Testing Their Patience

Paperwork. Always so much paperwork, and never enough time to do it all. Piled up into neat stacks on the desk, it sat there, waiting to be finished. If the woman at the desk, tapping her quill repeatedly, had a say in the matter, then the documents would be sitting there for some time. She sighed, placing her face into her hand, and decided that at the rate she was going, she would end up going crazy.

"How does Celestia do this?" She told herself, staring up at the ceiling of the room. It always helped to cheer her up, looking at the countless quills that had been thrown up there from sheer boredom. "We miss the good days, where ruling meant telling our subjects what to do, and being satisfied with their effort."

"You’re not going to get anything done like that, Luna." Another woman said as she walked through the door. "I have a few more for you to fill out." Luna, the woman behind the desk, groaned, slinking down into her chair.

"Dear Celestia, we really do love you. So why do you punish us so?" Luna said, her long blue hair having lost its magical flow for some time now. Celestia walked up to the desk and set down the small pile of forms, grinning slightly, her light pastel colored hair still having a bit of a wave, even though night has made it's decent. She was obviously ready to sleep, wearing a pink silk sleep shirt and pants, and donning fuzzy slippers over her feet. Luna, on the other hand, was dressed in her usual blue shimmering dress, and wearing her regal attire.

"Luna, I think you should do these next, personally. They might help you get back in a better mood." Celestia said, winking before taking her leave for the night. Luna watched her walk out, before looking back down at the forms in front of her. Reading the title, she realized Celestia was right, and chuckled. Ponyville Accident Claims. With the exception of Shining Armor, who had returned to his wife in the Crystal Empire, and Reader, a mind reader currently staying in Canterlot to check up on acquaintances, her 'crack' team was most like the cause of more than a few of these. She picked up the first form, and started reading it aloud after looking over the picture included with it.

"Location: Ponyville Hospital. Approximate time was 4:23 in the evening. Damages occurred during a 'slight' problem with a patient in for a regular checkup. Reported damages include one bed, a magical emission reader, and three walls. Witnesses say subject got nervous when doctors attempted to remove his mask..." Luna couldn't help but shake her head as she read this line repeatedly. "You would have thought they learned their lesson last time. Anyways... Thankfully there were no casualties. Total repair and replacement costs: 3074 bits including labor expenses." Luna wrote the total down on a small notepad and took the picture enclosed with the document off, setting it aside.

She continued on through the papers until she got to the next familiar offender. "Location: Ponyville Park. Approximate time was 2:13 in the middle of the night. Damages occurred when one individual became intoxicated during a drinking party held by several residents. An argument occurred between him and another party goer, leading to the one responsible using a class A magic weapon and wrecking the landscape and blowing up two benches." Luna shook her head as she stared at the picture, removing it and leaving it next to the first. "No one was seriously injured during the attack. Total park repairs come to 2046 bits, including labor and supplies." Luna wrote down the total for him under the first.

Celestia was definitely right. Something about these, despite the monetary amount it is going to cost the group, made her happy inside to see them all adjusting...well...for lack of a better term. She continued through the files, skimming them for generally chaotic disasters. She found what she was looking for, and the photo enclosed with it confirmed that it was indeed another one of her men.

"Location: Ponyville Central Market. Approximate time was 6:35 in the evening. Witness reports account a fight breaking out between two men in the central plaza over what started as an altercation between the assaulted party and the resident mail woman. The one who attacked had forcibly grabbed the other man by the head and rammed it through several stalls. Total costs come to 4523 bits, including ruined product replacement, stall repair, and medical bills...wow!" Luna said, looking over the report again. She wrote down his total as well, and looked over the report again. "Go figure...that man must have seriously agitated him to get that kind of response."

Luna took the tallied total down, giving a sigh of relief that they still had funds left in their 'collateral damages' fund. She finalized the reports, signing them off along with offering to pay their full damages. She also left a note with them to give to the ones responsible. Luna slowly moved her hand around the finished documents, until they vanished. Getting this slight breather out, Luna finally felt ready to tackle the rest of the stupid forms and complaints.

---------- ---------- ----------

"I still cannot believe that you of all people are in here as well."

"I can't believe that he racked in more property damage than ya, Perry."

The two men chatting away were oddly dressed, especially the one wearing a white ceramic mask. He wore a long sleeved diamond patterned shirt, with each diamond alternating between green, red, and white. The colors were incredibly bright and showy, nowhere matching the beige pants he wore. They were slightly dirty from the scuff at the hospital, but overall still intact, along with the creepy mask he wore. The diamond shaped eyeholes were covered with a tinted glass that only barely allowed his full field of vision. The mouth was a painted on blue, overly happy smile. The mask itself was slightly covered by his shaggy, yet well-kept brown hair.

The other wore a dark black suit, though scuffed up as well and smelling of alcohol. He had long brown hair, a darker shade than the other man’s, covered by a fedora tilted to block out light from his dark brown eyes, still suffering the effects of intoxication.

The two sat next to each other in the holding cell as another person was led in himself. His own brawl concluded, he was left with red stains on his grey hooded sweatshirt and a few spots on his jeans. Though his face was relatively well hidden from view by his hood, strands of his blond hair could be seen, along with his golden eyes, bright yet cold. He obediently followed the disgruntled guard's direction and sat down next to the two. The three remained quiet for several minutes as the guards locked up the holding cell, shaking their heads.

“So…Perry…did you at least get a clean bill of health?” The one in the suit asked, flashing a grin. The man in the mask, Perry, shrugged and looked away.

“Well, it does seem my magic works fine now, though I doubt I will be allowed back anytime soon.” Perry responded, drooping his head. “All I wanted was to keep my mask on, but they said it would mess with the machine. Then…they tried to…” Perry started to lightly sob, his expression hidden behind his masks smile.

“Tell me, where did they touch you?” His friend in the suit asked, patting his back. Perry proceeded to point on all sides of his mask, calming his sobbing. “It will be alright, Perry. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Thank you so very much, Catacomb.” Perry said, giving his friend a hug. “What about you? I would be sure Twilight would have come and picked you up. You have been in here for almost sixteen hours.”

“Well…funny story actually. Yes, she was here, but she told me that asking to let me out wouldn’t ‘teach me a lesson.” Catacomb said, perfectly mimicking Twilights voice and tone with the last bit.

“Have you learned your lesson, then?” Perry asked.

“Hehe…no.” Catacomb said, smirking. “Besides, it could be worse. You could be in here for assault.” Catacomb said, turning his gaze to the third man. He stood quietly against the wall, ignoring them for the most part. “Isn’t that right Ark?”

“Sure.” Ark plainly replied, shrugging his shoulders. He didn’t really care at this point.

“I have to ask, Ark. Why did you decide to do that? You’re usually the most sensible of the group.” Perry questioned him. Catacomb stared at him curiously as well, wanting to know himself.

“He said something mean.” Ark quietly said, turning away. Perry and Catacomb looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Ark ignored them, preferring this over questioning any day.

“You, the calm maelstrom, stirred by a few insults!?” Catacomb said between laughing.

“Sure.” Ark coldly replied, trying to hold himself back from beating the two senseless. Last thing they needed was more property damage. Thankfully, before any of them could continue on, a lunar guard, wearing the classic dark armor, came to the door and started to open it.

“You’re all free to go…” He said, sighing. “Seriously try to be more careful, the whole lot of ya. Catacomb, Ark, Luna will be docking you pay for this.” Catacomb groaned annoyingly while Ark simply nodded. “Perry, she told me to tell you this is a parting gift, and don’t mess up again.”

“Tell her thank you for me, then. Well, I am off. I sure hope Fluttershy isn’t mad at me.” Perry said, the three of them making their way out of the holding center.

“At least she’s reasonable. I’ll need a lightning rod by the time Twi’s done with me.” Catacomb said, shuddering nervously. They quietly made their way outside, Ark removing his jacket, wearing nothing but a white tank underneath. He spread his dull grey wings out, preparing for takeoff. Catacomb quickly waved to him to get him to stop for a second. “So Ark, you going back home or chilling in a hotel?”

“Hotel.” Ark answered, quickly jumping up and flapping his wings. Within seconds, he was gone to do whatever it was he does.

“Well then…” Catacomb said, amazed that something so apathetic could exist. “…wanna get a few drinks? On you, of course. I just had my pay docked!” Catacomb said, his eyes screaming please.

“Fine…” Perry said, sighing. “At the very least, they still have your gun until tomorrow.”

“Hell yeah!” Catacomb said, cheering happily as he jumped into the air.

“You really do never learn.” Perry said calmly as he followed behind him. “Though I have to ask, where exactly are you planning on getting one?”

“Why the bar of…oh…shit!” Catacomb said, smacking himself in the head. “Kinda blew them up, didn’t I?”

“Like I said, never learn.”

You’re Telling Me the Library Actually Lends out Books?

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You’re Telling Me the Library Actually Lends out Books?

“Twilight, I’m bored.”

“I am quite confident in your ability to find something to do. I am busy today.”

“But Twilight…”

Catacomb moaned annoyingly as he hung around the back of Twilight’s chair. She was dressed up in a white blouse and long purple skirt, her long dark blue hair put up into a bun, something that Catacomb had found oddly sexy. Finally to complete the look, she had a pair of purple rimmed reading glasses over her eyes, which skimmed through the scroll in front of her. Catacomb slumped over, lazily placing his head on her shoulder, staring at whatever it was she was reading. “So…whatcha doing?”

“Making sure that all of the books for this month have been returned on time.”

“Wait…You actually lend out books?” Catacomb asked, legitimately shocked.

“This is a library,” Twilight responded, slightly annoyed. “I don’t get paid to do nothing.”

“But…I haven’t seen anyone in at all since I got here,” Catacomb said.

“We usually get them early in the day. You would notice if you usually didn’t sleep until two in the afternoon,” she said with a small laugh in her voice.

“Well that does make sense, I guess. What can I say? I always preferred the nightlife. So, why are ya so fascinated with books, anyways?” Catacomb asked as he continued to watch her work.

“Knowledge from years, decades, and centuries ago. You can learn so many things from books!” Twilight said, starting to get into it. Catacomb had a feeling that he would thoroughly regret asking that. “Great writers putting down not only their thoughts, but emotions into every single pen stroke. Action, adventure, romance and mystery. Fiction or non-fiction. Every single work of literature is a learning experience which brings you into a whole new world that you never would have been able to explore. Then there are textbooks, important knowledge stored for anyone to use. Learning from the greatest mages, maps drawn out by brave explorers who dared to search through new lands. What is there not to like about books?” Twilight said, finishing her monologue, smiling cheerfully.

“Guess you have the right job, huh?” Catacomb said, smiling nervously. He had heard about her slightly obsessive tendencies, but never experienced it firsthand.

“Celestia was so kind to let me handle it on my own. It is such a great feeling being able to take care of so many great works. What do you like to read, Cata?” Twilight asked, turning away from her paper to look at him.

“Well, as far as books go, I haven’t really read too many. Mainly biology and psychology stuff, ya know?” Catacomb said, shrugging.

“Those are actually some pretty high level subjects,” Twilight said, slightly impressed.

“If I wanna pretend to be human, I gotta learn what makes up humans.” Twilight nodded. “As for psychology…well I just like to mess with people sometimes,” Catacomb said grinning.

“Not really surprised. Only you would go through great lengths to be irritating,” Twilight said, smirking. Catacomb chuckled and kissed her cheek, drawing a slight blush from her. She turned her head back to the list, trying hard to hide the small smile on her face. “Like I said, irritating.”

“I do my best, Twi,” Catacomb said happily. “So, who exactly pays you anyways?”

“The city does,” Twilight said, writing a note next to one of the names. Catacomb figured it was an overdue book.

“I would ask you if it was boring, but I know you better,” Catacomb stated.

“To be honest, it does have its ups and downs. I wish there were more people who were as enthusiastic about books as I am,” Twilight said, sighing.

“Sorry to break it to ya, but I doubt you’ll find someone nearly as obsessed as you are. I can’t imagine more than one of ya.” Twilight shrugged, bouncing Catacomb’s head slightly.

There was a knock at the door, startling the two of them. Twilight looked up from her spot, staring at the door. “Come on in!” She said, trying not to yell too loudly. The door opened, followed by a tanned, brown haired man walking inside. He was lightly dressed, wearing a white tee and jeans with a horseshoe design on his shirt. “Good afternoon, Caramel.” Twilight said.

“Good afternoon, Twilight,” Caramel said, nodding. His attention focused in on the man still drooping over her shoulders. “Who’s that odd fellow on your shoulder?”

“This is Catacomb, my boyfriend. Cata, this is Caramel.” Catacomb casually waved, with Caramel responding in kind. “How can I help you today?”

“Well, I was hoping you had something new in the realm of umm…well…” Caramel tried speaking, though he couldn’t finish his sentence. Catacomb grinned slightly as Twilight patiently waited for him.

“Why are ya looking at me like that?” Caramel asked Catacomb. He causally got up from his spot, and walked over to him.

“Trust me. You don’t need to be embarrassed. I have seen that look many times before, and I know I will continue until the day I die,” Catacomb said, patting him on the back. “Twi, why don’t you go take a break. I got this.” Both Caramel and Twilight looked at him strangely.

“Are you sure, Cata?” Twilight asked.

“Trust me, Twilight. I think he would prefer my help anyways.” Twilight shrugged and got up, making her way into the kitchen.

“Want me to set aside some tea?” Twilight asked, turning around and looking at two. Both Caramel and Catacomb nodded, Twilight smiling and finally walking away.

“So, you’re looking to impress someone you like?” Catacomb said quietly once Twilight was out of range. Caramel’s eyes widened.

“How did you know?!” he said, slightly surprised.

“Kinda my thing, I guess," Catacomb lied, preferring to hide his changeling nature. "I understand that it is weird asking a girl about those kind of things, so what exactly are ya looking for?” Catacomb said, crossing his arms as he waited for the response from the client.

“Well, I finally gathered up the courage and asked her out. Thankfully she said yes, but I never really been on a date before, and I don’t wanna mess it all up. I have a long history of such.”

Catacomb nodded, looking around at some of the books on the shelves. “Well, as far as actual dating advice, I doubt either me or Twilight would have been helpful. Still new at the whole couple thing,” Catacomb said as he still went through the books, trying to find something.

“Seriously? You two seem so…well natural.” Catacomb chuckled slightly, shaking his head.

“Thanks, but we really are just winging it. If you want my advice, don’t get romance advice from a book. Sure, they are great for this, but ya should just do what you think you should do. If you mess up, at least you weren’t acting. Nothing pisses a girl off more than finding out that her relationship was made up on lies. Trust me, I am an expert on that.”

“That really works?” Caramel asked. Catacomb nodded, flashing him a grin.

“Things don’t always go smoothly, but for the most part, if it is meant to be, then it is. Anyways, you should just pick out a book anyways, so Twilight doesn’t scold me for failing to assist.”

“Umm sure. Just sign me out something interesting.” Catacomb nodded and grinned slightly, grabbing a book that caught his eye. He carried it over to the desk and signed and dated the time card in the book. He then wrote it down in the ledger after taking some time to find it.

“I guess they really do lend out books. Anyways, just have it back by the end of the month, and good luck tonight.” Catacomb said, handing the book to him.

“Thanks again…Catacomb was it?” Caramel tried to remember his name correctly, not really sure.

“Yuppers, though my friends just call me Cata. Take it easy, Caramel,” Catacomb said, as Caramel approached the door. He was about to leave when a familiar voice stopped him.

“Leaving already?” Twilight asked, walking back in with a small tea tray, housing three full cups. Caramel nodded and smiled.

“Yeah, got big plans tonight. Thanks again, Cata. I really appreciate the help."

“Anytime. Enjoy the book,” Catacomb said, waving as he walked out. Twilight walked over to her desk, Catacomb making some room for the tea. She set it down and took a seat, looking over everything with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“I am impressed, Cata. You really can be professional when you want to be,” Twilight said, sipping her tea. “You even remembered to record the book in the ledger.” Catacomb beamed as she complimented him.

“I didn’t want to mess anything up and all. I know this means a lot to ya,” Catacomb said, blushing slightly. Twilight chuckled and handed him his cup.

“So what did he check out? Twilight asked, though she didn’t really wait for an answer, checking the ledger herself.

“Just something for tonight. He was kinda uncomfortable talking about in in front of you, guy stuff and all, so I gave him a good helping hand,” Catacomb said, smiling as he knew what was coming next.

Twilight stayed quiet, reading the ledger a few extra times to make sure she wasn’t reading it incorrectly. Finally, she slowly closed the log, blushing heavily. “The…Kama…Sutra?”

There is a Robot among Us

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There is a Robot among Us

“Their cold lifeless eyes gazed at the people. They could only watch in complete terror as friends, neighbors, and even lovers stood before them. ‘The rule of humanity has come to an end!’ The one standing in front of the emotionless mob said. The citizens, cornered like rats to the menace that laid dormant within their city, shook in fear, knowing that their time was at an end. ‘Now surrender or perish, for it is time for the rule of the machine!’ All of their eyes glowed red, skin melting off, revealing the truth underneath. They all aimed their laser arms at the group, and with the flash of red that followed, the only people that knew had been silenced. ‘Prepare, for this town is just the beginning!’ The leader yelled out. ‘The robot empire will soon control...the world!”

“EEP!”

“Oh come on, Sweetie Belle. It wasn’t that scary.” Inside of a well-built treehouse, two girls sat on the floor, one clinging to the other, as a third closed up a book. The clingy one wore a simple white dress, her hair a light purple and pink, though it was ruffled up as she was pressed against the one wearing denim overalls over a dusted up yellow tee, a bright pink bow holding back her shoulder length red hair.

“Easy for you to say, Applebloom.” The one called Sweetie Belle said, still clinging to her friend.

“It was just a story, Sweetie.” The one who was reading said. “I think it was awesome!” The last of the young girls had short and messy magenta hair. She wore an orange tee and shorts, with two small wings sticking out of her back, which flittered about with excitement as she thought back to the story.

“Nice job reading, Scootaloo. Ah think you have a knack for that.” Applebloom said, as Scootaloo raised head proudly.

“Nah, kinda boring thing to be good at.” Scootaloo said, shaking her head.

“So, what else do we have planned for today?” Sweetie asked the other two.

“Ah gotta help my sister in town today. Ya’ll can come along if you want!” Applebloom said. The other girls looked at each other, not really that enthusiastic about the idea. “One of those new guys said they would help.” Applebloom said, smirking. The other two perked up, suddenly becoming very excited.

“Is it gonna be Perry?” Sweetie asked nicely. “He’s so handsome and mysterious.”

“Please. That other guy is walking coolness in a sweet outfit.” Scootaloo chuckled, pushing Sweetie out of her daydream.

“Neither, I heard. Some fella named Ark.”

---------- ---------- ----------

“Thanks again, pal.” Applejack said, loading up a wooden cart with a basket of apples. She wore a simple work outfit, consisting of a red flannel shirt and jeans, and dusty boots. On top of her long blond hair, which flowed down freely until being tied off at the end, her Stetson hat worked to keep the hot sun out of her eyes. “I know you’re probably busy an’ all.” The man next to her deftly lifted up the last basket and placed it on the cart. He turned towards her, his face still as uncaring as it usually was.

“Not really.” He replied. He wiped a little sweat off of his brow, most of it still covered in his hooded jacket.

“Aren’t ya hot in that thing? I wouldn’t want you to collapse on me. Why don’t ya take it off? It will make this a whole lot easier.” Applejack said, concerned for her friend’s well-being.

“No thank you. I’m fine.” Ark blandly replied. Besides being the most she had ever heard him say at once, Applejack knew better than to try and argue with him. He would just coldly shrug it off and do what he wanted anyways.

“Suit yerself.” She said, checking the cart a final time to make sure it was good to go. “Where in tarnations is Applebloom?” Ark turned towards her, staring curiously. “She’s my sister, and she was supposed to be here helping me load up as well.” Applejack said, mildly annoyed.

“Are you older?” Applejack was a bit taken back by the question. Not the question itself, but more for the person asking it.

“Well…yeah. She’s about a year younger than Spike, Ah suppose. Why do ya ask?” Ark shrugged and turned around, waiting at the front of the cart. Applejack just couldn’t figure him out sometimes, but at least he wasn’t a mess this time around. Frankly, she was unsure if she should ask him after she witnessed the marketplace incident, not wanting someone unstable around her family, but in the end he was defending someone else. Still, violence shouldn’t always be the answer.

“Is she one of them?” Ark asked, pointing to a group of girls charging at them. Applejack sighed and nodded.

“Figured the whole lot of them might come.” Applejack shrugged and waited for the girls to get closer before scolding Applebloom. “There ya are. You were supposed to be here a half an hour ago.”

“Sorry. Scootaloo picked up this great book, and before we knew it, we were late.” Applebloom said, feeling slightly guilty as she spoke.

“It wasn’t a problem, I guess. We managed to get everything set up in time. Ark, the one with the bow is my sister, Applebloom.” Applejack said to Ark, as he turned to stare at them. They looked at him closely, his cold, emotionless eyes striking a familiar terror into their hearts. “Why don’t ya’ll say hi?”

The three girls slowly walked towards him, becoming more intimidated by his lack of expressions as they grew closer. “uh…er…hi?” They all said at the same time, carefully looking over him. They immediately jumped when he moved his arm to wave, before getting back into position.

“Well, I guess we should get going.” Applejack said, grabbing a hand rail at the front of the cart. “Now why don’t ya’ll hop on and make sure none of them apples fall out.” Applejack asked. The girls quickly nodded, hopping onto the back. “Are ya ready, Ark?” He turned toward Applejack and slowly nodded, before they both started to push. The road was smooth and it was easy enough, but Applejack knew that this would be difficult without help. Thankfully, her brother’s stupid back injury was just about healed, and he could get back to work next week, but for now she had to continually rely on Perry and Catacomb. Unfortunately, both were busy, and it was by luck that she ran into Ark, who was more or less blankly walking around anyways. “Yer not half bad, Ark.” Applejack said, finding out that pushing the cart was easier than she thought it would be with him. “It’s not too hard, right?”

“No.” Ark answered, his tone sounding almost mechanical to the three girls in the back. They both huddled together nervously looking back and forth at each other.

“You don’t think…”

“Ah dunno…”

“Could he be…?”

“A robot?!” They all said together in a hushed whisper. They turned back around, staring at him as he continued to push on, despite being smaller than Applejack and wearing way too many layers.

“That would be crazy! Robot’s don’t exist.” Scootaloo said, not wanting to think that.

“I don’t know…You saw his eyes. It felt like he was staring into my soul!” Sweetie Belle said overdramatically, something she obviously picked up from her sister.

“We can’t be jumpin’ to con…concussions now, ya hear? He could be just another person.” Applebloom said, trying to be the voice of reason, yet she somewhat doubted her own words.

“I say we keep an eye on him. If he really is a robot, then there are sure to be more. We could stop the robot invasion before it even happens!” Scootaloo said, getting a nod of approval from the rest of them.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Robot Detectives!” They quietly chanted, though still checking to make sure their quarry hasn’t noticed yet. He and Applejack seemed completely oblivious to their plans.

“So, how do we figure out if he’s a robot?” Sweetie asked.

“If I remember correctly. They can’t express human emotions.” Scootaloo said. “You saw him before, right? Someone could kidnap his puppy and I doubt he would care.”

“They also are much stronger than normal folks.” Applebloom said, pointing at how easily he was able to push the cart. “He ain’t struggling at all. Still, we can’t judge em’ yet.”

“The robots had switches on their backs!” Sweetie exclaimed. “I bet he wears those heavy cloths to hide his!”

“Whatcha all talkin’ about back there?” Applejack asked, hearing them loudly whisper for some time.

“Nothing!” Applebloom responded, holding up her finger to keep her friends quiet.

“Alright, then. Just try not to cause any trouble, ya hear?” Applejack said, her knowledge reflected from years of experience.

“We should tell someone.” Scootaloo said, the three going back to whispering.

“Don’t ya remember? No one will believe us! I don’t even believe us!” Sweetie said, flailing about slightly.

“Didn’t they have some sorta weakness?” Applebloom asked, trying to remember what it was. They all sat in quiet contemplation, trying to remember what it was. It seemed that it came to them all at the same time as they quickly shouted it out once they realized it.

“WATER!” They all quickly covered their mouths, afraid that they were busted. Applejack turned her head, looking at the three. They were sitting, smiling innocently at her. Applejack raised an eyebrow, before turning towards the front.

“If ya’ll are thirsty, Ark could take ya to the soda shop. That alright with ya, partner?” Applejack said.

“Sure.” Ark said, not bothering to look at her. The three girls shuddered once again as he spoke.

“We’re old enough to go by ourselves!” Applebloom quickly complained.

“Last time I gave ya money, ya spent it all on a ‘magic’ lamp.” Applejack said, slightly annoyed. “Thanks again, Ark. I owe ya a lot.”

“It’s fine.” Ark nodded, not at all bothered.

“Applebloom!” Sweetie whispered over, trying to get her attention. “I got an idea, just say yes.” Applebloom stared inquisitively at her friend before nodding slowly.

“I guess its fine then. Thanks, sis.” Applebloom tried to say as sweetly as possible.

“Operation soak the robot go!” Scootaloo said quietly. They all smiled. It was a good plan.

----------- ----------- -----------

“So…um…Ark, right?” Sweetie Belle watched Ark nervously as she continued to sip her drink. He nodded, sitting back in the chair, not really paying much attention. “You thirsty?”

“No.” He replied.

“Are ya sure?” Applebloom asked, sipping her drink casually. All eyes were on him, not that he actually noticed, as he shook his head no yet again. He also didn’t care to ask why they each got a soda and a glass of water, but it wasn’t for him to say anything anyways. “Do you not like water?” Applebloom asked, looking over at the other two. They both nodded, prompting an odd stare from Ark. It happened in just a single moment, as water from three different directions blasted him in the face. “ROBOTS ARE ATTACKING!” Applebloom cried out, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle making their way outside with Applebloom following closely as quickly as possible in case he exploded.

Ark quietly sat there, all eyes on him, as the person at the counter went over to him. “Are you okay, sir?” She asked. Ark took a deep breath, and turned his gaze towards the woman.

“Do you have a towel?”

----------- ----------- -----------

“…And that’s what happened.” The three girls finished their retelling of how they single handedly saved Equestria to Applejack, who seemed less than amused by their actions.

“So, let me get this straight. You think that Ark is a robot?” Though she was upset, she had to struggle to hide a laugh, otherwise her point wouldn’t get across.

“It was all so easy to see. Every single sign of being a robot! There was no other explanation!” Sweetie said, waving her arms about to try and express the importance of their actions.

“And ya left the shop screamin’ and hollerin’ with poor Ark soaked. “Applejack continued to verify the story.

“He was gonna explode!” Scootaloo said. “Did ya want us to explode with him? Could you live with yourself if Applebloom got exploded?!”

“Did ya’ll even hear an explosion?” Applejack asked. The three girls opened their mouths to speak but nothing came out. “Ah though so.”

“Hello…” The three girls’ eyes widened, recognizing the monotone voice from behind them. They slowly turned around, staring up at the damp face of Ark. He simply looked at them, no emotion in his stare whatsoever. Bending over slowly, the girls huddled close together in fear. “Waterproof coating…” With those few words, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran like the wind screaming about the upcoming robot invasion. He stood up and looked at Applejack, who stared in awe at the stoic man.

“Did you…Did you crack a joke?” Applejack asked, staring into his eyes. For just a brief moment, even though he shrugged, she could see a hint of emotion in his golden eyes, the slight spark of mischief.

“Did I go too far?” He asked, slightly concerned figuring he could still hear them screaming about a robot attack.

“Nah.” Applejack said, a grin on her face. "I'm sure they'll figure it out sooner or later."

Oh So Pretty

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Oh So Pretty

Perry sat idly on the couch, not bothering to make a sound. It seemed so harmless at the time, never actually having thought it would be this big of a deal. Several heated battles and a trip to the hospital made him almost forget about something he didn’t even see as a big deal at the time. It was still hard to tell why the woman in front of him was so full of energy and enthusiasm about something so subtle. A few weeks ago, prior to Sombra’s attack, he had said he would join Rarity and Fluttershy on one of their weekly spa treatments. It was more of a way for her to say thank you, but he wasn’t sure why it was such a big deal to her. Fluttershy didn’t seem nearly as excited, but she still had more pep than usual.

“I can’t remember the last time we were supposed to have a spa date! This is so marvelous!” Rarity said, brushing her long purple hair out of her face. She was wearing a subtle white sun dress, appropriate for the season as hotter weather began making its way to the small town. Fluttershy, on the other hand, seemed like the opposite, dressed in a yellow sweater and white pants. She had her long pale pink hair blocking most of her face, furthering the thought that she must be slowly cooking. “Thank you again for agreeing to join us, Perry. All of that fighting can’t be good for you.”

“It really doesn’t bother me, but I don’t see the harm, really. Never been to a spa before, so I can’t say I know what to expect.” Perry said honestly.

“It is so relaxing, Perry.” Fluttershy said, patting him on the shoulder. “You will love it.”

“So Perry, do you have any idea of what you want?” Rarity asked as she headed towards the door, obviously more than ready to enjoy herself.

“Whatever you think is good, I guess.” Perry said, standing up and offering a hand to Fluttershy. She accepted it and pulled herself up as well.

“The full treatment then!” Rarity exclaimed happily, waving the other two along.

“Before I do go…I have to ask. Is it appropriate for me to even be joining you?” The question was legitimate, and Perry figured she would handle it with care.

“We will all be wearing bathrobes, silly.” Rarity answered, Perry’s question of common decency probably ignored for the most part. He figured there really was no getting out of it at this point so he might as well enjoy it. At the very least, he could torment Catacomb with the grand tale for all of eternity.

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“So give us the full package, please.” Rarity said, laying the money on the counter.

“Absolutely, Miss Rarity.” The receptionist wearing a light pink dress responded using a somewhat exotic accent. The other woman behind the counter, wearing the exact same dress though a light shade of blue, began to quickly crunch up the numbers. Perry looked at the two, finding it odd that the hair color of one matched the dress of the other, though he figured it might be rude to bring it up. “Is he with you as well?”

“Oh I am sorry. I almost forgot. Aloe, this here is that dashing gentleman I have been talking about.” Rarity said, pushing Perry forward. He bent down and bowed politely, his normal way on introducing himself.

“Ahh, so this is the famous Perry.” Aloe said, giggling slightly. He started to ponder about what exactly Rarity said about him. “I am Aloe. My sister, Lotus, and I run this fine establishment.”

“A pleasure, Miss Aloe. I hope it isn’t too awkward with me being here.” Perry said. Aloe shook her head, looking him over slightly as she did.

“Though we don’t usually receive male clientele, I assure you that you are not the first. I just ask that you behave yourself while you are here. We are not that kind of spa.” Aloe asked politely, receiving a nod from him. “Perfect! Head over to the changing room when you are ready, we will begin with a massage.” Perry watched as Fluttershy and Rarity seemed to instinctively know where they were going. He slowly followed along, trying to not do anything that would result in his permanent shame and humiliation. Aloe noticed this and pointed him in the direction of the men’s changing room.

“Thank you very much. Where exactly do I go from there?” Perry asked politely, a bit of a whine in his tone.

“When you walk in, it will be the door to your right, and go straight down the hall.” She responded, obviously amused by his slight immaturity. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.

“Thank you again. You are so helpful!” Perry enthusiastically thanked her and walked into the changing room, preparing himself for a challenge of a lifetime.

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“Oh, that feels wonderful!” Rarity purred as a blond haired woman worked on her, forcing out all the built up tension from weeks past. Fluttershy was being taken care of by Aloe, who seemed much gentler with her than Rarity’s masseuse. Needless to say, the overall scene made Perry feel uncomfortable. The lack of clothes on his friend, his girlfriend being in the same state, and besides his mask he was wearing only a robe. Nothing about this entire scenario seemed right, but it was happening. Perry might as well embrace the absurdity of the situation and at least enjoy it for what it’s worth. He walked over to the empty table where Lotus had waited, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Sorry about the delay, Miss. First time jitters I guess.” Perry said, laughing slightly. “So I just lay down?”

“If you could, do you mind sliding down the top part of your robe, first?” Lotus asked. She had the same accent as her sister, yet her tone was just a bit deeper. A mild difference, everything aside. Perry nodded and slowly slid down his robe to his waist, pausing when he heard her gasp slightly. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Lotus asked, pointing to the scar on his chest.

“Oh. A fight with my great grandfather. Not to worry.” Perry said, his tone more chipper than Lotus expected. “So just lay down?” She nodded, letting Perry get comfortable on the table. His face laid in a hole in the table, staring at the ground nervously.

Lotus not wanting to ask about the matching scar on his back, began to assess her situation. He was tense. Very tense. In fact, it was as if she was trying to massage stone. “I will need you to try and relax, Perry. It will be difficult to do anything as you are now.”

“Sorry. He took a few breaths to calm himself, as Lotus began again. She started pressing into him, but it wasn’t that much more different than before.

I wonder if he has ever relaxed before in his life. Lotus pondered. She decided to try and use more pressure to at least loosen him up slightly. She pressed down, almost met with an equal amount of resistance. She looked down at him, to see he was still doing the deep breaths to stay relaxed. I am not bested yet! She continued to try and press down harder, and more vigorously, but her client’s body refused to budge, remaining as adamant as ever to not be worked on. She stopped for a moment, before a slight grin growing on her face.

“Everything alright, dear?” Aloe asked as Lotus started walking away.

“Of course it is. I just need to get a special tool, that’s all.” Lotus responded.

“Sorry if I am being a bother.” Perry said from his spot on the table.

“Not at all, Sir. You are just more sturdy than most of our clients. I will be right back, so don’t move!” Lotus happily walked out of the room, the other two workers exchanging glances.

“How is it so far, Perry?” Rarity said, not removing her head from her little hole.

“I…I don’t know. I think it started, but I don’t feel more relaxed. Maybe it is just me.” Perry responded, his tone full of confusion.

“Don’t worry. You can trust these fine ladies. If anyone can help you feel better, it is them. They are professionals.” Rarity said, relishing in the treatment she was receiving herself. Aloe continued to work on Fluttershy, easily flattered by Rarity’s compliment, and finding it quite adorable how Fluttershy falls asleep during their sessions. She looked around, trying to figure out what happened with Lotus, when she noticed her walk back into the room holding the mallet style meat tenderizer from their kitchen. Aloe stared blankly at her sister, whose response was a shrug and a smile.

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“So this is what it is like to feel relaxed.” Perry said, leaning forward from his seat in the steam room.

“Aren’t they fabulous?” Rarity said, taking in the cleansing heat for all it was worth.

“Indeed. I don’t know how they did it, but I feel like every knot in my back has been taken care of. I don’t see myself doing this regularly, but I can tolerate it.” Perry said, sighing as Rarity let loose another blast of steam. He turned his view towards the other girl with them, who made every effort to hide behind Rarity. “How about you, Fluttershy?”

“I…it was nice…I guess.” Perry chuckled as she spoke quietly, like the first time they met.

“Are you embarrassed to be in here with me?” Perry asked, his tone slightly amused.

“Well…yeah. I’m sorry, but it is embarrassing. Oh I wish we could wear more clothes.” Fluttershy looked away, blushing heavily.

“That’s adorable!” Perry exclaimed happily, causing her to jump and duck behind Rarity. He pointed a finger at his mask. “All of the steam is fogging up the glass. Though you look sexy as a pinkish white blob, I doubt you have anything to be embarrassed of.”

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The mud bath. An oddity if Perry ever saw one, not that he could see anything at this point. Due to the excessive insistence of Rarity, the encouragement of Fluttershy, and the nice ladies’ recommendation, Perry was wearing a different mask of sorts while lying in a tub of mud. He had no idea what it was, but only insisted he put it on in private. As well as this, there were cucumbers covering each eye, stuck on by the weird mix on his face.

“Rarity, what am I wearing?” Perry asked, looking around to try and pinpoint a location.

“Don’t worry about that, darling. It is what it does for you that counts. You’re always wearing that silly thing, so I figured to have you set up for a pore cleansing.” Rarity said, approximately eight yards at his nine. “Flutters, dear. He can’t possibly see you, so no need to feel embarrassed.” Perry heard a small squeak, four yards away from Rarity, and sounding like the woman in question.

“I know, and Perry isn’t the kind to peek. I just find it…umm…” Fluttershy couldn’t figure out how to describe how she felt. Perry smiled, an action generally unseen to the public, and turned his back to her.

“I understand what you mean. Rarity could have picked certain activities that required more clothing…” Rarity winced slightly, feeling that one directed right at her. “…but if I make you uncomfortable, I am sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Fluttershy said. He could tell that she seemed a bit more energetic in the way she spoke. He heard footsteps coming from where she was standing, walking over to him. After the sound of some fidgeting, Perry felt her hands on the cucumbers over his eyes, almost causing him to react reflexively. He restrained himself, though, knowing he could trust her. The cucumbers were slowly removed, though he kept his eyes shut just in case. “No one can see you.” Perry heard Rarity’s annoyed moans from where she was, confirming what she said. He slowly opened his eyes, starting with the left one. As his vision came into focus, his right eye shot open, a bright blush showing through the green cream on his face. Her face was right across from him, though upside down. Her hair cascading around creating a veil so no one else could see. “You never bother me, and I am sorry if I made you think that.”

“I...It’s quite alright." Perry blinked, like trying to take a picture to remember for all time. He was always amazed that she didn’t mind his odd eye, a crimson red with the exception of his pure black iris. The other one was completely normal, however, a gentle blue matching the duality of his own personality. She smiled and gently stuck the cucumbers back into place and made her way over to her bath. He would have heard her get in, but his mind was somewhere else at the moment.

“I said this once, and I will say it again. You two are just the cutest little couple I have ever seen!” Rarity squealed. “I only wish I could see his face when he finds out you took off your robe.” Perry, barely there at all after that one, was only able to pick up on a loud ‘eep’ from behind him.

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“I do hope you all enjoyed your stay.” Aloe said to the trio as they made their way to the exit.

“I feel so refreshed after all of that, don’t you?” Rarity asked, though both of her friends were slightly unresponsive. She giggled, restraining herself from teasing them any more than she already has. “Anyways, for a first trip. How was it?” Perry knew the question was directed at him, though he had a hard time explaining how it felt. The massage was simply amazing, believing Lotus to be a miracle worker as he had never felt so limber in his entire life. The manicures and hair treatment was definitely weird, and he figured he would avoid that in the future, though his nails did look nice. The steam room was interesting, leaving him feeling refreshed, and the mud bath had left a lasting impression on him in more ways than one. All in all, he wouldn’t do it as regularly as the two, but he wasn’t against it.

“I guess…I feel pretty.” Perry answered. He doubted anyone within a mile of them didn’t hear Rarity laughing that day.

Nice to meet ya, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle

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Nice to meet ya, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle

“You seem much more relaxed than you should be.” Perry said, reading a newspaper at the table, not really paying much heed at the man across from him.

“Please, I got this in the bag.” Catacomb said, his legs kicked up onto the table as he leaned back in the chair, which balanced quite masterfully on its back legs.

“If you say so. I remember my meeting with Fluttershy’s father. It was…memorable to say the least.” Perry chuckled slightly. His temporary roommate started laughing as he recalled the story.

“Didn’t Mr. Squall there point a rifle at ya when you introduced yourself as her boyfriend?” Catacomb pushed back off the table, maintaining balance on the back legs before falling forward and resting his legs once again on the table.

“Like I said. It was memorable. Just don’t act like an idiot, get all clingy with Twily in their presence, and definitely avoid hitting on her mother.” Perry stared at Catacomb, putting the paper down as a means to get his point across.

“Geez, why don’t you just tell me to pretend to be someone else while you’re at it?” Catacomb complained, pushing off the table once again. A quick wave of the hand from Perry reduced the gravity around his legs, causing him to push himself up faster than he anticipated. Flailing around to try and regain balance, his efforts were for nothing as the chair fell backwards. “You’re…an…ass…” Catacomb said, groaning from the impact.

“I know this may not be all that important to you, but the first impression you give will be the lasting impression. Even if you don’t want to, Twilight deserves better than that. Don’t embarrass her, please.” Perry asked politely. Catacomb sighed in defeat.

“I refuse to act like a prissy stiff, but I understand.” Catacomb got back up, placing the chair back where it belonged.

“I’m not asking for much more than that. Besides Night Light and Twilight Velvet are good people. They might be a bit strict when it comes to their daughter, but they do mean well. Just remember that.” Perry got up and poured a cup of coffee. “Cream and five sugars, right?”

“Good man!” Catacomb said, giving Perry a thumbs up. “You ever spend time with them?”

“Not really. Just when they visited the castle on occasion. I don’t know how much they know, but figuring Shining and Cadance are coming along as well, it will surely be interesting…which reminds me. Avoid hitting on Cadance as well.” Perry said, sliding over the cup of coffee with a heart on it.

“Yee of little faith.” Catacomb said, grinning. He picked up the cup and drank it down in one gulp. “I am a good boy.”

“Cute. Well then, Mr. Good Boy, go and get yourself ready. Twilight is probably freaking out, and will most likely need a hand.” Perry said, placing a few ice cubes and a straw into his coffee.

“What about you?” Catacomb asked, placing the cup in the sink.

“I have fifty bits on you screwing up, so if I interfere, Rainbow would kill me for sure.” Perry said, giggling oddly.

“Good to know where your loyalties lie. Well then, say goodbye to your cash.” Catacomb said, walking out the door confidently. Perry chuckled wickedly, his plans in motion, and Catacomb wouldn’t know a thing.

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Stand still. Yeah, that is a good idea. I think I will do that. Catacomb watched Twilight run around in a panicked frenzy, trying to make sure everything was perfect. She had gotten that letter a week back, and spent much of that time trying to make everything perfect. Judging by Spike’s look, who seemed to be content with copying him at this point, this was fairly normal Twilight behavior. Catacomb’s eyes widened when he was suddenly lifted off the ground and chucked into a closet. He didn’t know what hurt more, the impact or being considered part of the environment. He waited patiently in the closet, counting down the seconds on his fingers.

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

“Oh my gosh! I am so sorry, Cata!” Twilight said, opening the closet quickly to let him out. Catacomb wobbled out, still slightly disoriented from the attack.

“It’s fine, though please refrain from doing that in the near future. I think we will both benefit from my lack of brain damage.” Catacomb said, smiling stupidly. Twilight, for the first time all day, had smiled as well. He hugged her, looking over her shoulder to witness Spike making a gagging motion at him. Catacomb casually flipped him off, Spike dismissing it and walking towards the door.

“I should be heading out, now.” Spike said as the couple broke off the hug, Twilight obviously feeling more relaxed than before.

“Go ahead, Spike. Just try and come on back by dinner time, alright?” Spike nodded and walked out the door, getting a subtle wave from Catacomb before leaving. He turned towards Twilight, who was still a few inches away from him. She smiled, blushing slightly. “Thank you for agreeing to do this. Just promise me you won’t do something I’ll regret.” Twilight asked. Catacomb chuckled and smirked, patting her on the head.

“I can guarantee nothing, but I will try my best to at least not do something I consider fun.” Catacomb replied happily.

“I can’t ask for more than that, I suppose.” Twilight rolled her eyes, knowing it was just the way he was.

“So, what’s the plan, then?” Catacomb asked, staring out the window.

“Simple family night. Think you can manage?” Twilight asked, more serious and less joking.

“Probably.” Catacomb said, shrugging.

“That’s good. They should be arriving…” A loud knock on the door and a small smile from Twilight essentially finished her sentence. Catacomb watched curiously as she ran to the door, opening it up. “Hi daddy! Hi mommy! Hi Cadance! Shining…” Catacomb forced himself to hold back a snicker. She must still be pissed at him for forgetting to tell her the big news. The group walked inside, Catacomb recognizing Shining and Cadance from the castle. Where Shining was normally dressed in that bulky armor, today he seemed to be more causal, a blue dress shirt that was a few shades paler than his hair, and beige dress pants. His wife, Cadance, was as beautiful as always. She was wearing bright pink and purple sun dress, easily matching her long hair, minus the lone streak of white. Her light fuchsia wings casually folded against her back, not being necessary at this point in time. He grinned noticing the very slight bulge on her stomach.

His gaze then shifted towards the real reason why he had to behave today. Twilight’s mother and father. Night Light, as Perry had called him, wore something similar to Shining, with the exception of his shirt being a darker blue, matching his short yet well-kept hair perfectly. Twilight Velvet…just damn. She had it going on for an older woman. Catacomb could see where Twilight got her subtle beauty from easily now. White pants with a light purple blouse. Her hair similar to his Twilight’s, though he wasn’t sure if it was a light purple with white streaks, or white with light purple streaks. Either way, she was the walking definition of a sexy older woman. Now Catacomb understood why he would have to try and not hit on her mom.

Everyone happily greeted Twilight, Catacomb purposely waiting in the background politely to try and not do something regrettable. Eventually, Twilight led the four of them over to him, starting to smile nervously. “Mom, Dad, this is Catacomb. He is sort of…”

“Your boyfriend, correct?” Night Light said, eyeing Catacomb over suspiciously. Catacomb extended his hand slowly, feeling as if his every action was viewed under a microscope.

“Nice to meet ya, Mr. Night Light.” Catacomb greeted him cautiously. Night took his hand and shook it, trying his best to give him a smile of his own.

“I have heard quite a bit about you from Shining here.” Night said, releasing Catacomb’s grip. Catacomb glanced at Shining, who nodded slowly. Catacomb turned back towards Night, and Velvet who now approached him as well.

“I want to say he told you pretty much everything, then?” Catacomb asked, his eyeballs darting everywhere to try and confirm the best possible escape route in the case of angry in laws.

“Indeed he has.” Velvet remarked, causing Catacomb heart to beat quicker than normal.

“Shining!” Twilight yelled out, glaring at her brother. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Now dear, it is quite alright.” Velvet said, smiling at her daughter. Twilight looked back at her father, who nodded as well.

“Now Catacomb, as long as my daughter is happy, it doesn’t matter who she dates. Let’s get to know each other today, sound good?” Night Light smiled, Catacomb not sure if he should be nervous or just accept the way things are going.

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“Are you sure it is safe for him to be doing this?” Twilight Velvet asked her daughter as they casually sat on the couch, Cadance relaxing next to them as well.

“Would you rather have Twilight make dinner?” Cadance asked. Both her and Velvet started chuckling, Twilight feeling slightly insulted.

“I have gotten better since that last fire.” Twilight rebuked, more proud than she should have been.

“That is great and all, but what about him?” Velvet asked. “Can umm…you know…can they even cook?” Twilight knew her mother didn’t mean for it to sound rude, but it still upset her slightly.

“Yes, he can cook.” Twilight said, obviously annoyed by the remark. She huffed, turning her head for a moment before taking in a deep breath. “Sorry, I know it probably isn’t easy for either of you.”

“Honestly, Cata doesn’t bother me.” Cadance said. Both Twilight and her mother turned to look at her. “I have known him for a few years now. It would be wrong of me to put him in the same group as the changelings who ruined my wedding. My only problem with him right now is for giving my Shiny so much trouble.” Cadance chuckled.

“He does seem nice enough, though a bit jittery.” Velvet noted.

“He is just nervous, mom.” Twilight said. “He’s odd, but really nice once you get to know him.”

“I believe you, dear. I am surprised he was able to convince Shining, though.” Velvet watched as Twilight started to smile nervously. She figured that Shining left the part out where he and Cata brutally beat each other to near death. She could only hope for a less destructive outcome this time around.

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“So, Catacomb? You work in the same group that Shining does, correct?” Night asked, sitting at the kitchen table. Across from him was Shining Armor, taking a back seat in the conversation. Catacomb was flipping a vegetable stir fry around in a pan, adding in pre sliced vegetables to the sizzling skillet.

“Yup.” Catacomb answered simply, taking a few seconds to check the rice.

“And when did you first meet Twilight?” Night continued to question.

“Hmm…a little over a month ago? That sound about right, Shiny?” Catacomb asked, turning his view to the quiet man. He took a few seconds to do some thinking, before nodding. “Didn’t really get a chance to talk much, then. Went on vacation recently, following suit of another friend, and got to know her. Kinda an odd beginning, but now I am glad to have met her.”

“Now I know you are a changeling, and as hard as that is, I am willing to look past that.” Night said, his tone gaining a rigid strictness one would expect. “But as a man, what can I expect from you?” Catacomb remained quiet, checking everything he was working on, and giving the skillet a quick shake. Night waited patiently for the answer to his question. When Catacomb was satisfied with the food, he turned around and looked at him, his gaze strong and stoic.

“I honestly don’t know how to answer that one.” Catacomb gave his answer, complete seriousness in his eyes. “I have always been more of an actions than words kind of guy.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Catacomb.” Night Light said, taking a deep breath. “I see what you mean, now.” He spoke to Shining, who nodded. Catacomb looked over at him, and then back to Night Light.

“I’ll bite. What did ya say, Shiny?” Catacomb asked curiously.

“I just told him that you two seemed well paired. Twilight tends to overthink things, and you don’t think at all. Perfect harmony.” Shining said, smiling.

“I am not sure if I should thank you or see how good my aim with a knife is.” Catacomb said, grinning while holding a cleaver. Shining gulped, slowly ducking under the table. Night watched the two, laughing lightly at the antic. He wouldn’t admit it, but Catacomb was just the kind of guy he had hoped Twilight would find. If he had to deal with any more prim and proper family members, he would have lost it. “Dinner is ready!” Catacomb yelled out, gathering everyone inside the kitchen. Twilight waited until the end to walk in, just in case.

“I am genuinely surprised.” Twilight’s mom said as she walked towards the stove, Catacomb moving everything into serving bowls. “You…made this?”

“Yeah. I figured something too fancy would be like me trying to brag, so I figured a nice stir fry with a side of rice would be fine. I wanted to serve it alongside a nice red wine as well, but I didn’t want Cadance to feel left out so I hope grape juice will be alright.” Catacomb brought the bowls over to the table and grabbed enough glasses for everyone. Just in time, the door opened as Spike made his way inside.

“Sorry if I am late. Did dad kill Cata yet?”

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“Hey Rainbow?”

“Yes…Perry…”

“I believe you owe me fifty bits.”

Perry and another woman standing next to him were watching the family happily eating dinner, telling stories and overall enjoy each other, from the outside kitchen window. The woman was sporting a subtle sky blue tank top and shorts, colored to match her wings. Her most noticeable feature was her prismatic colored hair which periodically rose debates about whether it was natural. She glared at him, handing over the money with a frown.

“I bet you paid him off to be good.” Rainbow muttered, glaring at him. He chuckled slightly and shook his head.

“Oh silly Rainbow Dash, I simply told him that my money was against him, not for him.” Perry said while counting his dirty money. “Besides, you can’t help but feel happy for them.”

“I’ll feel happy for them when you go buy me something from Pinkie's place.” Rainbow said, smirking and elbowing him. “Besides, we can try again when they meet Catacomb’s mom.”

“Queen Chrysalis having a lunch date with Twilight’s family? I accept that bet, Rainbow!” Perry said happily. The two walked off towards Sugarcube Corner, getting a few good laughs out of Catacomb’s situation.

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“That was fantastic, Cata.” Twilight Velvet said, relaxing in her seat.

“I know, right?” Shining said, nodding in agreement.

“Thanks. I am glad ya like it.” Catacomb smiled happily.

“You should stick around for a while if you can cook that well. For Twilight’s safety.” Night Light joked.

“I have heard the stories.” Catacomb said, chuckling as well.

“You don’t even know the half of it.” Night Light said, pulling Catacomb close. “People screaming in terror, everyone running around trying to put out the blaze, and there Twilight was staring so innocently at me and her mother.” Twilight’s glares at the two went unnoticed, as well as the beginning to a magical incantation. Shining signaled for everyone else to walk into the living room. They did so quickly.

“What happened?” Catacomb asked. “Was everyone fine?”

“No one was hurt, thankfully. But Twilight, as she was looking at us, with the look that would make you feel warm and fuzzy, said to us ‘I don’t know what went wrong?” Both Night Light and Catacomb burst out laughing. The laughter didn’t last long, though. Twilight quickly and violently interrupted them.

“LIGHTNING!” She yelled out, a storm cloud forming over the two and angrily zapping them into silence. They both toppled over, landing on the floor with a thud. Twilight crossed her arms and walked over them, back into the main room.

Catacomb and Night Light laid on the ground, both twitching from the attack. They slowly turned to look at each other, both raising a slight smile.

“Worth it…”

Ponyville’s Nightmare Night Super Awesome Costume Contest Extravaganza!

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Ponyville’s Nightmare Night Super Awesome Costume Contest Extravaganza!

“I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. It gives us great honor in knowing that even to this day, such a wondrous holiday continues to be loved by both the young and the old alike. Whether you have come for the scares, or perhaps the sweets, let us be the first to say good luck to all of you dressed in all sorts of disguises, and may the Nightmare Night celebration begin!” The spotlight, stationed on a Princess Luna, had shut off. The room was left dark for just a second before the light shot back on and people started to cheer. Luna gracefully made her exit, having more towns to visit tonight. After all, this night only comes once a year, so she wanted to get to enjoy it for as long as possible.

The party goers began to mingle, each sporting a different, unique, or just plain out there strange costume. The host of the party, more or less of most parties that Ponyville has, quickly made her way around, checking out the costumes and talking with the ones wearing them. This was a surprising act, considering her own costume was a large hazmat suit decorated with different kinds of candies, and bright pink words in the front saying ‘Partying is Infectious’!

“Hiya Twilight!” She said, walking up to one of her friends. Twilight was sporting an authentic sphinx outfit, wearing the gold trimmed head dress and matching dress, a tail dangling off her back side. She had on gloves looking like large paws to complete the look. “Cute lion outfit!”

“Thank you, Pinkie, but it is actually a sphinx, a grand creature known to guard ancient temples. They ask any who approach them a riddle, and if you do not answer correctly, they eat you up!” Twilight said, not realizing that Pinkie had been gone for some time. “…I didn’t even get to ask her my riddle.” Twilight said, slightly upset.

Pinkie quickly made her way over to the next guest looking him over carefully. He was wearing a brown leather coat with matching colored boots and pants. Under the coat was a dark red shirt, cut low to reveal some of his chest. Finally, he was wearing a tricorn hat on his head, specks of brown hair showing through. His face was covered by a red bandana and a black eye patch with a skull over his right eye. She looked him over for several seconds, thinking hard at who he could be. “Umm…I wanna say…Perry!” His eye widened in surprise, nodding slowly.

“How did you know? Was my disguise that obvious?!” Perry said, slightly panicky. “I knew it wasn’t a good idea to leave without my mask!”

“Don’t be silly. I only guess it because I couldn’t recognize you! Awesome pirate costume by the way.” Pinkie said, laughing happily, the sound slightly distorted by the suit. Perry sighed with relief, thankful that he was successful in remaining incognito except to a few select people. “By the way, where is Fluttershy? I thought she was coming.”

“I know. I thought we had her, but after Rainbow showed up in her costume…well it will take some time to remove the boards from the door. She insisted that I go none the less so here I am.” Perry explained, Pinkie quickly looked around for the culprit. She finally noticed her from across the room, and hurried off, Perry giving a slight wave, not really surprised about her spontaneous departures at this point.

“Rainbow!” Pinkie said, approaching a rather disgusting looking zombie. Whoever did this was good, as it looked like flesh was peeling off her green skin, and part of her brain was exposed. Finally sealing the deal, was a fake eyeball dangling from her left eye. Other than that, she was wearing her normal clothes. “You look so creepy!” Pinkie shuddered, Rainbow smiling triumphantly.

“Isn’t it?! If this doesn’t scare people, I don’t know what will.” Rainbow said proudly.

“But…didn’t you cause Fluttershy to lock herself away again?” Pinkie asked curiously. Rainbow blushed slightly, chuckling nervously.

“Kinda, I guess. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Speaking of scary, you should look for Scoots and her friends. Ponyville isn’t safe anymore.” Rainbow said, a large grin on her face. Pinkie nodded and took off, leaving Dash to start walking around, groaning like the walking dead she was pretending to be.

Pinkie was looking around when she was stopped by Rarity. “What do you think, Pinkie? Isn’t it marvelous?” Rarity asked, showing off her own costume. It was a classical take on the Bride of Frankenstein look, her hair styled upwards in a tower that looks to have used numerous styling products. A colored hair gel gave the appearance of white lightning bolts going from the top to bottom. Her dress was a soft white, long flowing and adorned with yellow gemstones going up to down on both sides. Finally, there were matching white gloves, adorned with the same gemstones lining her dress.

“Your hair…it’s huge!” Pinkie said, her eyes traveling the tower.

“Everyone always notices the hair.” Rarity said, pouting slightly.

“I think you look terrific.” A voice said from behind her. Pinkie peeked around Rarity, who turned around herself. Spike was fully garbed in a knight’s armor. Though obviously not real, he certainly looked the part, minus the light blush on his face. His normally green hair was easily concealed by the large helmet, only his eyes and mouth showing through the visor.

“Aww. Thank you, Spike!” Rarity said, smiling at the teen. He nodded and flexed a pose.

“Anytime, my dear Rarity. Spike the mighty warrior at your service!” He said, flashing a toothy grin.

“Neato!” Pinkie said, looking over the costume. Spike gave her a thumbs up before she made off, looking for more of her friends.

Pinkie continued her search, though it didn’t take long for her to find Applejack, wearing an oddly sexy witch outfit. The entire thing was in one piece, the top covering her chest a bright orange and showed more than Applejack normally did. The rest all black, barely going down to her knees. Finally was the matching witch’s hat with an orange rim. “Wow, you look cute!” Pinkie said, earning a slight frown from Applejack.

“Don’t remind me. Just…never make a bet with Catacomb. Stupid pervert.” Applejack mumbled that last part, obviously frustrated with her appearance.

“I like it. You should dress like that more often!” Pinkie said happily. Applejack stared at her blankly.

“Yer joking, right?” Pinkie thought for a moment, before quickly shaking her head.

“Of course not. If it was a joke, we would both be laughing!” She responded happily.

“Well, if ya wanna see something funny, go find Ark.” Applejack said, smirking slightly. Pinkie’s eyes lit up from behind the plastic screen. She quickly bolted and eventually found, after much effort and eventual surprise, the cold man she had been seeking.

“You…look…so…ADORIBLE!” Pinkie said, jumping up with excitement in front of him. He was wearing a fluffy looking dinosaur suit with plush yellow spines going all the way down to his tail. His hands and feet were completely pink with stubby white claws protruding from them. From inside the suits mouth, his head could be seen, staring blankly at Pinkie. She quickly pulled out some paper and a quill, Ark not really all that curious at where they came from to begin with. She scribbled down a word and handed it off to him. He grabbed it carefully with the stubby claws, taking a few seconds to read it. “Oh please please say that?! It would be so awesome of you.”

“Rawr…Rawr?” The way he seemed to ask what he was doing made Pinkie squeal with delight. She quickly bolted off after finally spotting the three she was supposed to be looking for before she got sidetracked.

It was by far one of the most interesting sets of costumes she had seen the entire night. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo where dressed up fully as miniature versions of Catacomb, Shining Armor, and Ark respectively. Applebloom was wearing the black suit and hat, her hair left to drift about like Catacombs. She even had the mischievous smirk he always had on his face. Sweetie Belle was wearing a slightly bulky gold colored box, drawn on it to look like Shining’s own full plate armor. Her hair was also styled up to look more like the man in question, though it still had its slight pinkish tone and curly bounce to it. Finally, Scootaloo was wearing jeans and a grey hooded jacket with the hood pulled up covering most of her face. She was trying her best to look apathetic, but the occasional smirk got out.

Perry, noticing the group, casually walked over to them. He looked the three over, noticing something missing. “Why am I not included?” He asked, his tone sounding slightly depressed. The three looked at him closely, trying to figure out who the heck he even was. It took them a few minutes looking back at him and whispering to themselves for them to come to the conclusion.

“Perry?” They all asked, slightly shocked. He nodded, surprising the three girls as this was the most they have ever seen of his face.

“Well, Sweetie here was supposed to go as you.” Scootaloo said, attempting to remain emotionless.

“I’m sorry Perry. I wanted to dress up like you! Honest!” Sweetie said, obviously sorry. “When I told Rarity what we were doing, she told me that if I dressed up like you do normally, she would disown me.” Perry remained silent for a minute, Scootaloo finally cracking and bursting out laughing. Pinkie, who had surprisingly remained quiet this whole time, joined Scootaloo in laughter.

“Thank you for considering me, anyways.” Perry said, not all that shocked once he thought about it. “Well, nice costumes anyways.” He said.

“Thanks. If you like it, watch this!” Applebloom said, getting into a mock fighting stance. Sweetie did the same. Both of them lightly simulated the fight that Shining Armor and Catacomb had all those weeks back. Perry and Pinkie watched, both of them smiling. It didn’t last long, as Sweeties odd shape caused her to start to trip, bumping into Applebloom. Both of them fell on the edge of a table, catapulting a bowl of fruit punch into the air and drawing everyone’s attention. The bowl landed and spilled all of its contents onto Scootaloo, completely staining her red. She stood there, completely dumbfound as everything started to smell fruity. Scootaloo never did find out why only Rarity and her friends, minus the person she was copying, was laughing so hard that day. Applebloom and Sweetie got up after recovering from the impact and walked over to her. "Sorry, Scootaloo." Scootaloo did her best to stay in character, simply shrugging it off.

So many awesome costumes, and so little time left. She wanted to find her missing friend, who must be a ninja. He was a changeling, so he really could be anyone here. Anyone at…”Found him!” Pinkie shouted happily, walking over to the only unaccounted friend. Pinkie looked him over, not really sure what to think. Was he actually in costume, or not. He wore his usual black suit and hat, but the rest of him was different, yet familiar. His eyes were a glassed over blue, a slight white tint where the pupil would be. His skin was completely black, and shiny like armor. He had bluish green hair sticking out from his hat, going down to the base of his insect like wings. “Catacomb, that is you right?” She asked curiously. He grinned and winked before wrapping an arm over her.

“What do ya think?” He asked, his voice more raspy than usual, but Pinkie could tell that it was Catacomb none the less. “Only day out of the year where I can relax like this in the open.”

“Is it safe?” Pinkie asked, slightly concerned for her friend.

“Probably not…” Twilight said, approaching the group. “…but so far all he got was compliments, so I guess it’s hard to complain.”

“What? I wear a disguise all year round. This is the only day where I can be me, so I’m gonna live it up!” Catacomb said, proudly.

The party continued on for another half hour, everyone talking and having a good time, with the exception of Pinkie. She remained at a table, counting all of the ballets everyone filled out for the nights costume contest. Finally it was the fated hour of the night as Pinkie approached the center of the room, holding the results in her hand.

“Ladies and gentleman!” Pinkie said loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “The votes are finally in, and it is time to announce the winners of tonight’s costume contest. The votes were counted by yours truly, so let up begin! Spike, man the spotlight!” She said. He sighed, putting it together that he didn’t win, but couldn’t complain with a store bought costume.

“In third place, tallied as a team. The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Pinkie declared happily. The spot light shown on the three girls, who posed for everyone, the room giving them a round of applause. Scootaloo was still covered in fruit punch, probably adding to the victory they received that night. Ark was currently well known for causing…a mess of sorts, not that she knew about it any.

“In second place, the terror from beyond the grave, Rainbow Dash!” Spike shifted the light at the walking zombie, who smiled and loudly groaned and shuffled about, earning an even louder applause than the girls.

“Finally, in first place. He has come to suck out your love, and look stylish doing it, Catacomb!” The spotlight shown down on him, the room lighting up with cheers and clapping.

“You are all so wonderful.” Catacomb said, taking a bow and accepting his praise. Applejack and Twilight watched as he soaked in all the attention.

“Ya know he only won because he cheated.” Applejack said, not really surprised to see it end like this.

“You got to give him credit. For such a numbskull, he can be clever.” Twilight said, shrugging slightly. Applejack couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Who would think that a changeling would be dumb enough to go to a Nightmare Night celebration as himself?

Total Anarchy

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Total Anarchy

A simple sentence. Everything started out with four very unassuming words, from a not so unassuming woman wearing a bright pink blouse with multi-colored balloons all over them and a pair of shorts matching her top. The words were spoken, with no ill intent, to the gray hooded figure casually strolling around town. “Ark, let’s hang out!”

Ark looked up at her, the words bringing him out of his meandering thoughts. Her bouncy pink hair and bright blue eyes practically in his face, giving her best attempt at the puppy dog eyes. Ark stood silent, contemplating his options. On one hand, he could continue to wander around town aimlessly, maybe even fly for a bit with no real direction. He did enjoy that. On the other hand, he would most likely be dragged out on some unexpected adventure with the one person who oozed happiness and joy, emotions that he wasn’t exactly familiar with, therefore making her slightly uncomfortable to be around.

She continued to stare at him, putting as much into being sweet and innocent as possible. Ark wanted to say no, but the look she was giving him made it seem like she would fall to pieces had he actually declined. Letting out a deep sigh, Ark said the one word that would forever leave him contemplating everything he ever knew.

“Sure.”

“YAY! This is going to be super-duper awesome! I always wanted to get to know you but everyone said I should avoid you but I think you’re a swell fellow and we should totally go and do awesome brand new best friend things!” Arks eyes widened slightly as he tried to process the rapid assault of information being crammed into him in such a short amount of time.

“Umm…okay?” Ark said, not really sure what else to say. She jumped happily and grabbed his arm before quickly running towards her home. Ark wasn’t sure what was happening, but as he practically flew behind her, he decided to just go with it at this point and let these next moments work through their course.

Finally coming to a stop, Ark took a few seconds to gain back his composure, the ride taking quite a bit out of him. He wasn’t giving much time, as the stall was momentary, Pinkie quickly dragging him into the bakery where she worked. “I’ll be right back! I have someone I want you to meet!” She quickly bolted up the stairs, leaving Ark to finally get himself back together. Taking in the surroundings, he remembered that she held all her parties at this place. It was interestingly built, as it seemed to be much bigger on the inside than on the outside. His looking around came to a stop when he noticed a woman wearing a bright blue dress and dark pink hair looking at him. She was standing behind the main counter, doing the finishing work on a cake for the display.

“Welcome. I see your friends with Pinkie, though I can’t say I am surprised.” She laughed lightly, earning a curious stare from the young man. “Oh, silly me! Forgetting to introduce myself. My name is Mrs. Cake. I own this wonderful establishment.

“Hello.” Ark said in his usual tone, raising a hand and waving slightly.

“The quiet type? I never would have pegged someone like you being interested in Pinkie.” Mrs. Cake said, smiling happily.

“She is interesting.” Ark responded, shrugging his shoulders. He was completely oblivious to the actual meaning of the sentence, so he didn’t understand why the woman in front of him was squealing in a high pitched manner, calling him cute of all things.

“I’m back!” Pinkie said from behind Ark. He turned around, coming face to face with her friend. He looked at him for what felt like hours, trying to figure out how he should react to the situation at hand. A normal response to being face to face with a large eyed baby alligator could stem from fear to confusion to downright ear piercing screaming in terror. It blinked, one eye at a time, and opened its mouth, showing a lack of teeth. This action was combined with stretching out its neck and gently latching onto his nose.

“Pinkie…why is there an alligator on my nose?” Ark asked calmly as Pinkie let it dangle from its current location.

“That’s the friend I was talking about. Ark, meet Gummy! When I look at you, something about you reminds me of my wittle Gummy Wummy. I just can’t put my finger on it.” Pinkie said, scratching her head. Ark stared down at the intrusive pet and gently picked it off. He handed him back to Pinkie, who let it latch on to her hair, digging through the curly locks. “Okay. The reason I called you here is because I have noticed something seriously bad.” Ark’s interest was quickly piqued at the thought of trouble. “I won’t be able to forgive myself if something isn’t done about it, and that is why you are here!”

“What do you need me to do?” Ark asked, showing some slight enthusiasm in his response.

“Perfect attitude. Now, here is what you need to do. I need you to SMILE!” Pinkie said, jumping up into the air to emphasize the last point. Like a blade to the neck, Ark’s enthusiasm was quickly killed off, replaced with bewildered indifference.

“Umm…okay. I don’t see the problem in doing that.” Ark said. Before he could complete the easy task, however, Pinkie quickly covered his face with her hand.

“No no no no no no! I want the smile to be real. If you fake it, it just won’t be the same.” Ark stared at the dark lit palm of her hand, not really struggling against her.

“I can’t see.” Ark said in a muffled voice. Pinkie quickly removed her grip from him, allowing him to readjust to the bright room.

“So, what makes you happy?” Pinkie asked, pulling out a note pad and a pencil, waiting eagerly to take notes. Ark sighed and turned around, heading for the door. “Wait! Arky, where are you going?”

“This is stupid.” Ark said, continuing his walk towards the exit. He stopped when she quickly moved in front of the door, blocking the exit. “You’re not letting me leave, are you?” Ark asked, though knowing the answer already. Pinkie nodded quickly giving him her most determined face, something that Ark actually found quite impressive.

“I got it!” Pinkie said, jumping happily. “I know what will make you smile!” Ark didn’t have time to respond as he was once again on the move.

---------- ---------- ----------

“Pinkie?”

“Yes Arky!?”

“This was not a good idea.”

“I know, Arky! Just…Keep…Running!”

Within the time that he has been here, Ark’s attitude and actions had earned him a somewhat large fan base from the winged population. Having caught wind of this, Pinkie figured it would make Ark smile by bringing him to one of their meetings, as they had developed a fan club. It was a good idea, as knowing people liked you generally made a person happy. She didn’t, however, anticipate fan girls.

All of his training, experience, and skill couldn’t prepare him for walking into the house. Roughly twenty females walked around, giggling as they stared at candid pictures taken and even homemade plush dolls of him. Among all the other fears he had known in his life, the sudden head turning as they simultaneously noticed his presence, was the worst. Ark understood. The women understood. Pinkie, completely oblivious to the mood, only made it worse by loudly announcing their presence and introducing him to them as her special friend. It only took a second to see every single one of them had suddenly moved into a very close proximity to the two. Ark’s instincts immediately kicked in, and grabbed Pinkie, bolting out the door with a flurry of flying fan girls fluttering after them.

“We love you!”

“Leave that pink floozy!”

“Let me have your babies!”

Ark, shuddering to think of what would happen to them if they were caught, grabbed Pinkie’s hand and booked it around the corner of the next building. He came to a quick stop when he realized it was a dead end. He was certain going back was no longer an option, and he didn’t have enough time to remove his jacket. Taking just a single second to gain his focus, he concentrated on his goal, escape. It had to be fast, and he couldn’t leave poor Pinkie in the hands of those whack jobs, even if this whole mess was her fault to being with. He scooped her up into his arms and quickly ran at the wall. Pinkie wasn’t helping his concentration in the slightest, yelling ‘wheeee’ the entire time. To her, this might have been fun, though everything seemed fun to her. To him, it was essentially a matter of life and death.

“There he is!” One of the girls pointed out, the group flocking into the alleyway behind them. It was now or never, as Ark ran towards the side of the building, and with incredible skill, began running up the side of it, until he knew he was going to fall. He jumped and shifted his weight, landing on the opposite wall and continuing up it. This act had the dual effect of aiding his escape and causing the girl to start to squeal and take pictures rather than chase him down. Before they even realized it, he was over the building and onto the roof. They quickly flew up in search of him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, they haven’t bothered to check the bale of hay that laid on the ground on the opposite side.

---------- ---------- ----------

“I am sorry, Arky.” Pinkie said apologetically, removing more pieces of straw from her hair. They had managed to safely return to the bakery, sitting at a table to catch their breaths.

“I think…I’m going to avoid town for a few days.” Ark answered, shaking his head at the mental recollection of what occurred.

“I just wanted you smile.” She began to sniffle, Ark unsure of how to deal with this.

“How about a muffin?” He asked quietly.

“A…muffin?” Pinkie asked between little sobs. Ark nodded and pointed to the display, at a blueberry muffin that stood its place proudly. Pinkie nodded and grabbed it from its stand, leading the baked good into the jaws of demise. Ark took a bite out of the muffin, Pinkie waiting to see what the verdict. She had gotten more than she bargained for, when she began to squeal in delight as she watched him. A small yet honest smile appeared on his face as he happily took another bite.

Just another Nigh Drinkin

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Just another Nigh Drinkin

“Are ya sure about this, Twi?” Catacomb asked, the couple walking down the well-lit pathway, the sky sparkling and cloud free.

“I know that those other times were just flukes. I highly doubt every time you try and take me out drinking something catastrophic will happen.” Twilight said, chuckling lightly.

“And I got yer backs, should something come up.” Applejack said, walking close behind the two. After some convincing, Catacomb succeeded in getting Twilight to join him at the bar. Applejack, being a surprisingly frequent bar goer as well, added herself into the group, having met halfway, to try and loosen up herself, the spring harvest having just come to an end. Catacomb just wanted to have a drink without another bar being demolished. Anymore and he doubted that any bar would let him in.

“Glad to know, but I highly doubt anything is going to happen today.” Twilight said, smiling happily.

---------- ---------- ----------

“Heya Jim.” Both Applejack and Catacomb said to the bartender, taking a seat at the bar. He was a decent looking middle aged man, with short black hair, and wearing an all-black ensemble of dress pants and a tee shirt. It wasn’t as busy at it usually was, the weekend crowd restricted to what seemed like regulars today. Twilight sat between the two, still incapable of understanding what it was that made places like this enjoyable. Catacomb, she could understand. She understood to stop questioning the unintelligent things he does, as that is part of his unique charm. Applejack, though, was a different story. Looking at her, and her honest living and wholesome family, you could never guess that she was one of the regulars as well.

“AJ, Captain Destructo, good to see you two again.” Jim said jokingly, sticking a shot glass in front of the two. He took out a bottle of whiskey and left it on the counter, before turning towards Twilight. “Hmm, Twilight Sparkle, the librarian, right?” Jim asked.

“Umm…yes. That is me.” Twilight answered, somewhat bashfully.

“Nice to meet you.” Jim said politely. He slid over to Catacomb, quietly whispering into his ear. He nodded to the bartender soon after he was finished, turning back to Twilight. “Well, what can I get for you then?”

“I’ll just have what my friends are having.” Twilight responded. Both Applejack and Catacomb turned to look at each other, sharing and understanding grin. Jim nodded, though slightly uneasy, has he took out a third shot glass.

“Are you sure?” Jim asked, setting the glass down in front of her. “We have much weaker stuff.”

“I am quite sure I can handle myself. They are quite capable.” Twilight said, pointing to her two friends.

“Twi, ya do realize that me and Cata here have built up a tolerance to the stuff, right?” Applejack said, opening the bottle and pouring a glass for herself. She slid the bottle casually towards the open hand of Catacomb, who then proceeded to pour his own.

“I say let her enjoy herself.” Catacomb added in. “If she wants to try the good stuff, I say let her. No harm in doing so. I am going to make sure she gets home safely no matter what.” He slid the bottle back across the counter, and into the open hand of Applejack. Her glass was empty, even though it was just full a few seconds ago.

“That’s what I am afraid of. I don’t want to hear about how you went and took advantage of her while she was as drunk as a skunk.” Applejack said bitterly, sliding the bottle back towards the awaiting hand of Catacomb. It was intercepted by Twilight, however, who proceeded to pour her own glass.

“Applejack, though I do appreciate you looking out for me, I am a grown woman.” Twilight stared down into the brown liquid, swirling it around nervously. It was definitely stronger than her first drink, and she could tell that by the smell alone. Catacomb grabbed the bottle and refilled his own glass, watching Twilight eagerly. With once quick gulp, the liquid was gone, leaving Twilight coughing repeatedly, grabbing at her throat.

“Twilight, ya alright there?” Applejack asked. Catacomb looked over at Twilight, waiting for the verdict on the stuff. A few more seconds passed, Twilights coughing declined to escalate breathing.

“You…you two actually drink that?!” The inexperienced drinker stared at the two, bewildered. Catacomb slid the bottle over to Applejack, and when she filled her glass up, they both swallowed the toxic brew at the same time, slamming the glass back onto the counter top. Grabbing the bottle, she began to pour herself another glass.

“Well, gotta say I’m surprised with ya, Twilight.” Applejack said, watching Twilight stare at the venom in her shot glass. Taking the bottle, Catacomb poured himself another glass, and passed the booze to the cowgirl, who did the same.

“Well, if we are gonna do this, let’s do it right.” Catacomb said, grinning. “To a long lasting friendship!” Catacomb raised his glass into the air.

“To friendship!” Applejack said, repeating his actions. Twilight looked at the two.

“To friendship!” Twilight said, smiling nervously. They all clinked their glasses together before downing the next shot.

---------- ---------- ----------

The fairly large bottle of whiskey was gone, though the effect that it had still lingered. Generally capable of splitting a bottle between just the two of them, Applejack and Catacomb were well off, since they didn’t drink nearly as much as they usually do. Twilight, though, would have definitely been better off sticking to fruity little drinks with the paper umbrellas. Twilight was by no means a mean drunk, thankfully. But she had succumb to the green eyed monster much more easily. This point arose from her glares at the large group of winged women coming in to celebrate for a bachelorette party, sending flirty singles to her boyfriend.

“Oh for the love of...” Catacomb said, staring around the room. This was going to easily be one of those incredibly painful days, not including what Twilight might do to him. “Of all the days, and of all the rottenly magnificent luck.”

“Applejack!” A voice from within a large crowd of women, all dressed quite provocatively, called for the smirking woman. Catacomb stared, one of them walking up to her. “I am glad you made it, AJ.”

“Of course, Blossomforth. Not every day you get to celebrate yer kin getting married. Hope you don’t mind I started the party early for myself.” Applejack said to the brightly colored woman behind him. She was definitely good looking, and Catacomb really had to try and avoid looking at that neck length, delicious looking two tone hair, a bright magenta and green, and the sexy red dress she was wearing. Catacomb groaned, planting his head against the counter. Even though he didn’t exactly want to grab attention to himself, he was doing a lousy job.

“Say, who is that with you?” The one named Blossomforth said, Catacomb refusing to raise his head to confirm or deny being pointed at.

“Hey Cata. Why don’t ya introduce yerself.” Applejack said to the nervous man. Twilight, her stare like sharp daggers, watched the women carefully, making sure she didn’t try anything with her boyfriend. Staring between the three women, Catacomb knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy situation to deal with. He took a deep breath and turned his stool to look at the inquiring woman.

“Hello there. Name’s Catacomb.” He responded with a friendly wave. His eyeballs shifted back between the snickering Applejack, who seemed to know full well what he was going through, and his inebriated girlfriend, who was likely to add arson to her permanent record should this encounter go badly.

“Blossomforth…say, aren’t you that man who was at that outdoor party a couple weeks back?” She asked, Catacomb recalling the incident vividly. He shrugged, neither confirming nor denying her remark. “And you’re Twilight Sparkle?” Blossomforth asked curiously, not expecting to see her at a place like this.

“Mine…” Twilight said with a low rumble. Catacomb began to panic, not wanting this to break out into a catfight. He stopped thinking for a second, wondering if he should second guess his own decision. On one hand, things could get pretty bad, and Twilight would probably be incapable of forgiving herself for her actions, even if she wasn’t all there. On the other hand…a catfight. No more really needs to be said about such a spectacle that any hot blooded male wished to witness in full at least once in their lives. It was the classic devil one on shoulder angel on the other kind of choice. It was going to be his defining moment as a boyfriend, and he knew exactly what to do. The end all be all of this kind of situation, the perfect way to defuse it. He stood up on his stool, placing his fingers into his mouth and whistling loudly. As all eyes went on him, he shouted the words that would make everything all better.

“Next round is on me!” Catacomb yelled out, earning a loud cheer from everyone, including Twilight, even if she doesn’t need any more alcohol. If there is anything that can diffuse a tense situation, it is the promise of free booze. Catacomb, though smiling, cried for his already diminished supply of cash, having just placed an expensive order for a replacement to his broken weapon. He could only hope that Twilight would be able to appreciate his multiple sacrifices on behalf of her. Forking over the cash as the bartender gladly filled shot glasses for everyone in the room, Catacomb sat down, surrounded by everyone present. It was going well until another girl from the mentioned party casually wrapped her arm around him.

“Hey there, sexy.” The blond said, completely oblivious to the increase of red on Twilight’s face. “Our special guest hasn’t arrived yet, so why don’t you be our entertainment for the evening. I can make it worth your while…”

“Light *hic* ning!” A yell came from beside Catacomb, and a rogue bolt of pure electricity struck the ground next to the woman. She jumped back, scowling angrily as Twilight got up from her seat, wobbling slightly. “Keep your filthy mitts of my *hic* Catipoo!” Catacomb sat there horrified, mostly because of the attack, but the nickname was pretty bad too.

“Really? You think you can actually handle a man like that?” The angry blond retorted, chuckling viciously.

“Cloud Kicker, please don’t cause any trouble.” Blossomforth said, getting between the two angry women.

“She tried to fry me!” Cloud Kicker commented.

“I hit one of ya, so *hic* don’t think I can’t hit another.” Twilight said, the obvious effects of overdrinking clouding her judgment. Catacomb fought the urge to laugh at the cute phrase, instead trying to figure out how to get out of this mess. Unfortunately, all plausible options had been exhausted, and Catacomb did not want to blow up any more bars this year. He looked to Applejack for advice, but apparently, whether by alcohol or some sort of spite, she only proceeded to laugh at his difficult situation.

If it was gonna happen, he might as well enjoy it. He tried, he failed, and hopefully enough clothing will get shredded to make the results worth it. Unfortunately, fate wouldn't even offer him that. The bar door opened, Rainbow Dash entering into the bar with a reluctant looking Ark. Everyone stopped and stared, Catacomb using the momentary distraction to grab Twilight and get the hell out of there. She flailed and complained, but was easily silenced and made relatively complacent with a kiss. He booked it out the emergency exit, this being a legitimate emergency to him anyways.

Ark stood in the doorway, staring at the group of girls. Rainbow slapped him across the back, grinning with triumph. “See? I told ya I was best friends with him.” She proudly exclaimed, looking towards Ark. When she noticed his face, she became baffled by his expression. Hidden beneath his hood, his eyes were wide and he was starting to sweat profusely, even shaking somewhat. If she didn’t know better, she could say he was actually scared. “Hey Ark, buddy. You doing ok?”

As the group of over excited women quickly came towards him, he gulped. Before he took off in the opposite direction, Rainbow could have sworn she heard him say something she found kind of odd.

---------- ---------- ----------

Catacomb walked into the quiet library, a giggling Twilight clinging to his arm. He slowly made his way up the stairs, making sure Twilight wouldn’t fall. “Thank you for the fun night, Cata. Why don’t *hic* we make it a memorable one.” She said, her tone somewhat low and sultry. Silently, Catacomb lead her to her bed, laying her down in it.

“As much as it kills me to say this…and it really freakin kills me to say this, but I don’t think our first time should be like this.” Twilight stared at him, pouting cutely. “I will, however stay with you, so no funny business.” Catacomb said, getting in next to her. She chuckled and cuddled up against him, falling asleep within a minute. Catacomb sighed, having successfully dodged that bullet. “If anyone does asked, however, we did it twice. I gotta reputation to uphold.” He said to the sleeping Twilight, even knowing she probably didn’t hear him. Twilight was most likely going to need help in the morning, the first hangover always a doozy. He slowly fell asleep in his lover’s embrace, happy how everything turned out, despite the rocky start and the terrifying middle.

---------- ---------- ----------

“Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked, the bar having suddenly been cleared out. Even Jim was somewhat stunned by the disappearance of the crowd. “What in tarnation’s just happened?”

Rainbow quickly downed a shot, not letting her trip to the bar go to waste. She knew her limits and had to fly home safely, but it didn’t stop her from letting loose after a hard day of work. She stared at the glass and chuckled. “I honestly don’t know. They asked for him to help celebrate Flurry’s getting married thing. Cloud Kicker told me about it, having heard about our epic adventures together.”

“Epic adventures?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, I may have exaggerated them a little, but she didn’t believe me that I knew him. So I came here with him to prove her wrong. Then…well only Ark can tell you the rest, and I highly doubt you’re getting more than five words outta him. He did say something before he left, something like…ummm I think he said ‘not again.”

Rematch

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Rematch

Twilight happily made her way over to Applejack's, having been invited for a ‘big event’. Applejack wasn’t really specific on the details, but she made sure to let everyone know to meet her at her house in the evening. Catacomb happily trailed behind her, whistling some unknown yet cheerful tune. Spike walked alongside her, wrapped in a purple jacket and pants, and a green tee that complimented his messy green hair. He looked over to Twilight, who seemed lost in thought, most likely trying to figure out what was taking place. Bored and wanting to at least talk to someone, he slowed his pace to meet up with Catacomb.

“So, how’s it going?” Spike asked, trying to start a conversation with the man. Catacomb stopped his whistling and turned towards the young teen.

“I can’t complain. I am more psyched that my replacement weapon has finally been finished.” Catacomb said happily.

“What is wrong with just one, though?” Spike asked. Catacomb shook his head, knowing better than to expect someone like Spike to appreciate the general pizazz and sexiness of using two.

“You will understand in time, young one.” Catacomb said, his voice changing to sound wise and philosophical.

“I am pretty sure I understand now. I just think it is a waste of money personally.” Spike commented, casually placing his arms behind his head. “Twilight says you carry around two because you want to look like a badass. Kind of a stupid reason…” Catacomb looked him over, having been insulted by someone easily seven years younger than him. He decided to act like the mature adult that he was.

“Twilight! Spike said a bad word!” Catacomb tattled loudly. Twilight stopped walking, broken out of her trance by the sudden outburst.

“Seriously, Cata?” Twilight said, turning around and glaring. “What are you, five?” Catacomb blushed, kicking the ground in embarrassment.

“Sorry, Twi.” Catacomb apologized. Spike quietly snickered at his dilemma, but didn’t go unnoticed by Twilight.

“Spike, please refrain from using that kind of language.” Twilight said, Catacomb looked over to Spike with a satisfied grin. “Having one foul mouthed man around the house is bad enough.” Catacomb stopped his grinning, and went to ignoring the world altogether. He would probably be better off this way.

---------- ---------- ----------

“Twi…what did I miss?” Catacomb asked.

“For the love of…What is Rainbow doing this time?!” Twilight said, frustrated as she stared at her friends setting up what resembled a makeshift fighting ring. Rainbow was stretching out, wearing a padded helmet and fingerless gloves while standing against one corner. Her outfit consisted of boots, a pair of rainbow colored shorts, and a tight fitting blue sports bra. She was quite fit, obviously proud of her toned figure as she didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest. Staring at her friend, Twilight only just realized the fairly large crowd of people surrounding the ring.

“Heya, Twilight. Glad you could make it.” Applejack said, approaching the still baffled Twilight and the confused Catacomb. Spike, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate and jumped right into the crowd to get a better look at what was going on.

“What is going on?” Twilight asked, staring at Applejack. She laughed, completely understanding Twilights confusion.

“Just a little thing the three of us whipped together.” Applejack said, nodding. Twilight looked around again, taking another look at the setup. “Ya see. Apparently some time back, they got into a scuffle. I figured I would let em’ have their rematch and make some money as well. All of it going towards the Canterlot orphanage of course. I just wouldn’t feel right otherwise. They loved the idea, and here we are.”

“Now by we, who exactly do ya mean?” Catacomb asked, glancing around as well.

“Funny you should say that. Here he comes now.” Applejack said. Both Twilight and Catacombs jaw dropped as they watched him enter the ring from the other side. Wearing the same type of gloves and boots, the only difference was his shorts, covered with red, white, and green diamonds, and the white mask covering his face. He stood around, obviously uncomfortable at wearing so little clothing. His lack of clothes had earned him some attention from the females in the audience, having never seen much of his skin period. He was quite muscular under his outfit. Not the bulgy kind, but more defined than a normal person.

“Is that…” Twilight stared, gaping at the man. If it wasn’t for the identifiable scar on his chest and back, having witnessed that injury herself, she wouldn’t believe it.

“Yup. I am totally going to enjoy this one!” Catacomb said. “How much for tickets?”

“Five bits, but it is going to a good cause.” Applejack said, opening the rather large bag she had with her. Catacomb forked over the money for him, Twilight, and Spike, not even caring about the price. A chance at watching Perry get his ass kicked, especially against a girl, would always be worth it.

“Thanks. It should begin shortly, so just find any old spot.” Applejack began walking around, making sure that everyone was all paid for.

“Ya okay, Twi?” Catacomb asked, poking the woman next to him.

“Is this…safe?” Twilight asked, easily concerned. “I don’t think Rainbow even knows the meaning of restraint.”

“Probably not. Perry’s ability to hold back is kinda sucky as well. In any case, should be interesting.” Catacomb said, making his way towards the ring to chat with his pal before they began.

“But…uhh…ARG! Men…” Twilight grunted out, raising her hands in defeat. She followed, changing direction to talk to her friend as well.

---------- ---------- ----------

“So, hot stuff, what brought this on?” Catacomb asked, leaning against the rope around the ring. Perry, stretching himself out as well, didn’t turn towards him, though he still responded.

“Just a friendly test of skill. I promised her a fair fight one day. Might as well clear up some of my bad karma while I’m at it.” He said, stretching his legs out in a full split and bending down to reach at one.

“That…is still disgusting. A normal person shouldn’t be able to bend like that.” Perry chuckled at Catacombs remark, only pushing himself farther to draw out a pained groan from him. “So, I gotta know. This is gonna be a serious fight?”

“Of course. It would be disrespectful towards her otherwise. I’m only not allowed to use magic or kill her. Takes some of the fun away, but I guess I can compromise.”

---------- ---------- ----------

“Rainbow, as your friend, I highly advise you withdraw.”

“Twi, I appreciate it, but I ain’t going to give up.” Rainbow said, bending downwards to touch the floor of the ring. “Besides, it could get me noticed by the Wonderbolts. Imagine it, Rainbow Dash shows off her epic fighting moves, while helping out the little kids. It will be great for my image.”

“You do remember that you’re fighting someone who, until recently, killed people for a living, right?” Twilight said, obviously nervous.

“Duh. Who else would be able to handle this much epicness. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, he isn’t allowed to use his creepy spells, and I don’t think he is going to try and kill me. You’re just worrying way too much.”

“But what if…”

“Twi…really?” Rainbow said, obviously annoyed. “I doubt he will go crazy, and even if he does, have ya actually seen our ref?” Rainbow pointed towards the referee, donned in a striped shirt, with her long pink hair…

“Fluttershy?!” Twilight gasped, even more shocked now than before. Fluttershy was standing by Applejack, wearing her usual nervous expression. “But…HOW?!”

“She volunteered when she heard it was to help out. I mean, come on. If Flutters thinks this is a good idea, than what more can ya complain about?” Rainbow said, getting up and doing a few practice bounces on the mat, making sure it wasn’t too loose.

“I know when I am beat.” Twilight said, shaking her head. “If you can’t beat em, join em. Give it to him good.” Twilight said, a reluctant smile on her face. This was happening, so she might as well support her.

---------- ---------- ----------

“Ladies and gentleman, thank ya’ll for coming. Applejack said, staring down at the crowd. You’re all wonderful, helping out them little ones, but I know you’re not here to hear about that. Without further wait, let me introduces the fighters. To the left, we have Ponyvilles own fearless flyer, Rainbow Dash. Born in cloudsdale, she has often pushed herself to be the very best flyer, but what people don’t know is that she is also a black belt in karate. Let’s give it up for Dash!” Applejack yelled loudly, the cheers coming from the crowd, from both friends and fans alike. Had it been anyone else, the turnout wouldn’t have been nearly as good.

“Standing over here, is the masked mystery himself, Perry O’te. Many know him as the weird man, always laughing and trying to brighten other’s day. Even so, Perry is an accomplished fighter himself. Using his own unique style combining acrobatics with combat, will the amazing Rainbow Dash even manage to land a hit on him? We are definitely going to find out!” Applejack said, yelling once again to get the crown riled up. Catacomb and Twilight stood near the front to get the best view.

“Now, as for the sake of fairness, neither fighter is allowed to fly or use magic. Despite protective head gear, no head shots are allowed, and the ref or I have the right to stop the fight should one of em’ look too beat up to continue. Other than that, let’s make it a clean fight. Now, who’s ready to watch em’ beat each other senseless!” The entire audience yelled out in celebration, loving every minute of it. Applejack jumped out of the ring, Fluttershy using her wings to lightly hover over it, just in case.

“Alright Perry!” Rainbow yelled from her corner moving towards the center of the ring confidently. “Don’t hold back now, ya hear? I haven’t been practicing for nothing!” Rainbow smiled enthusiastically.

“It would be an insult to you otherwise, Rainbow.” Perry said, walking towards his opponent with no real tactical style. Had it been anyone else, Rainbow would have thought just that. Knowing who he was, however, made his lack of caring so much more exciting for her. They might as well have not been in front of an audience. Even with the yells and cheers, this was their own world.

Perry was generally surprised. It may not have been at par with Cata’s land speed, but managing to cover the distance between them in under a millisecond was no easy feat. Perry had barely managed to catch the punch aimed for his stomach. The crowd was completely silent at this point, not even sure what had happened. Standing around to congratulate her would have to wait, however. Griping her fist, he tried to pull her off balance. Rainbow caught on and immediately shifted her stance to counteract the pull. Initially, Perry was going to hold back some, not wanting to wreck the girl. As he suddenly found his stomach connecting violently with the woman’s knee, he came to the painful conclusion that this was going to be a bad idea.

Teetering back and gasping from the blow, Rainbow refused to relent at this point. She actually managed to place him in the defensive. Still recovering from the violent attack, he was stuck blocking the attacks as they came at him. Punches and kicks, all aimed to deal as much damage as possible. He needed just a little more time to catch his breath, then the fight could really begin. Trying to use as little energy as possible, Perry continued his effort to guard against the feisty rainbow haired fighter, replacing his power with skill, starting dodge the attacks instead of block.

Finally. Perry was back at full, dodging everything thrown at him. Duck, step, shift, swivel, bend, pivot. Moving around easily to avoid the attacks, Rainbow backed off from the assault. She was eager, but she wasn’t dumb. She lost her edge and needed to get another one. Perry, on the other hand, was done playing defensively and went in for the attack. Quickly approaching her, Rainbow went on guard, stepping towards him to increase her threat range, throwing a strong kick towards his side. Perry rolled his body into the kick. Taking it at only half the force while getting in close to Dash. He grappled her leg, pinning it against him, and using his, swept at her other foot. Her instincts kicked in, jumping to avoid the sweep. Twisting her body in midair, she sent her now airborne leg at his head while putting pressure on his side with her grappled leg. He rose his hand to block the strike, but nothing connected.

Pulling back, expecting the block, Rainbow coiled her free leg, quickly stretching it outwards into Perry’s open chest. Perry flew across the ring, into the ropes of the arena. Rainbow fell to the mat, though quickly flipped herself back onto her feet. Perry got up as well, a new sense of respect made against her. He thought back to their first encounter, wondering how different things might have been had they both been on their A game. He owed her, now. By gaining this respect, she also gained the full extent of his capability. If she could handle this, she could handle him making an effort to try and finish her.

He approached her slowly, the feel of his presence changing somewhat. Rainbow stared at him and gulped. She easily recognized this feeling, sending into her an odd combination of pride and fear. It was definitely what set him apart from others. It was the thirst for blood.

He charged at her, the vicious intent spiking as he threw his attack. As a simple survival instinct, Rainbow managed to block the hit, but not before the force of his attack sent her into the ropes. He didn’t stop moving however, continuing his terrifying assault on her. She got up, her legs shaking and her body barely responsive. It was her defining moment. Everyone watched with a cold silence as she braved the oncoming attack, charging herself.

The finale happened in an instant, gasps coming from both spectator and friend alike. Twilight watched, ready to jump in and stop this, but was held back by Catacomb, who very slightly shook his head and smiled. She looked back towards the ring, and gasped at the outcome. Mere centimeters from her face, Perry’s fist stayed motionless. Rainbow’s fist also the same. Both fighters, breathing heavily nodded at one another. Everyone was quiet, even Applejack was speechless at the outcome. Fluttershy, the one who watched the match from her hovering position, smiled knowingly, never having a doubt the entire time.

“That was impressive, Rainbow.” Perry said as he regained his breath. “I would have understood the desire to guard or flee, but you came right at me.”

“You too, Pears…” Rainbow said, a little more out of breath. “Thank you…for not going easy on me.” Perry nodded, as both of them backed away from each other. Coming to terms with the outcome, Applejack finally came to her senses and quickly entered the ring. She approached the two, who haven’t moved in the slightest.

“Are ya two alright?” She whispered. Both of them took a calming breath and nodded. Slowly lowering their tensed fists from one another. Applejack smiled, wiping the nervous sweat off her forehead, and turned towards the audience. “Ladies and Gentleman, let’s hear it for Rainbow and Perry!” The two walked towards the edge of the ring, Rainbow standing triumphantly while Perry simply bowed to them. Everyone started up again, the built up adrenaline from witnessing such a crazy little fight bursting through finally.

Twilight, letting loose a sigh of relief, turned towards Catacomb and frowned slightly. “How the heck did you know what would happen?”

“That’s easy.” Catacomb pointed upwards towards Fluttershy, who slowly landed behind Perry and gently hugged him. “I am sure that if there was any doubt in her mind, Flutters woulda stopped it.”

“…I never thought of that.” Twilight said, disappointed with herself. Catacomb chuckled and happily wrapped his arm around her.

“Come on, babe. Let’s go congratulate those knuckleheads.” Catacomb said, pulling her along with him. Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes, following him towards the arena. Climbing into it, the two walked up to the fighters.

“Wow, Rainbow. That was…stupid and completely reckless and dangerous and…”

“Twilight…” Catacomb said condescendingly. Rainbow had a small frown on her face, looking towards the ground. Twilight looked at him and shrugged.

“And it was very impressive.” Rainbow perked up somewhat. “Even without his magic, I don’t think I could have done what you did.”

“Thanks, Twi.” Rainbow blushed slightly, embarrassed by the praise. “Thanks again for this Perry. You’re a real pal, ya know?” Rainbow said, giving the man next to her a thumbs up.

“Of course, Rainbow.” Perry responded simply.

Fluttershy walked over to Rainbow and gave her a hug as well, making the woman feel slightly uncomfortable. “Umm…Flutters…your embarrassing me.”

“I’m sorry…” Fluttershy quickly broke the hug off. “I just…wanted to say thank you as well…sorry.” Rainbow sighed and gave her friend a quick hug. Fluttershy smiled happily, even with how short it is.

“Rainbow, if I would have known that you could be taken down with a hug, I would have ended the fight much sooner.” Perry said, chuckling. Catacomb started to laugh at the stupid joke as well, everyone standing there joining in. Rainbow frowned, turning away and crossing her arms. “She can stare death in the face, but can’t manage to fight emotions. Almost poetic if you ask me.”

“Alright! That’s it. Prepare for round two!” Rainbow said, trying to furiously charge him, Catacomb and Twilight holding her back. He burst out into a full laugh. Everyone stared at Rainbow nervously. Her frown slowly turned into a smile, and even she couldn’t manage to hold herself back, laughing as well. Everyone stared awkwardly, with the exception of Fluttershy, who smiled happily as well.

“Thank ya’ll for coming everyone.” Applejack yelled to the slowly dispersing crowd, looking down at the bag collected. She turned towards the group and showed them the collection gained. “Thanks for using your overabundance of energy for something useful, Rainbow.”

“Anytime, AJ.” Rainbow said proudly. “Next time, Rainbow Dash shall take out the fearsome Catacomb!”

“In your dreams, Sweetheart.” Catacomb said, smirking. Twilight stared at the two, the fire burning in each of their eyes forced the only possible response. Taking her hand, she thoroughly smacked herself in the face with it.

The Great and Powerful Plan (Part One)

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The Great and Powerful Plan (Part One)

“Come one, come all! Witness the magnificent return of the best, the wondrous, the great and Powerful Trixie!”

…

“Why do I keep coming back here?”

On a portable stage, she stood watching and waiting. A scowl forming as people seemed to straight out ignore her. She looked around, trying to find anyone who would be willing to observe her show. Granted, her last appearances here were memorable in all the wrong ways, but she needed something to continue her travels. It wasn’t easy to be a traveling performer. She checked her costume, making sure it wasn’t the problem. Sexy blue dress to match my beautiful sky blue flowing locks…check. Star studded lavender cape and wizard hat…check. Style and incredible magical talent. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured up a mirror to admire herself in, making sure her make up hadn’t began to run in the summer sun. …Check. She had set up in the middle of town, trying to get some sort of show rolling, but her attempts at petty tricks to lure people in just wasn’t going to work. “Maybe trying to take over the town and exile miss goody two shoes wasn’t the smartest idea. At least they haven’t thrown anything at me yet.” She slowly slumped down, sitting at the edge of the stage. She looked around, her eyes catching a small group of men she had yet to bother.

---------- ---------- ----------

“…So then I say to her ‘Wrecked em’…Damn near killed em’!” Catacomb laughed loudly, Perry and Ark looking at each other and shaking their heads. “Ya know…cause wrecked em’…and…”

“Cata, we get it. It wasn’t that funny the first time, it still won’t be funny the twenty seventh time.” Perry said bluntly, Ark nodding in agreement.

“What…even you?” Catacomb looked at Ark. He stared blankly, not wanting to respond to such an idiotic question. Catacomb sighed and shook his head. “I swear, you guys have no concept of a clas…umm…who’s the weirdo in the wizard outfit?” Perry and Ark, now noticing what Catacomb saw, looked at the woman standing in their way.

“You gentleman are just in time to bear witness to…The Great and Powerful Trixie’s wonderful show!” She yelled out to the three, standing silently as she waved her arms in a flashy way.

Catacomb turned towards the former court jester. “Friend of yours?”

“Not this one." Perry responded. "Reminds me of a circus performer I once knew, but she has passed on unfortunately. I will always be reminded to this day that you don’t stick your head in a Manticore’s mouth.” Trixie still held her pose, her annoyance rising to high levels as the group ignored her.

“That sucks.” Catacomb said, shrugging. He turned back towards the fuming woman and waved. “Sorry bout that. Trixie, right? Can I help ya?” Trixie, about to blow, had finally been able to take a breath and relax.

“Yes. Trixie would like you to bear witness to marvelous feats of magic and mastery. Admission is free, and tips are generously appreciated.” Trixie said, nodding enthusiastically.

“Umm…not that we have anything better to do today, Miss Trixie.” Perry said, walking up next to Catacomb. “Why not wait for a bigger crowd?”

“Well…umm…doesn’t matter. I am sure once The Great and Powerful Trixie begins her marvelous show, others will arrive.” She stated proudly, pointing to herself.

“Ok. I have to stop ya here.” Catacomb said, eyeing her curiously. “Why do ya talk in the third person?” Trixie was already on her way towards the stage, leaving Catacomb’s question unanswered.

“Congratulations, Cata. There really is someone with a bigger ego than yours.” Perry said, making his way towards the stage as well, Ark quietly following behind.

“Catacomb can talk like that too!” His comment earned him a quiet look from his masked friend, saying all that needed to be said. “Right…I’ll shut it. Let’s go watch this show of hers then. Crazy people are the best performers after all, eh…eh?!”

“Catacomb, I will make it so they never find your body.” Perry said calmly, no longer looking back. Catacomb chuckled, quietly going the rest of the way with them, which was about an extra three seconds. The three of them stood by the stage patiently, waiting for whatever to happen to happen. It didn’t take long, as white and blue sparks shot out into the air from behind the stage. Smoke started to cover the stage, the fog making it hard to make out anything up there.

“Ladies and Gentleman…” A voice boomed out, filling the area with the sound of her voice. “I thank you all for coming to view the new and improved…the great and powerful…Trixie!” A crackle from the center of the stage blew the smoke away, leaving the magician visible for the entire crowd. It may have been only three, but the famous saying couldn’t be looked over, so Trixie did her best to treat this like a regular show.

Perry casually clapped, elbowing Catacomb to do it as well. Ark did his best as well, putting his hands together a few times to make it look like he actually cared. Trixie nervously viewed the reaction from the group, trying to maintain her composure with the tough audience. “Alright. For my first trick!” Trixie took off her hat, reaching into it. She looked deep in concentration, fiddling around until she removed a rabbit from within. Catacomb was about to remark on the act, but Perry quickly placed his hand over his mouth and pointed. Catacomb turned his gaze back towards the performer, who continuing the act, tilted the hat and started to shake it, a plethora of small woodland critters escaping from the confines of the hat. Perry removed his hand, letting his friend chuckle as the act continued. Trixie lifted the hat and looked into it, shoving her face inside. Then her head, arms and the rest of her went into it as well. The hat, no longer being held up, plopped onto the stage.

“Umm…I think we lost the magician.” A large thud from behind them forced them to turn around, gazing as Trixie walked back towards the group covered in full plate armor.

“You will never be able to guess where the great and powerful Trixie has been!” She said, walking towards the stage while removing the armor.

“The costume store?” Catacomb commented, but was quickly smacked by Ark. He stared, puzzled by the odd reaction.

“Shhh…I want to watch.” Perry and Catacomb, surprised, quietly turned back towards the stage.

The act continued on for about half an hour, Trixie doing various tricks. Making objects vanish, and reappear, including Catacomb’s mouth, not that anyone else complained. He could have grown a new one, but that would have required way too much explaining, so he quietly sulked until it was returned. She also did fancy card tricks and other feats of prestidigitation and eye illusions. It was hard for Perry to actually tell if she was using magic some of the time, which actually impressed him. Finally coming to an end, Trixie took her final bow, leaving her hat on the stage to collect donations. Perry happily took a small handful of bits and dropped them into the hat, followed by Catacomb, though he was stingier with his money. Finally Ark approached, leaving behind a rather generous donation.

“The great and powerful Trixie thanks you for your time.” She said, happily counting the money she was given.

“Of course. I was actually surprised by it all.” Perry said, leaning against the stage. “I can’t believe everyone else just avoided your show.”

“I can…” Trixie said, her voice slipping down quite a few decibels.

“Sounds harsh. Wanna talk about it? Talking seems to help me.” Catacomb said, jumping into a sitting position on the stage.

“Talking usually gets you in trouble…but he is right. Why are you so depressed?” Perry said, following Catacomb’s example and sitting at the edge of the stage. Trixie sat down between them, with Ark standing close by.

“You must all be new, if you haven’t heard about me before.” They all nodded, giving the woman time to take a deep breath. “Well, if I want to become better, I guess being honest is the best way to go about it.” Trixie began to tell them the entire story involving Ponyville. She started at the point where she was a boastful jerk, making fools of anyone who thought they could challenge her and be better than her. Everything was going fine, until a pair of numbskulls went and awoke an ursa minor, just to see her take it on like she said she could. She couldn’t. The town was saved thanks to the quick thinking and superior magical power of Twilight Sparkle.

She wasn’t done there, though. In a fit of jealous rage, she wanted to get revenge. Her reputation down the drain, she couldn’t make it traveling, and had to work on a rock farm for some time. She scraped by, trying to pay back her debts, when one day, a nice old man gave her money and the location of something that would make her dreams a reality. Her dream of getting revenge on Twilight for ruining her life. The three sat there, stunned as they discovered it was her who brought that accursed Alicorn Amulet into the town, Catacomb actually having to keep Perry calm this time around. She succeeded in showing up Twilight, before exiling her from the town and treating everyone like her slaves. Eventually Twilight snapped her out of it by tricking her into removing it. She apologized and was forgiven, but it was more than obviously forgiving and forgetting are two different things.

“To play with such dark and powerful magic, you’re lucky to still be around.” Perry said, thinking that if things got worse he would have been sent in to deal with the problem. Catacomb could tell Perry was going to need a few minutes to recover from this, so he decided to try a different approach.

“I dunno what you were like, but you haven’t been mean or nasty to us at all, so whatever lesson you needed, you obviously took to heart. I guess Twi has always been good at that.” Catacomb said, chuckling.

“You know Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked, her interest piquing.

“Yup. Kinda going out with her.” Catacomb wanted to laugh at the wide jawed Trixie, but remained polite as he continued to speak. “Besides the point and all, she…”

“Why in the world does someone as smart has her like…umm…no offence but like a buffoon?” Trixie asked honestly, Catacomb looking slightly hurt from the comment.

“One of life’s mysteries.” Ark replied, getting into the conversation.

“Oh not you too!” Catacomb said, yelling slightly at Ark. “Can we leave my love life outta this. You’re the one with immediate social issues.” Ark and Trixie pointed to themselves. “No not you, Ark…actually yes, you too, but where not talking about yours. Trixie, I know Twilight may have forgave you, but have you tried asking forgiveness from her friends. Knowing them, I think it would be a good start.” Catacomb finished, nodding proudly.

“We could arrange a meeting, maybe something along the lines of a nice dinner.” Perry said, adding in his own thoughts.

“Thank you all, but…why are you being so nice to me?” Trixie asked sincerely. “I mean, I know you’re not happy about that amulet and all, though I don’t see why?”

“Ya probably should drop the amulet talk there. He isn’t too…” Catacomb was silenced by Perry speaking up himself.

“On more than one occasion, that stupid artifact nearly took away everything from me. Still, forgive and forget. You may have been the one to bring it here, but the rest can’t be blamed on you.” Perry said, taking a deep breath and trying to be mature about the situation. “You have more than learned your lesson, and it is only fair to have people in your corner. If there is anything we know, it is being the outcasts of society.”

“Speak for yourself. I have and always will continue to live the life!” Catacomb said enthusiastically.

“Okay…dumbass aside, we can understand what you are going through.” Perry said, nodding. Ark walked over and gently patted her on the shoulder as well, his own way of showing encouragement.

“Thanks. This means quite a lot to me.” Trixie said, trying to hold herself back from getting emotional.

Catacomb hopped off the stage and rose his hand into the air, earning everyone else’s attention. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road then!”

The Great and Powerful Plan (Part Two)

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The Great and Powerful Plan (Part Two)

“Thank you again for helping to arrange this.” Trixie said, sitting at a large table reserved for the massive group of people expected. “Still wish they could have had one of the talkative ones waiting here, but Trixie supposes beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Sorry.” Ark apologized blandly.

“Don’t apologize, you nitwit!” Trixie said to the man sitting across from her. Ark shrugged, eliciting a groan from the woman. “Why couldn’t Trixie get the creepy masked one?”

“He wanted to arrive with his girlfriend.” Trixie looked over towards him, trying to find a hint of a joke in his face, but it was still a stone.

“Well, at least you can talk.” Trixie said. “Girlfriend, huh? I suppose it is none of my business, but what exactly happened when you guys arrived?”

“Classified.” Ark responded blandly. Trixie stared inquisitively.

“You can’t be serious.” Trixie didn’t believe that Ark was telling the truth, even if he technically was. His only response, a nod, did nothing to induce believability. “Fine, don’t tell me then.”

“Okay.” Ark’s simple response left Trixie glaring. Never had so few words been so utterly infuriating. “Hello Reader.”

“What are you babbling about now?” Trixie said, though babble was one word incapable of describing him, it did warrant a subtle response to him pointing to a bald man walking past the table, a stunned look on his face. He wore his usual blue mages robe, covering up everything and anything below the neck. Next to him was an older woman, her hair a light gray, but still younger looking regardless. She wore a simple black dress as well as glasses shielding her deep blue eyes. The man’s eyes stared into Arks cold, golden gaze, almost leaving him paralyzed.

“Umm…A-Ark, young lad. What brings you to this fine eatery?” Reader’s voice was jumpy, his eyes darting around.

“Can’t you read minds?” Ark asked.

“I try to not delve into yours…I will not lie, it is scary.” Trixie stared between the two, watching them communicate.

“Just helping someone.” Ark spoke, answering the older man’s question. “You?”

“T-Taking a dear friend out to eat! Yes…that is indeed the truth.” Reader said. Ark was about to comment, but the man’s attention was instantly seized by the opening of the restaurant door, Reader breaking into a nervous sweat. He stared wide eyed as he watched a group enter.

“Reader?!”

“Trixie?!”

“Twilight?!”

“Miss Mayor?!”

Ark watched, clueless, as everyone started to say everyone else’s name. Perry and Catacomb had managed to successfully arrive with all of the girls, as well as Spike. Everyone stood around, confused and trying to figure out what was going on at this point in time. Catacomb quickly stepped up to the plate, taking a swing at explaining everything he could to the best of his ability. “Everyone, just chill for a second, please?!” Catacomb asked loudly. All mouths closed quickly and eyes focused on him, waiting patiently. Catacomb looked around, and nodded. “Can’t believe that actually worked. Okay, first things first. Ladies. Trixie is here because she wants to be given a chance to…umm…hey Twi?”

“Yes, Cata?” Twilight responded calmly, having an inkling at where all of this was going.

“What is that word that means something like making amends and doing the… redeem! That’s it. Thanks Twilight!” Catacomb said happily, Twilight shaking her head and smiling. “Redeem herself to us all.” Everyone nodded in understanding, though the looks on their faces said several stories, most of them more than likely filled with many inappropriate words. “As for the Reader and the other girl…Ark?”

“Meeting a friend for dinner.” Ark answered robotically, repeating what he was told by Reader.

“See, everything is normal!” Catacomb said, making his way over to the large table and finding a seat.

“Cata, yer definition of normal is a tad off.” Applejack said, Rainbow holding back a laugh of her own.

“I think it is a wonderful idea.” Fluttershy said, smiling innocently. She sat down at the table, Perry silently following in shortly after.

“We shall be on our way then.” Reader said, not wanting to be a part of whatever it was that they were planning.

“Nonono! Don’t go Reedy!” Pinkie said, quickly getting up in his face. “The more the merrier and we haven’t seen ya in ages! Hiya Miss Mayor Mare.” Pinkie finished turning towards the woman with him.

“Umm…hello Pinkie.” Mayor Mare responded, not really sure how she got involved in such a chaotic situation. “Jackie, you never told me that they were your friends.” Perry and Catacomb both looked at each other, slight snickers escaping their lips.

”I will lobotomize the both of you if you don’t cut it out right now.” Reader injected his thoughts into the two, the younger men knowing better than to piss him off further. Perry’s mask may have hid it, but his partner in crime still held a grin on his face.

”Don’t worry Jackie, I would never dream of telling everyone how delicious you taste right now.” Catacomb loudly thought, the glare of the older man saying what the silence could not.

“I appreciate the offer, Pinkie, but it looks like you already have quite the group as is. Right, Mina?” Reader asked, emphasizing the last part.

“Mina? I could have sworn your name was simply mayor!” Pinkie said, getting up close to the confused woman.

“No, dear, though it is quite alright. I try to keep my private life umm… private.” Miss Mayor, or Mina as Reader had called her, responded. “I will have to decline your invitation, though. We have umm…important business…yes! Very important business to discuss. Right?”

“Indeed. The topic in which we are discussing is to remain top secret, so I do apologize. Umm…maybe some other time perhaps?” Reader responded, his tone slightly shaky. Pinkie put her face uncomfortably close to his, Reader backing away slightly.

“Hmmm…” Pinkie stared at him, trying to grind him out. Reader, knowing better than to try and listen in on her thoughts, simply remained as stoic as possible. “Oookaay then. Take care, Reedy. Have fun you two and don’t stay out too late!” Pinkie quickly said, smiling widely. Both Reader and the mayor just nodded, both blushing lightly as they turned to walk away. Catacomb, sitting backwards on his seat, made kissy faces the entire time as they made their way to the booth.

“I am starting to think that this was a bad idea.” Trixie mumbled quietly, finding out that the men helping her are nothing short of incompetent.

With the first distraction finally gone, everyone began to take a seat at the table, sitting in awkward silence in the presence of their unexpected guest. Trixie was easily trying to hide her embarrassment behind an annoyed scowl as all of the woman sent different looks her way. Between unsure and angry, someone needed to break the ice.

“I guess I will start this little intervention off.” Perry said, caution in his words. He didn’t want to overstep his boundary, as he hasn’t heard the rest of the story from the girls yet. “Cata, Ark, and I, attempting to use the valuable lessons learned here, wanted to extend a helping hand to a fellow misfit.”

“She pretty much told us the whole story, I think.” Catacomb added in, finally back in a normal sitting position. “Besides, haven’t we easily caused more trouble since we got here?” He grinned, sending a wink towards Twilight. She nodded, understanding where her two friends were coming from. “That about covers it. Anything you wanna add Ark?”

“Her magic show was nice.” Ark responded, not bothering to look up from the menu he picked up. “Service is slow.”

“Oh that? I asked the waiting staff to hold off when I made the reservation.” Perry chimed in. “Figured we’d wait to see how this went before ordering. I thing we are about wrapped up here. Trixie, the stage belongs to you now. We can only do so much.” Trixie looked into the masked eyeholes of the host, nodding nervously. All eyes were now on her, the six woman showing caution as they waited. Hard to blame them, and all things considering, she was surprised that not a one of them had left. She turned towards Twilight, who nodded in understanding. The one she treated the worst, and had done nothing but make her miserable, was still on her side regardless. It was reassurance, something Trixie desperately searched for in her time of need.

“I am sorry. I don’t know what else to say, but what else can I say?” Trixie started to speak, everyone remaining quiet. “I have caused you all nothing but trouble, even after I have left, I apparently continued to make people miserable here. All I wanted was my old life back, the one you took away from me.” Trixie was fighting back her emotions, wanting to make her point clear. “But the more I continued to think about it, the more I noticed that you freed me from what I was instead. I can’t stand the woman I used to be. I hurt so many people, and I shouldn’t even be allowed to ask for forgiveness.” Trixie took a big breath of air, swallowing her emptions and her pride in one big gulp. “The meek and humbled Trixie ask that, even though terrible things were done, you could still find forgiveness.” Trixie sighed, glad to finally be done and over with being all heartfelt. It didn’t suit her at all.

“It’s ok, Trixie. I forgive you.” Fluttershy said with a small smile. It didn’t really surprise anyone, though. Fluttershy was just that kind of person.

“I suppose we can give you another chance, darling.” Rarity said soon after. “Just never…mess…with my hair…again!” Trixie flinched back, knowing full well that her comment was akin to a death threat. She nodded quickly, Rarity’s face quickly switching to a smile.

“Me next!” Pinkie quickly yelled out, jumping from her seat. “You may have gotten off easy with the other girls so far, but let me tell you missy, that with me it is gonna be a whole different story!” All eyes were on the normally bubbly party planner, not sure what to expect. “You have avoided it for too long. Three times now, and each time…you avoided one of my superbalifically fantasmical welcoming parties.” Trixie, who was nervous the entire time, suddenly was left baffled. “Perry, begin preparations for a code beta omega pi!”

“But…umm…Pinkie?” Perry began to speak, though suddenly silence with her sudden intrusion into his personal space as she placed her face against his mask, glaring into his tinted eyeholes.

“Don’t you see?! This is a party emergency!” Pinkie said quickly.

“Yes, but a code beta omega pi is a dinner party…which this technically is…” Perry said slowly to avoid aggravating the excitable woman.

“I knew I could count on you!” Pinkie said with a smile, finding her way back to her chair. “You deserve your spot as my number one party planner, just so you know.” She finished with a silly grin, before turning back towards the group, no one sure of how to respond to the sudden and random show.

“Ahem…Well I’ll go next then.” Applejack said after the moment of silence. “I can tell ya mean it. It will take some time, but I reckon I can forgive ya in time.” Applejack gave her a hint of a smile. Nothing flashy, yet sincere.

It was down to Rainbow Dash now, Twilight having made her peace the last time. “Trixie, you humiliated all of us. You messed with my wings, which was definitely uncool, and you made everyone here miserable.” Trixie’s heart sunk, knowing that everything Rainbow said was completely true. “But staying mad won’t do either of us any good, so I can let it slide, I guess.” Rainbow crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, letting a lite sigh escape from her. Trixie smiled happily, a small tear rolling down her eye.

“Thank you all, I really mean it. I will become a better person, I swear it.” Trixie smiled as she spoke.

“So we can eat now?” Ark asked, still staring into the menu, completely oblivious to the tender moment he went and ruined. Everything was quite, then a small snicker, followed by another, and soon everyone at the table was laughing joyfully, with the exception of the confused Ark.

---------- ---------- ---------

The night rolled on, and eventually everyone had to make their ways home, with the exception of Catacomb and Twilight. They decided to walk Trixie back to her stage home.

“The great and powerful Trixie would like to extend her wishes for your happiness, Twilight.” Trixie spoke with great enthusiasm, as if her word was the truth. Even after everything, some people wouldn’t change all that much.

“Thank you, Trixie. You make sure that you try and be a bit nicer yourself. Good luck with the show.” Twilight responded happily. Catacomb quickly moved between them, wrapping and arm over each of their shoulders.

“Such a touching moment, you do know what this calls for, right?” Both of the woman turned towards Catacomb, his smile only spinning a small tale of the plans in his mind.

“Against my better judgment…” Twilight began, looking over at him.

“…What does it call for?” Trixie finished Twilights sentence.

“Group Hug!” Catacomb quickly pulled the two women into him before they had a chance to defend themselves. The women blushed as they were squished against each other and Catacomb simultaneously. They flailed about as he maintained his hold on him. “Feel the love! Feel it!” Catacomb yelled out gleefully, oblivious to the two storm clouds forming above him.

“Hmm Caa!” Catacomb finally released his grip on the two, as they backed away quickly, glaring at him. They looked at each other and nodded.

“Umm…you’re not mad, are ya?” Catacomb asked, a nervous grin on his face.

“Of course not, honey…” Twilight said, her smile turning to something that could scare Perry.

“Not at all…” Trixie added, her own smirk something akin to someone seeking revenge.

“…I just wanna say…I regret nothing.”

“LIGHTNING!” The two magic users fired of their spells, both bolts striking Catacomb and causing him to flail and twist from the electricity, before falling onto the ground, his stupid grin still painted on his face.

“Did we kill him?” Trixie asked, staring at the convulsing body.

“Doubt it. He is harder to kill than a cockroach.” Twilight added, coldly walking away from him. Trixie shrugged and followed, leaving Catacomb to his little dirt nap.

The Summer's End Celebration (Part One)

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The Summer's End Celebration (Part One)

It was nearing an end for the restful vacation of the off duty T.E.S.T. member. His final days resting in Ponyville before going back to work coincidently lining up with a popular party and celebration day to commemorate the transition from bright and sunny to cold and breezy. Catacomb planned to make it a day like no other.

“This…is…awesome!” Catacomb yelled out as he pointlessly ran around the small house.

“You’re starting to scare me.” Perry said, sitting on the couch and out of the way of the hurricane scampering in seemingly random directions. It came to a sudden stop, Catacomb standing in front of Perry, eyes full of joy and wonder. It was similar to a small child in a toy store.

“You would never understand the fantastic wonders that we as men are about to experience today.” Catacomb boldly stated. Perry sighed and got up, heading towards his room to get ready for the day now that there was officially no more risk of being trampled. Catacomb followed him, still in a state of blissful happiness.

“Don’t you have to get ready as well for this?” Perry asked, annoyed as his soon to be ex-roommate continued to stalk him.

“Changelings are always ready!” Catacomb proudly said to the masked man. Perry sighed, and dug through his belongings, stuffing clothes into a bag.

“That is good for you, but I actually have to change my outfit, so if you don’t mind…” Catacomb nodded and left his room, shutting the door. Unfortunately for Perry, Catacomb refused to shut his mouth as well.

“Seriously, this is gonna be the best day ever. Definitely one hell of a way to end a vacation if I do say so myself!” He explained from across the door. Perry wouldn’t mind being a changeling right now, simply to remove his ears from existence for a little while.

“Only a pervert like you would be this excited about a beach.” Perry responded with a small chuckle.

“I deny nothing. Anyways, you can’t tell me that you aren’t excited too. Imagine it. Fluttershy removing her shirt and pants, revealing a light pink two piece bikini, and the blush and smile on her face as she asks you ‘Do I look alright?” Catacomb grinned as he stood quietly from his location. The house was quite, no noise from either side of the door. Catacomb could pretty much taste the reaction from his spot, but chose the subtle route this time around. Finally the door opened, and behind it was a Perry packed up and ready to go.

“Not a word…” Perry said as he walked towards the exit of the cottage, more of a spring in his step than even he probably noticed.

“Yeah…thought so.” Catacomb said to himself, following after him. Perry may try to be Mr. Goody Two Shoes, but he is still a bad guy at heart. Psychos were more fun to hang out with anyways.

---------- ---------- ----------

“Perry…I love being alive.”

“I should discourage your behavior, Cata, but this one time, I cannot disagree.”

The two stood at the entrance, the water crystal clear and shimmering as if diamonds laid across the surface. The sky was completely clear, the weather teams workings to make sure that the last day of summer was going to be as astounding as the first. The air was cool as the wind dragged moisture from the large lake and into the large mass of beach goers. And those beach goers. Catacomb nodded in approval as he scanned the entire area. Beautiful woman as far as the eye could see, most showing more skin than they normally would with underwear. “So…you don’t disagree with me when I say…damn…”

“Catacomb, we have been friends for quite some time. I would be horrible to lie to you after so long.” Perry said, refusing to admit to anything, but giving enough information to satisfy his friend. “We should be on our way, though. We have plenty of time to speak of trivial topics later.”

“Is that your way of saying ‘Let’s go check out those beautiful women?” Catacomb asked, jabbing his elbow into Perry. He didn’t answer, and instead elected to silently make his way into the changing room. Catacomb chuckled and smiled, following him into it to get ready himself. Granted, he didn’t need more than a second, but a secondary thought hit him, and he would need to make this day perfect.

---------- ---------- ----------

Awaiting at a nice spot, not too crowded, but not out of the way, eight beach goers stared blankly at the two individuals making their way towards the group. More or less one than the other. Perry, one of said creatures less than the other. In comparison, he was normal looking. Swim trunks with smiley faces all over them, an odd combination of cute and creepy, nothing out of the ordinary for him. His shorts even let in a small glance of his cutie mark on his lower thigh, though not enough to get a good look of it. With them, however, his normal mask was still firmly in place on his face and most likely leaving an even deeper tan line by the end of the day.

This was easily normal in comparison to the scandalous outfit donned by the perverted partner. A red speedo, leaving very little to the imagination, had left his own self-created mark on display for the world to see. A red heart with a bull’s-eye painted on it, appropriate to those who knew him.

“Told ya this would work.” Catacomb said, walking proudly, his hair flowing freely in the wind.

“You’re an idiot.” Perry said with a groan, carrying his belongings over his shoulder.

“Oh man, those outfits…” Catacomb said, pointing to the group happily. Perry didn’t say anything, just nodding along with his friend. His eyes, though impossible to tell, were glued onto the figure of the light pink haired woman. It wasn’t nearly as revealing as Catacomb initially implied, but the light green one piece suit hugged her body in all the perfect places, making him happy to be alive at this point in time. “Did I ever tell ya I love the beach?”

“Yup…” Perry agreed halfheartedly, unable to take his gaze away.

“Hot, huh?” Catacomb said, quickly taking notice of the object of his attention.

“Yup…” Perry agreed without thinking. Catacomb snickered, bringing him back into reality. “I mean…it is a scorcher today, the sun and all. Perfect day for a swim, am I right?!”

“You’re just the cutest when you’re embarrassed.” Catacomb teased, skipping ahead to avoid the repercussions for his actions.

“Get back here!” Perry said, following Catacomb quickly. He stopped, finally noticing the group staring at them.

“Before you kill me, just enjoy this moment.” Catacomb said, spreading his arms out as to reach out and grab the view. “Rainbow Dash, sexy yet sporty. Swim trunks and a short and tight tank top really suit her. Never could figure out what her obsession with that blue is though. Definitely one of the women in this world who could make the whole lack of assets thing work to their favor.”

“You do know you’re dating Twilight, right?” Perry asked, reminding his friend of his current commitment.

“Shush…and just bask with me for a few more seconds…” Catacomb said, his voice low, yet a tone that almost seemed too philosophical for his own good.

“Some things just never change.” Perry said with a chuckle.

“Next we have the radiant Rarity. Definitely one to flaunt her own beauty, and man does she look good doing it. Makes me wonder if that white bikini of hers is see through when wet. Spiky sure seems to be enjoying it. Gotta say, whatever you have been doing with that kid sure is working. You have easily turned him into a teenage heartthrob all by yourself.”

“I have to blame strong genes for that one.” Perry said, refusing to take all the credit for Spikes current physique. “Wish he would grow out of that purple, though.”

“Coming from the killer dressed like hearths warming eve…” Catacomb jested. Perry couldn’t deny nothing, as he was technically right. “Speaking of purple, Twilight definitely does that color justice. It is like she was born to wear it. She should dress like that more. Her mother gifted her in all the right places. If she ever wore anything like that, I doubt that the other guys would have let her be. I would be fightin em’ away left and right. I mean, just look at them!”

“Will you quit staring at her cleavage please…She still is like a sister to me, after all.” Perry asked politely, not really expecting him to listen. “I am more surprised that she is wearing a two piece at all. I kinda see her as a full body wetsuit kinda girl.”

“Ya know…that actually sounds sexy.” Catacomb said, letting the images sail through his head.

“Of course you would think that…” Perry said, shaking his head in defeat.

“AJ also surprises me. Half expected the jean shorts, but that top. Damn, is that hot! She definitely works that orange well.” Catacomb said, making sure to let out all of his opinions here and now to prevent future bodily harm. “Pinkie, on the other hand, a stunning clash of child and adult, refusing to meet at the midpoint, pink and frilly, yet sexy and showy. Tell me you are not enjoying this…Perry?” Catacomb looked to his side, no Perry to be seen. He turned back towards the group to witness him already talking amongst the group. In his place though, was someone else. Catacomb did a double take, making sure that he wasn’t going crazy.

“Twilight wanted me to tell you to quit staring you perverted nut ball.”

“Thanks, Ark…” Catacomb said, his buzz quickly extinguished by the presence of captain killjoy. “By the way, what the hell is up with your outfit…it is…well…there goes one of my fantasies. I will never be able to enjoy it now…thanks.” Catacomb stared at the grey suit, covering Arks entire body, minus his head, hands, feet, and wings.

“It is comfy.” Ark lazily responded, walking back to the group.

“Of course it is…” Catacomb said with a sigh, shaking his head, following the winged man back to the group. He was greeted by the friendly faces of all the friends he had made, along with the blushing glare of the one that he fell in love with.

“You look ridiculous, Cata.” Twilight said, trying to keep her eyes from focusing on the small shred of fabric covering her boyfriend.

“Yeah, I know how ridiculously awesome I look.” Catacomb grinned. Twilight just smiled, knowing that whatever she said wouldn’t matter. “Speaking of awesome, you look fantastic. I mean, just…and…yes!” Catacomb’s odd expression left Twilight’s face red, not that she minded the odd string of compliments.

“Hey Cata, ya up for some beach volleyball? Guys versus gals.” Applejack asked while she and Rainbow began setting up the net.

“You playing as well?” Catacomb asked Twilight. She shook her head and smiled.

“Sports aren’t my thing. Go have fun, okay?” Twilight said to Catacomb.

“Sounds like a plan, then!” Catacomb said happily. Twilight walked over to the large umbrella set up for shade, and took a seat on one of the many towels. She took out a book and began reading, keeping an eye on the group. Her gaze went towards them more and more, as she hadn’t seen Catacomb over by the net at all. She began looking around, when suddenly she came face to face with the missing changeling, sitting right behind her.

“Cata!” Twilight yelped out, causing him to grin slightly. “I thought you would be playing?!”

“You told me to go have fun, didn’t ya? I don’t see a funner spot then right here.” It was cheesy and cliché, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it. “I gotta head back soon. Sure, everyone else is fun to hang out with, but today should be special for us.”

“I guess it is alright.” Twilight said, trying to not swoon over him right now. She simply leaned back into him, letting him wrap his arms around her, and continued to try and read. If anyone were to ask her what she had read though, she probably wouldn’t be able to tell you.

---------- ---------- ----------

“The matchup of the century! The amazing team Appledash Pie vs. challengers the Perryspike Ark!” Pinkie exclaimed, ready to serve. “No magic, though flying is allowed!”

“You’ve met your match, Ark!” Rainbow yelled triumphantly. Ark stood there, unresponsive. “Oh too good for words?” Ark again didn’t speak up, and elected to remain silent. His silent demeanor started to shake Rainbow, who still had a hard time dealing with his lack of a desire for confrontation. In her eyes, it was him simply taunting her, but for him, it was a completely different problem.

“You ready?” Pinkie calls out to the opposite team. Perry nods, with Spike jumping up and down, filled with energy. Ark’s lack of an answer was good enough, and the ball was served, Pinkie putting it all into making the perfect serve. The ball was airborne, heading towards Ark’s corner. Perry and Spike got ready, waiting for the setup. They would remain waiting, the ball bouncing off of his chest and falling into the sand. Perry and Spike remained quiet as the server cheered happily.

“Ark, why did you let it hit the ground?” Spike asked, slightly disappointed.

“I don’t know how to play.” Ark retained his title as the king of short sentences that hold the greatest impact. Spike and Perry gulped, looking towards the females on the opposing team.

“Why did you agree to play if you didn’t know how?!” Perry exclaimed, baffled by the young man’s strange decision.

“I didn’t. You grabbed me, told me to play, and pushed me here.” Thinking back, Perry’s memory confirmed that it happened exactly like that.

“Okay, Spike. He might as well be a paperweight now, so it is up to us. We share a bond stronger than any team, and that is of teacher and student. With our connection, we shall conquer even the most difficult trial and pass any challenge!”

“Woo! Go Rainbow Dash! You can do it!” Fluttershy began to cheer happily, though her tone wasn’t very loud. It was loud enough for Perry to hear, however. Leaving him feeling weak and feeble, he didn’t notice as the ball struck him on the mask, and bounced into the sand.

“What about me?” Perry quietly moped, not even caring about being struck.

“We’re doomed…” Spike said, dragging his hand across his face.

Spike tried his hardest. Perry finally came back in the second half when Fluttershy started to cheer for him as well, but with Ark constantly catching the ball, and Perry’s mood swings depending on who his girlfriend was cheering for, he just couldn’t manage the game by himself. Before they even knew it, the game was over, twenty one to four. Spike could only hope that he at least looked cool on his own, not wanting his dream girl to think of him as a loser along with the other guys.

“You tried your best, and that is all that counts.” Fluttershy said, smiling as she hugged Perry.

“I must have looked like a fool. Never again will I let myself be discouraged by friend or foe alike!” Perry proudly decreed.

“Wanna tell your past self that, so we can not lose horribly?” Spike said, a half smile on his face.

“You make it sound like losing is a bad thing.” Perry said, an amused tone in his voice. “Losing will always be a greater learning experience than winning, my young student. A little loss every now and then can keep you humble, and point out your flaws, except Catacomb, but that is why we love him.” The man in question turned his gaze from his comfortable position with an eyebrow raised. Perry chuckled, and waved his hand about. “I jest, Cata.” Catacomb shrugged, electing to ignore him and go back to watching Twilight read.

Ark stared out into the water, watching the waves created by the wind crash onto the shore. Rainbow, noticing Ark spacing out, walked up to him and leaned over onto his shoulder. He took mild interest of her presence, but mainly kept quiet.

“Interested in swimming?” Rainbow asked, watching closely to try and gain some response. She wasn’t too satisfied with his light shrug, but chose to accept it. “Ya know how to swim, right?” Rainbow continued to question him about the subject.

“No.” Ark admitted, staring into the water. Rainbow was a bit surprised by his answer.

“Wanna learn?” Rainbow asked. Ark remained quiet, thinking the question through. It wasn’t like he was afraid of the water, but it seemed unnecessary to him. While in his thought, he didn’t take notice to the woman deciding for him, dragging him towards the water. Ark came back to his senses when he felt the cold water against him.

“What are you doing?” Ark asked. Rainbow smiled, and with a sudden jerk, threw him into the shallow part of the water. Everyone’s gaze turned on the two, watching Ark flail around slightly, trying to pull himself up from the sudden impact. Finally he managed to sit up, a large chunk of green something hanging from his head and over his eyes. He stared at Rainbow, a mildly annoyed expression plastered on his face. Everyone began snickering at Ark, who slowly removed the anomaly from him and plopped it back into the water.

“Sorry, buddy, but that was priceless. Now that you’re in the water, let’s teach ya to swim.” Rainbow said, walking towards him. She held out her hand to help him up. He took it, gripping her hand tightly. As Rainbow went to pull him up, she was suddenly yanked towards him, falling into the water as well. She did as he did, flailing about from the sudden shock, trying to get her bearings back. She finally sat up, having successfully acquired the same headpiece that Ark had on previously. Everyone’s snickers became full blown laughter. Rainbow turned her gaze at Ark, her own annoyance peaking from her face. “What was that for?”

Rainbow saw for what was a single second, the slight curl on his lips indicating a smirk of his own. It was gone the moment he spoke, but even she couldn’t help but laugh. “Priceless.”

----------- ---------- ----------

“Steak, bacon, chicken, pork chops. Out of everything they could ask for…veggie-kabobs.” Catacomb mumbled, standing over the grill that Pinkie had brought along. He respected Fluttershy and Perry’s general dislike of meat, but why should he have to suffer for their lifestyle. It just wasn’t fair. “Ark, you like meat, right? Oh please tell me you like meat!” Ark, who remained seated by the grill watching everyone else, nodded. “Yes! Finally someone else who appreciates the flesh of animals!”

“Food is food.” Ark said quietly, still staring at the rest of the group.

“Wow…Everyone just loves to kill my buzz today.” Catacomb sighed. He at least got to enjoy the view. Nothing screamed heaven like watching beautiful girls in swimsuits play in the water. “Makes you glad to be alive, right? I mean, you seem pretty intent on watching them. And here I thought you weren’t interested in anything.” Ark, though he didn’t respond, couldn’t hide the slight blush on his cheeks. Catacomb knew that even if he acted like an emotionless robot, he was still a young man with raging hormones barely kept under control. “So, what’s with the weird suit anyways? Why not wear something normal. I bet you have a sexy body.” Catacomb said, chuckling.

“I don’t want to.” Ark answered.

“Afraid someone would see your cutie mark?” Catacomb continued to bother him about it.

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Why not?” Catacomb was getting nowhere with this line of questioning. He gave up, and continued to focus on the food instead. “Cata?”

“And it talks again.” Catacomb sighed, having just given up when Ark began to speak again. “What’s up?”

“Why does Perry’s mark look different?” Catacomb was a bit taken back by such an odd question, but it wasn’t like it was a secret. Anyone with a different mark on each side was bound to raise a question or two.

“Why don’t you ask him that? I am sure that he will tell ya.” Catacomb said, not wanting to do something stupid just in case. Ark nodded and got up, walking over towards Perry, who was actively staring at the sand. Ark watched and listened, hearing what he recognized as an incantation.

“Waters soak the world clean.” Perry muttered, focusing the water onto the sand in front of him, dampening it. He patted it, checking to make sure it is the right consistency.

“What are you doing?” Ark asked. Perry turned around and held a finger in front of his painted mouth, telling the man to be quiet.

“I am going to need total concentration…but if this works…” Perry giggled happily as he turned back towards the wet sand. He held both hands above the sand, glowing with a dark purple aura. Ark, being silent second nature, quietly watched the display waiting for what was to come. “So many tiny calculations, one wrong variable and it’s ruined.” Ark nodded, staring at the display. Never actually having seen his predecessor’s skill first hand, he was thankful he never became a target after witnessing the finale of the spell. From the sand arose a perfectly shaped sandcastle, complete with minor designs added in for detail. The thing wasn’t that big, but it made up for that in its sturdy looking craftsmanship.

“Impressive.” Ark said, mildly surprised.

“Thanks. Just felt out of practice, and wanted to make sure I still had it.” Perry said, admittedly embarrassed by the complement. “So how can I help you?”

“Your marks.” Ark said bluntly. Perry remained quiet for a moment, before taking in a deep breath.

“I guess it would be an interesting story, but after dinner. Besides, if there is one thing Cata can do right, it is grill up a delicious barbeque. I would also like to tell everyone else. It could be like a fun campfire story!” Perry said, regaining enthusiasm. Ark stared quietly, simply nodding and agreeing. Had he not heard the stories, he wouldn’t believe this to be the terror of death that could leave a trail of bodies in his wake. Ark shook his head and walked away when Perry stuck a flag into the top of the sand castle and declared it Fort Ress.

The Summer's End Celebration (Part Two)

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The Summer's End Celebration (Part Two)

“Food’s done!” Catacomb yelled out, attempting to draw in everyone’s attention. Despite the call, he was unsuccessful in pulling Perry away from his new magical kingdom. “Perry, will ya quit playing in the sand and eat with us?” Catacomb asked, starting to become irritated.

“But the citizens of Fort Ress have no line of defense against the encroaching monster waves and their dastardly desire to completely ruin the fall harvest, leaving them starving. If the army is incapable of recruiting enough people, then the winter will surely finish the town off, leaving it a tragic memory of the past!” Everyone who lined up by Catacomb patiently waiting to get served looked at Perry, eyes filled with concern.

“Ummm…are you okay?” Twilight asked first. Perry realized that he allowed himself to become caught in a fantasy world for a moment, dragging him away from reality. He laughed, trying to shake off his rant as something completely silly.

“I always wondered if I would see the day that his delicate state of mind would finally crumble. I guess it is time to call the loony bin.” Catacomb grinned and shrugged. Perry silently glared at him. “Now if you are sane, get your ass over here and eat. I will not tolerate one of the main reasons for my lack of cow flesh today to completely skip out on dinner.” Catacomb spoke sternly.

"Pardon me for my personal tastes and such." Perry grumbled, getting up from his location and making his way over towards the rest of the group. He was quickly greeted by the smell of grill roasted vegetables seasoned and cooked to perfection. He frowned behind his mask, staring at the meal laid out on the table, including picnic staples such as potato salad, celery and carrot sticks, and a home made salad Catacomb had prepared before leaving. He didn't want to admit it, but he was most likely going to miss the energetic man more than most, maybe with the exception of Twilight.

"Equestria to Perry? Are you okay?" Catacomb asked, waving his hand in front of his mask vigorously.

"I am fine, just thinking is all." Catacomb accepted the excuse, and took his seat at the table alongside everyone else, making himself a plate. Perry did so as well, as good food should be eaten, not stared at.

---------- ---------- ----------

The sun was nearing the edge of the horizon, a fire lit and everyone sitting alongside of it. Dinner a thing of the past, the marshmallows skewered on sticks weren't the only thing on the groups mind.

"I am indeed a thing of curiosity and intrigue. A tale which is long in the making. My cutie mark has often been a thing of speculation, but the truth behind it will soon make sense." Perry said, everyone listening to him.

"Is the goofy act necessary?" Catacomb asked, Rainbow nodding alongside him.

"Will you shush? He is trying to tell a story." Rarity scolded him from across the circle. "Do go on, dear. I am sure we are all dying of anticipation.

"I'm not." Catacomb said, flashing a cheeky grin. "Heard this story before, and you are all getting overexcited. Long story short he-" Catacomb was immediately silence with the addition of several chewy sweets shoved into his mouth, trying to eat them without choking.

"Thank you, Twilight." Perry said, Twilight smiling innocently as the man next to her struggled to finish the marshmallows. "My mark may look different, but it is actually two sides to the same coin." Perry lifted up one side of his shorts enough to get a full view. Everyone looked at the image on his upper leg, the black half of the yin yang symbol shown often in eastern neighsia. Inside the thickest part of the black was a white circle. After a few seconds Perry proceeded to lift the other side, showing the white half on his other leg, a black circle present in the brightest part of it.

"Umm...what is is?" Rainbow asked, staring at the image for some time. "Are they bugs?"

"Don't be silly, Dashie. They are tadpoles!" Pinkie said, correcting her friend, though not being right herself.

"They are not bugs or baby frogs," Twilight said, earning their attention. "They are a symbol representing balance and unity of opposing forces."

"Ahh..." Both Rainbow and Pinkie said together, starting with a nod, but the nod turning into a head shake, both having no clue what they meant.

"Okay, think of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Twilight began, making sure she had everyone's attention. "Both control the night and day respectively, not counting Luna's absence. They move the celestial bodies in such a way that no side overpowers another, allowing us to live in comfort, never too hot or too cold, because they work to provide balance."

"So...what you're saying is that Perry is the sun and the moon?" Pinkie asked, her eyes widening. "That is super awesome!" Pinkie said, poking him repeatedly. Perry chuckled, not as bothered by her as Twilight seemed, her lecture not really getting through to her.

"What it means is that my special talent is balance." Perry added to Twilights explanation.

"That explains why you are so awesome on the tightrope!" Pinkie misunderstood what he had said again.

"Pinkie...that isn't..." He noticed Twilight simply shaking her head in defeat, and decided to give up as well. At least it seemed like everyone else figured it out.

"So why not have it be complete on both sides?" Applejack asked, Perry shrugging as he himself didn't really know.

"It isn't as uncommon as you may think to have this happen, though it isn't normal." Twilight said, preparing her own explanation. "Though generally more mundane, I have read about firsthand encounters with people with marks like that. Honestly, it is nothing more than an off chance. Applejack, you could have had one apple on one side and two on another. Fluttershy could have had caterpillars on one side. Odd, but not all that big of a deal.

"So I am not a freak of nature?" Perry asked Twilight, who seemed to know more about this than he did.

"No more than normal." She responded with a smile. Perry let out a small sigh of relief. "Probably just your weird genetics if you want to get scientific."

"Genetics?" Perry would have looked completely lost had anyone been able to see him. Catacomb sighed and shook his head.

"Genetics. The particular traits you were born with ingrained into your very being on a microscopic level." Catacomb started to speak, surprising everyone into complete silence. "Your genealogy is connected with some pretty twisted stuff. Dark magic, curses, and whatever the heck ya may have gotten from your mom. Ya take all of that, throw it into a blender and forget to put on the lid and let it run for nine months. Whatever is left inside is what makes you." All eyes were on Catacomb. "What?" He asked, not understanding why everyone was staring at him.

"Holy crap, Twi! Ya turned him into an egghead like you." Rainbow said, cracking into small laughing fits, holding her sides.

"Actually Rainbow, that was all him." Twilight commented, a slight blush on her face. She didn't want to admit it, but listening to his simplified version of a difficult topic was actually kind of sexy for her. She tried to hide it from everyone, but Catacomb's ability made it quite difficult. She couldn't tell if he was smirking because he was being his usual smug self, or because he knew.

"No way. Catacomb isn't smart." Rainbow responded crudely, the man in question flinching as if struck by something heavy.

"Actually..." Perry started to speak quietly. "He has a PhD in human biology."

The only sounds audible were the crackling of the fire roasting marshmallows to a blackened crisp. Catacomb fumbled about, embarrassed beyond belief. Not because of the sets of eyes staring on in awe and wonder, or just plain confusion. He could easily tolerate that, as he has on a regular basis. He was always able to be confident in any situation. He was embarrassed this time around because he could swear that hearing about his achievement turned his girlfriend on.

---------- ---------- ----------

Night had arrived fully, the last sunset of the vacation coming to an end. The party didn't have to however, and it most certainly wouldn't if Pinkie and Perry had anything to say about it. The beach was just the first step of the best day ever. Now it was up to them to try and keep it going.

They had secretly had this planned out, plotting for a week behind even their closest friend's back. Included were the usual games plus a few new ones, food, and as a parting gift to their friend, a cask of 'the good stuff.' Finely aged apple cider, meant to give as much of a kick as it was for it's flavor.

Sure, everyone knew there was going to be a party. It would be silly not to assume such, knowing the two responsible. What surprised them was the subtlety in the delivery. No huge crowds, jumping music, or eye jarring strobe lights. It was a simple layout, with the banner being the most flashy object in the room.

"Good luck, Cata." He wasn't the type to get overly emotional, but Catacomb was hard pressed to not feel loved right now. He never felt so wanted in his life, especially from people who actually knew who and what he was. He took a deep breath, swallowed his inner wuss, and turned towards the rest of the group with a grin on his face. "Let's party!"

And it was off. The group wasted no time in bringing out some of the simple, yet fun activities, each of them enjoying their own little slices of happiness.

"You never played Twister before?" Perry asked his shy girlfriend. Fluttershy was carefully holding a glass of the cider from within the cask, quietly sipping it while watching him and Rainbow set up the mat. She shook her head, though enticed by all the bright dots.

"It's easy, Flutters." Rainbow said. "You spin that thingy, and put whatever body part on the color shown." She handed her the spinner and walked over to the mat. "I'll show ya. Give it a spin."

Fluttershy did as she was told, lightly flicking the black spinner and watching it stop. "Umm...I think this says to put your left foot on yellow." Fluttershy showed Rainbow the spinner. Rainbow nodded and placed her left foot on the yellow spot. "Should I do it again?"

"Yup. Make it a hard one!" Rainbow said with enthusiasm. Fluttershy gave the dial another spin and watched it stop.

"Right hand green?" Fluttershy said. Rainbow bent over and placed her hand on the circle.

"So, you think you get it?" Rainbow asked. "It is actually really fun. You just try to keep your balance. You fall, you lose." She got up and walked over to Fluttershy and Perry.

"It seems...umm...oh my..." Fluttershy was blushing slightly, staring at the board and her friend.

"It seems what?" Rainbow asked. Fluttershy blushed heavily and looked away.

"Umm...well...it seems...physical..." Rainbow watched Fluttershy's expression, smirking.

"Hey, Ark! Could ya come here for a second?" Rainbow called out through the room to the man in front of the tray of muffins. He turned his head towards Rainbow. She waved him over, grinning widely.

He reluctantly got up, not really wanting to participate in any games. He knew better, though. Rainbow's insistence would eventually get the better of him, so he would just get this over with and enjoy his food in peace. "What..."

"Someone's grouchy." Rainbow said, her grin only growing. "You know how to play?" Ark looked down and then back to her, nodding slowly. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going. "Good. We will play in teams. Perry and Flutters against me and Ark. Sound good?"

"Of course. I take it we are playing endurance?" Perry asked. Rainbow nodded and smiled.

"What is endurance?" Fluttershy asked herself, not really sure what was going on.

"Endurance is when you try to go through more spin rotations than your opponents. Basically, we will be working together." Fluttershy thought about it for a moment. Normally she would decline, but the alcohol was starting to take effect, telling her it was a good idea.

"I guess it is fine." Rainbow pumped the air, feeling successful.

"Awesome. Are you ready, Ark?"

"...If I said no?" Ark asked honestly.

"I'd make ya do it anyways." Rainbow responded with a smirk.

"Fine."

The game started, with both Ark and Rainbow taking turns setting their body parts on the bright dots. Even though he wasn't enthusiastic, Ark was good. Not as good as his partner, but managing to last fifteen spins was impressive for anyone. Unfortunately, it all came crashing down, literally, as Rainbow fell on top of him when a rogue dust particle managed to force her concentration from her awkward position over him. She sneezed and slipped, taking the unsuspecting Ark with her.

Perry, as well as a slightly inebriated Fluttershy, chuckled at the scene. Ark was face first into the mat with Rainbow Dash laying across his head and upper body. He mumbled what was most likely a curse word from his spot, trying to crawl out from his entrapment. After some awkward untangling, the two managed to separated from each other, Rainbow glaring at the opposing team.

"Well let's see you two do better." Rainbow growled out.

"If you insist, Rainbow." Perry said, the two groups trading places. Perry turned towards his partner, the slight smile replaced with a worried stare.

"I don't know if I can do this." Fluttershy said quietly.

"Don't worry, dear." Perry said reassuringly. "It is just for fun in the end. Tell you what. Do what makes you comfortable, and I will simply work around you."

"Just have fun..." Fluttershy repeated to herself, trying to get herself in the spirit.

"You giving up already?" Rainbow, who was listening to the two talk, smiled triumphantly.

"Rainbow...what makes you think that?" Perry responded, his tone low, and his voice bordering creepy. He started to snicker slowly, the light laugh gaining force and volume, slowly turning maniacal.

Her nerves starting to weaken, Perry raised his left arm to the side while at the peak of his laughter. Rainbow jumped when he suddenly stopped and a loud pop was heard. "Wh-What are you..." Her question was answered in action, Perry's outstretched arm moving backwards behind him, remaining perfectly straight even at an angle that would be painful to most. The moment the back of his hand patted his own shoulder, Rainbow understood her situation.

"Perry?!" Fluttershy yelped out in surprise. She could tell his arm was no longer in the proper socket. It was a freaky sight to say the least. Perry moved the arm back to it's proper position. With a few jolts and twitches, it was back where it belonged, though the rest of them were still speechless, especially Ark.

"So, who goes first?" Perry said, casually walking back to the mat like what he did was nothing.

---------- ---------- ----------

"I am going to miss you, Cata." Twilight softly spoke, preferring to stare into his eyes over the clear night sky under them.

"Really, now?" Catacomb said, pulling her closer to him. He positioned himself on the bench by the fountain to make it more comfortable for Twilight to rest against him. "And why is that?" He smiled and rubbed her hair out of her eyes.

"Because, I like your dinners." Twilight responded, teasing the changeling with a wink. Catacomb laughed happily. He was going to miss all of these lazy days. Having fun with his new friends, making memories, and learning about love first hand. It was so incredibly corny, but even he would admit that he wished this moment would last forever. "Cata?" His train of thought was quickly broken when Twilight began to speak again.

"Hmm?" Cata inquired quietly, not wanting to ruin the mood with too many words.

"What is Fluttershy doing?" Twilight pointed towards her friend. Fluttershy was with Perry, making their ways towards a house. She knocked on the door loudly, before ducking into the bushes alongside her partner in crime. The owner, an older looking man, peeked out, looking around for the ones responsible, but no one was within sight. "Did she just-"

"Yup."

"Do you think she is-"

"Drunk? Probably."

"Wow...you guys are a really bad-"

"Influence?"

"Stop that." Twilight stared at Catacomb. He shrugged, and pointed back to the couple reappearing from their hiding place, quickly making their way to the next house.

"They are doing it again." Catacomb said, chuckling. This time Perry was the knocker, banging on the door. The two quickly ran to the side of the house, obviously having a good time.

"I swear, none of you are playing with a full deck of card." Twilight smirked, gently jabbing Catacomb with her elbow.

"Says the book addict." Catacomb remarked jokingly. "Wanna go back to the party?

"Might as well. It is your party, right?"

"Didn't stop them." Catacomb said, pointing towards the other couple diving for cover behind a fence. He and Twilight laughed at the duo's antics from their cozy spot on the bench. "How about we wait a few more minutes. This is kinda fun." Catacomb snuggled into Twilight more. She responded the same, letting out a simple, content sigh.

The vacation may be over, but the adventure never has to end. There is always something new and wonderful to learn. It is always made better because of the people sharing the experience with you.

Fifty-Three Pickup

by blowngasket

Testing Their Patience

You’re Telling Me the Library Actually Lends out Books?

There is a Robot among Us

Oh So Pretty

Nice to meet ya, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle

Ponyville’s Nightmare Night Super Awesome Costume Contest Extravaganza!

Total Anarchy

Just another Nigh Drinkin

Rematch

The Great and Powerful Plan (Part One)

The Great and Powerful Plan (Part Two)

The Summer's End Celebration (Part One)

The Summer's End Celebration (Part Two)