Operation: C.A.N.D.Y [Children Are Notoriously Devious Youngsters] (33)
Flamel's POV
I stared at the door, listening and waiting for any sudden movements. Shadows flickered in the green candle light, dancing off the walls in sync with each movement of the flame. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and turned back to the paper on my desk, keeping and eye and ear on the door while I wrote.
Dear Princess Luna,
I write to you in a sense of urgency about the state of Gunhaver's being. To put it simply, I believe his mentality is depreciating. During a training session, he claimed to have heard sounds in the forest, then sped off to find them. I tried to follow but I couldn't keep up with the dense foliage in my way. On one time that I was able to do so, I found him curled up muttering about someone dying or not existing along with several other irrelevant and incoherent phrases.
His behavior has become quite erratic as of late. Phantom sights and sounds that he claims to percieve. Seizures that leave him on his knees. Most commonly, he appears distant as if daydreaming. These mental attacks happen about once, maybe twice, a week. I do have to give him credit, if whatever is plauging him is as bad as it seems, he does a good job of hiding it from the others. As of now, I believe I am the only one who truly notices these things about him. Anyone else either doesn't notice or doesn't care, which may be a blessing in of itself.
I ask that you search his dreams in hopes of finding evidence as to who he is and what he plans.
Your faithful servant, scholar, and spy,
Nikolai Flamel
I burnt the paper into the flames and watched them fly towards Canterlot's rulers. Quickly repacking my journal inside my mouth I left my room to do some more digging, hopefully to find someone to help my cause.
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Gunhaver's POV
My clawed hand reached out gently towards the wall, before striking it like a cobra, claws digging into the wood like fangs in flesh. Each digit trailed down in unison, leaving furrows and gashes in their wake to complement the multitude of similar markings surrounding it. As I pulled away, I stared at my hand as if it was a deadly snake, ready to bite once more.
“What is happening to me?” I whispered aloud in the dark confines of my room. My back arched once more as pain spasmed throughout me. This wasn't the pain of beatings or bruisings or broken bones. This pain was one of slashing, searing, and scratching. It felt like I was being torn apart in multiple ways. I screamed in agony but I knew that no one would come and investigate after I had sound proofed the room.
I don't know how long it was but the pain eventually subsided, just as each attack had before it. I had tried to record the times but there was no consistent span between them, ranging from several minutes to several hours. The only consistency was how much the pain grew each time.
I laid there on the ground for a bit, staring at the ceiling. “Why is this happening?” I mused, “What the hell did I do to deserve this?” I groaned as I finally got up and crawled over to my desk. In the midst of my spasms, I somehow managed to not knock it over and spill it's contents everywhere. I was glad for that because cleaning and reorganizing my design log would have been fuel to the flame of irritation that's been building up recently.
Over the past few weeks, we had barely seen hide or hair of the Banshee group that came this way from the den. While that gave us more time to train and prepare, I don't know how we could possibly lose a group of that size. If they spilt up, then my job is only going to get harder. For now, I had ordered a retreat of a sorts to Trottingham, a town close by. If the Banshees slipped by us, then we should at least protect this town.
I tried to distract myself with working on designs and experiments until I hear knocking at my door. I opened it to see Flamel. “Yes?” I asked.
“We're almost at Trottingham. We'll be there within the hour.” he said, his eyes flickered briefly over my shoulder so quick that I wasn't sure if he did.
“Good. Good.” I replied, “Go ahead and get some teams together to get supplies and start patrolling the area once we land. I'll try to deal with the local authority and government to get their approval and maybe some extra help.”
“On it.” Flamel turned away and strode down the hall to carry out the orders. I went back into my room and laid on my hammock for a bit, thinking over plans for possible Banshee attacks or in case the town isn't so friendly. I sighed, “What the hell did I get myself into?” Before I could follow that train of thought, the ship shuddered slightly as it came to a stop.
I got up and went out the door to deal with the officials while part of me screamed to just lie back and sleep in as others dealt with the problem. “Something tells me this is going to be a loooong day.” I muttered.
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Pearl's POV
My ear was pressed against the door along with some of the other foals. We listened for any steps nearby but hear nothing. Astrid, who was standing on my back, cracked the door open enough to stick a claw holding a mirror out. A few tense seconds later, she called out, “All clear.” while opening the door all the way.
Me, Astrid, and several other foals and pups immediately rushed out, heading for the nearest corner with Astrid taking point. We planned this trip for days after Pipsqueak told us about it. The best candy store in Trottingham! Now after the Everfree Banshees, us kids were banned from touching ground, which didn't leave much to do besides run around. From what Mister Gunhaver told us, we can only go down if there's no Banshees and we have adult supervision.
Pffft.
We may be kids but we knew what would happen. As soon as the threat of Banshees is dealt with, then we'd have to move on. Banshees were a big deal to the adults, and with something that big, then they can't possibly have fun. That's what us kids are for. It's our job to make sure that this crew has fun.....or was it to have good snacks in the kitchens? Hmm, Tails would know. She seems the most mature...or is it manure? I need one of those Thesyaruses or a Dishonary.
It was a good thing my thinking stopped, because Astrid did too as she checked the hallways for any of the other crew members. I crawled over near her and peaked around the corner as well. Some of the Dogs were chatting on one side of the hallway and it looked like they weren't moving anytime soon. Drat.
Astrid waved a claw, “Alright Stepper, you're up.” She backed away to let the dark blue colt through.
“O-ok.” he said nervously. His horn lit up as he concentrated. Down the hall, a terrible screeching sounded out as metal vibrated throughout the pipes. The dogs looked up in confusion and worry. They immediately left, saying something about getting the mechanics to fix it. Once they were gone, Stepper stopped and tipped over in exhaustion. Using that much magic at a distance took a lot out of him. Being the helper that I am, I slid underneath and let him ride on my back. It felt good to help carry others, even if they were a bit pudgy.
“Nice job.” I whispered. Stepper mumbled some sort of thanks but we were already off to go to the drop off point. A few more hallways and more than one close calls later, we made it to the front of the ship. Phase one of the plan was almost done. On cue, three pups came forward with rope that Astrid swore she borrowed from the cargo bay and tied it securely around some iron rings nearby. After that, they tied one end to a heavy rock before throwing it over the rail. We heard the impact on the ground and made sure no one was hurt or noticed, then we each took turns sliding down.
“Wheee!” Sacntum squealed softly as she slid, “I'm a firepony!”
I frowned, “What does being on fire have to do with ropes?” Unfortunately she didn't hear me. I'll have to ask her later. I had Stepper securely lashed down on my back and when I jumped overboard, I had to make sure my claws didn't fray the rope on the way down. “Alright, let's- WOAH! That's a long way down...” Is this how Airsoft or Astrid feel when they're in the air? I don't think I want my wings juuust yet. I looked up and saw that the rail was only a few feet away, but it seemed much farther. Down below, it was a massive drop. My body clenched up and my head started to feel a bit dizzy as I hugged the rope for dear life. “Too far.” I repeated as I shut my eyes.
“What are you doing?!” I heard Astrid whisper harshly at me from above.
“It's too far down!” I said.
“You've got to be kidding me...” she deadpanned, “Just slide down. You'll be fine, you big baby.”
I shook my head furiously, “Nuh-uh!”
“Hey! This was your idea. Don't you dare get chicken on me!”
“I'm not chicken!” I shouted up at her, opening my eyes enough to glare at her peeking over the rails.
“Shush!” Astrid put a claw over her beak, “Do you want to blow our cover? We've got one shot at this, so don't mess it up! We're the last two to go, so move it!”
My newfound fear was just as strong as my desire to continue the mission. I looked back from Astrid to the other pups and foals waiting on the ground. I was about to call it in when Stepper spoke up. “Pearl, just do it like a band aid. Quick and easy. Don't worry about it too much.”
I bit my lip in frustration. “Alright. On three. One-” I didn't get to speak before I felt hooves tickle my sides. I gasped and let go of the rope to deal with the attacker on my back. Little too late did I realize what I had done. By that time, I was hurtling towards the ground, pony first. “Gah!” I yelled as I reached for the rope. My tail coiled around the line and I found myself upside down, my face a few meager inches from the ground.
“There...” Stepper wheezed, “That wasn't so hard.” His voice snapped me out of my shock, letting me turn my head so I can practice my heat vision on him. But alas, Dragon's don't have that power, so I had to resort to letting myself down before swatting him with my tail. He yelped in pain but said nothing as Astrid came sliding down and led us towards the town.
Form then on, it was all a matter of dodging the rest of the crew and avoiding any patrols. It was quite easy when your not that bigger than the average pony's knees. However, it was more difficult for me because I had to cover for Stepper as well, since he was still pretty exhausted. Before long, we had made it to the gates of the city and snuck in on a cart. After we were well inside the walls, we jumped off and settled on the corner of a street.
“Alright, kid. Where now?” Astrid asked Pipsqueak.
“Wait a tic, I need ta think. Been a while since I was last 'ere.” he said, tapping a forehoof on his chin as he stared down the streets. “Hmm. Not sure 'bout 'ere. We'll need ta go deeper. Follow me.” Pipsqueak trotted off and everyone of us followed.
As we walked, I noticed that many of the ponies walking around had some sort of instrument. A few were even playing on the street sides with their hats on the ground. Why would they do that? Doesn't that get them dirty? My question was answered as I saw some ponies put bits into the hats as they listened to the music. The music played as we passed varied from upbeat dancing tunes to calm lullabies. I briefly wondered why there was so many music players on the streets but my mission for sweets refocused me on my goal.
This continued on for several more blocks until we suddenly stopped, and by that I mean crash piled into each other when Pipsqueak stood still. “Oi! There et is! The Chocolate Factory!” Pip said after he climbed out and pointed a hoof across the street. I followed it to see a rather large building with the front designed as a chocolate bar. The window itself was filled with a wide variety of colors of stacked candy. Next to the stacks, there was a unicorn who was lifting a ladle from a pot in his magic. Gooey caramel dripped back down as a victim of gravity. With each ladle-full, he covered a row of apples with sticks in them, letting the sweetness glide over the hard surface.
“Um, Pearl? Can you stop drooling on me?” I looked down to see Sanctum below me, her mane had a splotch of clear liquid that connected to my mouth. Realizing this I wiped my muzzle and apologized as I tried to clean up my mess. Once that was done, the others were already halfway to the store. “We gotta catch up!” I squealed before taking off faster than you could say “Candy”. By the time Sanctum and I could catch up, the others already made it to the store. It's pretty hard to run when you have a dead weight on your back. Speaking of which... “Hey, can you walk now?” I asked Stepper.
“Um, I think so. Why-Whoa!” He was cut off as I cut the ropes holding him onto me.
“Ahh, much better.” I said as I stretched my limbs out.
“A little warning would be nice.” Stepper said. Oh Really? I gave him a flat glare.
“Yeah, warnings are nice.” I said before entering the store. On the way, I may have accidentally slapped him with my tail again.
“Ow! What'd I do?” I heard him say behind me. Boys. I stepped into the store and all my anger and frustration melted away as I gazed upon the walls of candy. Unable to keep my excitement in, I scrambled from wall to wall, trying to take in all the sights. On one run, I found myself jerked to a stop as Astrid grabbed my tail.
“Calm down, sugar queen. Let's find the owner and get our loot quickly.” she said before stepping up to the counter. Using her wings, she hopped up to the counter and used the pommel of her knife to try to get somepony's attention. “Hey, who owns this joint? We wanna buy stuff.”
Not long after, a pony came out of nowhere, scaring Astrid right off the counter with a screech. He was a unicorn with a pale grey coat and a short oiled mane. He wore a large brown top hat and dark glasses. He spoke in a rather high pitched voice. “Now, now. You shouldn't make such a racket. You'll disturb the Jelly Babies and it's quite hard to get them ready when it's so noisy. Just like real babies, they need their rest. Heheh.”
I leaned over to Pipsqueak who happened to be close by, “Is he serious?”
Pip shrugged, “No one knows. Just go along with it.”
“Oh. Okay then.” I said, still unsure if the stallion wasn't completely loco in the coco.
“Now then kids,” the strange stallion asked, leaning over the counter, “What's your fancy? Perhaps a Jawbreaker for the griffin to keep her from breaking anything else? Ooh, maybe a Hot tamale for the dragon for a good firey sensation?” As he said this he pulled out two different candies and chucked them into our mouths with practiced precision. I chewed on mine for a bit, finding that it tasted...kinda spicy. No, wait. Actually it was more than 'kinda', it was getting really spicy. I felt like my mouth was on fire and it was not pleasant. I wanted to spit it out and rub my tongue to get the hot feel off but that would be rude to the Candy Stallion. So with as much courage as I could muster up, I swallowed the candy unchewed. “Hot hot hot hot hot!” I shouted as I tried to search for something to cool my mouth off. Before I could do any more, another piece of candy fell on my tongue and instantly, I felt coolness seep into my mouth. “Aaahhhhh. Much better.”
“Oh dear.” the stallion said in concern, “I think I may have given you the Desert Dessert instead. Good thing I had some Arctic Mint or your face would be as dry as a prune.”
“Who are you?” I asked once my mouth cooled down enough.
The stallion smirked, “Only the greatest chocolateir in all of Equestria. The name's Willy Wonka. Now what kind of candy are you looking for?” Before I could answer, Astrid hopped right back onto the counter, or more like hung off the edge, as she pulled out a few small diamonds. Wait, where'd she get that?
“Haow muffch can ffwe get fwith this?” she asked, the Jawbreaker still in her beak.
“Hmm, diamond eh?” Wonka said, “I say this will get you, hmm, twenty pounds at most, but that depends on what you pick.” Twenty pounds? That's like...so much candy! “Tell you what,” the crazy chocolate maker said as he pulled out some bags, “Take these and go walnuts.” Everyone of us grabbed a bag and dashed to the nearest candy jar.
It was a feeding frenzy as ponys and pups ran around collecting candy for themselves and the others back on the ship. As for myself, I couldn't decide what to get. There was sooo many delicious goodies, except for the spicy ones. 'Let's see,' I thought, 'Lollipops, Licorice, Lemon Drops....AAAHH!!! Why do they all have to look so delicious?!' My thoughts were interrupted by a cough next to me. I turned to see Stepper nervously shuffling his hooves as he tried to make eye contact with me. Behind him, I could see Sanctum staring at us, or more specifically him with the look that my mom used to give when I had to apologize for something and made sure I did so.
“D-do you need help deciding?” he asked. My smile flattened out as I turned back to the candy assortment before me. “No.” I tried to keep my mind on the candy but Stepper's presence was distracting me. This went on for a few moments and just when I was about to tell him off, he spoke.
“I-I'm sorry.” he said, “I was just trying to help y-you down earlier.”
“Yeah? Well you almost got yourself hurt doing that. I was trying to make sure we both got down safely and then you go and pull that stunt.” I said curtly. Stepper's ear's pinned back and his head bent down in shame.
“I-I d-didn't know that you would let go like that. I-I figured your grip would loosen enough to slide down the rope. S-sorry about that. C-can you f-forgive me?” he finished with a pleading look in his eyes.
I hummed in thought. 'He shouldn't have done that, but then again, we wouldn't be here if he hadn't. I want to forgive him, but I kinda don't... Grr, why does he have to make this so hard?' I looked back at Stepper who was still awaiting my answer.
“Fine,” I grumbled, then gave him a small hug, “But only if you carry my candy bag back to the ship. Now help me pick some candy out.”
Stepper hugged back in joy. “Alright!” The violet filly behind him nodded and walked off, her eyes already trying to devour a few nearby jars.
Several minutes later, our window of opportunity was closing and we would have to get back to the ship before nightfall or someone notices, whichever came first. We all bought our bags and, as promised, Stepper carried mine.
“Aw crap!” Astrid screeched, looking at a nearby clock, “We won't make it back in time!”
“Don' worry,” Pip said as he crunched on a hard caramel, “I know a short cut! This way!” Pip dashed off and we all followed his movements, twisting and turning around pedestrians. We all ran down for a few blocks before turning down a side street, then several more blocks before another street and after a few minutes, we were all scampering down an alley when a few stallions suddenly blocked our path, causing us to skid to a halt. Each one of them wore ratty clothes that matched their gross fur and manes, not to mention the smell. I almost threw up on the spot from it. If that wasn't enough, the air that they gave off was far from friendly.
“Uh oh.” Pip said.
“What d'ya mean 'uh oh'?” Astrid whispered harshly.
“Oi, I 'aven't been round 'ere in a while. Things have changed.” Any further conversation was cut off as the greasy stallions spoke.
“'Ello kiddies.” One with a toothy grin said, “Wotchu doin' round these parts, eh?”
“It's not safe 'ere y'know?” Another stallion with a dirty mane said, “Where're your mumsies? Off ta th' stores?”
“Don't worry, we'll take good care o' ye.” the last stallion said eagerly. The three of them slowly advanced and a few more stallions appeared to cut off the way we came. The last stallion to speak reached a hoof out towards us menacingly, but then there was a flash of silver and the hoof retracted with a shout of pain. Astrid had pulled out her short sword and held it up in defense, “Run!” she shouted, “I'll be right behind you.!” She swung again and made a small gash on another pony's face causing all of them to retreat out of surprise of the wicked blade's appearance.
“This way!” Pip shouted as he ran down a side alley. He didn't need to tell us twice as we nearly stumbled over each other in an attempt to get away. Everyone of us leaped over and scrambled past garbage piles, trash bins, and all sorts of junk while trying to use it to block the mean ponies' path. We knew that there might be a point where the adults from the ship found us and we would have to lose them so we could make it back before we got in trouble.
Astrid whistled shrilly, “Alright mutts, gouge 'em!” The pups looked back at her and nodded at once. Together, they fell back and spread out as they used their paws to tear out chunks from the path and surrounding obstacles to make the big ponies behind us step more carefully unless they want to fall on their face. In seconds, tiny potholes peppered the path behind us and several pieces of trash, including materials from some buildings, forms hazardous obstacles. Yelps sounded out, indicating the success of some of the improvisation.
“Wot tha blazes?” one pony called out before faceplanting as he stepped into a pothole. “Eungh, my nowwse!”
“Trot it off, ya pansy. They're gettin' away!” another called out. We all heard the hoof beats increase again, farther away, but slowly gaining. We tried to keep going but everyone was starting to pant from the effort. Astrid gave a worried look around then shouted, “Everyone, scatter! Try to lose them!” Our last ditch resort.
I immediately turned and skidded into an alley that led towards one of the streets. It looked so far away, but it was my only chance. I ran as fast as my tiny legs could carry me. 'Curse you tiny legs!' I thought. I heard the sound of the mean ponies about to come around the corner. Thinking fast, I dove under a pile of broken crates, letting my scaled protect me from splinters and rusty nails.
It was quiet for a bit after I got my breathing under control, but the slow hoof falls came closer to me with each step.
“We know you're 'ere~, poppet.” I heard, “Come on out. We promise we won't 'urt you.” I tried not to shiver from the evil in his voice. A trash can nearby was kicked over and a cat hissed as it ran away. My eyes widened as I realized that they were almost on top of me.
“You're quite valuable to us, poppet. You and your friends. Quite a lotta gold for ye pretty little things.” Another trash can, even closer. I shifted my self around to see if I could glimpse them going by and know when it was safe. A small gap in the wood let me see, but only what was in front of me. 'I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry.'
“The gold calls t' us.” I tried to look out the gap when the stallion's face jumped into view. “'Ello poppet.” I screamed. I screamed from fright, the pain in my tail, the sudden weight upon the crates, effctively trapping me. I cried too. I would never see my brother again nor my friends if they escaped. They might be captured too, so I cried. I cried in horror for what was too come.
I was too much in shock to hear the sudden arguing outside, nor feel the weight being lifted above me. The only thing that snapped me out of it was the feeling of my tail being pulled and thus, dragging me along with it. Too late did I try to hold on to some thing and soon I was faced with the most freakish thing I ever saw.
"Oooo~, what have we here? Hello! Why were they fighting over you, hmmm?" It spoke.
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“We know you're 'ere~, poppet."
Why is the rum gone?
2997865
just don't parlay
yay a update with the crazy adventures of C.A.N.D.Y! well i already read the hidden and im love what you did there with willy wonka and the ello poppet part
2998280
.....
pfffft
sorry but no games influenced my naming of them. (Steam) Tails happened to be a coincidence. The others are either books, movies or just random
Just a little thing I noticed at the beginning.
2998423
no. What reference did I unknowingly make this time?
In light of everything that's happened, is Check still on board?
If so, he would make an excellent Councellor.
Is that a 'Kids Next Door' reference I spot in the title? Or was it unintentional?
3000741
no, that was intentional
3000824
you then, sir/madam.
I
2997865
My bad.
No, we named the monkey Jack.
a cliffhanger?! curse you musicman722!!
3015734
Your power level needs to be over 9000 to overcome this cliff!
3016250
Oh yeah?! OH YEAH?! YOU WANNA MAKE IT HARD HUH?! COME AT ME BRO!
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m632tpTbh21rqfhi2o1_500.gif
i.imgur.com/tEq5Oco.gif
img9.joyreactor.com/pics/post/auto-328639.jpeg
I hope the title is a kids next door reference, im currently catching up on the 6 seasons and 1 movie I missed
Nice, Code Name Kids Next Door title reference.