World of Chaos

by ugugg93

Chapter 14: Deceit and Trust

Pinkie smiled as she bounced along. Once again, it was a bright and sunny day, the sky was completely clear of clouds, and she was with one of her bestest friends ever. It had been half a week since they left, and for the past two days, she hadn't heard Applejack say a single thing, which was curious. Sure, she hadn't really let Applejack get a word in, and sure, Applejack did whisper something about bucking her head in, but Applejack is such a kidder.

Deciding against her cheerful talking for the first time in their trip, Pinkie was content with humming simple tunes as she bounced. Looking around, the dreary landscape of grays, browns, and blacks had made the appearance a few hours ago of the flowing blue shimmer of water a very welcome one. The river was a delight, so much so that even Applejack couldn't resist jumping in when the two saw it. Applejack didn't swim that deep, the river having too fast of a current, but she looked content splashing closer to shore. Though every fiber of Pinkie's body wanted to spring into the water and swim until she passed out, she instead merely waded for a few minutes close to shore to cool off from the heat of the day. She was sure Applejack shot her a few questioning looks at her apparent timidity, but said nothing.

Other than the dip, the day had passed uneventfully. Just a lot of talking, humming, singing, shouting, groaning, moaning, and potentially a bit of crying, though the last one Pinkie was sure she was only hearing things. However, looking over towards the horizon, Pinkie was sure she saw the shape of a large stone building on the other side of the river. Before she could talk about it, Applejack finally spoke.

“Oh sweet merciful Celestia! Tha's it! Tha border Pinkie! Tha border checkpoin'!” Applejack was nearly bouncing in excitement over it.

Pinkie smiled, “Silly filly! Why's the border checkpoint so great? Gasp! Are they giving out cupcakes!?”

Ignoring the last comment, Applejack continued smiling as she faced ahead, “Cause once we git there, we can ask tha folks ta git us ta where we're goin' of course! How'd ya forget somethin' like tha' Pinkie?”

She was glad that Applejack wasn't looking at her, because her typical smile was much more subdued. The structure ahead was indeed the only crossing that they had seen, and Sarlaka did say that they needed to get to the other side for her Element, but something bothered her about it. Thinking to herself, she finally spoke, “Applejack, I think we should stay away.”

Applejack finally looked over towards her, “Huh? “An' why's tha'?”

“I... I don't know Jackie. Something just doesn't feel right. Its like... we can't go there Jackie. Please? Lets just swim across.”

“Pinkie, Ah understand ya Pinkie Sense, an' Ah know it does some crazy things, but Ah don' wanna git caught in there,” Applejack pointed towards the other bank of the river, “without us supposed ta be there. 'Sides, tha water's mighty treacherous, an' Ah don' wanna risk swimmin' in it.”

Instantly, she dashed up in front of Applejack, and held her by the shoulders, putting on the best 'begging' face that she knew, “Jackie... its not a Pinkie Sense... I just don't like it...”

Taking a breath, Applejack again spoke, “Pinkie, Ah know ya gotta feelin', but Ah gotta feelin' tha' we should go over there. Its what Ah wanna do, its wha' Sarlaka wanted us ta do, so we're gonna do it. Alright?”

“Applejackie...”

“Pinkie, we're goin' over there, and tha's final! An' Don' call me Jackie!” Applejack said with a slightly raised voice. Shrugging off Pinkie, she continued to walk towards the structure in the distance. At first, Pinkie only watched as the fellow earth pony walked off. She sighed, and trotted to catch up, so that they now walked side by side .

It only took another five minutes to get there, but to Pinkie, with the silence that encompassed the two of them, it felt like an hour. While before, she was begging to stay away from the border gate, she now relished the slowly approaching destination. If nothing else, it would bring an end to the heavy silence that fell upon the two of them. Pinkie knew that she and Applejack were very different ponies, and they only really became friends because Twilight was each of their best friends, but Pinkie never really thought about how distant the two really were. When she thought about it, other than the fondness for apple pie, the two really didn't have that much in common. Not really true friends, but only friends by association.

Pinkie sighed.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she looked on at the structure before her. Calling it a fortress would be an exaggeration, for the checkpoint was less of a fortification and more of a giant archway made into a building. The thing was relatively plain, but still had the typical look of power and strength that a military building would have. The only way to and from Sarlaka's domain to Lord Xavier's was across a small stone bridge, barely enough for two pony drawn carts to fit side by side, which lead to the massive iron portcullis, which dropped from the top of the 'archway.' Standing outside, Pinkie saw a few unarmed and unarmored guards standing watch, with a pair standing outside the gate, about four more on top of the building, and a couple more inside. For how important this placed looked, and how fortified it was, it seemed very lightly defended. She was further surprised that there wasn't any kind of checkpoint on Sarlaka's side, but Pinkie dismissed it as just 'the way things were.'

If it were up to her, Pinkie still would've stopped right here, right now, turned around, and found another way across. However, Applejack was completely oblivious, or more likely uncaring, to her concerns about the building and its inhabitants, so she decided to trust the cowpony's judgment. The pair started to cross the bridge, with Pinkie still nervous about the situation, but surely Applejack knew what she was doing.

Applejack smiled, “Well hiya folks! Ah jus' wanted ta say-”

Suddenly, the two guards that were outside of the gate reacted. It was at that moment that Pinkie got a very important lesson at “first appearances,” for two things happened within an instant. The first was that Pinkie noticed that the guards were indeed wearing some kind of armor, though Pinkie didn't have a clue about specifics. What she did know was that for each guard, they wore a suit of armor that perfectly matched the color of his or her coat. The second thing she noticed was that within a blink of an eye, a several hoof long collapsible spear had appeared from a partially concealed shoulder holder on each of them. In a matter of five seconds and a sentence and a half from an orange mare, their situation went from carefree, to many levels worse than Conflound.

Pinkie heard Applejack gulp.

“Who are you, and what is your business in Lord Xavier the Conqueror’s domain?” one of the guards, who made a point to take an extra two steps closer, asked. He was a simple gray pony with a darker gray mane.

Pinkie heard Applejack whisper, “Leave it to tha' Sarlaka ta leave out tha conqueror part...”

“Well?”

“Mah friend an' Ah are friends of Lord Sarlaka the... uhh...”

“Butcher,” Pinkie whispered.

“Butcher! Lord Sarlaka the Butcher sent us, an' our business is... uhh... is our own!” Applejack smiled nervously, a bead of sweat trickling down her face.

The guards took a few more steps closer to the two, “Lord Sarlaka sent you two?”

“Yup!”

“Without guard.”

“Uhhh... yup!”

“Do you think we're stupid, mare?”

“Huh?”

The gray pony took a few more steps closer, spear now only a few hooves distance from the pair, “You mean to tell me, that Lord Sarlaka the Butcher, ruler of the proud Equis Domain, and one of Discord's greatest generals, second only to Lord Xavier the Conqueror of course, sent two mares barely past puberty to our domain... without giving notice?”

Pinkie looked over to Applejack, who was now sweating profusely, “Well... Ah... uhh...”

“That will not be necessary kind gentlecolts. I am quite certain that you will understand our desperate predicament if we were allowed to disclose such delicate information. However, I must say that I am quite disappointed that you would treat a noble in such a disgraceful way!”

The two guards and Applejack looked over to the source of the most refined and graceful of voices. Pinkie Pie, who had stepped forward, smiled at the group. The guards looked at each other, then back, “And you are?”

Pinkie continued to give a slight, yet innocent grin, “Why, I am Lady Pinkamina Diane Pie of Ponyville, daughter of Rockolous Pie. And this is my humble servant, Miss Jack of the Apple family,” she said with a voice that would put Rarity to shame in terms of elegance and nobility, “And before you ask your next question, yes. We were sent by our most humble of lords on a very important mission that we just cannot allow to be impeded in any way.”

Still smiling with a grin, she reached for her saddlebag, and pulled out the medallion that Sarlaka had given them. The round object was half the size of her hoof, was attached to a gold chain, and was either made of gold, or gold plated. The etching on the amulet depicted the facade of Sarlaka himself with wings outstretched, breathing fire. The other side depicted an image of Discord, sitting atop a throne, with appeared to be situated on a small hill of skulls.

The guard who had been speaking stepped forward, and looked at the medallion, then looked at Pinkie, then back at the medallion. After a few seconds, he stared hard into the pink pony's eyes, looking for something. In a swift motion of his shoulder, the spear retracted back into its compartment, and he smiled at the two.

“My apologies Lady Pie, I did not know a mare of such esteem would grace our humble post today. My name is Attend, captain of this border checkpoint. If we had known...”

Pinkie let out a soft, yet overly dignified giggle, “Oh my good stallion, you worry yourself too much over such trivial matters. You were only doing your job. I will make sure your lord hears of you and your squad's vigilance. And please, Pinkamina will be quite sufficient. Lady Pie is my mother.”

“I'm sure you will tell him Lady Pie when you meet him. I will have an escort ready for your journey momentarily.”

Applejack stammered, “Ya gonna do wha'?”

The guard looked at Applejack, “I am going to allow several of my unit to escort you to Xavier City to allow you to meet with our grace, Lord Xavier, without any mishaps on the road.”

“Now, wait an apple buckin'-”

“We accept, Captain Attend,” Pinkie interrupted, “It is a most generous and appreciated privilege to be honored with an escort.”

“Good.” Captain Attend looked over his shoulder, “Open the gate! Adam. Pam. Please escort these two ladies to Xavier City. They are honored guests from Lord Sarlaka the Butcher's domain, and wish to meet with our lord.”

Two guards on the other side of the gate saluted, and, after the portcullis rose, trotted over to the mares. Slowly, the iron portcullis began to rise, until it was high enough to allow the passage of the four ponies. After about a dozen times declining their offers, Adam and Pam finally let Pinkie and Applejack carry their own saddlebags. They then walked through the gate, and when they past, felt the iron scraping against the stone as it came crashing back down, closing them within Lord Xavier's domain.

With the guards in front of the pair, Pinkie heard Applejack whisper, “Servant?”

Pinkie smiled, “With a hat like that? Yuppies!”

“An' how'd ya learn how ta talk like tha'.”

Pinkie simply smiled larger, “Granny Pie taught me!”

___________________________________________________________________________________

Rarity followed Twilight down the dark, damp, and overall unpleasant complex. It wasn't a cave,though calling it one wouldn't really be too far from the truth. At some point in the past, the walls presently on either side of her were expertly cut gray stone blocks, vigilantly holding back the earth on the other side. Now, the walls were collapsing, many of the bricks now acted as obstacles on the floor, and the earth they used to hold back is now slowly swallowing the tunnel they walked in. She could tell that there used to be intricate carvings on the walls depicting something, but time had worn these masterpieces away, until the sculptures were now unrecognizable. There probably were, at one point, sconces as well to hold torches or some other source of light, but any evidence of such devices had long since faded to nothing.

Ahead of her, Twilight didn't mention anything about any of this. Was Twilight still mad at her for losing her in the forest? Or maybe she just wasn't interested in the architectural and artistic marvels of the ancient hallway. Either way, silence ruled between them, the soft clopping of hooves being the only sound piercing it. It would've been better if Rarity could see where they were going, but the only light in the room was Twilight's horn, and that only cast its light a few feet ahead.

Rarity heard Twilight gasp, “... wow...”

Suddenly, the hall opened up into a truly monstrous cavern, so large, that she felt a strong air current within. Rarity didn't think a room like this was even possible under the Everfree Forest, especially considering that the rest of this place so far was barely holding together. The floor that they stood on went out about twenty hooves into the room, where it abruptly ended with a drop. After that, there was a massive gap that stretched as far as Twilight's light would allow. Rarity didn't dare look down, but could assumed that the gap in the room was much too deep to hope to survive. Looking around, Twilight's magic didn't allow her to see much, but what she did see was the same mundane gray that she saw in the hallway behind them, except this time, there was no sign of any ancient carvings.

Rarity took a few steps forward, and looked around their position. From what she saw, there was no lever, no button, no pulleys, and no other devices of any kind to raise or lower a bridge. Instead, there was nothing. Igniting her horn, she shot a small orb of light out, and let it leisurely fly over to the other side of the room. The orb traveled a good three hundred hooves before reaching what she thought was another platform on the opposite side of the room. The only thing to note on that side was a strange looking box-like object, though it was impossible to tell exactly what it was at this distance. Moving the light around to the sides of the platform, she noted that the room was just as wide as it was long. After a minute of inspection, she still didn't see anything else of note, except for a single hallway on the opposite wall leading into the dark. Afraid of seeing how far down the pit went, she let the light continue to float in place on the far platform.

“What I would give for a bridge right now,” she heard Twilight say as she approached the side of the cliff. Rarity watched as Twilight released a light orb of her own, and settled it near the two of them. Once again Twilight ignited her magic, lowered her head, and held her lowered position as she walked around the edge of the cliff, seeking out something. Eventually, she released the magic, and sighed, “Well, there isn't any invisible bridge. That much I am certain of.”

“Twilight dear, why don't you teleport us over there? It can't be that hard to do it over this short of distance, and with only us two. Hmm?” Rarity asked, hoping for a quick answer. Nodding, Twilight's magic concentrated into her horn, and Rarity felt the sensation of magic envelop her. Suddenly, there was a flash, and they stood at the other side of the gap. “Well, that was relatively simple. Well done Twilight! We'll win Rainbow's bet yet!”

“Not so fast, Rarity. I don't think we even moved. See?” Twilight said as she pointed at the light orb next to the pair, “No offense, but my light spell looked to be much stronger than yours, and considering that the light is much fainter on THAT side of the room than ours, I don't think we moved.”

“Are you sure? Maybe its just a trick of the eye,” Rarity asked. Twilight's horn glowed with magic, and the light spell next to Rarity started to move, orbited her once, and then settled back where it previously floated. Sighing at the realization, Rarity took a few steps forward, so her hooves here only a hoofstep away from the gap. “Alright, so we didn't move, but why didn't the teleportation spell work? Has it ever failed like that before?”

Twilight thought to herself for a minute, “Well... the only times I've ever failed were either when the distance was too great, which isn't an issue here; the target isn't valid, which it obviously is; or when there is magical interference, which is unlikely due to no unicorns being around to counterspell.”

“Twilight,” Rarity spoke, “Is there any other likely reason?”

She shook her head, “Unless Discord himself is here, no.”

“Then there must be some kind of interference then, however unlikely it is.” Rarity started thinking to herself, pacing back and forth along the gap. 'If only Rainbow were here. She'd be able to pick us up in a heartbeat, and carry us over.' Rarity smiled at the thought of her friend. Her thoughts drifted over to Fluttershy as well, wondering how the two were handling themselves. 'Most likely Rainbow is pushing the dear harder than I could ever imagine.' Another thought popped into her head.

“Twilight!” Rarity bounced with a smile on her face, “What about that wing spell that you did to me that one time! We could just fly over!”

The response from Twilight was a slow shaking of her head, “That's not an option Rarity. Even if I remember the spell, which I don't think I do, the last time I used it on you, I was out of it for several hours. If there's another... challenge after this, then I can't use all my magic here. Besides, with this down-draft? I think even Rainbow would struggle here.” Twilight smiled, “Though! We CAN levitate each other! It'd be awkward, but we can do it.”

“And spend all of MY magic lifting you? I'm humble enough to know that even if I could last long enough to get us over, I would be completely spent. Besides, do you want to risk me running out of magic halfway through?” Twilight shivered at Rarity's statement. Rarity continued, “We could just create a bridge out of the stones around here, and levitate THOSE, but that still has the issue of if we could hold out long enough.”

Twilight sat down, and brought a hoof to her chin. She was silent for a minute, until she spoke in a voice that seemed more directed to herself than Rarity, “We're going about this wrong. Every single solution we come up with has the same problem: magical reserves. If not yours, then its mine. The question isn't how to get across, but how to get across while using as little energy as possible.”

Sitting down next to her, Rarity thought to herself. Thinking of plans wasn't her forte, it was Twilight's, and even she was stumped. Rarity would never admit it, but she was way out of league here. 'A simple dressmaker trying to save the world?' She thought to herself, 'A cheesy plot to a bad novel that I, admittedly, would probably read. Its a good thing I have Twilight to lean on, or I would, as Applejack would say, be up a creek without a paddle. I mean sure, Sarlaka gave me that sword and diamonds, but those are used for fighting, though I have gotten fairly skilled in... using...'

Rarity jumped to her hooves, a glowing smile on her face, “IDEEAAA!!!”

Looking at her, Twilight smiled, “Alright, what is it?”

Just as she was going to say it, her smile faded slightly, “Well... I don't think you're going to like it...”

“Rarity, you know I trust your judgment. Just say it.”

Staring into Twilight's violet eyes, she gave a slight smile. Turning her head, she pulled at the straps of the scabbard to her sword, letting it drop to the ground. Taking the object in her magic, she passed it over to Twilight, “Here, I need you to wear this.”

“Uhhh... Rarity?”

Before she could protest more, Rarity had already started to strap the weapon onto Twilight's back. Rarity smiled, “Don't worry yourself dear, I know what I'm doing, though putting that blade on over your saddlebags probably doesn't feel very good. Oh well! This won't be long.”

“... Rarity??”

“Hmm? Oh! These would probably help as well,” Rarity continued to smile as she levitated the bag of diamonds out of her saddlebags. As she pulled nearly every single diamond out of the bag at once, she used another tendril of magic to strap Twilight's saddlebags slightly tighter. Twilight let out an audible squeak as her midsection was constricted. The saddlebags secure, Rarity proceeded to put the various diamonds inside the bags, leaving two out.

“Rarity!?”

“Now this might feel a little weird, Twilight,” Rarity said as her horn lit up once more. Feeling the gems inside the weapon and bags, she took control of them, and effortlessly lifted them all. Twilight again let out a squeak as she was lifted off the ground and carried over the pit.

“Rarity! Put me down right now!” Twilight squealed, flailing her legs under her. After a second, Twilight dropped a few inches, before being stabilizing.

“Twilight dear, if you would stop squirming, this would be much easier. Now could you please do me a wonderful favor and STOP FLAILING!!” Rarity yelled the last two words. Twilight stopped her movements, and held her hooves still, allowing them to hang below her. Smiling again, Rarity brought the last two diamonds in front of her, and inspected them. After only a second, she saw every flaw, every impurity, every microfracture that the two possessed, and with a quick burst of magic, split both with a clean and straight cut. Satisfied, she brought the four pieces under Twilight's hooves, and pressed them underhoof, causing Twilight to instinctively stand.

Slowly, Rarity guided the trembling mare across the chasm. At first, Rarity struggled with the down-draft that filled the room, but it only took a few seconds to adjust to the currents, and after only a few minutes, Twilight was floating on the other side. Rarity released her magic and pulled the four diamonds out from under her hooves, allowing Twilight to fall two inches to the ground. “Are you ok Twilight!?” Rarity yelled across the pit.

“If you ever do that again, I'm going to have Celestia send you to the moon!” was her response, causing Rarity to roll her eyes. Gazing back over to the other side, she saw Twilight looking around, and eventually trotting over to the small box-like object that they had seen before. Inspecting it, Twilight brought her front hooves up so they rested on the structure, and pressed. A loud trembling started, causing Rarity to fall to her haunches. Looking up, she saw that nearly the entire ceiling, barely visible in the shadows the twin orbs created, was dropping slowly. Eyes wide open in wonder, Rarity watched the massive block lower itself into the gap, and after several minutes, stopped. The room now looked as though it were any plain and simple room, devoid of a pit in the center.

Rarity took a tentative step forward, testing the newly made platform with a hoof. Satisfied, she quickly trotted across the span. Finally crossing to the other side, she met up with Twilight.

Twilight glared, “I'm still debating the moon business.”

“Please don't be so distraught darling. I knew what I was doing the entire time,” Rarity said, embellishing the confidence that she held earlier. “I was completely in control of the entire situation.”

“And you can keep that control as you say hello to the moon.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, smiling at her fellow unicorn. “And you can make good on that threat as soon as we get back with my element.” Twilight eventually smiled, and proceeded to remove all of Rarity's diamonds and the sword from herself. After a few minutes, Rarity was reequipped, and the two began to head off into the next hallway. This hall was much more intact than the first one, though the décor was still just as ruined as before. Either way, it made the white unicorn much more confident in their odds of not being crushed by a cave in.

The hall quickly opened back up into another large room, a light casting its glow on the room, though the source Rarity couldn't guess. This space much larger than the previous. If Rarity would to guess, compared to the previous chamber, it was about twice as long, twice as wide, and the ceiling rose to be at least ten stories tall. The walls, ceiling, and floor was made of the same stonework that the previous was made from. That was where the similarities ended though. There were no designs on the walls, no “boxes” with buttons, and definitely no endless pits. The pair walked further into the room, Twilight's horn leading the way yet again. As they entered the cavernous space, there were only three notable features in the room. The first was a large hole that had been clawed out of one of the walls, the hole being easily large enough to fit Sarlaka through, though with his wings spread he would have issues. The curious thing about the passage was that from the way the debries fell into the room, it looked as though this was the exit, and not the enterance.

Pushing that point to the side, Rarity looked at the second notable feature of the room. There was a large iron door, similar in size to the door in front of the main entrance, and had similar designs. The iron door had gem encrusted decorations on it, with the three diamonds of her cutie mark set into the gate. However, when Rarity approached, the door did not, thankfully, grab and force her to open it. Instead, it stayed inert, giving no hint on how to open it.

The final noticeable feature of the room was a small hole near the gate, only about two inches wide, and a little below head level. There looked like there once was an inscription under it, detailing its use, but what it said was now a mystery. Twilight and Rarity both stood in front of this curious hole, confusion in Rarity's eyes. Suddenly, Twilight lowered her head, and pushed her horn into the hole. A grimace appeared on her face, and Rarity looked on at what happened.

Nothing.

“Well I guess THAT'S not the answer,” Twilight removed her horn from the hole, a slight tinge of annoyance in her voice. Rarity continued to look at the hole, and for whatever reason, had a gut feeling to try the same thing. Remembering what happened outside the cave, she decided to go along with the feeling, and not fight it. Standing before the, most likely completely filthy, hole, she took a few breaths, and put her horn in the socket.

At first, nothing happened. Then, when she thought her idea was another dud, she felt the magic in her flow towards her horn on its own, and some of it escape into the stone around the appendage. A moment later, the iron door started to open with a loud scraping of metal on stone as the door ground on the floor. The sound echoing in the chamber, causing Rarity to withdraw her horn, cover her ears, and tightly close her eyes to try and stop the pain. Looking over, she noticed Twilight was doing the same. The blistering loud noise continued for a solid half minute, before it stopped. Opening her eyes, Rarity observed the door from before was now completely open. Gazing inside, Rarity gasped.

On a pedestal inside, sat a white unicorn mannequin, with the Element of Generosity adorning its neck.

The pair of unicorns took only two steps before a loud, animalistic roar blasted through the room. Many magnitudes louder than the grinding door before, Rarity swore her ears started to bleed at the sound. Quickly turning around, she and Twilight looked into the tunnel that they had forgotten about minutes before. A loud booming of feet hitting the ground reverberated through the room, shaking the mares to the core. Rarity met Twilight's eyes as they looked at each other, and nodded. Drawing her weapon, she waited.

The creature pulled itself out of the tunnel, its body barely fitting through. Its fur was a deep violet and covered from head to tail in star-like shapes. Massive claws adorned the ends of all four paws, each claw at least five times Rarity's length. On its forehead, a massive baby-blue star shape glowed. In fact, not only were the stars glowing, but the entire creature glowed with a light shimmer, giving the illusion of transparency. The teeth the creature bore, while not as large as the claws, were still terrifyingly long, and guaranteed to be just as sharp. Its eyes were a curious color: the normally whites of any other creature's eyes were bright yellow, its pupiles blood red.

Rarity lowered herself to the ground slightly in fear, for what stood before her, was a fully grown ursa major.

A very angry ursa major.

Which stood between her, and the only way out.

“I don't suppose you have a water tower full of milk,” was all Rarity was able to say before the creature roared again, and charged.

Comments

[Doc_Durr]

[Souldin]

Its past midnight and I sit here reading and reviewing fanfiction...actually this was quite the norm both last year and the year before that...the first since this year though. Anyway, while I may be rather weary at the moment I have never the less chosen now to review because I want to, there really is no other explanation than that.

The humour that was sorely missed from the last chapter returned in great amounts today, and not just because of the return of Pinkie Pie. Yes, most of it came from Pinkie Pie, (though narration regarding Applejack also brought out a few good laughs), but a few more subtle jokes came from the mouth of Rarity along with a neat one from Twilight. Along with the wit we got some nice intense moments, well described locales, and cool equipment. I loved not only the guards of this chapter but also how Twilight and Rarity were in an RPG styled location, with an RPG styled puzzle problem, with an RPG style solution, and to top it all off we next get to see an RPG style boss battle. I also enjoyed Twilight and Rarity's discussion and actions regarding theories and methods of how to get across, referencing many fictional pieces with the same problem as well as several references to the show that all fitted in nicely.

As for criticism I have just got to say...I got nothing. I'm serious there is nothing here I can truly fault. This is not your best chapter as it's not the funniest, the most emotional, or the most action packed but it's the least flawed with all the chapters certifications being satisfactory at worst, and good or great in general. A couple of errors could be found but only one was noteworthy, and that was the following 'This one be long.”'

This is a quite long chapter considering how solid it is, remarkable in its lack of faults and for its return of your much missed wit, and over all quite enjoyable. Superb job, keep up the great work!

[ugugg93]

316490 Hmm... that is a very interesting point... I think the only counter to that is

317184 I'm very glad that you enjoyed this chapter much more than the previous! I have to admit, the whole "puzzle" part was fun for me to write, but also annoying because I wanted to think, "ok, Twilight is a genius... what would SHE think of. Rarity is pretty smart too, what would SHE think of," and work from there. Maybe not my favorite scene imho so far (I still think my Sarlaka and Twilight talk was my favorite to write), but I'm glad that it wasn't bad OH! And I fixed that typo too!

[PoniSiitoin]

Khorne much, eh? Skulls for the Skull Throne!

[Csquared08]

Pinkie's improv has no limits. She did very well, and I found it a rather nice touch for the story.

As for the Ursa Major? Oh. Mai. Dis gun b bad...

[Fury of the Tempest]

That was very quick and smart of Pinkie Pie. Through I'm not sure if it will do that well as she is lying... I think. Hard to tell for sure.

As for Rarity and Twilight... vs a Ursa MAJOR? Oh boy, they are in big trouble...

[There At The Close]

Hack 'im, Whack 'em
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!
Make him bleed
Throughout the night!
~Wywint

[ShadowLDrago]

An Ursa Major?! Oh dear...