he wouldn't adress the very anthropomorph ponies, as persons, or think to correct himself on that.
That is my fave gun in RE 4. Always use it.