Letter

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“Thanks for helping out with everything, Rainbow,” Twilight said to Dash as they both stacked books back onto the shelves. The storm had really done quite the number on the library: books were strewn across the floor, shelves had fallen on the ground, widows were cracked, and everything was soaked.

“Well... it is sorta my fault.” Dash blushed a little. “I, um, kinda wanted a new Daring Do book anyway.”

“You already finished the last one?” Twilight left a book floating in midair to look up at her flying friend. “Didn’t I lend it to you just last week?”

“It was a really good one.”

“Which one was it again?”

“Daring Do and the Treasure of Colte—”

The library’s door busted open and Fluttershy zoomed into the room. “Twilight! Twilight! You have to help!”

“Fluttershy?” Twilight dropped the book she was levitating and rushed over to Fluttershy. "What’s going on?”

“It’s terrible!” Tears dotted the corned of Fluttershy's eyes. Her whole body shook as she spoke. “I was going to Zecora’s to get some medicine for Angel when I ran into this horrible monster!”

“Well, it’s the Everfree.” Dash flew over and lightly thumped Fluttershy on the head. “Of course there’s going to be monsters, but you've tamed a manticore before, so why was this thing so scary?”

“Because..." Fluttershy paused and gulped. “It looked like a pony.”

“Then how do you know it wasn’t a pony?” Twilight asked.

“Because pony’s don’t...” Fluttershy's face paled. “Don’t...”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “Don’t what?”

“They don’t eat other animals!” Fluttershy cried out before falling into Twilight’s shoulder and sobbing.

Twilight patted Fluttershy on the back. “It’s okay.”

“Oh, Twilight!” Fluttershy hiccupped. “It was terrible! It said it wanted to eat fish, and pigs, and even cows! What sort of monster eats cows?”

“But you said it looked like a pony?” Twilight inquired.

“Yes.” Fluttershy pulled her head out of Twilight’s shoulder and sniffled a little. “It even had a cutie mark and was talking to me and Ze—” Fluttershy’s pupils turned into pinpricks.

“What now?” Dash asked.

“Zecora!” Fluttershy summoned as loud a voice as she could.

“What?” Both of her friends replied.

“I left that terrible thing with Zecora!" Fluttershy rushed out of the library as fast as she'd entered it.

“Hey!” Dash called out. She gave her wings a flap and gave chase. “Wait up!”

“Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled. “Don’t panic! I’m sure there’s a rational explanation for this! Ugh!” She turned around and looked up at Spike, who was currently precariously balanced atop a ladder. “Spike! I’m going to figure out what’s going on! I’m leaving the rest of the books up to you!”

“What?” Spike rapidly turned around to complain, but Twilight was already out the door. “That girl needs to relax a li—" The ladder tittered under his claws.

“Whoawhoawhoa!” Spike flailed at the bookshelf to try and re-balance the ladder, but he only managed to pull out the a large tome titled, Starswirl the Third's One Thousand and One Recipes. He and the ladder fell in opposite directions but both hit the ground at the same time. The tome then smacked Spike on the head and knocked him out.

~~~

“Fluttershy!” Dash called out. Fluttershy flew ahead of her and somehow managed to maintain a constant distance. Ugh,how does that mare fly so fast sometimes? “Wait up!” She pushed her wings and started to close the gap between herself and Fluttershy. She got close enough to reach out to Fluttersher and tackled her to the ground. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going to save Zecora!” Fluttershy exclaimed. She writhed underneath Dash's hooves, but her spindly legs were no match for Dash's.

“How are you going to do that?”

‘I...I’ll give that monster a stern talking to!”

Dash buried her face in a hoof. “Look, it’s great that you want to help Zecora, but you can’t just go rushing off like that, what if whatever this thing is got you too?”

“I...I...”

‘How about we take care of it together?” Dash smiled as a white flash of light appeared in front of her and Fluttershy. Suddenly, Twilight was standing by them.

Twilight quickly galloped over to the two pegasi. “Fluttershy! It’s great that you want to help Zecora, but you can’t just go rushing off like that!”

“Already covered that part Twilight,” said Dash.

“Oh, um...” Twilight stuttered. She raised up a hoof and pointed it into the Everfree forest. "Let’s go to Zecora’s then!”

“And show this monster that nothing messes with Ponyville!” Dash smashed her hooves together and zoomed off to Zecora's hut.

“C’mon, Fluttershy,” Twilight said as she galloped after Dash. “We don’t want her wrecking Zecora’s place.”

“O...okay,” Fluttershy replied. She followed over Twilight and Dash and disappeared into the Everfree Forest.

“Alright!” Dash boasted when the trio reached Zecora's hut. She flew a few feet higher and angled one of her legs so that it lined up with Zecora's door. “Lets go save Zecor—huh?” She was stopped from busting down the door by a purple aura grabbing her tail. “Twilight, what the hay? We haven’t got time to waste!”

“I know that,” Twilight calmly replied, “but what if this thing is a wild animal or something? We can’t risk upsetting it.”

“S-s-so what do we do then?” Fluttershy quivered.

“We’ll move in slowly and take it by surprise!” Twilight stomped a hoof in determination. "Fluttershy, you open the door very slowly, then I’ll subdue it with my magic, and Dash,” Twilight looked up at her friend, “you’ll deliver the finishing blow, okay?”

“Got it!” Dash said with a smirk.

“Alright, Fluttershy.” Twilight gave her friend the signal to move out, “whenever you’re ready.”

“O-okay.” Fluttershy slowly trotted up to the hut’s door and barely cracked it open. “H-h-hello?”

“Oh my, if it isn’t Fluttershy,” Zecora greeted the visitor in her home.

“Zecora!” Fluttershy instantly hugged the zebra. “I was so worried! I left you here alone with that monster, and I thought it was going to eat you, a—”

Zecora silenced Fluttershy by raising a hoof to her striped face. “I assure you and your friends that I am alright, but now there are many mysteries I wish to bring to light.”

“Fluttershy.” Twilight gestured over to Zecora. “You said Zecora was in danger, but she seems fine to me.”

“But... but... that thing—Eep!” Fluttershy rushed behind Twilight and shivered.

“Now what?” Dash complained.

“T-t-the monster!” Fluttershy pointed a shacking hoof at a sleeping figure in the back of the hut, “I-i-it’s still here!”

“He looks like a pony to me,” Twilight said as she trotted over to the sleeping figure. “I had my suspicions when you said it had a cutie mark, but I wanted to see for myself. Now I’m sure, this is just a pony. After all, only ponies get cutie marks.”

“But it said it wanted to eat animals!” Fluttershy pleaded.

“Maybe you misheard him, was there anything else odd that he mentioned?” asked Twilight.

“Um..." Flutteshy's eyes slowly shifted to the ground. "I think he might have hit his head too. He didn’t even think he was a pony.”

“Ah-ha!” Twilight flashed her friends a triumphant smile. “That explains everything.”

“It does?” Dash asked.

“Yes,” Twilight replied, “he must have hit his head or something, and now he thinks he’s a dragon or another carnivorous creature. See, Fluttershy? There’s nothing to worry about.”

“O-okay,” Fluttershy meekly replied, “I should probably apologize then when he gets up.”

“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong, it was just a simple misunderstanding.” Twilight noticed the pony shift around a little. “But I think you’ll get your chance in a second.”

“Mugah,” the pony groaned.

“Wonder who he is.” Dash looked over the slowly awakening pony.

“Mphh,” Luffy grumbled and sat up. “Ugh, what a horrible dream, I was a horse and there wasn’t any meat.”

“Yep, looks like a bad case of amnesia.” Twilight looked over at Luffy.

“Woah! A unicorn! I haven’t seen one since Thriller Bark!" Luffy exclaimed.

“Um, right... sorry about the commotion earlier.” Twilight held out a hoof to Luffy. “My name is Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends: Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Zecora.”

“Whoa! Another flying horse! That is so cool!” Luffy jumped up and down on the bed to get a better look at Dash.

“Well,” Dash smiled, “at least he knows awesome when he sees it.”

“Wait,” Luffy stopped bouncing, “if you’re all talking horses then...” His face turned a shade whiter and his eyes went wide as he stared at the ponies. “That wasn’t a dream! Ahh! The meat thing was a joke right?”

“Just calm down okay?” Twilight asked Luffy nicely. “I think you’re having a bit of memory loss. See, ponies don’t eat meat, or rather we can’t, our digestive system only really allows eggs at most to be eaten.”

“Hmm." Luffy placed a hoof on his stomach. "Anything sounds really good to eat right now, guess I’ll just get meat later.”

“Bit of an oddball isn’t he?” Dash commented.

“Rainbow,” Twilight chided, “be nice! I mean, aside from the whole ‘identity confusion’ thing, he seems like a perfectly normal pony.”

Luffy reached up and scratched his head. He paused when he only touched his mane. He swiveled his head around and stopped on Fluttershy. “Hey, I didn’t drop a hat anywhere, did I?”

“Oh.” Fluttershy gestured to a straw hat that was sitting on a stool on the other side of the hut. “It’s, um, over there.”

“Thanks.” Luffy stretched out two of his hooves to grab his hat. Fluttershy and Twilight screamed, Zecora’s eyes went wide, and Dash’s mouth gaped open.

“Ahhhh!” Twilight continued to scream. She jerked away from Luffy and hid behind a nearby chair. “How... how are you doing that?”

“S-s-see? I told you!” Fluttershy cowered behind Zecora. “It’s some horrible animal-eating stretchy pony monster!”

“Man,” Luffy sighed, “talking horses are weird.”

“We’re weird?” Dash flew up and eyed Luffy in the face. “You’re the pony that’s stretching and wanting to eat other animals!”

“Whatever,” Luffy used a hoof to push Dash out of his face. He got up from the bed and started walking for the door. “I’m hungry, so I’m gonna go find something to e—huh?” A lavender energy shield prevented Luffy from exiting. He tapped on it and it produced a sound akin to tapping on a thick sheet of plastic. “What the heck is this?”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight apologized as her horn glowed the same color as the translucent wall, “but I can’t let you run around eating animals and, er, stretching like that!”

“But I have to get back to my friends! Now, Gum-Gum...” Luffy extended his right forehoof back and then sent it flying at the shield.

“Wait! What’s wrong with your fri—” Twilight didn't get to finish her question before Luffy hoof met the shield.

“Bullet!” Luffy’s hoof smacked into the force field and shattered it into pieces. The magical backlash sent Twilight flying.

“Twilight!” Dash and Fluttershy called out.

Luffy looked back at the ponies in various states of disarray.“Sorry, but I gotta get back to my ship!” He dashed out of the hut and back into the Everfree.

“Twilight!” Dash grabbed Twilight and shook her. “C’mon say something!”

“I am the best student!” Twilight said in a slurred voice. “I’m never tardy!”

“Oh for pete’s sake!” Dash shifted Twilight over to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, you take care of her, while I take care of him!” She zoomed out of the hut and gave to chase to Luffy.

~~~

Celestia sat in her throne room in Canterlot Castle, admiring the light that filtered through the windows that dotted the room. She looked up at the stained glass window that showed six ponies firing beams at a strange monster. I wonder how Twilight is doing? Her musings were cut short when she noticed a black shape slip into the throne room through one of the uppermost windows. It was a small black bat and it was carrying a letter.

“This does not bode well.” A golden aura surrounded her horn as an identical aura encased the letter the bat was holding. Celestia levitated the letter down and read it. Her eyes shrunk into the back of her head as she scanned the letter. “This... this is!”

The Party Queen and the Warlord!

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“Are you sure potion making is a good idea, Apple Bloom?” asked Sweetie Belle. She and Apple Bloom were currently sitting together in the Cutie Mark Crusaders' wagon while Scootaloo pulled it.

“We’re not going to Zecora’s for potion making cutie marks,” Apple Bloom sighed. The Everfree forest blotted out the sun over her and the other two Crusaders. “Trust me, I learned that the hard way.”

Scootaloo stopped pulling the wagon with her scooter and looked back at Apple Bloom. “Then what are we going to Zecora’s for?”

“Well,” said Apple Bloom, “Ah was thinking, since Zecora’s from out of town, maybe we could get our cutie marks in learning about other places.”

“That sounds boring,” Scootaloo retorted. “I mean, who would want to learn about places, especially if they’re too far to visit. I’d rather get a cutie mark exploring lands instead of just hearing about them.”

“Scootaloo does have a point,” Sweetie commented.

Apple Bloom frowned at yet another wasted attempt at getting a cutie mark. “Ah suppose you’re right, but Ah still want to go see her to apologize for the Gabby Gums article.”

“For when we caught her speaking normally?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, Ah felt pretty bad about it, especially since Ah still owe Zecora for that time she fixed ma to–” Apple Bloom stopped when she heard a rustling in the forest ahead of the Crusaders. “W-what do ya think that is?”

Sweetie shifted herself a little closer to Apple Bloom. “I-it’s not that cockathing again, is it?”

Scootaloo backed up a little “If it is, we’ll just go get Fluttershy.” . “I mean, she took care of it be–“

“Heads up!” a pony called out as it swung over the Crusaders. In place of a vine, the pony had used an oddly elongated leg to swing over the them. They all ducked to avoid its legs and when they looked up to see where the strange pony was, it was gone.

“What was that?” Scootaloo asked after a moment of taking in the bizarre scene.

Sweetie’s eyes darted around the forest. “It... it looked like a pony,”

“Did ya see its leg?” Apple Bloom yelled. “It was all freaking and stretched out! Ah bet it was some crazy monster like the bug-ponies ma sister warned me about!"

A devilish grin emerged on Scootaloo's face. "Girls, I think we just found a way to get our cutie marks!”

Sweetie's expression went from panic and confusion to befuddlement. “How is a weird swinging pony gonna help us get our cutie marks?"

“Think about the possibilities," Scootaloo giddily replied. "We could try being doctors on it if it has a disease, or mystery solvers to figure out how it did that, or we could even learn how to swing like it did!”

“Ah don’t know...” Apple Bloom looked up at the shacking branch the pony had launched itself off of. “That was pretty weird.”

“Ugh,” Scootaloo groaned. Before she could complain more, a whooshing sound filled the air. “Now what?”

“Get back here!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she zoomed through the trees toward the Crusaders.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo squealed.

“Huh?” Dash turned her head at the noise. It only took that amount of time for her to not notice the tree in from off her and run straight into it.

“Ouch,” Sweetie said. Dash slowly slid down the tree.

“C’mon girls,” Apple Bloom jumped out of the cart and trotted over to Dash. She tenderly bit into one of Dash's limp blue limbs and pulled her over to the cart. “Mphh mffle mff Zphphas.”

“What?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom stopped dragging Dash for a second. “Ah said, let’s get her to Zecora’s. We’ll deal with the weird pony later.”

“Soarin,” Dash moaned, “you and Spitfire have the best jokes.”

“We should probably hurry.” Sweetie jumped out of the wagon and picked up one of Dash's limbs.

~~~

“Darn it!” Luffy yelled as he swung on the branches of the forest. “Where’s the edge of this island? If I can just find that, I can build a boat and get back to the Archipelago!” The collection trees around grew thinner. Ahead, they stopped completely. “Ah-ha! That must be the edge!”

Luffy launched himself off of one more branch and landed on the ground. He raised his head and looked forward. A medium sized town stretched out before his eyes. Most of the buildings had thatched roofs, but a few were tiled. Vividly colored ponies strolled in and out of the buildings, some with wings, some with horns, and some without either. “Huh... guess horses live like people here.

He tapped a hoof to his forehead and scrunched up his face in concentration. “Let’s see, if horses built those houses and shop then they're like people… that means...” An epiphany reached Luffy and he stomped the ground. “That bear jerk must send everyone who likes meat here! Hmm, why turn them into horses and not just seal their mouths?”

Luffy’s stomach gave a low grumble. He sighed and started walking over to the town. “Guess I’ll just have to eat something else then.”

Suddenly, a pink mane obscured Luffy's vision. “Huh?”

“Oh, wow!” the mane exclaimed. It shifted away from Luffy to reveal that it was attached to a pair of sapphire-blue eyes. “I’ve never seen you before! Are you new? Are ya?”

“Um, I guess,” Luffy replied as he backed away to see that he was talking to another horse. This one was pink all over except for its eyes.

“You are? Oooh, I’m so happy! We’ll have to throw a party for you! We’ll have music, and games, and tons of food!”

Luffy's tongue dropped out of his mouth and wagged like a dog's. “Food?”

“Of course!" the pink pony exclaimed with a smile. “It wouldn’t be a party without food!”

"Darn, I’m kinda in a rush right now, so I don't really have time for a party. Is there anyplace I can go get some food really fast?”

“Well, if you’re in a hurry, then I could take you to Sugarcube Corner. They’ll have your food ready lickity split!”

“Let’s go then!” Luffy marched towards the town.

“Um, do you know where it is?”

“Oh yeah.” Luffy stopped. “You should probably lead the way.”

“Oki-doki!” The pink pony trotted forward and Luffy followed behind her. “I’m Pinkie Pie by the way. Nice to meet you!”

“I’m Luffy. So, is this place really good?”

“Of course it is! I’ve taste tested everything at the shop at least twice. The only thing I didn’t like was the sapphire thingy they made for Spike. It tasted good, but it chipped one of my teeth.”

“Whatever, I’ll eat anything they have.”

“Wow, I haven’t seen a pony that hungry since, well, me,” Pinkie giggled. “Guess the Cakes will be busy today.” She stopped in front of a building that looked like it was made out of sweets. “We’re here!”

“Woah!" Luffy drooled as he eyed the store. "Can you eat this whole place?”

“No, that’d be silly. If it were made out of sweets, it’d be all stale and yucky. Plus...” Pinkie blushed a little. “I kinda already tried eating it the first time I saw it. Mr. and Mrs. Cake weren’t that happy.”

“Oh well,” Luffy sighed as he walked up the steps to the store. “I’ll just order everything inside.”

“I like your style, Luffy!” Pinkie trotted up to the door and held it open. Once Luffy was inside, she came in too. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I’ve got a new pony in town who wants everything!”

Mr. Cake trotted to the front of the store with a confused look on his face. “Um, I’m sorry Pinkie, but did you just say one of everything?”

“No.” Luffy pressed his face up against a glass display. His drool ran down the side of it as he looked as the sweets on the other side of the it. “I think I want everything.”

“Everything?!” Mr. Cake legs shook a little. He twisted around and yelled to the back of the store, “Honey!”

“What’s wrong, dear?” Mrs. Cake asked as she entered the front of the store. Her attention went from Mr. Cake to Pinkie and Luffy. “Oh, why, hello Pinkie. Who’s your friend?”

“This is Luffy.” Pinkie gabbed Luffy and shoved him just a few inches away Mrs. Cake’s face. “He’s new in town and he wants everything in the store!”

“Can… can he eat that much?” Mrs. Cake asked.

“Yep!” Luffy bluntly replied.

The situation slowly dawned on Mrs. Cake and she looked to Mr. Cake for support. “Dear, please don’t tell me this is happening.”

Mr. Cake mets Mrs. Cake's gaze with microscopic pupils and sweat dripping from his forehead. “I think it is.”

“Don’t worry about costs. Since Luffy’s a new pony in town, I’ll cover him this time.” Pinkie produced a large stack of coins seemingly out of thin air and leveled them over to Mrs. Cake, who took a moment to realize the coins were even there. “C’mon Luffy, let’s find a seat. It might take them a bit to get everything ready.”

“Okay,” Luffy replied as he followed Pinkie to a nearby table and sat down. She gazed at him with wide eyes. “What?”

"Where are ya from? I always love meeting new ponies and learning about them!”

“Well, I was raised in Windmill Village, but I don’t really live anywhere. Hmm, guess you could say the Sunny is my home.”

“What’s a ‘Sunny?’”

“My ship.”

“Oh, so you’re a cruise captain then?”

Luffy smiled. "Nope, I'm a pirate!"

Pinkie let out a large gasp and started hopping around Luffy excitedly. “Oh my gosh, a pirate! I've never seen a real pirate before! I thought they were just stories! That’s so cool! Wait a minute…” Pinkie stopped bouncing around and gave Luffy a slanted stare. “How come you don’t have a peg leg, or an eye patch, or even a hook?”

“Not every pirate has stuff like that. Oh, but I did once fight a guy with a hook for a hand. Plus, I have a robot on my crew, if that counts.”

“Wow! You’re a pirate and you have a robot! You’ve got to show me your ship some time!”

“Okay! Can you show me how to get off this island so I can get back to it? You can even join my crew if ya want to!”

“Silly, Equestria’s not an island. We’d be surrounded by water otherwise.”

Luffy sunk into his chair. “Huh, that’s weird. I guess this must just be a really big island if you don’t even know you’re on an island. Darn, that means it'll take longer to get back to the Archipelago.”

“The archiwhat?”

“The place where my ship is and where my crew and I promised to meet if we got separated.”

At the mention of "separation" Pinkie's demeanor calmed down and her smiled wavered. “What happened with you and your crew?”

“Food!" Luffy screamed instead of answering Pinkie's question. Mrs. Cake had appeared on the other side of the room with a cart filled to the brim with various sweets of all shapes and sizes. Luffy stretched out his hooves and grabbed the entire top portion of the cart. Mrs. Cake’s mouth dropped and she fled the room.

“Oh my gosh! How’d ya do that trick?” Pinkie gasped.

“Af aph ta dphil fruph!” Luffy replied as he stuffed the sweets into his mouth.

“What’s a devil fruit?” Pinkie was no stranger to talking with her mouth full of food, so Luffy's answer sounded normal to her. Even as she asked the question, she also stuffed her mouth with cake.

Luffy swallowed all the food he'd grabbed in one big gulp, and then replied, “It’s this weird fruit I ate as a kid. It lets me stretch, but I can’t swim either.”

“Ooh!” Pinkie’s eyes shined with excitement. “I’ve got to find one! Wait, do they all make you stretchy?”

“Nah.” Luffy shoved more food into his mouth. Half the cart was already gone. “They all do different sort of things, like making you sprout extra limbs, or turning into a skeleton, or other weird stuff.”

“A skeleton?”

“Yeah, my crew’s musician is a skeleton.”

Pinkie raised and eyebrow and scrutinized Luffy's face. “But he’s nice?”

“Of course he is. I wouldn’t have him on my crew otherwise.” Luffy swallowed some more food but didn't pick up any more. “Hope he’s okay.”

“Why?”

“This stupid bear guy sent my whole crew flying. Then he sent me here and turned me into a horse.”

Pinkie scratched her head at the odd use of the word "horse." “Don’t you mean pony?”

“Oh, so you’re all called ponies? Weird.” Luffy snagged an entire cake and inhaled it. “Anyway, the whole pony thing isn’t too bad, but what kind of jerk sends someone to an island without meat?!”

“Um…” Pinkie pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t having a strange dream. “You’re gonna need to start from the top.”

~~~

“Woowee!” Applejack chucked an empty bucket into her equally empty apple cart. “This has gotta be one of ma best days at the market ever. Sold out before five, Ah probably set a new record.” As she congratulated herself, she passed by the Sugarcube Corner. “Ah guess saying hi to Pinkie couldn’t hurt, since Ah got time.” Applejack set the cart down next to the store and went inside. “What the hay?”

Minus the busted roof, Sugarcube Corner looked almost as bad as the time Spike had gone greed crazy. Smatterings of frosting covered the floor and cake crumbs were strewn everywhere. The Cakes were huddled in a corner with the infants tightly pressed to their chests.

“What in tarnation is going on here?” Applejack asked.

“Horror,” Mrs. Cake whimpered, “sheer horror.”

“N-n-nopony,” Mr. Cake stuttered, “nopony has ever been able to match Pinkie in eating or energy.”

“We’re doomed! Doomed!” Mrs. Cake wailed to the heavens. “Celestia save us!”

“What the…” Applejack stopped her questioning when a smacking sound emanated from the sitting area of the Corner. She cautiously walked over and saw two ponies, one familiar and the other unfamiliar, laying waste to a smorgasbord of confections.

“Hey Applejack!” Pinkie smiled as she took a huge bite out of a chocolate cake. “Good timing, you’ve probably got five minutes left to eat any of this.” She went to take another bite of the cake, but it was snatched away by the unfamiliar pony. “Aw, Luffy! I was gonna eat that!”

“But it’s really good!” Luffy said before he devoured the cake in one huge bite.

“Hmm, ya got me there… oh well.” Pinkie shrugged and ate a whole cherry pie instead.

“So, um…” Applejack didn’t exactly know what to make of the scene. “Did ya make a new friend?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie said as she stuffed an éclair in her mouth. “He’s this ultra fun pony, only he’s not a pony. He’s this thing called a human, but some meanie sent him here and now he’s a super awesome pony!”

“What?” Applejack corked her eyebrow so high it should have popped off her head.

“Oh, did I go to fast?” Pinkie pulled Luffy over.

“Hey, I was eating,” Luffy complained.

“I know, but I wanted you to meet my friend Applejack.” Pinkie forcefully stretched out one of Luffy's hooves and extended it over to Applejack.

Applejack let out a yell and clambered away from Pinkie and Luffy's hoof. “Ah…ah knew it! Ya really can break physawhatsit, can’t ya Pinkie?!”

“Break physawhatsit?” Pinkie tilted her head. “That’d be silly." She let got of Luffy's hoof and it snapped back to the rest of his leg. "He just ate a magic fruit that makes you stretch, but apparently it tastes horrible, so I don’t really want to eat one anymore.”

Applejack’s mouth dropped and her eyes went crooked for a second; she brought a hoof to her head to steady herself. “Can ya maybe explain this whole story?”

“Ugh, again?” Luffy sighed as he took a chunk out a cookie cake.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain this time.” Pinkie said as she turned back to Applejack. “This story is too good not to tell. It’s kind of a long one though.”

“Ah get the feeling Ah’ll be confused either way, so ya might as well give me the whole story.” Applejack sat down and barely managed to scoop up a small macaroon.

Pinkie took a deep breath and began. “It all started wi—”

“Hello? Is anypony her– Sweet Celestia! Sugarcube Corner’s been robbed!” A white unicorn dashed into the room and spotted Pinkie and Applejack. “Pinkie! Applejack! Somepony raided the Co– what are you all doing?”

“Rarity!" Pinkie grinned. "Great! Now I’ll just need to tell the story three more times and then everypony will be covered!"

“Pinkie?" Rarity shouted. "What is going on? Are you saying this mess wasn’t caused by a ruffian?”

“Nope, it was caused by me and him.” Pinkie pointed a hoof at Luffy. “Does a pirate count as a ruffian?”

“It most certainly does!” Rarity retorted. “Although, some of the stories with them do sound quite dazzling."

“Oh, 'cause Luffy’s a pirate.”

“He…” Rarity screeched as she pointed a hoof at Luffy, who was currently shoving a whole bowl of pudding into his mouth. “Is a pirate?!”

“Nif ta meef ya!” Luffy said with a full mouth.

“Blasted novels over-romanticized the whole thing!” Rarity cursed.

“Anyway,” Pinkie said, “you wanna hear his story? It’s pretty neat!”

“I suppose,” Rarity sighed. “I was going to ask about a cake for Sweetie’s birthday, but it looks like you’re, um…” Rarity looked around the messy room and shuddered. “... indisposed at the moment.”

“Okay, I’m gonna start.” Pinkie took a deep breath. "It all started with the pirate named Gold Roger who got wealth, fame, power, and everything else the world had to offer. He was such a good pirate that he became the king of pirates! Isn’t that awesome?”

“A king and a pirate?” Rarity tapped a hoof to her face. “Hmm, no stories I’ve read ever combined the two.” She looked over at Luffy. “What sort of fellow was he?”

“I dunno,” Luffy replied. “I never met him, but he sounds so cool!”

“Yep,” said Pinkie. “Especially because of his treasure.”

“Treasure?” Rarity’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah. See, right before he died, Roger said this,” Pinkie lowered her voice to make it sound gruff and manly, “‘You want my treasure? You can I have it! I left everything I gathered in one place! Now you just have to find it!’”

“So there’s a bunch of treasure just buried somewhere?” Applejack asked as she tried to grab another dessert, but Luffy got to it before she did.

“Not just any treasure, the treasure!” Luffy said while he chewed on the pilfered sweet. “Whoever gets the One Piece becomes the king.”

“Ah guess, that’s what you’re aiming to do?” Applejack asked.

“I was, until this big bear jerk used his weird paw hand things to send me and my crew all over the place.” Luffy frowned a little.

Applejack tilted her head a little. “Why in Equestria were ya fighting a bear?”

“Not a bear, I haven’t fought those since I was a kid. It was this big mechanical guy, we beat a copy of him, but then the real one showed up and blasted us all away.” Luffy slammed a hoof to the ground. “Now I’ve got to get back to my ship and my friends.”

“Um.” Applejack tilted her hat back. “Ah think you’re gonna need to tell us the whole story of how exactly ya got to that point.”

Luffy sighed. “Pinkie can you tell it? I’m still hungry and sweets just aren’t as filling as meat.” Luffy scooped up more food and started chowing down on it.

“Oki-doki-loki,” Pinkie replied with a smile. “Anyway girls, Luffy started out as a pirate when he met this nice captain named Shanks and then...”

~~~

“Geez, that was a long story," said Applejack. By now, the sun was beginning to set. The room, which had been filled with every kind of confection imaginable, was now barren, save for a few flecks of frosting and a couple of crumbs. “Ah still can’t believe there was so much of the world beyond Equestria and just how strange it is.”

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty strange that I used an afro to win a fight,” Luffy slouched on the floor and patted his distended stomach.

“Ah was referring more to stuff like fighting somepony made of lightning or sand. How does that even work?”

Rarity brushed her mane to the side. “I must admit, Mr. Luffy, you may not be the classiest gentlecolt, but you seem quite heroic.”

“Heroic?” Luffy stuck out his tongue. “I don’t want to be heroic.”

“But all your valiant deeds… saving a country, climbing a mountain to save a friend, or taking on an entire government to save another friend. Oh, it's like something out of one of my stories! How is it not heroic?"

“Because, say you have a ton of meat, heroes share their meat." Luffy crossed his front hooves across his chest. "I don’t want to share my meat.”

“I beg your pardon?” Rarity asked.

“Oh yeah, ponies don’t have meat.” Luffy tapped a hoof to his muzzle. “Um, I’d rather eat a lot of cakes then share them.”

Pinkie let out a deep gasp. “You really are a villainous pirate! Still, you sound a lot better than some of the guys you beat up.”

“Yeah, they were pretty big jerks,” Luffy smiled.

“The way ya and your crew took down that whole evil organization had me on the edge of ma seat,” Applejack said. “Plus, I really like the story behind your hat, reminds me of how Ah got mine.”

“Oh yeah…” Luffy looked up at the hat on his head and then at the same hat on his flank. “What's up with this tattoo thing anyway?”

“It’s a cutie mark,” Rarity explained. “Everypony gets one when they find out their special talent. Do ‘people’ not have them as well?”

“That’d be pretty weird for people to get tattoos on their butts,” Luffy nonchalantly stated.

“Nopony really seems to mind and I think it’s really neat!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I just wish we could meet the rest of your crew!”

“Yes,” Rarity said, “this ‘Robin’ character sound quite intriguing. Oh, the work I could do with an extra set of hooves.”

“I thought you said unicorns can use magic or something?” Luffy tilted his head at Rarity. “Can’t you just float stuff around?”

“Try to understand, Mr. Luffy. Dressmaking requires a certain touch that only hooves can provide.”

“Hee,” Luffy chuckled, “You kinda sound like Franky!”

“That macho-headed mechanical man?” Rarity raised a hoof to her head in anguish and sunk into her seat.

Luffy shrugged at Rarity over-dramtics. “Well ya sound like he does when he’s fixing the ship, or how Ussop used to sound.”

“I suppose if he's your friend it’s okay,” Rarity replied as she regained her composure.

“Doesn’t seem fair that ya’ll have been separated by this Kuma fellow though.” Applejack started to get out of her seat. “Ah mean, sure ya ticked off that World Goverwhatsit, but to be thrown away from your friends, that’s just outright wrong!” Applejack stomped the ground to emphasize her point.

“Don’t worry! We’ll get you back to your friends!” Pinkie stood in a triumphant position, but then turned back to Luffy. “On one condition.”

“Whatever it takes to get back to Shabondy!” Luffy said with a stern face.

“When you reunite with your crew and become the Pirate King, promise you’ll come back here and we can have a super awesome party!”

Luffy grabbed Pinkie’s hoof as hard as he could with his own. “Deal!"

“Now let’s get you to a ship!” Pinkie smiled.

“There’s just one issue,” said Applejack. “Where’s the ocean? We’ve spent our whole lives thinking there was Equestria and only Equestria. How can we find something we’ve never even known existed?”

“Perhaps there’s a book on it,” Rarity suggested. “I’m sure Twilight has to have something on it in the library.”

“Huh, wonder why that name sounds familiar,” Luffy pondered before falling prey to one of his narcoleptic fits.

Before anypony could answer Luffy, Sugarcube Corner’s door burst open and Fluttershy, Dash, and Twilight galloped into the room. The latter two had bandages wrapped around their heads.

“Pinkie!” Twilight yelled.

“Twilight!” Pinkie yelled back. “Are we having a screaming contest?”

“Twi?” Applejack rushed over to check on the group. “What the hay happened to ya and Dash?”

“We’ve got a problem!" Twilight exclaimed. "There’s a strange monster on the loose!”

“Well, we can take ‘em!” Applejack stood on her hind legs and quarreled her hooves. “Must be a pretty nasty one to do this to ya and Dash though.”

Dash awkwardly scratched her head. “I kinda rammed into a tree.”

“So did this monster actually hurt anypony?” Applejack asked.

“He broke my barrier spell and the backlash sent me flying, scared all of us, and probably traumatized Fluttershy ” Twilight explained.

“But he was nice about it,” Fluttershy spoke up. “He did say he was sorry.”

“A foul beast that apologizes?” Rarity gave her friends an odd look. “That seems quite peculiar, perhaps a description would help us find it.”

“It looked like a pony,” Twilight started.

“But it could stretch,” Dash continued.

“And it wanted to eat other animals.” Fluttershy finished. “I was so scared because it kept saying it was hun…” Flutteshy trailed off as she looked around the mess that the room was. “...gry.”

“Oh no! Pinkie!” Twilight rushed over to her pink friend. “Did anypony or anything come in here and eat your stuff?”

“Nope,” Pinkie replied.

“Darn!" Twilight slammed her hoof to the floor in frustration. "I guess it was a good thing I sent a letter to the Princess. The royal guard should be able to help us with this.”

“Oh, but I met this really cool pony!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“What? Where?!” Twilight's eyes darted around the room.

“Right here.” Pinkie pointed a hoof at the other side of the table to reveal a now sleeping pony.

“That’s him!” Twilight jumped back. “That’s the monster!”

“Silly, he’s not a monster, he’s a pirate,” Pinkie smiled.

“But… but his hooves!” Fluttershy quivered. “They were stretching!”

“Well, he ate a weird fruit that lets him stretch” Pinkie explained.

“There’s a fruit that can do that?” Dash asked.

“I said the same thing," Pinkie replied, "but it tastes bad, so I don’t think I really want to try it."

“He didn’t try to hurt you though?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy chewed her lip a little.“Or eat you?”

“Girls,” Rarity said, “I don’t know what happened between you and Mr. Luffy, but I assure you, while he is a bit uncouth, he is a kind soul who would never hurt an innocent creature… unless he wanted to eat it. Regardless, as the Elements of Harmony, I say we make it our duty to send him back to his destination.”

“I think you’re gonna need to explain this to us.” Dash scratched her head as she tried to understand Rarity’s statement.

“Sugarcube.” Applejack trotted up to Rarity and lightly elbowed her in the side. “Ah guess it’s our turn to tell the story.”

“Oooh, I love hearing this story!” Pinkie jumped up and down in excitement. “It gets better each time.”

“Ya might wanna sit down,” Applejack said to her friends. “This’ll take a bit and afterwards we’ll need to go to your library Twi to figure out how to get him home.”

“That won’t be necessary!” came a regal voice. Suddenly, Celestia trotted into the room.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed as she and all the other ponies, except for Luffy, bowed to their monarch. “What are you doing here?”

“I came in response to your letter, my faithful student," said Celestia. "Have you had any luck in locating this monster?”

“Yes, your highness. He’s right over there.” Twilight got up and pointed a hoof at Luffy. "I was wrong to send you that letter. He’s just a lost pony who wants to get home.”

“I wish it were that simple, Twilight.” Celestia’s horn started to glow. “I’m sorry you had to see this.”

Celestia and Luffy disappeared in a flash of magic.

~~~

An unnaturally bright light was the first thing Luffy noticed. “Ugh, is it morning?” Luffy got up and looked around. He was in a large hall with stained glass windows decorating the wall.

“It is not morning.” The light said as it’s flare began to die down, revealing a pure white pony with wing, a horn, and a crown.

“Oh hey, you must be the Princess pony all the ponies were talking about.”

“Yes, I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria.”

“Neat. Hey, if you’re the ruler, do you know how to get off this island or where to get a ship?”

“I could give you both things, but I’m afraid I won’t.”

“Why not?” Luffy pouted.

“Because, the day I serve a pirate will be the day I breathe my last!” Celestia’s horn glowed as she pulled up a piece of parchment. At the same time, golden brand materialized out of the air and chained Luffy's legs to the ground. “I don’t know why you’ve come to my land of Equestria, but you are not welcome here Straw Hat Luffy!” The parchment was the wanted poster that contained Luffy’s bounty.

“Hey, how’d you get that?" Luffy struggled against the chains but they wouldn't budge. "I thought nopony on this island had even thought pirates were real!”

“You are correct,” Celestia explained. “Nopony in my land knows of the villainy you pirates bring upon the islands you pillage, nopony except my sister and me. I cannot allow you to roam free in Equestria! That is my duty as both Equestria’s ruler and a Warlord of the Sea!”

“You’re a Warlord?!”

Chaos

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"Let me go!" Luffy complained. The ethereal golden chains around his legs refused to budge.

"No," Celestia replied in a cold tone. "You've already done enough damage as it is. Besides, I assure you, the Canterlot Dungeons are much more comfortable than what the Government would throw you into."

"Err!" Luffy roared. "I'm not going to any dungeon! I'm going back to my ship!"

He raised up his front hooves and slammed them back into the ground. The floor quaked and cracked and the area the chains were connected to fragmented. Without a proper anchor, the chains evaporated. Luffy didn't waste any time and sped away from Celestia toward the doors at the back of the hall.

Celestia signed and lit up her horn once more. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to violence."

A wall of flames rose up in front of the door and blocked off Luffy's escape. He spun around just in time to see a golden ray coming straight at him. He jumped out of the way and grasped onto a nearby pillar. The beam continued on its path and left the floor of the royal hall scorching red.

“Geez! That’s ho–” Some smoke drifted into Luffy's nose and he noticed that the tip of his tail was on fire. He released one of his hooves from the pillar and flailed at his tail to quench the flames. “Ah! Hot! Hot! Hot!”

“This can all stop if you just surrender quietly," Celestia called up to Luffy.

Luffy managed to stomp out the flames and looked down at Celestia. “Why are you trying to kill me anyway? All I did was ask for a boat!”

“Why?” Celestia hissed. “Because if you escape, I know you’ll return! I won't let you hurt my subjects!" Celestia sent a bolt of lightning at Luffy, but it only harmlessly crackled around him.

“Fire and lightning? Ponies are crazy with this magic stuff.”

“Er, that’s right, you’re a rubber man if what I’ve heard is correct,” Celestia scowled. “This would be easier if you hadn't corrupted Twilight and her friends.”

“Hey, I was just asking for a way to get out of here!”

“You told them of the outer world! Perverted their minds with human horrors! How dare you!” Celestia flung a wave magic that Luffy barely dodged as it smashed the pillar he’d just leapt from.

“They just asked me where I was from! Sheesh! What’s wrong with telling stories?”

“Your stories, all human stories, entice and trick my little ponies into going into your world!" Celestia snapped her head in Luffy's direction and let loose another wave of magic. "What do they find when they get there? No treasure, no adventure, just suffering and despair!”

More magic arced out of Celestia's horn. By now, a good part of the royal hall was scorched and blackened and very few pillars remained unscathed. “Then there were the pirates who came here, spreading sin, disorder, and chaos!” Celestia’s voice turned into a booming typhoon of noise as she summoned a sphere of magic with fire and lighting shooting off from it.

“Uh-oh!” Luffy swung for the giant glass mural behind Celestia’s throne and crashed through it. The ball zipped over his head while he disappeared into the shadows beneath the throne room.

“Darn!” Celestia exclaimed. She floated over to the broken mural and look down. She kicked a jagged piece of glass into the night. “I can’t let him escape... what if he makes it back to sea?” Celestia’s lip quivered a little, but then she steeled her resolve. “He won’t get far, the garden is enclosed...” Celestia’s eyes went wide when she realized what she’d just said. “Oh no, the garden!” Celestia instantly teleported away.

“What is that pony’s problem?” Luffy complained. He leapt through a thick hedge only to meet another one. “Everypony else on this island seemed really nice. Why do they have such a mean princess?”

Instead of jumping through another hedge he turned left. The path led into a square filled with statues. “Oh well, guess I’ll have to find a ship another way.” Luffy looked around while he trotted. Most of the statues were of ponies, but there was one odd statue in the middle that caught Luffy’s attention for a second. It had a snake-like body, one eagle claw, one bear claw, one pony leg, one dragon leg, one pegasus wing, and one bat wing. “What a weird statue.”

“Get back, Straw Hat Luffy!” Celestia appeared in a flash, but now her mane had lost its multi-colored hue and had instead become orange, red, and flaming. “You will not unleash him!”

“Who?”

A giddy cackled filled the air as Celestia’s mane lost its fire.“Me!”

“No!” she cried out.

“Oh yes!” the voice called back. “I must admit, no pirates being around when I came back last time was quite the downer. But just the turmoil it has caused you alone is so rich, Celestia!”

“Enough games!” Celestia yelled at the voice. “I see your statue, but I know you’re not really there! Show yourself!”

“Why? So you can summon your little Elements to seal me again? Bleh! How cliché! Although...” Luffy felt something drape itself on his shoulder. “I really should thank you, Straw Hat.” He jumped back to see that the statue had been resting its eagle claw on him, only it wasn’t a statue anymore.

“What the heck are you?” Luffy asked.

“Oh, I have many names: chaos, disorder, soapy-road summoner...” A bolt of lightning struck the creature in the back. He glared back at Celestia, and waved his paw. An invisible force knocked her to the ground and a solid statue of the creature appeared out of thin air and held her to the ground. “But you can just call me Discord. Nice to meet another bringer of chaos.”

“You’re weird looking.”

Discord snarled a little, but controlled himself. “Yes, I get that a lot. Then again, I’m not the pirate with a swordsman who uses three swords, a manipulative navigator, a long-nosed sharpshooter, a perverted chef, an assassin historian, a raccoon dog pet, and a robot for a crew. Nice pick on the robot by the way.”

“How does everything on this island either know about me or not know about me?” Luffy asked as he kept his distance for Discord.

“You’d be amazed how much of an open book a mind in turmoil can be.” Discord looked at Celestia. She was firing blasts at the statue but to no avail and remained trapped. “Every time you and your crew caused bedlam and Celestia had to attend her warlord duties, whatever that is, and she always had such a frazzled mind afterwards. As a bonus, there’s now a war brewing!” Discord squeed. “I love you humans! Even if Celestia doesn’t let you come here, you’re such a good source of disharmony! Speaking of which...” Discord snapped his paw and the night sky was instantly filled with pink clouds.

“Huh?” Luffy said as he looked up at the sky. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Discord scratched his head with his eagle claw. “It was your pet that liked cotton candy, oh well.” Discord snapped his paw again and a torrent of chocolate milk fell on them.

“Woah!” Luffy exclaimed as he taste the chocolate milk. “That’s awesome!”

“Finally! Someone who appreciates my work! Ha! I’ve been waiting at least fi–”

“Foul Beast!” came a shout from the air. “Unhand thine sister and go back to the shadows!” A dark blue shape slammed into Discord, knocking him on his back. The statue Celestia was under dissolved into water. Now that the blue shape had stopped, Luffy could see that her form was an alicorn that looked like the night itself.

“Sister!” Luna cried. She rushed over to Celestia's side and helped her up. “What happened? I saw the clouds over the garden and came as fast as I could!”

“I... I’m sorry, Luna,” Celestia pleaded. “I should have told you, but I didn’t want you to get hurt again.”

“How cute.” Discord floated above all three ponies as lightning and chocolate rain filled the skies. “You two remind me of when you first challenged me. Only this time you don’t have your saving grace! I’ll take care of the two of you and then I’ll handle the Elements!” Discord flashed an insane grin at the two alicorns. “Who knows, maybe I’ll just leave the land in chaos to participate in the war!”

“No!” Celestia yelled as she got to her hooves and began charging her horn. “You are a plague upon Equestria and a scourge to all ponies! I won’t let your madness spread beyond my realm! You’re also a fool to think I didn’t have countermeasures after last time!”

A thick rainbow-colored bolt of magic erupted out of Celestia's horn and zoomed straight at Discord.

“Celestia, still the little rebel you were all those centuries ago.” Discord raised up his bear paw and yawned into it. “Oh yes, that little spell of yours. Too bad you were thinking about it while your mind was a mess!” Discord caught the bolt with his eagle claw and sent it back in Celestia’s direction with increased speed.

“Sister!” Luna rushed to Celestia's side and slammed into her. “Move!”

“Luna!” Celestia cried as the magic zapped Luna. There was a flash and then a grey statue of Luna fell to the ground. Discord instantly teleported in front of it and picked it up with his tail.

“Tch-tch-tch, really Celestia?” Discord teased. “First the moon and now stone? You really aren’t good at this big sister thing.”

“What just happened?” Luffy asked.

“Silence, Straw Hat! This doesn’t concern you!” Celestia hissed before she turned her attention back to Discord. “Release her!”

“Not familiar with hostage situations, are we?” Discord mused as he swung Luna’s statue around with his tail. “See, I’m calling the shots now. I want Equestria back and your help sneaking into this war.”

“Never!” Celestia yelled.

“Ah-ah-ah.” Discord hung Luna’s statue upside down. “Would be a shame if this nice statue broke.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oi, weird thing.” Luffy looked up at the dangling statue. “You’re kinda being a jerk.”

Discord ignored Luffy and kept his focus on Celestia. “What’s to stop me? I’m Discord, remember?”

“I know you, Discord,” Celestia stomped her hoof to the ground. “You always said we were too much fun to kill.”

Discord lost his smile for a second. Then he replaced it with a scowl. “I really do hate you, Celestia.” Discord raised his tail up. “You're such a party popper!” Discord brought his tail and the statue to the ground. But only his tail touched the ground. “Oh horsefeathers!” Luffy had grabbed the statue. “Straw Hat, you ruined the fun!”

“There wasn’t anything fun about that!” Luffy glared at Discord. “You were going to kill her!”

“Do you know how boring they are? Why don’t you get your crew and help me overthrow th–” Discord was interrupted by a hoof to his face.

“Don’t talk like you know my crew!” Luffy yelled with a volume that made Celestia’s jaw drop.

“The Royal Canterlot Voice! That’s...” Celestia looked over at her still frozen sister. “It doesn’t matter, hopefully they’ll take each other out. Don’t worry sister,” Celestia’s horn started to glow, “it’ll be over soon.” Celestia was gone in a flash.

“You hit me!” Discord rubbed the hoof mark in his face. “Celestia never hit me!”

“I’m not Celestia,” Luffy replied.

“What’s with the hostility Straw Hat?" Discord spread out his paw and claw. "Isn’t fun and pandemonium what you pirates like?”

“You’re not fun, you’re just a stitched together jerk.”

“Ugh." Discord levitated off the ground and got back onto his legs. “You pirates are so fickle. One second you like my chocolate rain and then the next second you’re complaining that I turned off the gravity.” Discord snapped his fingers and suddenly it was daytime. “I’ll take care of you and then I’ll handle the others!”

Discord snapped his claw and a jagged beam of magic sprung out of it.

Luffy dodged and flung a hoof at Discord. "Gum-Gum Pistol!"

The attack phased through Discord. His voice called out, “Behind you Straw Hat!”

Luffy spun around and was smacked by Discord's paw. He flew a few feet a way skidded against the ground. He pushed himself off and pressed a hoof on the area where Discord had hit him. "Ow! I’m rubber! How did that hurt so much?!”

“Oh that’s right!” Discord raised up his paw and grasped the air. A force pushed on Luffy's neck and he clawed at it. “You’re a rubber man... pony, whatever! Sounds like a neat skill to imitate!”

Luffy flailed a leg at Discord, who vanished again. The magic strangling him abated and he fell to the ground gasping for air.

“I have a fun game to play.” Discord snapped his fingers again. His form shifted until he resembled a mirror image of Luffy. He still had the odd animal appendages, but his main body and head were now like Luffy’s, except for his fanged mouth and yellow eyes. “Let’s see who’s really the best rubber pony, shall we?”

“You jerk!” Luffy sent his forehooves flying backwards. They then zipped past him and straight at Discord. “Gum-Gum Bazooka!”

“Gum-Gum Balloon!” Discord yelled back as his body inflated to cushion the blow. “Oh, now that is quite odd! Interesting!”

“No fair!” Luffy complained. “Get your own techniques!”

“C’mon, Straw Hat! It’s a game, let’s have some fun!” Discord laughed and started sending Gum-Gum Pistols in Luffy’s direction.

“Sorry!” Luffy got out of the way of the attacks and planted his legs firmly into the ground. They expanded and then contracted back to normal size. At the same time, steam emanated from Luffy's body and his coat gained a pink sheen. “I don’t have time to play games! Gear Second!”

“Gear wh–”

“Jet Pistol!” Luffy’s attack hit Discord before the beast could even finish his question.

“Ugh!” Discord's body rippled and reverted back to its original shape. Another attack came his way but he teleported away from it just before it struck. His voice then filled the garden. “You’re right Straw Hat, that wasn’t fun. I’ve got a better idea.” There was a snap and then Luffy was surrounded by hundreds of Discords.

“Only one of me is solid!” they all said in unison. “Try and find the real me! Better hurry!”

“Jet Buck!” Luffy kicked his back leg and sent Discord flying into a wall.

“You brat!” he cursed as he picked himself out of the rubble. “Fine! I didn’t want to do this, but you leave me no choice!” Discord snapped his paw again and then all the other Straw Hats, still human, were in front of him. “What do you say to this?”

“You better let go of them!” Luffy yelled.

“Oi Luffy!” Zoro said. “What’s the big idea letting us get blasted away like that?”

“Yeah” Sanji complained. “What a crappy captain you are!”

“I...” Luffy stuttered.

“I just wanted to become a good doctor!” Chopper cried.

“You didn’t make me feel super this week Luffy!” Franky yelled.

“How am I gonna be a brave warrior now?” Ussop yelled a Luffy.

“Everyone... I...” Luffy started to collapse to the ground.

“Why Luffy?” Robin asked.

“Why couldn’t you save us?” Nami asked.

“Noooo!” Luffy yelled as the sky cracked and fell to pieces.

Discord lost his smile. “Impossible! Nothing has broken my spell! Not even Twilight! Damn it! I need to...” Discord froze. Luffy was slowly trotting towards him. “Oh, um, Straw Hat, that was just a joke. You know, silly old spirit of chaos and all... we can talk this out, right?”

“Gum-Gum...” steam began pouring faster out of Luffy’s body. He started to race over to Discord.

“Oh crap! I... I’ll let you co-rule okay? Our own little chaotic kingdom!” Luffy kept barreling at Discord. In return, Discord stated summoning walls, but they were instantly smashed. “Forget it! You can have all the kingdom! I’ll leave and never...” Luffy disappeared for an instant and reappeared above Discord. “Please! You can have all the chocolate milk you wa–”

“Jet Stampede!” Luffy unleashed a volley of all four of his hooves on Discord. The draconequus got the beating of his life. Luffy stopped when the ground beneath the monster cracked.

Luffy landed on the ground and looked over the form of his beaten opponent. “Sorry, but I only want to be the pirate king.”

A beam!

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Luffy breathed deeply. Discord was splayed out along the ground near him, unmoving aside from the occasional twitch. “What a weird guy. Wish he’d kept the clouds though.”

A bright light appeared to his left and he raised a hoof to shield his eyes. Twilight and her friends dashed out the light. A golden tiara adorned Twilight's head and necklaces hung around everypony else's necks.

“Princess!” Twilight called out. “We came as soon as we saw th- huh?!” Twilight looked over the bizarre scene in front of her. “What… what in Equestria happened? Luffy, why are you here? Where’s the Princess? Why is Discord beaten to a pulp?!”

“Yeah!” Dash flew over to Discord and prodded him with a hoof. “This guy was supposed to be our job.”

“Oh.” Luffy nonchalantly looked at the ponies and smiled. “He was being a jerk so I beat him up.”

A few of the hairs on Twilight’s head went crooked. “You did what? He’s the embodiment of chaos! He’s an all-powerful entity based on a primordial force of the universe!”

“Um, I didn’t get most that, but it’s not like beating up gods in new to me,” Luffy replied while picking his nose.

More parts of Twilight's mane went crooked. One of her eyes twitched. “How can you act that calm? For crying out loud, he’s Discord! One of the most evil forces to ever threaten Equestria!”

Pinkie happily bounced around doing a victory dance. “Oh, don’t get so mad Twilight. We didn’t even need to use the Elements this time! I say we party!”

“I’m up for that.” Luffy’s tongue wagged like a dog’s. “He may have been a jerk, but he was a tough jerk. It took a lot to knock him out and now I'm hungry!”

“Um, girls.” Rarity trotted forward. “Perhaps we are speaking a little too soon.”

Nearby, Discord slowly tried to crawl away with a single paw. “Damn pirates. So unpredictable, that’s my job! Ugh, I’ll never bother with them again! I’ll just have my own kingdom here and…” Dash's hoof slammed down in front of him and blocked his meager escape. “Of course you’d be here." A white flag materialized in his claw and he weakly waved it. "Uh... truce?”

“Blast him!” Fluttershy yelled. All six piece of jewelry glowed and unleashed a rainbow beam on Discord. In a flash, he was back to being a statue.

Stars of wonder had replaced Luffy’s eyes. “So cool!” He ran up and looked at the statue and then at the girls. “That was awesome! What was that?”

“Elements of Harmony, dear,” Rarity explained. “They’re special weapons we have to use against threats to Equestria. They also make quite nice jewelry on their own.” She twiddled the diamond shaped jewel around her neck.

“Neat! Where can I get one?”

“There’s only six,” Twilight said. “I'm not even sure if they’d work with other ponies. Hmm, guess it would possible for other ponies possessing the proper virtues to use them.” Twilight slapped herself across the face. “What am I saying? You need to explain what happened! Discord doesn’t just break out of his prison on a weekly basis! Also, where is Princess Celestia? I feel she could explain things much more clearly.”

“I am right here… my faithful student.” Celestia stepped out of some nearby shadows with a depressed expression on her face. She glared over at Luffy. “There is much to discuss.”

“You still wanna fight? I may be hungry, but I’ll take you!” A little bit of steam came out of Luffy’s nose. He shifted his stance and braced himself to launch an attack.

The other ponies’ jaws dropped at this. Celestia sucked in her breath and then released a deep sigh. “No, as much as I regret to say this, I am in your debt. Had it not been for you, I am not sure what would have happened to my sister.”

Luffy relaxed and his expression softened. “Oh yeah, is she okay?”

Celestia blinked. “She will be fine. That spell was only meant to temporarily bind beings with my level of power.” She looked at the six mares. “Only the Elements have the power to permanently imprison such powerful beings.”

Twilight nervously trotted up to Celestia. “Princess, could you please tell us what’s going on?”

Celestia had a look of pure stress on her face, but then she relented on closed her eyes. “Yes, Twilight, I deserve to tell you the truth. Your ability to still use the Elements has proven me wrong.” She paused again. “I’m sorry my little ponies, I’ve lied to you.”

“What do ya mean?” Applejack asked.

“I shall tell you from the beginning.” Celestia looked up at the stars. “Allow me to bring light to both the world and your questions.” She closed her eyes and then the dawn came. “To start, we must go back six hundred years to a time when chaos ruled the land.”

The Tale of the Two Sisters

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Discord sat on his gigantic crown with a small throne resting on his head. He took a bite into an apple core and threw the now-whole fruit behind him, where it floated rather than falling. He let out a sigh. He held out a paw, put up three digits, and put one down after another. When his final digit went into his palm, a magical blast busted open the door to his throne room and two distinct shapes darted inside.

“Discord!” Celestia yelled. “We-” A zipper replaced Celestia’s lips and sealed itself.

Discord got off his crown. With a snap of his paw, it vanished in a poof of smoke. “You’ve come to stop my evil reign of chaos,” he playfully mocked Celestia’s voice. “For what? The 56th time?” He eyed the busted doors and sighed. “I really don’t care about the castle, but you could at least be a little more original.”

“We are in no mood for your games, foul beast!” Luna yelled. She then sent forth a burst of lightning. A steel drum beat filled the room and Discord limboed under the bolt.

“Ah, Luna,” Discord mused. Instead of straightening his back, he flexed his legs so that his whole body was parallel to the ground. He then vertically walked up to the ceiling. “Always so quick to anger. Celestia ever tick you off by hogging the hot water?”

Celestia’s horn glowed and her mouth returned to its normal shape. “Joke all you want, tyrant. It won’t save you this day!”

Discord stood upside-down on the ceiling, frowning at the two ponies. “You know, I should really make a list of all the clichéd speeches you give. Maybe give Frieza a call about that.” He murmured the last part to himself. He turned right-side up, crossed his paws, and floated down. “At least tell me you have a new way of defeating me today. This isn’t going to be another magic throwing fight with me sending you to Equestria-knows-where with you just coming back next week, right?”

“Oh.” Luna’s eyes lit up and she grinned. “Sorry to disappoint, Discord, but we have indeed decided to settle this with magic.”

“Oh for crying out loud!” Discord snapped his paw and mound of pink clouds appeared behind him. He fell back on the pink cushion. “C’mon! Throw your little unicorn magic at me. I’ll dispel it, you’ll go ‘impossible!’ or something like that, and then I’ll send you blasting off again.” Discord stroked his beard a little. “Maybe this time I’ll turn you into something for a bit. Coal? Flowers? Dogs? You two certainly are bi-”

“Enough!” Celestia cried out. “It seems we have not been clear enough with you. We’re not fighting you with unicorn magic.” Celestia and Luna’s horns glowed as six jewels flew out of their bags. “We’ve found a much more harmonic power.”

Discord stared in utter shock as the six gems encircled the sisters and began to glow of their own accord. He let out a little snicker, which became a laugh, and then transformed into a maniacal noise that shook the throne room.

“Sister,” Luna cautioned, “he’s gone mad.”

“He always was,” Celestia replied. The gems floating around them grew brighter and brighter.

“Bahahaha!” Discord wiped a tear from his eye and grinned dementedly at the sisters. “This is too rich! You’re actually going to do it! I love it!”

“Don't try and sway us!" said Luna.

“Fool!” Discord hissed. His playful demeanor was now replaced by his brutal one as his features grew darker. “I am chaos! You think some pretty gems will stop me?! My form is merely one manifestation of my power! I live in all things! I am bedlam! I am pandemonium! I am Discord!” Discord smiled playfully again. “I just think it’s funny that the most unlikely of things is going to happen.”

“I think we’ve heard enough,” Celestia said. She looked over at Luna and she nodded back. They closed their eyes and their horns glowed more intensely as did the gems. Celestia opened her eyes, which were now pure white and crackling with energy. “Goodbye Discord.”

Discord let out the same insane laugh as the Elements of Harmony unleashed their power and his form slowly turned to stone. “No goodbyes are permanent, Celestia! This land, its citizens, its visitors…” By now, half of his body was petrified. “All of them feed me their disorder and give me strength. Oh, you’ve won today, but the day will come when all that madness empowers me once more and you will feel my wrath!” Discord put a paw to his chest and another into the air. “Until then, you have my congratulations. Have fun with Equestria!”

Discord's head petrified with grin affixed to it and the room went silent. The Elements of Harmony fell to the ground. They were still jewels, but the color of each one was now dulled a little. Celestia trotted up and looked down at Discord’s frozen form. “Even if that day comes, we’ll be there to stop you again.”

~~~

“That was how my sister and I came to rule Equestria,” Celestia explained to the group.

“Does anypony else have a sense of Déjà vu?” Pinkie asked. “Cause I totally have a sense of Dé-”

Twilight stuffed her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth to silence her. “I’m sorry if Pinkie was little direct, but aside from specifics, this sounds like what you told us before about your battle with Discord.”

“It’s new to me!” Luffy said with a smile. “Besides, hearing about that beam is super cool!”

Celestia ignored Luffy and focused on Twilight. “Perhaps I have not been clear enough with you and your friends, my faithful student. For you see, while we were confident in our abilities to rule Equestria, there was still an x-factor, a great unknown which could destroy the normality my sister and I had worked so hard to restore.” Celestia glared at Luffy. “I am of course talking about humans.”

“So there is a way to get to and from this island then?” Luffy asked.

“Not in present times, but back then, the land was different.” Celestia stared off at the rising sun. “Equestria has always had the natural barrier humans call the Calm Belt protecting us. During Discord’s reign, he used his power to minimize the dangers of traveling here. He had a thing for pirates, especially when they pillaged towns and fed his urges for madness. My sister and I decided something had to be done.”

~~~

“Sister,” Celestia pleaded to Luna as they stood on a rocky beach enshrouded in fog. “Let us just send them all away. Healing our subjects and our lands comes first. We’ll recover and then maybe in a century or so we can let them back in.”

“Sister,” Luna replied. “Do not think you’re wrong. Our land must heal, and in the time we’ve ruled, it’s already showing improvement. At the same time, we must take full advantage of our freedom and learn from this world. We hardly know anything of humans. For the moon’s sake, we don’t even know what they really look like.”

“Yes,” Celestia mused. “I had always thought the transformation of humans was a part of Discord’s magic. Yet, even after his defeat, they still retain the forms of our little ponies.” Celestia kicked a pebble into the water. “Most bizarre…”

“Do you see my point now?" Luna's features darkened and she looked Celestia straight in the eye. "This ignorance of ours will only lead to confusion down the road, which will spiral into chaos and you know what will happen then.” She dropped her head but quickly brought it back up with a mischievous smile attached to it. "Besides, some of those tales we’ve heard are quite intriguing. An island filled with ancient beasts, an island of pure sweets, even islands not unlike our Cloudsdale!” Luna grinned wider. “Maybe there are even more ponies out in the world, already mingling with humans.”

“I am still worried,” said Celestia with a frown. “Who knows how much of the pirates said was true. We can’t judge them based on how Discord treated them. Sometimes he drank with them and other times he corrupted them and made them ring each others’ necks.”

“Again,” Luna replied,“all the more reason to learn about them.” The fog of morning was beginning to clear now and a shadow took shape behind Luna. “Besides, if you truly wished to stop me, you’d have burned the ship last night.”

“I considered it.” Celestia looked up at the ship, which became more and more defined as the fog dissipated. It was simply furnished with no distinguishing marks. Even the masthead was just a brown block of wood. She closed her eyes and sighed. “But you are my sister, if it had not been for that bond we wouldn’t be standing here today. Just please keep me informed of your travels and be safe.”

Luna playfully shook her head back and forth. “Always the protective older sister. Fear not, I’ve hoof-selected the finest crew and you know I can fend for myself as well.” Luna beamed a smile at Celestia. “It will be like when we were fillies, who knows what adventures I’ll have?”

Celestia watched as Luna ascended the plank up to the ship. A dark blue aura pushed the boat away from the beach. “I pray for your speedy return.”

“Oh Tia,” Luna playfully teased. “What fun is there in a quick voyage? Besides, I’ll need to make a name for myself on the seven seas!”

“What are you…” Celestia got the answer to her question when a black flag levitated up to the crow’s nest of Luna’s ship. The flag contained a pony’s skull and crossbones with a crescent moon in the background. “Luna! You are going on a expedition, there is no time for playing pirate!”

Luna’s horn glowed bright and the ship picked up speed to escape Celestia’s ire. “I’m sorry Tia! I’m not playing anymore!” Luna called back with the Royal Canterlot Voice. She went to the bow of the ship and summoned a cutlass to her side and raised it out to the sea. “Onward! Raise the flag of the Lunar Pirates!”

~~~

“Luna had always had a rebellious streak in her,” Celestia explained to the group. “I should have known once she heard tales of piracy that it would entice her mind.”

“So what?” Luffy asked. “She go after the One Piece or something?”

“No,” Celestia growled. “Thank the stars that accursed ‘king’ of yours and his treasure weren’t even an problem back then.”

“Hey!” Luffy shouted. “Don’t insult the pirate king!” Luffy began to trot forward to defend his idol, but a purple aura grabbed hold of his tail.

“I’m sorry, Princess," Twilight apologized. "Please continue.”

“Very well,” Celestia replied. “While Luna explored the seas, I carried on my duties as the Equestria’s ruler. That included dealing with the pirates. I cast many out and some simply asked me to leave as they had either been forcefully brought here by Discord or wished to venture onto the sea once more. However, what shocked me most were the pirates that wished to stay.” Celestia looked over at Luffy. “They seemed to enjoy their new forms more than their old ones.”

“Oh, you mean the hooves and stuff?” Luffy asked. He clopped his front hooves together to emphasize his point.

“Yes.” Celestia turned to look at the girls. “My little ponies would never notice it, but Equestria is more magical than you can imagine. It is a tiny dot on the Calm Belt, yet a vast world within the realm of magic. The energies that flow through this land have always been a part of this island. They’re what allowed my sister and me to move the celestial bodies, for normal ponies to perform advanced magic, and…” She looked over at Luffy. “Make sure the worst of humanity is at least temporarily removed when they enter my land.”

“Question!” Pinkie enthusiastically yelled. Her hoof vigorously swatted at the air as well.

“Ask your question Pinkie Pie,” Celestia nonchalantly replied.

“So, basically humans turn into ponies when they’re here. Does that mean if we left Equestria, we’d turn into humans?”

Celestia’s expression darkened. “That brings me to the next part in my story. Luna did keep her promise and constantly sent me letters about her adventures. The Grand Line at first posed many problems to her, but she preserved and managed to navigate those treacherous waters. While I didn’t commend her actions, I was glad to see here enjoying her journey. Until…”

~~~

Celestia nervously trotted back and forth through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Her lip was bit in concern and her left eyebrow twitched a little. She made her way into the throne room and sat down. A guard walked up and bowed. “May I ask what is wrong, your majesty?”

Celestia shifted her attention to the stallion, glad to have a distraction. “Ah, Swift Wing. No, I am quite all right. It has just been a long day is all.”

Swift looked through the stained glass of the room for a second. “Princess… it’s not even noon yet.”

“Um, yes,” Celestia replied. “I… I knew that. I meant it has been a long day from my perspective. You know, raising the sun and moon and all.”

Swift sighed and then seriously looked at Celestia. “I have no doubt in my mind that Princess Luna is safe. She is most likely having a grand adventure and merely forgot to send a letter on time.”

Celestia let out a little chuckle. “You are probably right. Thank you, Swift Wing, you’ve always been a good Captain of the Guard.”

Swift did a little bow. “You are too kind Princess. I only wish to make sure you are not troubled.”

“You are doing a good job then,” Celestia replied. Swift nodded and then walked out of the throne room to stand guard outside again. I only wish I could believe you.

~~~

“I tried my best to be patient and fool myself into thinking Luna was fine. But after three months, I knew something had gone wrong,” Celestia explained. “I took no ship, no guards, and no food when I left. My concern for her drove me across the Grand Line. I visited all the islands Luna had gone to in hopes of finding her. At her last documented island, a deep fear began to grow in me…”

~~~

“I need to stop hitting the booze,” said an old man as he chucked a half-full bottle into the sea. He looked back at Celestia. “Second damn time I’ve seen a talking flying horse.”

“I have talked to the other islanders and they say you’re the last person who saw her. Where did she go?” Small streaks of fire ran through Celestia’s multi-hued mane.

“She *hic* went off in the direction of Big Wharf Isle. I *hic* told her it was dangerous. Hell, everyone on ta island did. Iz a sister island of ours, but iz a bad place.” He fell onto Celestia and was asleep almost instantly. Celestia stood frozen for a moment before bolting off for the island. Her form lit up the night as she darted across the sky.

She quickly made her way to the island and crashed on the sand. It sizzled beneath her hooves. "Luna!" she called out in the Royal Canterlot voice. "Luna?"

A rustling in the bushes answered her call. A man with a long black beard and scar over his right eyebrow emerged from the forest the bordered the beach. “Hmm, another one?”

“You!” Celestia rushed up to the man. “Have you seen a creature like me before? She is blue like a clear night with a mane that looks like stars!”

“Whoa whoa!” The man pushed his hands back to calm the alicorn down. “I’ve seen her.”

“You have?” Celestia shook her head a little.

"Yeah, back at the camp."

"Er, what in Equestria would possess her to stay in this den for so long?"

The man rubbed his hands together. “It sounds like you and her have some personal issues to deal with.” He turned around and began to walk into the forest. “Please, follow me, I’ll lead you to camp.”

Celestia cautiously followed.

“Gotta admit,” the man said as they walked through the woods. “Never thought I’d see another creature like you again… then again, this is the Grand Line, you never know what you’ll see here.”

“I have heard that response more than enough on my travels,” Celestia replied. Er, Luna has gone overboard with this. Traveling was one thing, but lazing around on an island and not telling me anything is too much! This ‘adventure’ of hers ends here!

Ahead of them a collection of tents and hastily constructed buildings sprouted out of the forest. “This is where you live?” Celestia asked.

“Oh no, we’re sailors so we just use this island as a base,” the man explained.

Celestia frowned. “You mean you’re pirates.”

“I suppose you could put it that way.”

“Call yourself what you wish. Just take me to my sister.”

The man smiled nervously and rubbed his hands together again. “You’re sure you don’t want to stay a little longer? This island has everything, there’s a reason your sister has stayed here.” He turned around. “Oi, men! We’ve got a guest tonight! Get her a drink!”

A short bald man ran up to them holding a coconut filled with a clear liquid. “Here you are, Miss! Please, have some.”

Celestia pushed the drink away with a hoof. “I have no need for your human drinks, they are qu-” Celestia paused and her features darkened. The bald man was wearing a gold necklace with a dark blue gem in the middle.

“Where did you get that?” Celestia’s voice was hollow now and her mane had stopped flowing.

“Got it while traveling. You, um, know how pirates are, finding treasure on the se- ow!” The necklace turned bright red. Smoke coiled off of it and the man's neck. He fell to the ground grasping at the burning necklace. “Get it off! Argh! Get it off!”

“You’re a horrible liar,” Celestia’s said coldly. “You have swindled my sister out of her gems.” She glared at the bearded man, who was now slowly backing away and inching for the blade at his hip. “You had better pray that’s all you’ve done to her.”

“Um…” The bearded man continued to back away. Then his expression turned to one of rage and determination. He pulled out his blade, a machete-like knife, and raised it high. “Men! Take her! Just like the others!” A sizeable group of men came out of hiding in the village and the forest to surround Celestia with weapons raised.

Celestia stood there, immobilized for a second as she took in the situation. First her pupils receded to the back of her head, and then her eyes turned into raging flames. “Now I see what has happened here! Her mane and tail turned into wild blazes. “Unhand my sister or suffer the consequences!. The foliage around her instantly turned into an inferno.

“Attack!” yelled the bearded man.

~~~

What had once been an island filled with green was now black and smoking. Shards of burning hot glass filled the beach. Unconscious pirates rested atop the smoldering remains of their camp. Celestia held up the captain with her magic. Black ash now stained her white coat. She pulled the blackened captain over to her; his beard was singed off. “Now then, where are my little ponies and where is my sister?” Her eyes were no longer flames, but Celestia’s glare nearly caused the man to pass out.

“S-shabondy Archi…pelago.” The captain then passed out from his wounds. Celestia threw him onto a pile of other knocked out pirates.

Celestia’s eyes softened and she looked to the sky, which was now rosy with the early light of dawn. “Sister… please be safe.” She took off and left the pirates on the burnt out island.

~~~

“Wait,” said Luffy. “So you know where the Archipelgo is? That’s great! Could you please send me there?”

“Never,” Celestia growled. “I’ll never go back to that place! I should have burnt it like I burnt the other is-” Celestia stopped when she saw the shocked looks on the ponies’ faces. Fluttershy was curled up and shivering on the ground, while the other ponies’ mouths gaped open. “I… I’m sorry.” Celestia bowed her head in shame. “It is not easy speaking about this.”

“Princess…” Twilight nervously trotted a little closer to her mentor. “If it’s too hard, you don’t need to continue.”

“No, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “You deserve to know why I do what I do and why it is only to protect you.” She looked back at Luffy. “You said you wanted to go back to the Archipelago. I assume then you’re at least a little familiar with it.”

“Yeah,” said Luffy. “Some parts of it were fun, but other parts of it were just full of jerks.”

Celestia’s expression turned very cold. “I don’t know all your exploits, Straw Hat Luffy, but did you go to Grove One on the Archipelago?”

“Yeah, why?” Luffy asked.

“Scum,” Celestia snorted. “I shouldn’t have expected anything else from a pirate.”

“Hey!” Luffy complained. “Why do you keep doing that? I didn’t do anything bad, but you keep getting mad at me! You je-” A magenta aura cut off Luffy.

“Luffy! This is Princess Celestia you’re talking to!” Twilight’s mane had started to become unkempt again. “Please! Have some tact.”

“Don’t bother Twilight,” Celestia huffed. “He is the epitome of humanity, a criminal who would sell out his own kind for profit.”

Luffy corked an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Celestia spat. “I know what goes on in Grove One! You sell slaves!”

“Oh!” A look of recognition dawned on Luffy’s face. “Yeah, those guys messed with my friend, so I beat them up.”

“Have you no shame? I can’t believe you humans could be so he… wait, what?” Celestia’s rage now turned to confusion. “You did what?”

“Some slave trading guys kidnapped my mermaid friend, so I beat them up.” Luffy smacked his hooves together to emphasize his point.

Now it was Celestia’s turn to stare in shock. Luckily, Rarity broke her out of it. “Um, Princess Celestia, when you say “slavery” surely you’re not referring to the same way the diamond dogs treated me?”

Celestia broke out of her stupor and focused on Rarity with eyes that were a mix of anger and sadness. “I only wish humans could be as kind as diamond dogs.” She looked over the six ponies she had grown so fond of. “There is no other place on this planet that has ponies like us. Pegasi, unicorns, and even Earth Ponies with unique colors would catch the eye of slave traders.”

“Princess,” Twilight quivered. “Please don’t tell me…”

Celestia turned away so the ponies couldn’t see her face. “Yes, Twilight. My sister... Luna. She…” Celestia’s whole form shook. “She was a slave!”

All six ponies gasped at this. Luffy frowned. “But how?” Twilight asked. “You and Princess Luna are the two most powerful ponies I know.”

“Please Twilight,” Celestia’s voice trembled. “Don’t ask me how things went so wrong. All I knew when I interrogated the slave traders was that they had sold Luna to a monster. Far worse than any creature you have ever faced. Soulless, merciless, and greedy, it lives off of pain and suffering.”

“W-what sort of m-monster could do such horrible t-things?” Fluttershy said through chattering teeth.

“A devil, a blight even upon a corrupt race like humanity. Discord would be sickened by them.” Celestia turned around and glared at Luffy with tear-filled eyes. “Your leaders! Celestial Dragons!” Celestia spit out the name with malice.

“Them?” Luffy’s look turned to anger as well.

“Yes. them. They bought Luna and… and…” Celestia took a deep breath and sucked back her tears. Her face regained its calm mask once more. “All that matters is that I rescued her from the pit where they kept her and set it ablaze. History covered it up, but I made sure my fire left scars in the land.” Celestia looked down at the ground. “It took a long time to help Luna recover. She was broken. There were days where neither sun nor moon would rise and I would just stay by her side and tell her she was safe. I was finally getting her to talk and eat by herself when she came to me and shattered everything…”

~~~

Celestia stood on the balcony outside her throne room. She closed her eyes and began to pull the sun up over Equestria. Dawn was about to break when a voice interrupted her daily ritual. “Sister, that’s not necessary today,” said Luna.

“Luna?” Celestia stopped pulling up the sun and turned to look at her sister. “Have you come to assist in raising the sun and lowering the moon?” She weakly smiled. “You are still recovering, you need not push yourself.”

Luna shook her head back and forth. “No, sister, I have come to you to propose an idea.”

“What is that?”

“I never want anypony to suffer like I have, or for any other races to know the evil of humanity.” Luna gave her sister a grin that was filled with something other than joy. “Let us coat the land in night for a bit and freeze them all to death.”

Celestia shivered a little at Luna’s grin. “Sister, what are you talking about? We only control sun and moon here. We can’t manipulate the celestial bodies outside of Equestria’s magic. Any attempt could be dangerous. Besides, you’re safe now, that is what matters.”

“It is not what matters!” Luna hissed. “Don’t you want to get vengeance on them for what they did?! Burn them, freeze them, and torture them like they tortured me?!”

“Sister!” Celestia cried out in a concerned voice. “You’re speaking out of shock. I know you’re hurt, but to say such things… we’re better than that.”

“And look where that got us!” Luna spat back. A dark aura started to drift off her body. “In fact, I was too merciful, I should have listened to you and banished all the humans that came here!” Luna paused and then the evil grin returned. Celestia saw that Luna’s teeth looked much sharper now. “In fact, there are probably some still here. The ponies are used to odd movements of the sun and moon, but humans would be disoriented by it. Let’s extend the night here and flush them out!” Madness blazed in Luna’s eyes. “We’ll find them and make them examples to other humans!” Luna’s mane started moving in erratic patterns. “We can crush them, stab them, and put their heads on pikes around our lands!” Luna’s mane imitated the punishments she wished to deal out.

“Luna, you’re scaring me.” Celestia backed away a little.

“Don’t be afraid sister!” Luna flashed Celestia a maniacal grin. Her eyes were now serpentine. “Rest. You’ve been looking after me for so long. I shall handle this dark night.”

“Luna…” Tears started to roll down Celestia’s cheeks. “Stop this! This isn’t the sister I know!”

Luna paused for a second. “Don't cry sister, it will all work out. First we make examples of any humans left here and then we will bring more lands under our dominion. We’ll rule the oceans and crush all who oppose us under our hooves! Then we’ll bring endless nightmares to the humans!” Luna’s form was now pure black, her eyes serpentine, and her mane mist-like and erratic.

“Luna,” Celestia cried. “Please! Don’t become a monster driven by hatred like them! Please, just stay by my side and let me help you recover!”

The creature Luna had become stared at Celestia for a moment, then it scowled, “Luna was weak like you too, naïve in the ways of the world.” Armor started to form around the creature. “Not anymore! I am strong now! A terror to my enemies, a force of nature like the celestial body I control. Go to your room, sister. I shall make sure the humans know who to fear, Nightmare Moon!” she cackled.

“No!” Celestia cried out. “You’re not the sister I know! Give her back!” Celestia started to charge her horn with magic.

Nightmare Moon glared at her. “Fool.” Her mane whipped into Celestia and flung her into a wall. “Weak and stupid.” She trotted over to Celestia’s slumped body. “Sleep now, it will all be fine when you awa-” A fireball knocked Nightmare Moon back.

“You are just like the humans,” Celestia said as she got up. “I can’t let you run free, especially in my lands!”

Nightmare Moon got up as well and sent a bolt of lightning at Celestia, but Celestia countered it with a stream of fire. The two forms of magic met and fought each other for dominance. “Your lands? How dare you! We are sisters! We rule these lands together!” She sent more magic and pushed back Celestia’s fire.

Celestia grunted as she tried to hold back the lightning. “You are not my sister! You are just a vessel for her trauma! I… I will save he-” Celestia’s fire couldn’t hold back the lightning anymore and Nightmare Moon’s magic hit her and sent her flying off the balcony.

Nightmare Moon trotted over and looked down at where Celestia fell. It was a long way to the bottom of the castle and it was hard to see in the darkness. She spun around and unfolded her wings. “Fool, if she had just stayed quiet, this wouldn’t have happened. Now to find those hu-” An unnatural glow came from behind Nightmare Moon. She turned in shock to see Celestia floating there with six gems flying around her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m releasing your hold on my sister!” The Elements swirled around Celestia and unleashed their power on Nightmare Moon.

Instead of screaming, Nightmare Moon laughed. “We made the Elements work together, without our bond, they are us-” Nightmare Moon’s eyes flashed back to Luna’s normal ones.

“Sister! I… I didn’t mean it!” Luna cried. “It just hurt so much!”

“And I wanted to make them hurt too!” Nightmare Moon roared as Luna’s right eye started to turn serpentine again.

“Luna!” Celestia poured more power into the Elements. “Don’t worry! I’m going to help you!”

“I can’t hold it back for long!” Luna cried. Her right eye was Nightmare Moon’s again.

“She’s weak!” Nightmare Moon screamed. “She can’t help me!”

“No!” Luna yelled back. “She’s strong! Stronger than I’ll ever be!” She looked at Celestia as her left eye started to turn back into Nightmare Moon’s. “Do it now Celestia, please!”

With the aid of the Elements, Celestia felt her slipping connection with Luna and pushed the Elements to their limit. A rainbow shockwave exploded from Luna and knocked Celestia out for a second. When she regained consciousness a few second later, she slowly got up and saw where Luna had been standing was now smoking.

“Luna! Luna!” Celestia pushed the smoke away with her wings, but found nothing but large grey spheres with the symbols of the Elements carved onto them. “What… what have I…”

A glimmer of sunlight hit her in the face. “What?” she asked nopony. “But how? Only Luna and I can… Luna?” she desperately cried out again. “Please! I know you’re doing this! It’s okay! We’ll work everything ou-” Celestia gasped and brought her hooves to her mouth in horror. While the sun was rising, the moon was falling below the horizon and it was now adorned with the shadowy visage of a mare. “Luna! No! I didn’t want it to be like this! I… I…” Celestia gave up speaking, fell to the ground, and cried.

~~~

Celestia looked solemnly at the ponies and the pirate in front of her. “I don’t know how long I tried to get Luna back, but my power was useless without the Elements, so I did the second-best thing. If I couldn't protect Luna, I had to serve the kingdom. I rounded up all the humans and replaced their memories. They became my little ponies, I couldn’t risk anyone ever finding out about Equestria again.”

Celestia looked up at the rising sun again. “I rewrote Equestria’s history as well, made my struggles with Discord and Nightmare Moon mere legends. Nightmare Moon especially; she was a vile creature that grasped my sister’s rage and turned her into a monster. I made her a cautionary tale of what hatred could do to ponies. Pirates became things of fairy tales and Nightmare Night. Then, I made the land a natural barrier to the outside. On the off chance someone made it through the Calm Belt, all the awaited them were jagged rocks and impassible cliffs. There was but one area that I did not alter.”

“What kinda place couldn’t ya change?” Applejack asked.

“It’s not that I couldn’t change it, I thought I didn’t need to,” Celestia replied. “Tartarus is a harsh land that is nearly impossible to cross.”

“Tartarus?” Twilight asked in a confused tone. “But when I went there, there was only a big gate.”

Celestia frowned again. “That is where trouble once again started. For many years, Equestria was peaceful. What had happened to Luna pained me, but Equestria needed a ruler, lest anarchy reign and summon Discord. So, I continued my duties until one day…”

~~~

Celestia sat on her throne, reading over the report about the new town of Ponyville. It was doing well, with its apple sales attracting multiple development projects. She did find it a bit odd that the ponies there insisted on not having unicorn assistance in changing the seasons tough. Her perusal of the report was interrupted by a guard rushing into the room. “Princess, a strange pony has come to the castle and wishes to request an audience with you!”

Celestia sighed. “He can fill out the proper paperwork then. I can’t have ponies just striding in here freely, we have to keep order in the court.”

“I fully agree,” came a voice from outside the throne room. A large black Earth Pony with a green mane and tail entered the room. He wore a white cap and a jacket that was draped around his shoulders like a cape. The words “Justice” were stamped on the back of it. “Greetings.” He took off his cap with a hoof, but it dropped to the ground. “I’m Admiral Miushi of the Navy. I’m sorry for the brash intrusion, but this should only take a moment.”

“You!” the guard yelled and levitated his spear toward the admiral. “I told you to stay put! How dare you come in here!”

“Wait,” said Celestia. Her eyes narrowed as she cautiously looked over the new pony. “I have neither admirals nor navies for them to serve. Who are you?”

“I already told you. I’m Admiral Miushi of the Navy, which in turn serves the World Government.” Miushi moved to pick up his cap, but he couldn’t seem to grasp it with his hooves.

“Guard,” Celestia called out. “Go back to your regular duties and prepare for an early night.” Celestia had prayed she’d never have to use her code red password, but now it seemed those prayers had fallen silent. “I will deal with our guest.”

“Yes, your highness.” The guard rushed out to rally the troops, leaving Celestia alone with Miushi.

Once they were alone, Celestia rushed up and picked Miushi up by his neck. “You’ve made a foolish mistake coming here, human! Don’t lie and tell me your arrival is an accident. I filled Tartarus with every horrifying beast I could think of. No one in their right mind would dare cross it.”

“Scary,” Miushi replied. “So, the tales of the flaming horse were true. I’m actually here to talk about that stretch of land, the World Government would like to use it.”

“You humans and your gall!” Celestia hissed. Streaks of fire ran through her mane. “I’ll ask you one more time to kindly leave my lands and never return. Refuse and I show you what the sun feels like up close!” Celestia snorted out steam into Miushi’s face.

“Please, I only came to offer a nice agreement. I mean if a righteous officer of the law like myself could stroll into your lands, what’s to stop unscrupulous pirates?”

“Me!” Flames now danced in Celestia’s eyes. “I have protected my land for over five hundred years!”

“You really could use some additional protection then,” Miushi replied. Something sharp stabbed Celestia’s hoof and she dropped Miushi on the ground. “Your guards are quite lacking in skill.”

“What have you done?” Celestia asked coldly as she tenderly grasped her hoof.

“My mission to meet the monarch of this land was urgent, so I may have roughed them up a bi-” A fireball sent Miushi flying.

“I think our talk is done here. The only thing you’ll get out of staying now are more burns to show your World Government.”

To Celestia’s shock, Miushi got up and glared back at Celestia. Rather than being burnt where he’d been hit, his body was glowing white hot like blazing charcoal. “The power of the sun you say? Shall I show you the power of the Government?” Miushi’s coat turned reflective and jagged in places. His body to the color and texture of metamorphic rock while mane now resembled jade.

“What trickery is this?” Celestia yelled. “What are you?”

In response, Miushi melted into the stone floor. His voice filled the room, “For the third time, I’m an admiral of the navy and we want to give you protection in exchange for a small favor.”

“Never!” Celestia replied. Suddenly, the ground below her opened into a chasm and she barely had time to recover from the surprise attack and take flight. “Monster!”

“That’s a harsh word to use,” Miushi’s voice echoed. “There are dozens of individuals like me in the world. It’d be a shame if some of them started running wild in your kingdom.” A barrage of stalactites launched themselves out of the wall to Celestia's right and pinned her to the other side of the room. Miushi came out of floor and stood in front of Celestia. “I can only imagine the chaos that would cause.”

Celestia glared at Miushi with glowing white eyes. “Get out.”

“In your position, I don’t think you have the right to barga-” A tornado of flame ravaged both Miushi and the rocks that held Celestia in place.

Celestia kept up the blaze for a few minutes, effectively turning her throne room into a makeshift kiln. When she was certain she’d stopped Miushi, she let the flames die down. A large white-hot rock stood in the center where Miushi had been. Celestia let out a sigh. “I wish it hadn’t gone this way.”

“As do I.” Miushi appeared behind Celestia and grabbed her with a huge hand made of rock. “Hmm, wish I’d thought of making hands earlier.”

“Release me!” Celestia’s mane was now aflame as she struggled to get free of Miushi’s grasp.

“Please, Princess.” Miushi tightened his grip a little. “This really is a good deal for you. You get protection from the government and recognition as a world leader… although you seem to value privacy. We could either make Equestria a signpost on the maps or just another piece of the Calm Belt.” He stroked his chin with a hand made of rock. “I wonder how some ‘animal enthusiasts’ would feel about your citizens.”

Celestia’s fire went out. “Don’t.”

“You’re right,” he replied. “Poachers are rather dangerous. It’s why we want this ‘Tarturus’ as a place to keep them locked away. Give us that and a little help with certain issues and your lands will never see a human again.”

Celestia’s face contorted as she struggled with herself. She looked out onto the city of Canterlot. She closed her eyes. “Very well.”

“Excellent.” Miushi released his grip on Celestia and his form returned to that of a normal pony. “Welcome to the World Government, Warlord Celestia.” He left the Princess sitting alone in her destroyed throne room. As he walked out of the castle, he paused to analyze an itch on his stomach. A spot of it was bereft of fur and slightly singed. Damn, haki is useable by these creatures. Their leader is ours now at least.

~~~

“Thus, I became a Warlord of the Sea,” Celestia said. “Tartarus became the World Government’s jail and I’ve been trying so hard to keep my little ponies from getting hurt.” She turned her head down and was unable to look at her student and her friends. “I’m sorry.”

“I… I understand,” said Fluttershy, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“As do I, you highness,” said Rarity. “You had ponies’ best interests in mind after all. I am honestly stunned that you’d become such a fine leader after all that has happened to you.”

“Tch,” Rainbow Dash snorted. “I’m just mad I didn’t get to knock some of these guys around. Nopony messes with Equestria!”

“Ah’m with ya on this too, Princess.” Applejack readjusted her hat. “Ah know Ah’d be mighty sore if anypony tried to hurt ma family.”

“Plus it shows what a super awesome amazing leader you are!” Pinkie Pie excitedly bounced around while she spoke. “You were like ‘Mega solar beam! Bam!’ and all the bad guys were like ‘Argh!’ Can you tell it again?” Magenta magic pulled Pinkie down.

Celestia slowly looked over at Twilight. “What do you have to say, my faithful student?”

“I…” Twilight nervously tapped the ground with a hoof. “I think what has happened to you and Princess Luna was wrong.” She looked up at her mentor with determined eyes. “But my friends also told me a little bit about what happened to Luffy. If I’ve learned anything from my lessons on friendship, it’s that friends need to stick together. That’s why I think we should help send Luffy back to the Archipelago.” Twilight’s eyes darted back to the ground. “Sorry.”

“Twilight…” Celestia looked at her student with sad eyes. “I know friendship is important, but if one pirate can come here, what’s to stop another one?”

“But Princess,” Applejack pleaded. “He didn’t come here on purpose! Look, if ya just listen to his story, you’ll see this is just some huge misunderstanding.”

Celestia nodded. “Very well.” She turned to Luffy. “Be glad you have the support of such good ponies. Now tell your ta… what are you doing?” Luffy’s eyes were shut and a bubble expanded and contracted out of his nose.

“He’s asleep!?” yelled all the ponies.

The screaming woke Luffy up. “Huh? Oh sorry, I must have dozed off.”

“How can you doze off when the Princess is telling such a cool story?” Pinkie grabbed the sides of her head and spun her eyes around. “Are you loco in the coco?”

“Luffy!” Twilight chided the pirate. “We’re trying to get you back to your friends. Now is not the time to be sleeping! Now please, tell the Princess your story.”

“Oh, okay.” Luffy looked at the Princess. “I guess it started when…”

“Wait.” Celestia held up a hoof. “I have kept my little ponies here long enough. I’ll settle this right now.” Her eyes narrowed. “I have the power to send you anywhere. I can send you directly to the One Piece if you wish. Do you want to go?”

“No,” Luffy flatly replied.

“But isn’t that your goal?” Celestia asked.

“Look,” Luffy explained. “I want to be the king, but I also want to go on an adventure and have a crew that’ll impress Shanks. I can’t do that if I just go straight there. Right now, I just need to get back to Shabondy Archipelago.” Luffy looked at Celestia with determination in his eyes.

“Very well,” Celestia replied. “I’ll give you your ship.”

“Huh?” Luffy corked his head. “I thought you said you could send me away.”

“That was a test,” Celestia explained. “I don’t have the power to send anypony anywhere outside of Equestria. You truly do wish to return to your friends, so I shall grant you that. Be glad you’re an exception to your race.”

“Well I don’t really get everything you’re talking about, but thanks for the boat!” Luffy smiled.

“You know what this calls for?” Pinkie mischievously asked. Suddenly, she pulled a cannon out of nowhere and sent confetti and streamers into the air. “A party!”

“Um, Sugarcube,” Applejack yawned. “No offense, but Ah think we should get a little rest first, otherwise your party will turn into a sleep-over.”

“Sleep-overs are fun too!” Pinkie retorted. Applejack facehoofed.

“Pinkie, dear,” said Rarity. “I’d love to go to a party, but we really need our beauty sleep.” She looked over and saw Luffy was already asleep again. “It seems Mr. Luffy is already ahead of us.”

“Fine,” Pinkie pouted. “Oh well, while you’re all sleeping, I can get everything ready!” She looked over at Celestia. “That’s okay, right?”

“We have all had a rough past few hours,” Celestia replied. “Pinkie Pie, I think one of your parties would be an excellent idea to help some of us unwind.” Celestia trotted away. “I must go check on Princess Luna now. Please, use any rooms you wish to sleep in.” Celestia teleported and left the ponies alone in the garden. Luffy slept soundly as they dragged him to a room.

~~~

A grizzled old pony made his way through a dark area. He wore a white suit and a jacket that was draped around his shoulders. He was tan with a grey mane and tail, as well as a goatee. A scar ran perpendicular and through his left eyebrow. He ignored the darkness and what it held and made his way to his destination.

After some more walking, he reached his goal. He looked through the bars in front of him. Beyond the bars was a red Earth Pony with a black mane and tail. Freckles dotted his face. A skull with a white mustache adorned his back. He was chained to the wall and looked liked he’d been roughed up recently. He glared up at the old pony. “What do you want, old man?”

“Is that how you say hello to your grandpa?” replied the old pony. He sighed and sat down outside the cell. “I’ve just come to talk to you, Ace.”

PLEASE READ BEFORE CHECKING OUT SET ADRFIT STORIES

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Set Adrift Stories are non-canon to each other and the main story! They do not overlap with each other, they will not overlap with the main story. They are for laughs and what-ifs.

Have you read this? Good, now lets move on with the show!

Set Adrift: Navigator in the Sky

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Rainbow Dash turned over in her bed and let out a loud snore. “Muh, team captain… wonderbolt… mmm, Spitefire.” Suddenly, an earsplitting crash jolted the pegasus out of her dreams. “What the hay?”

Dash grumbled at having her ten plus hours of sleep interrupted and shuffled out of her covers. She got up to look out her window to see what had caused the commotion. “I swear, if Derpy is messing around again, I’m gonna… oh my gosh!”

Just a few feet away from her house was a large paw shaped crater. Dash zoomed over with a concerned expression over the pony lying in the middle of the crater. She was a peach colored pegasus with a fiery orange mane and a mixture of a pinwheel and some type of citrus for a cutie mark. A strange watch-like contraption was affixed to her left forehoof and a long blue staff with three spherical joints was next to her.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Dash flailed her hooves in a panic. She had been in her share of accidents, so Dash knew whatever this mare had done had messed her up badly. Aside from being knocked out, she was also covered in cuts and bruises. “Okay, stay calm Dash, she’s just hurt, and you’ve done way worse to yourself.”

Dash gingerly placed up the mare her back, grabbed her staff with her mouth, and brought her over to her house. She pushed her door open and spat out the stick. “I’ll give her some first aid and then I can get Twilight or Fluttershy… somepony who can get her real help.” For a second, she looked back at the crater, the clouds were already swallowing it up and going back to their original shape. “I’ll have to ask her what kinda stunt she pulled.”

About a half an hour later, Dash had cleaned up the mare, bandaged the worst of her wounds, and had set her down on the bed. Luckily, nothing seemed to be broken. Dash was especially glad at that part, she knew a broken anything, especially a wing, was torture for a pegasus. As she looked over the unconscious pony, her stomach grumbled. “Better fix myself some breakfast before I get somepony else.”

Dash trotted into her kitchen and made a bowl of oats and some wheat toast with strawberry jam. Her thoughts drifted back to the mare as she took a bite out of the strawberry jam encrusted bread. Who is she? I’ve never seen her in Ponyville before and I know all the pegasi in town. Dash shoved a spoonful of oats into her mouth. Maybe she’s from out of town. A traveling performer maybe? That would explain the weird stick thing. Dash thought back to the bear paw crater. “Wouldn’t be the first time a showmare and a bear got into trouble here.”

Dash quickly finished her meal and went back up to her room to check on the mare. A quick look and then she’d rush down to Ponyville to get help. However, Dash saw the mare moving around a little in the bed. “Whoa!” Dash rushed over to the bedside. “Hey! Hey!” Dash prodded the mare a little. “You awake? Can you hear me?”

The mare slowly opened her eyes. “Where… where am…” She then saw Dash looking right above her. “Ahhhh!” She flew out of the bed in hovered in the air. “W-what is…” Then she noticed she was flapping her wings and screamed again. She fell to the bed with a light thud. “W-what’s going on? Why do I have wings?” She screamed for a third time when she saw her hooves. “My hands! What happened to my hands?”

Dash had covered her ears after the second scream. “Guh, it’s like the worst of Pinkie and Fluttershy combined. Could you turn it down a little?”

“You’re talking!” The mare jabbed a hoof at Dash. “How in the world are you talking?”

Dash gave the mare a blank stare for a second. “Um, you hit your head or something?”

“If I’m seeing a talking flying horse and I have wings, then yes, I probably hit my head really hard!”

“Again, yelling. It’s a little too early in the morning to deal with a screaming pony.” Dash honestly expected Pinkie to pop out of nowhere at the precise moment, but the party pony failed to show up. “But aside from acting crazy, are you feeling okay?”

“I… I guess I’m feeling okay.” The mare shifted the blankets around. Then her eyes went wide and she pulled the sheets off to look at her body. Both shock and embarrassment filled her face. She looked up and glared at Dash. “Alright, what’s the idea you perverted horse thing? First you take off my clothes and then you turn me into whatever you are!”

“It’s called being a pegasus, lady!” Dash retorted. “Geez, you really must have messed yourself up to forget that much. Same thing with clothes; nopony usually wears them. Besides, all you had with you was that the weird watch thing and that staff.”

The mare sat down and pulled the covers over her chest, as if she were trying to hide something. Then, she looked at Dash. “10,000 berries.”

“What?”

“You owe me 10,000 for peaking.”

Dash furrowed her brow. “Okay, now you’re ticking me off. First you scream like a dragon is after you, then you accuse me a being a fillyfooler, and then you say I owe you 10,000 whatever! How about I charge you for dragging your sorry flank in from outside, patching you up, and letting you sleep on my bed?” Dash was yelling loudly by the end of her tangent.

The mare looked down at the bed and was silent for a few seconds. “Sorry.”

Dash sighed. “It’s fine, I just get a little irritated when I get woken up by something.”

“Where am I anyway?”

“My house, it’s a few miles above Ponyville. Shaped it myself.” Dash smirked a little.

“Wait, did you say ‘above’?” The mare pulled off the bed sheets and stumbled out of bed. She braced herself against the wall and made her way over to the window. She looked outside and saw the clouds and the ground far below. “A sky island.”

“Um, I guess you could call it that. I think you should lie back down though, your head seems a little out of whack.”

“Hmm.” The mare brought a hoof to her chin. She took a quick glance at her wings. “Wasn’t Pierre originally a bird? No, maybe he was a pegasus like this. Er, this is confusing.” The mare used her wings to slap her face. “Screw it! What matters is getting back to the ship!” She turned to Dash. “Do you have any maps I could borrow?”

“Maps?” This mare just kept getting stranger and stranger. “Why do you need maps?”

“I’m not familiar with wherever we are. If I can get my hands on some maps then I can be on my way. I think I’ve caused you enough confusion already.”

“Oh no, there is no way I’m letting a mare as messed up as you go wandering about. Besides, the only books I keep with me are Daring Do stories.”

The mare raised an eyebrow. “Daring what?” She shrugged. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Can you please just get me a map?” She then turned around and wiggled her flank in Dash’s direction. “Help a girl out.”

“Um, what are you doing?”

The mare stopped displaying herself and sighed. “I guess you really aren’t a perverted horse after all.”

Dash’s face blanched and she scowled at the mare. “Why does everypony think I’m like that? Ugh! It gets tiring! You know what? Go get your own map! You’ve got a pair of wings, use them!” Dash turned around and snorted. Should have just left her outside. Maybe now she’ll g- A small whimper broke Dash’s thoughts.

Dash turned back around t see that the mare was crying now. “I… I didn’t mean it. It’s just that I’m really desperate to get back to my friends and now I don’t have any money and… and…” She fell down and sobbed.

Dash rushed over and patted the mare with a wing. “Hey, hey! I didn’t mean anything hurtful. I’m just sensitive about that stuff. But what’s this about your friends?” Concern laced Dash’s words.

The mare rubbed her eyes with a hoof. “My friends… we were sailing, but then this bear guy showed up and he took them all away!” She cried into Dash’s shoulder.

Where’s Fluttershy when you need her? Dash gave the mare a pat on the back. She’s better at dealing with this sensitive stuff. However, a monster breaking up friends still struck a nerve with Dash though. “So this big jerk just took you away from your friends and sent you here. Tch, I wanna pummel him now too!” Dash backed away and smashed two hooves together.

“You’re… you’re too kind.” The mare brought a hoof to her mouth as more tears fell down her cheeks.

Dash placed a hoof over the mare’s shoulder. “Tell you what. A friend of mine runs the library in town. We’ll go see her. I’m sure she’ll have a few maps lying around.”

“Really?” The mare ran over and gave Dash a hug. “Oh, thank you so much!” The mare backed away and looked at Dash. “Actually, I don’t even know your name.”

“Name’s Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in all Equestria,” Dash boasted. “What about you?”

“Nami, I’m a navigator.”

“Neat.” Dash started to walk to the door. “Well, we should probably get going.” The two pegasi walked outside and over to the edge of the cloud.

Nami looked down to the ground. “So how do we get there?”

“Um.” Dash took to the air. “we fly?”

Nami looked back and flapped her wings. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for that.”

“Shoot, that’s right, injuries. Sorry, I did the best I could, but I’m not a doctor. Don’t worry, my friend probably knows some spells to help you heal.”

“Spells?” Nami held a confused look.

Dash returned the look ten-fold. “Yep, you definitely need proper attention.” She landed and bent down. “C’mon, hop on.”

“You’ll carry me?”

“It’s the least I can do after all you’ve been through this morning.”

Nami climbed onto Dash’s back and held on tightly. “Thank you so much. It means a lot to me.”

Dash took off and started heading to town. “No problem.”

Dash couldn’t see it, but Nami now had a devious grin stretched across her face. Sucker.

~~~

“Perfect,” Twilight said with a smile as she levitated a book onto a shelf. “That’s the last of them. I’ve successfully organized and restocked the entire library and it’s not even eleven.”

Spike walked over and tugged at Twilight’s mane. “Speaking of time, could we get started on brunch now?” He rubbed his stomach with a claw. “I’m starving.”

“Sure thing Spike. Does an emerald and jade salad sound good to you?”

“Can’t I get some rubies or something? I don’t like eating the green st-” Before Spike could complain more, there was a knock at the door.

“Hmm, wonder who that could be?” Twilight walked over to the door and opened it with some magic. “Oh, Rainbow Dash, good to see you. What can I do for you to… day?” The last part of Twilight’s sentence trailed when she saw that another pegasus was standing next to Dash.

Before Twilight could ask questions about the new pegasus, Dash walked into the library. “Hey, Twilight. This is gonna sound strange, but I need some maps and Nami needs some medical attention.”

“What?” A hair on Twilight’s mane went crooked.

“See, I found her this morning in a bear paw crater and I tried to help her out, but I think she hit her head real bad. She also needs the maps so she can get back to her fri-” Twilight stuck a hoof in Dash’s mouth.

“Oookaaaay.” Twilight flashed Dash a nervous smile. “I think you’re going to need to take this a little slower.” She looked over at Spike who also had a confused look on his face. “Spike, could you please make us some tea and sandwiches?” She looked back at the two pegasi. “We’ll discuss this over brunch."

“I’m good,” Dash replied. “I just had breakfast.”

“It’s almost eleven,” said Twilight.

“I’m a heavy sleeper. It took a pegasus crashing by my house to wake me up.”

Twilight sighed and walked over to a table.

~~~

Nami eyed the sandwich cautiously. “What kind of sandwich is this again?”

“Dandelion,” Twilight replied and then bit into her own sandwich. “Spike makes them quite well.”

“It’s safe to eat though?”

“Of course it is.”

“Sorry, they’re, um, not very common where I’m from,” Nami lied.

“That’s the other thing.” Twilight looked directly at Nami. “Based on what Rainbow Dash told me about you, you seemed to be suffering some form of memory loss. Yet, just from talking with me, it seems like your long term and short term memory are still working. Although, something doesn’t seem to fit.”

“I… I was probably still recovering from getting knocked out.” Nami smiled nervously. I can’t let them find out that I’m not even really a pony like them. Who knows what they’ll do to me!

“I’m just amazed a monster like that sent you so far,” Dash said with a mouthful of sandwich. “A bear machine, how in Equestria did you run into that?”

“We kind of ticked off the government and it sent him after us.” Nami scratched her face with a hoof. Both Twilight’s and Dash’s jaws dropped. “What?”

“Y-y-you made Princess Celestia angry?” Twilight pressed her hooves against the table, ready to bolt at any excuse. “You know, I think it’s getting a little late, maybe we sho-”

“No.” Dash slammed her hoof to the table. “I don’t care what Nami did. Twilight, you heard what happened. We’ve got to help her get back to her friends.”

“B-but the Princess…” Twilight nervously stuttered.

“Last time I checked, the Princess didn’t have bear machines that sent you flying,” Dash replied. She looked at Nami. “You didn’t make the Princess angry, right?”

“Um, it’s my local government that I ticked off,” Nami half-lied.

“There.” Dash flashed a victorious grin at Twilight. “Nothing to worry about. She just got into a little trouble back home. Hay, I’ve ticked the mayor off a few times too.”

Twilight regained a bit of her scholarly demeanor. “I-I suppose you’re right. Still…” She glanced at Nami. “You must be from pretty far away for your government to not recognize Celestia.”

“Yeah... that’s another reason why I was confused when I woke up.” Nami once more had a nervous smile on her face.

“Anyway...” Twilight’s horn glowed and a large book and a globe flew over to the table. Nami blinked at the display but otherwise kept her face placid. “Let’s start getting you back home, I’m sure your friends are worried about you.”

Nami inspected the globe and frowned. She then opened the book and tore through the pages. The speed at which she analyzed the graphs astounded both Twilight and Dash. After a few minutes of flipping back and forth between pages of the book and spinning the globe around, Nami shut the book and looked down dejectedly at the floor. “That’s impossible.”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight said with a worried voice.

“The maps, none of them go beyond this island. Even the globe is just this land.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Twilight retorted. “Both the book and the atlas contain all the known countries of the world.”

“Then they’re wrong,” Nami replied. “This must be a rather large island, but surely you’ve got to know about the four seas.” Nami was met with blank stares. “The Red Line?” Still more blank staring. “The Grand Line?” Again, no response other than confusion. “Oh come on!” Nami slammed her hooves to the table. “Everyone has heard of the Grand Line. No civilized country could be this ignorant.”

Dash gave Twilight a “told you so” look.

“She really must have hit her head,” said Twilight.”

“Er!” Nami gritted her teeth in frustration. “This doesn’t make sense! I mean, look!” Nami slammed her left leg onto the table and pointed at the strange watch-like contraption on it. “The log pose is still pointing to the Archipelago! That proves there’s more to the world then just this island.”

“Then this ‘log pose’ thing is wrong,” Twilight argued, starting to get annoyed at Nami’s antics. “The world’s borders have been surveyed and mapped by a collaboration of all three pony types. The land survey was commissioned and verified by Princess Celestia herself over 400 years ago. It can’t be wrong.”

“Then I say your princess screwed up somewhere. I’ll bet you one million berries I’m right and she’s wrong!”

“Fine!” Twilight was going to prove this mare wrong and put an end to this silly argument. “Spike! Take a letter!” Spike rushed over with a quill and a pen.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began. “Today a strange and boisterous mare came to my library. Despite her honest desire to reunite with her friends, I am unable to help her, as she is adamant in believing her destination is some imaginary island chain that doesn't appear on any maps. I humbly request that you send verification that the maps are indeed correct and that there is no such thing as the ‘Shabondy Archipealgo.’ Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” She looked at Spike. “Send it.” Spike sent out a jet of green flame and the letter disappeared.“Happy?”

“Yes,” Nami replied. “I’m about to be a million berries richer.”

“It’s bits!” Twilight grunted in frustration. “Guh! I can’t wait for the Princess to set you straight!”

Suddenly, a bright light filled the room and a white pony with a long flowing multi-colored mane was standing in the room. “Hello girls,” said Princess Celestia.

“P-p-princess!” Twilight shivered. “I… I didn’t expect you to personally come here! I-I assure you, a simple letter will have worked fine.”

“Don’t worry, my faithful student. This has just been a simple mix-up.” Celestia glanced over at Nami. “Your friend comes from a far-off land that doesn’t use maps like ours.”

“Oh.” Twilight blushed red and quickly bowed her head to Nami. “Sorry, I guess I just get a little caught up in my books.”

“It’s fine,” Nami replied and then brought her attention to Celestia. “It sounds like you have the proper maps I need though. Could I please borrow them?”

“Certainly,” Celestia replied with a faint smile. “I’ll take you to the Royal Canterlot Library right now so you can have a look.”

“Um…” Nami glanced back at her wings. “I’m not really in the best condition for flying right now.”

“Who said we were flying?” Celestia’s horn glowed and, in a flash, she and Nami disappeared.

Twilight sighed. “Is it too much to have a normal day in this town?”

“You need to lighten up Twilight,” Dash replied. “Normal is boring.”

~~~

Nami now found herself atop a cloud. She quickly glanced to the side and saw she was quite high up and over unfamiliar geography. She turned back to the other figure on the cloud. “Um, are we near the library?”

“No,” replied Celestia with a cold tone. “I just don’t want anypony to be influenced further by humanity.”

“Humanity? Uh, what’s that?” Nami nervously smiled.

“You can drop the act. Nopony in my lands would know of the Shabondy Archipelago. It's also not that hard to guess what an infamous human would look like here, Cat Burglar Nami.”

Nami stopped smiling and glared at Celestia. “Okay, so you’re not like the ponies back in that town. You’ve clearly got access to newspapers if you know who I am. That means you’ve probably also got access to maps. If I could just get them, please?”

“No.”

“But… but…” Nami started to cry. “I n-need to get back to my friends! T-they’re waiting for me!”

Celestia batted her eyes at the display. “You need to work on your crocodile tears.”

“Crap!” Nami dropped the act immediately. “Okay, fine, I’ll cut you a deal. Give me access to the maps and a boat and I give you half our ship’s spoils.”

Celestia sighed. “Like a human to think material wealth could solve all their problems. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go back and risk summoning more pirates here. Equestria has remained off the map for a reason. I also can’t let you roam free as your human values are a corrupting influence on my little ponies. As much as I hate to say it, you’re going to the dungeon.”

“What?” Nami cried out in genuine shock. “But I haven’t done anything wrong…” She paused for a second. “Here at least. You know what, fine, help me get back to the Archipelgo and I’ll give you all the ship’s treasure!”

Celestia blinked. “If you live up to your title, I assume you’re a very greedy person. Tell me, what drives you to give up your wealth so readily?”

A memory came back to Nami. A bloody knife was raised above her bleeding shoulder; a deep gash was now in place of a horrible tattoo. A hand came out and stopped the knife. Luffy… help. A straw hat was placed on her head. “Friends,” answered Nami.

“I see,” Celestia mused. “Very well, I shall help you get back to the Archipelago, but it will some time.” Celestia pointed a hoof at Nami. “You still need to be punished for trespassing in my lands though. I’m sending you Ponyville to see if you truly do have the magic of friendship in your heart.”

“Fine,” Nami replied with a sigh and flexed a hoof. “If I’m going to be stuck here I might as well get used to this body.”

“Excellent,” said Celestia. “One more thing, no telling anypony you’re a human. My little ponies are innocent and hardly know anything of the outer world and I wish to keep it that way. Please, just stick with the story I tell them.”

“If it means getting back to my crew, fine.” Nami flexed her wings. “It’s not ever day you get a chance to fly though.”

“I’m glad to here that.” Celestia’s horn glowed again. “Now remember our deal.” There was another flash, and then they were back in the library.

“Oh my gosh!” Twilight yelled and then fell off the chair she was sitting on. Unfortunately, her hoof also dragged the book she was reading with her and it hit her on the head. “Ow!” She rubbed her head to clear out the pain.

Dash let out a little chuckle. “Oh wow, I haven’t seen you that spooked since Pinkie and I gave you an exploding book!” Then she saw the Princess. “I, uh, mean, greetings your majesty.”

“It is good to see you too, Rainbow Dash,” said Celestia. She trotted over and helped Twilight up with a hoof. “Are you alright, my faithful student?”

“Just a little bump on the head,” Twilight replied. She blushed a little. “You, um, surprised me just a little.”

Celestia let out a small laugh. “As long as you are okay. Anyway, it was quite easy finding your friend’s destination once everything was sorted out.”

“Geez,” said Dash. “You could probably rival me speed-wise in finding places, Princess!”

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Celestia then glanced at Twilight. “Regardless, Nami here does come from a very far away land. So far in fact, that Equestria knows very little about it and it will take a bit of time to send her back.”

“I can’t believe such a place exists.” Twilight brought a hoof to her head to steady herself as she took in the information.

“There is more.” Celestia looked at Dash now. “You see, pegasi are very different there. They neither fly nor shape the weather.”

“What?” Dash screamed. “What sort of horrible place would do that? The weather I can understand a little, but flying? That’s a crime against society!”

“Now, now Rainbow Dash,” Celestia chided. “Some ponies just live different lives then others. However, Nami here has become quite interested in your capabilities and would like to learn more about them while she’s waiting for her ride back home. While I’m sure there are many pegasi willing to assist, I’d like to ask you to-”

“I’ll do it!” Dash said with a resolute smile.

“Excellent.” Celestia’s horn began to glow. “Please assist her in anyway possible, Rainbow Dash. Also, keep me informed on your progress and any problems you may have.” She glanced as Nami for a second. “But I’m sure everything will go well.” Then, she was gone.

Damn! She’s almost as manipulative as me! Nami thought. However, her thoughts were broken by Dash zooming in front of her. “Um…”

“This is gonna be awesome!” Dash squealed. “I’ve always wanted try my hoof at teaching a pegasus how to fly!”

“What about Scootaloo?” Twilight asked.

“Ah, she’s a lot like me when I was her age. One day she’s gonna fly on her own and make all the fillies and colt her fans!” Dash giggled and focused back on Nami. “What’s important now is that we get you flying!”

Twilight rubbed her head with a hoof. “Dash, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.” She turned to Nami. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash can get just a little bit caught up in things.” She broadened her vision to look at both pegasi. “Why don’t you work out living accommodations first?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.” Nami smiled. How did I get roped into staying with the hyperactive one? For a second, Nami thought she saw something pink in the corner of her eye.

“Well I guess flying can wait until later,” Dash mused. “Besides, since you’ll need your own room, I can show you the basics of cloud shaping. Did you have cloud houses where you lived?” Dash was nearly in Nami’s face with inquisition filling her eyes.

Nami pushed Dash away with a hoof. “No. We, um, just went with whatever worked.” Cloud shaping? Do they have some sort of technique for modeling clouds like they did in Skypeia?

“Geez,” Dash snorted and blew a bit of her mane up with a blast of breath. “I really am gonna need to start from the basics.” Dash paused for a second; she could have sworn she saw a pink blur through one of the library’s windows. She ignored it and walked over to the door. “It’s gonna be a long day, so we’d better get started.” She opened the door, but turned to look back at Twilight and Spike. “Thanks again for the help and the food.”

Twilight’s face was a little pale now. “Is something wrong?” Nami asked.

“No,” Twilight nervously replied, her eyes glued on the door. “It’s just… well…”

“Well what?” Nami trotted closer to Twilight.

“Your arrival in town hasn’t gone unnoticed.” Twilight closed her eyes and braced herself.

“What are you…” Before could finish asking her question, a large amount of balloons, streamers and confetti appeared out of nowhere.

“Surprise!” Pinkie Pie popped up along with all her party tools.

“Ahhh!” Nami fell backwards and landed flat on her flank. “What the hell?”

“Ooh! I haven’t pulled off that much of a surprise since Twilight came here.” Pinkie bounced around the room, shedding confetti as she did. “Anyway, welcome to Ponyville. My right leg was shaking, so I knew somepony new was in town, so I looked everywhere for the new pony. Then, I saw the cool lights at the library and decided to check here and here you were!” Pinkie giggled insanely.

Nami stayed where she’d fallen on the floor, unable to fully take in the randomness that was Pinkie.

“Sorry about that,” Twilight helped Nami up with a hoof. “This is my friend Pinkie Pie. I know she’d a bit energetic, but she’s really a nice mare once you get to know her.”

“Duh!” Pinkie got right into Nami’s face. “So what’s your name? Where are ya from? What’s your favorite dessert? I hope it’s cupcakes, ‘cause I made a ton of them!”

“I… how… ugh!” Nami massaged her head with a hoof. “Okay, I got you asking my name out of that. It’s Nami.” For some reason, the headache she was now nursing felt familiar.

“Well hi, Nami! I’m so excited to meet you!” Before Nami knew what was happening, Pinkie was dragging her out the door.

“Wait! Where are we going?” Nami tried to pull her hoof away, but Pinkie’s grasp was quite strong.

“To a party just for you!” Pinkie smiled from ear to ear.

“But I don’t need a party.” Nami desperately looked over at Dash. “I need to learn how to fly. C’mon you sounded excited about helping me fly, get me away from this crazy thing!”

Dash grinned in response. “Flying can wait. Pinkie’s parties are the best!” Dash happily followed after Nami and Pinkie.

“I know!” Pinkie replied. “We’ll have a ton of food and drinks and games! It’ll be super cool!”

A horrific moment of realization clicked in Nami’s mind The hyper-activeness, the desire for food and drinks, the giddy smile… she’s just like Luffy! Nami comically sobbed all the way to the party.

~~~

Everything happened in a blur. Nami was dragged into a shop that appeared to be made of confections. From there, Pinkie had shoved her into the face of about two-dozen other ponies. Finally, Pinkie had gone off to enjoy the party and had left Nami on her own. She let out a deep sigh as she navigated her way through the party. At first, she just wanted escape, but an empty feeling hit her stomach.

Nami rubbed her stomach with a hoof. How long was I flying anyway? She dismissed the thoughts and made her way over to where the food was. She reached out a hoof to grab a plate and realized she hadn’t picked anything up since she’d arrived in Equestria. Why even have plates if you don’t have hands to grab it with?

“Ya need some help there?” came a southern drawl. Nami looked to her right and saw an orange pony wearing a stenson hat walking up to her. The pony picked a plate up with her mouth and used her tail to push some food onto the plate, namely dishes that were apple based. She then set the dish down in front of Nami. “Ah don’t mean to boast, but some of Sugarcube Corner’s stuff can be a bit on the sweet side if ya haven’t tried it before. Ah always think it’s best to give new ponies a taste of Sweet Apple Acres when they come to town. It’s pretty tame and ya get a taste of Ponyville’s history.” The pony flashed Nami a smile. “Shucks, where are ma manners.” She held out a hoof. “Name’s Applejack.”

“Nami.” Nami held out her own hoof and was surprised when Applejack managed to grab it wand shake it. I really need to find out how this things work. “So I guess you work at this Acres place?”

“Yep! Ma brother and Ah have been running the farm with Granny Smith’s help since Ah was just a little filly. Guess it’s just part of being in the family, not that Ah’d have it any other way.”

“Is that why you have that tattoo on you thigh?” Nami stared at the three apples on Applejack’s flank.

“Tattoo?” Applejack raised an eyebrow, and then she saw where Nami was looking. “Oh, ya mean ma cutie mark. ‘Tattoo’ what ya call ‘em where ya come from?”

“Um, yeah,” Nami nervously replied. Actually, didn’t all the ponies have a tattoo around the same area?

“Well Ah guess it’s not hard to see what ma cutie mark means. What about yours?”

“What it means?”

“Well, Ah don’t mean to pry, but Ah’ve actually been curious about it since Ah got here and Pinkie dun near slammed ya in ma face.” Applejack glanced back at Nami’s cutie mark. “Almost looks like some weird sort of fruit tree. Ya in the fruit selling business?”

“Well, I mean, my family and I used to grow tangerines.”

A blue blur flew over and landed by the two ponies. “Wait a minute!” Dash looked at Nami. “I thought you said you were a navigator?”

“I… I am.” Oh crap! If they figure out I’m lying, that Princess will kill me! “I, uh, grew up growing tangerines, but I always had a greater calling for, um…” Nami glanced at the windmill on her flank, “predicting the weather and using it to navigate.”

Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Let me get this straight. You don’t fly, but you like the weather? You’ve got to have tried flying at least once. Hay, you even did it a little this morning.”

“Sorry, it’s just that we really don’t use wings where I’m from.” Nami kept her wings at her side, but did move them around in little circles.Try don’t even have wings at all.

“I still say it’s crazy.” Dash eyed Applejack. “Wouldn’t you think it’d be messed up if you couldn’t buck apple trees even if your special talent involves apples?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight trotted over and flashed Dash a disapproving look. “I would have thought our time with Zecora would have taught you to be a little more respectful of other cultures. Besides, Daring Do visits all sorts of exotic locations in her adventures.”

“But…”

“No buts.” Twilight switched her attention over to Nami. “Sorry. Rainbow Dash just has a thing for flying.”

“I couldn’t tell,” Nami sarcastically replied.

“Still, I’m curious about your home. I couldn’t help but hear you mention growing tangerines, does that mean you’ve got Earth Ponies in your family?”

“Huh?”

“Oh sorry.” Twilight walked closer to Applejack. “You probably have different terms in your home. Here we call ponies like me unicorns, ponies like Rainbow Dash pegasi, and ponies like Applejack Earth Ponies. Here, at least, many Earth Ponies have a knack for growing things.”

“I see. Um, yeah, my sister and my mother were like your, uh, Earth Pony friend then.” Wonder how Nojiko and Belle-mére would react to being turned into ponies? A few sweat drops graced Nami’s brow.

Applejack let out a friendly chuckle. “Sounds a lot like ma family. Shame ya don’t have any wares on ya.”

Dash continued hovering above the other ponies. “Actually, that’s something I’ve been thinking about. What’s up with that stick thing?”

“Stick thing?” Nami’s eyes then widened. “My Clima Tact! That’s here too?”

“Clima what?” All three ponies said simultaneously.

“My Clima tact.” Nami looked up at Dash. “Pegasi here have the ability to naturally shape weather, right?”

“Duh! That’s why I still don’t believe a place like your home is real.” Dash snorted in annoyance.

Nami sighed, but was inwardly glad she could now at least get Dash off her back on one issue. “Well we don’t directly control the weather, but my Clima Tact can let me pull of a few tricks.”

“Okay, this I gotta see.” Dash rocketed off out of the part and left a rainbow contrail behind. Before anypony had fully recovered, she burst back in with the Clima Tact clenched in her teeth. She dropped to the ground and put the Tact on the floor. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Nami smiled deviously. “Fine. But you have to pay. I’m in a good mood, so 5,000 berries.” Nami held out a hoof, only to be met by blank stares. “What?”

Suddenly, Pinkie popped out of a nearby cake. “Silly, who would want to pay with fruit? All your investments would go bad.” Pinkie somehow summoned a drum set and played the snare drum and the cymbal.

Twilight shook her head to clear it of Pinkie’s spontaneity. She then brought her focus back to Nami. “Anyway, I’m guessing berries are a unit of currency where you’re from. We use bit here though.” She peeked over at Applejack. “Applejack, you know business more than I do, what do you think is a good way of explaining bits?”

Applejack tapped her chin with a hoof. “Well, right now a bushel of apples costs fifteen bits. That help at all?”

“It’s equal to about three point seven eight berries,” Nami instantly responded. Nami held out her hoof again. “So that’ll be 1,322 bits and seventy five cents please.”

“Are you crazy?!” Dash blurted out. “I’ve seen Wonderbolt tickets go for less!” Okay, they’d be terrible seats, but still…

“Too bad I’m already charging you,” Nami calmly replied.

Dash flew up to Nami’s face. “For what? Some little trick that’s supposed to imitate what a real pegasus do- huh?!” Nami’s body became wavy and translucent before dissipating into the air. Dash’s eyes darted between where Nami had stood and her shocked friends. “I… I didn’t do it! You know I couldn’t have done that!”

“You’re right about that.” Nami reappeared, but now her body looked a lot more like Big Macintosh’s. Large and bulky, it stood in direct contrast to the small mare Nami had been before.

Another Nami appeared. This one was so tall and thin that she gave off a stretched appearance. “But for someone who was boasting so much about the weather, I’d have thought you’d be a bit more perceptive.”

“After all, this is just a natural phenomenon,” a third Nami said. Now she was short and chubby.

A fourth Nami appeared. She was so tiny she appeared to be little more than a filly. “I predict you’re all incredibly confused.” All the ponies’ mouths hung open in awe.

A fifth Nami, this one normal, appeared. “And my predictions are never wrong.” Nami smiled and waved her Tact around with a wing. Suddenly, the other Namis disappeared leaving only the normal one. There was silence and then all the ponies in the room applauded.

“How… How did you do that?!” Twilight stuttered. “I didn’t sense any magic at all!”

“No magic here.” Nami smiled. She gave Dash a “In-your-face” look. “It’s just the weather.”

“That was not the weather!” Dash stomped a hoof in frustration. “If it was weather, I’d be onto your little trick.”

“Actually,” came a small voice. “I think I know what happened.” A small yellow pegasus with a pink mane slowly stepped forward.

“Fluttershy, no offense, but you’re not exactly that big on weather. How could you have noticed something and I didn’t?”

“Because…” Fluttershy’s voice was barely above a whisper. “If you’d been fully feeling air, you’d have felt the air get slightly colder. Combined with how stuffy it’s been in here, that combination of hot and cold makes the perfect condition for a mirage.”

“Well well.” Nami trotted over to Fluttershy. “Seems someone actually does have an eye for weather.” Dash turned slightly red. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Flu…” Fluttershy’s voice devolved into an unintelligible whisper.

“What?”

“Her name’s Fluttershy,” Twilight explained. “She’s a bit on the quiet side, but she’s also a great friend.”

Fluttershy blushed a little. “Oh Twilight, you’re too kind.” She looked back at Nami. “But I haven’t seen anypony do a mirage since flight school. Even the instructors never did something like that.”

“It was quite impressive.” A white unicorn with silky purple hair trotted over. “My dear, that display was magnificent.”

“Um…” Once more Nami couldn’t recall the unicorn’s name. All she’d really gotten was that the unicorn worked at a carrousel.

“Oh, yes. We haven’t really properly met. Pinkie means well, but she lacks elegance.” The unicorn held out a hoof. “Rarity, the pleasure is all mine.”

Nami held out her hoof as well. “Nami. Nice to meet you.” Nami then saw the three diamonds on Rarity’s flank. “What exactly do you do again?”

“Well, I run my humble boutique here in Ponyville. Though, to be honest, may I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Well, that show of yours really did dazzle me. It’d be great if I could learn how to incorporate some of those tricks into my fashion shows. You simply must tell me how you crafted such a device.”

Nami looked at the Tact in her wing. Ussop’s face flashed in her head. “Sorry, I didn’t make it, a friend of mine did. I just know how to use it.”

“Oh, I see. My next show isn’t for months and you’ll probably be gone by then. Since that’s the case, I can at least give you some clothes to take back with you. I’d give anything to see my designs mixed with such a dazzling show.”

Free clothes! Jackpot! Money symbols danced in Nami’s eyes. “You’re too kind. But now I’m more curious. If you make clothes why is your mark thing three diamonds?”

“Oh.” Rarity looked back at her cutie mark. “Well, most of my clothes contain jewels and I’ve always had a knack for incorporating them into my designs.”

The money symbols grew bigger in Nami’s eyes. “What kind of jewels?”

“Well depends what’s in stock, but generally rubies, sapphires, emeralds, a few diamonds here and th- are you alright?”

Nami was practically salivating. So many jewels and she uses them for clothing! Clothing she’s giving me! Crap! I died! This is too good! Nami’s eyes were completely taken over by money symbols now.

“Miss Nami,” Rarity said with concern. Nami snapped out of her revelry. “Are you alright? No offense, but you looked like Spike when he was…” Rarity shuddered a moment. “Unruly.”

“Huh?” What does the dragon have to do with this? Something rested on Nami’s leg.

Spike tried to strike a cool pose while leaning on Nami. “You got that right Rarity. I mean don’t get me wrong, Rarity always has the best gems.” Spike gave Rarity a lovey-dovey look then he glanced up at Nami. “But you looked like you were about ready to pounce on them… you’re not half dragon are you?”

“I don’t think so.” I’m not even full pony. “I just have a taste for sophistication.”

“Right,” Spike jokingly replied. “I’m sure that’s all you want a taste of.” He then wandered off to get more punch. “Hybrids totally exist,” he mumbled before disappearing to the crowd.

“Isn’t he cute,” Rarity cooed. “Although he’s too young to understand sophistication like us. He’d rather just eat the jewels rather than wear them.”

“He what?!” Nami blurted out. “Why would he eat jewels?!”

“Well he’s a dragon, dear. It’s what dragons do,” Rarity explained. “Although that’s neither here nor there.” Rarity glanced over at a clock. “Oh, Sweetie’s going to be out of school soon. I’m terribly sorry Nami. I’ll have to cut this short. Please stop by the boutique any time you want and please bring your Tact.” Rarity trotted into the crowd and disappeared.

Nami turned around and used her wing to grasp an apple tart from her plate and popped it in her mouth. “Yum, this is really good.”

“Well thank ya kindly.” Applejack did a little curtsey. “Well, it is your party feel free to have anything ya want. Watch it on the cupcakes though. Ah think Pinkie laced them with hot sauce.”

“But it’s good!” Pinkie yelled. She’d somehow popped out of the display of sweets, yet none of them had been disturbed or fallen to the ground. Rather, they were perfectly balanced on her head. Pinkie’s eyes then widened. “Girls, get Nami out of here! We’ve got a berry in the punchbowl!”

Applejack scratched her head. “What in tarnation are ya talking about?”

“I don’t quite get it either Pinkie,” said Twilight.

“Is she just playing another joke on me?” Nami asked.

“No!” Pinkie exclaimed. “It’s just that when I throw parties for a new pony, I always have to look out for…”

“Me!” Came a tipsy voice. A magenta pony with a dark pink mane tripped over. “Oi Pinks! Wherz dis new pony! Ima challenge her ta a contest!”

“Berry, I don't think that’s a good idea. You’ve already had a lot of cider.” Pinkie got out of the confections and trotted over to the mare.

“Ha! Tis is nuthin.” Berry lazily looked over at Nami. “There ya are! C’mon! We’re gonna havz a drinkin contest.”

“Trust me you don’t wanna do that,” Nami cautioned.

“Betcha two-fisty you can’t beats me.” Berry gave Nami a drunken smile.

“You’re on!” Nami stomped a hoof down.

Pinkie launched herself between the two mares. “Nooooo!” She cried out in slow motion as she fell to the ground. “You can’t challenge Berry! Nopony can beat her! I tried forty-two times and she still beat me!”

“I think I can handle a few drinks,” Nami replied.

“But… you haven’t got any bits,” Fluttershy stammered.

“You mean these?” Nami pulled up a coin bag filled to the brim with coins. “You didn’t notice I had this?” She turned back to Berry. “So shall we drink?”

Dash facehoofed. “Great, I’ll need a stretcher to carry you home.”

The two mares sat down at a table. Pinkie nervously brought over a ton of mugs filled with apple cider. She gave Nami a puppy dog look. “It’s not too late. The super awful headaches suck.”

Nami looked at her opponent and smirked. “I can handle this.” She grabbed a mug of cider and downed it in an instant.

~~~

Rarity walked back to the Carousal Boutique with Sweetie Belle at her side. The sun was getting low now. Rarity flashed her a disapproving look. “Really Sweetie, how in Equestria do you manage to get covered in tree sap so often?”

Sweetie looked at the ground. “I get it! I’m sorry, we thought for sure we’d get our cutie marks this time.” A large drop of tree sap dripped from her mane.

Rarity huffed in annoyance. “As if that wasn’t bad enough, I lost my coin bag. Ugh, I’ll have to go back and ask Pinkie about it. But first we’re giving you a ba-” Rarity stopped when she noticed the large crowd gathered outside Sugarcube Corner.

“Sis?”

“One moment Sweetie.” Rarity trotted up and tapped a stallion near the back of the crowd on the shoulder. “I beg your pardon, but what is going on? Nopony is hurt?”

“Not yet. Wish I had a better view, but…” The stallion stared wide-eyed at her. “This might be the day Tartarus freezes over.”

Rarity looked back at Sweetie. “Sweetie, go back to the store and get cleaned up. I just need to check on my friends. This won’t take long… I hope.” Rarity watched her sister dash back to the store and then made her way through the crowd. When she made it to the front her mouth dropped.

There were two mares sitting in front of her. Both of them had massive piles of empty mugs at there sides. Pinkie nervously trotted forward with mugs, which both mares quickly snatched up. Applejack stood on the sidelines rubbing her eyes to make sure she was still awake.

Rarity trotted over. “Applejack. What in Equestria is going on? Why are Nami and Berry Punch engaging in this frivolous contest.

“All the cider,” Applejack murmured. Her eye remained locked on the two mares. She looked like she was about to pass out.

“I can’t look!” Fluttershy was huddled on the ground and shaking like a leaf.

Dash just hung in the air with her mouth agape in amazement and slight revulsion.

Pinkie trotted by them with even more mugs. “Help,” she whispered.

Rarity slowly backed away. “I’m… I’m going to go check on the shop.” Rarity quickly dashed away. Leaving the mares and the poor ponies that had to serve them.

“Ya had enough?” Nami asked. Her muzzle was now tinted red.

“Is show jbsfl begamf!” Berry slurred and took another drink.

“Fine!” Nami knocked back another mug.

~~~

Twilight’s hair was a complete mess. She ran her hooves through it trying to comprehend what she was looking at. The night didn’t help much either. But the mountains of empty drinks were still visible. “This… this shouldn’t be scientifically possible.”

“All our reserves,” Applejack stammered.

Pinkie nervously stepped forward. Two mugs were balanced on her head.

“Oi warsh marsl dramph?” Berry asked as she looked at the two mugs.

“T-these are the last two mugs. I-if you finish these it’ll be a draw.” Pinkie nervously set the two glasses down.

Berry looked at Pinkie, then at the glasses, then at Nami. “Buahs A doaph wapa blaw! A wapa w-” Berry crashed on the table. Everypony gasped.

Nami simply knocked back her drink and then drank Berry’s as well. She grinned at the audience. “Ding ding!”

“What?!” Everypony yelled.

~~~

“You’re insane!” Dash said. She and Nami were currently en route to Dash’s house. “You’re also not a pony! Nopony could drink Berry under the table.”

“I did, so I guess I’m not a pony.” Nami laughed and then hiccupped. “I still won though.” Nami happily looked down at the moneybag around her neck. “I really like this bag.”

“Ugh!” Dash facehoofed. It’s Las Pegasus all over again. “Let’s just get you home.”

“Ya can’t! Ya don’t have a ship!”

“My home!”

“That works too!”

They quickly made it back to Dash’s home. From there, Dash led Nami to the couch. I’ll make the guestroom in the morning. Dash sighed and began to walk away.

“Wait.”

“What?” Dash asked. “There’s water right next to you and the bathroom is right at that door.” Dash pointed a hoof at the restroom.

“It’s not that. I just wanted to say thanks.” Nami smiled. “It’s kinda funny, some of your friends remind me of my crew.”

Dash’s interest piqued a little. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say if my captain and your pink friend met, it’d be the end of the world.”

“You’re not making any sense.” I’m amazed she can form words after that much cider. “What about the rest of your crew? What about th-” Nami was already asleep. “Eh whatever, I’ll ask you in the morning.” Dash trotted upstairs. “Night Nami.” Dash headed off to bed.

~~~

Pinkie glared at her pet alligator. “Was it you Gummy?” Gummy responded by repeatedly biting Pinkie with his toothless mouth. “No, you’d be so good at stealing stuff I wouldn’t even suspect you.” Pinkie pulled out a bubble pipe and produced a large amount of soapy spheres. “This will be the greatest mystery detective Pinkie has ever faced.” Pinkie threw open the windows to her room and screamed, “I’ll find you moneybag thief! Mark my words!”

“Go to sleep Pinkie!” Rarity yelled. She then closed the window to her boutique and fell back on her bed. Ugh! That mare’s shenanigans can go too far sometimes!” Rarity pulled the covers up over herself and drifted off to sleep. A few minutes later, one of her eyes opened in shock. She lost her moneybag too?! Unbeknownst to either Rarity or Pinkie Pie, everypony that had gone to the party had lost their moneybags.

Nami curled up on the couch and smiled while she dreamed. Her hooves were wrapped around a moneybag with three diamonds on it.

Set Adrift: Three Musicians

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“Um Tavi, maybe you should watch it on the cider,” a white mare with an electric blue mane cautioned.

“Maybe you should stick to your own drink!” A grey Earth Pony spat back. She then took another chug of her drink. Normally, she’d stay at home and practice on the cello, but right now she felt like being at the bar and obliterating everything else except for her and drinks. “Besides, I’ve seen you drink way more than this, Vinyl!”

“Yes, but drinking is practically part of my job. I’ve got tricks to dealing with a lot of cider. You, on the other hoof, have had three drinks and you’re already plastered.”

Octavia slumped onto the bar table. Her eyes dully looked at the clear glass mug next to her. Her hoof went around the rim of the mug in circles. “What’s it matter? It’s over anyway.”

Vinyl got up from her seat and wrapped her hoof over Octavia’s shoulders. “Hey-hey, it’s not that bad.”

Octavia smacked her friend’s hoof away. “Yes it is!” She darted out of the bar. Some ponies took notice; others just kept dancing and drinking. Drunken fights were nothing new to a bar.

Vinyl stared off at where her friend had gone. “Darn it Octavia!” She then gave chase.

~~~

Octavia had never liked her manager’s sunglasses. They were too big, at least Vinyl’s just covered her eyes, and they didn’t extend and make her face look distorted. The sunglasses gave her manager somewhat of a bug appearance. After the incident with the Royal Wedding, Octavia liked the sunglasses even less.

“Octavia, great job at the concert hall last night,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Octavia politely replied. She’d enjoyed the concert as well. She’d played, there’d been applause, and everypony seemed happy.

Her manager reclined back in his seat and flexed his hooves back and forth, as if he was pointing at his own head and the Octavia’s. That was never a good sign. “Anyway, concerts are good, but we need demand outside Canterlot.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “I don’t quite follow.”

“Look, concerts and symphonies are fine, but the ponies that go there aren’t getting any younger. We’ve tapped out the Canterlot crowd. Now we need to get some of the youth in on the action.” His horn lit up and a ghastly latex jumpsuit flew over to them. “Okay, so this is step one, we give you a new image. Make you sleek and hip.” He gave Octavia a lookdown. “I mean, we’ll also need to work on your hair and your face, but we’ll manage. Oh, and new music, definitely new music.”

Octavia dropped the false smile she carried whenever she met her manager. “This is crazy. Ponies enjoy my shows, and how I look is fine.” She jabbed a hoof at the outfit that was still floating. “That is not something a pony would ever wear while performing a concerto, an aria, or any other decent piece of music.”

Her manager’s shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I’d have thought you’d be a little more understanding, especially since you share an apartment with Pon-3.”

“Don’t bring Vinyl into this.”

“Oh, I’m bringing her into this. She’s what I want out of you. I was actually hoping to get you two to work together, provided her manager was willing to cooperate.”

Octavia slammed a hoof on the ground. “Never! While I respect Vinyl’s work, she’s the complete opposite of me in terms of music. I won’t have you jeopardize our friendship just to make me into something I’m not!”

Her manager then did something she’d never seen him do. He took of his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. “Octavia, you gotta understand. This classical music shtick is a slow job. You have to work with so many middle-ponies to get a gig. You know how hard it was to get your first big performance off the ground? I do.” He moved his hooves away from his face and looked at Octavia with his deep purple eyes. They were somehow worse then the sunglasses. “We need to get you a new angle. You don’t like what I proposed? Okay, you've got a week to work things out.”

“What do you mean I’ve got a week?”

Her manager leaned across the table and glared at her. “What you think it means.”

~~~

Octavia kept running. She ran past the castle, past the city, past the railway station. It’s not fair! Ponies liked my music, right? I had fans. So what’s gone wrong? She was now on the grassy path that led down the mountain Canterlot rested on. The grass was a bit wilder than it was in the city. The path had seen less ponies ever since the railway had been perfected. Octavia stopped running and walked at a steady pace down the path. She didn't care where it ended. Her eyes weren’t even on the path; they were looking up at the night sky.

Just playing the cello is all I’ve known. It’s not meant for anything but classical music. She recalled the one time she’d tried to play a more modern tune at the request of a pink pony at the Grand Galloping Gala. That night had been a disaster. She’d tried something new and all that came of it was a wrecked celebration and winding up flat on her flank.

She stopped trotting and looked up at the night sky. “What am I gonna do?” The sound a crickets responded. “Somepony. Anypony! Give me a sign!”

Suddenly, a star twinkled in the sky. “Huh?” Octavia watched as the star moved and got closer. “What the…” As the “star” moved closer, it became clear it wasn’t a star at all, but rather a bubble of some sort. Octavia gave herself a light slap in the face to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. The bubble was still there. Octavia could now see it kind of looked like a giant paw. “And now I’ve had a mental breakdown. Great, I’ll probably end up like Starry Night, biting off my own ear.” Octavia then looked up at the presumed hallucination again. It was still getting bigger. “Okay, brain, don’t know what the point is but… that’s headed right here. Oh crap!”

Octavia broke into a gallop as the bubble careened into where she’d just been. Octavia jumped and took cover behind a nearby rock. There was an earsplitting boom. For a second, Octavia worried that the blast would collapse the path and send her tumbling into the chasm below. But after the boom, there was only silence. Octavia slowly lifted her head above the rock and looked at where the bubble had hit.

There was now a paw shaped crater in the rock where the bubble had hit. It was a perfect outline, no cracks at all. It was like the bubble had simply pushed down the rock. Octavia then noticed the figure in the middle of the impact. She could only see its back, but could make out it was in a suit of some kind that looked rather tattered and that it had a large black poofy mane.

Octavia quickly rushed over to the figure. She nudged it to check on it. Its coat rattled and a skeletal leg clacked onto the ground.

Octavai screamed and jumped back. Her skin crawled taking in the skeleton's decayed form. After some breathes though, she calmed down and she looked back at the skeleton.

“I don’t get it.” She looked into the skeleton’s empty eye sockets. “What’s it mean? I ask for a sign and it makes me even more confused.”

She looked over its suit. It looked like something somepony in Canterlot would wear if it weren’t in shambles. Then Octavia noticed something: there was something on its hip. Curious, she moved back the end of the suit and saw something that made her heart stop. Etched into the skeleton’s hip was a stringed instrument and a bow.

“N-no.” Octavia felt sick. This was a sign. A sign of things to come! I-I’ll end up just like this poor pony. I… I… Something brushed against one of Octavia’s legs. She slowly looked down and saw a white hoof bone touching her own her. Cold sweat dipped down her face. Her eyes, now tiny pinpricks, slowly traced their way back to the skeleton’s face.

It's hollow sockets stared straight up at her.

“May I see your panties?” It asked.

Octavia screamed and then fell to the ground unconscious.

~~~

It was the typical wakeup Octavia expected after the night she had. Something that should have been a minute sound awoke her and brought on the migraine.

“Ugh, darn cider,” Octavia moaned as she shifted out of bed.

Every movement she made sent another wave of pain to her head. It was all she could do to not collapse on the way to the door. As she neared the door, the smell of something cooking filled her nose. Octavia managed a smile. Vinyl’s probably cooking up her hangover omelet. Celestia bless that mare. Octavia then lost her smile. I’ll have to move out once they fire me. I won’t be able to keep up my half of the rent.

Octavia took a deep breath. I should probably apologize for last night. Octavia brought a hoof to her head as she remembered the night’s events. She’d yelled at Vinyl and run out of the bar and then all Tartarus had broken loose. I must have been either really drunk or maybe somepony slipped some moon rocks in my drink. Octavia shuddered. Vinyl had way too many stories of watching perfectly normal ponies go absolutely nuts when they took that stuff.

Octavia opened the door and trotted down stairs. Great, add rehab to my list of troubles. Octavia took another deep breath, it helped fight back the worst of the headache. It clearly must have been moon rocks: the bubble, the skeleton, it talking. Well, that’s another issue. Now I just need to take care of this headache and apologize. Octavia turned the corner into the kitchen.

“Vinyl, I said some harsh things last night and I just want to say…”

The skeleton was sitting at the table, sipping on some coffee.

“Kyyyaaaahhhh!” Octavia stuck herself against the wall and started hyperventilating.

Vinyl was over by the stove, frying up the omelet. She stopped cooking for a second to give Octavia a smile. “Oh, morning, Tavi. Take a seat. Breakfast will be ready in a second.”

Octavia began to sweat as she looked back and forth between her roommate and the skeleton at the table. “Vinyl! Not now! You need to get me to a doctor, a psychologist, and a darn good magician right now!”

“Why?” Vinyl asked. “You’ve just got a hangover. Nothing my omelet and a bunch of water can’t fix.”

“I’m referring to the apparition that’s haunting me and currently sitting at our table!” Octavia jabbed a hoof at the skeleton. “I need help, Vinyl!”

“Don’t worry Tavi,” Vinyl replied. “Aside from the whole skeleton gag, he’s perfectly normal.” Vinyl rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Still not quite sure how he eats though.”

At first, Octavia gaped in shock, then she scowled, her face contorted, and finally she just smiled gently. You know what? This is a good thing. I was gonna get fired anyway, now they can just say I had a mental breakdown. The manager will like that, me going crazy will probably boost record sales. Octavia kept smiling and pulled up a chair to the table. “Okay Vinyl, I’m gonna talk to the imaginary talking skeleton and indulge my loss of sanity.”

Octavia cackled like a madmare.

“Okay, I just need a few more minutes.” Vinyl turned back to the stove and flipped the the omelet.

Octavia looked across the table at the skeleton. It looked back at her. “Hi, crazy hallucination. How are you?”

“May I see your panties?” It asked.

Oh yeah, insane. Sense? What’s that? Octavia frowned a little. Wait. What if I’m trying to communicate something to Vinyl? “Panties” might mean “help” in my head. Okay, going to untangle this mess at least. “Um… what exactly are panties?”

The skeleton became silent and unmoving.

“Uh… hello?”

Silence.

“Um, are you dead again?”

More silence. Octavia was about to get up and poke it, when blood suddenly came out of its nose.

“Ahhhh!” Octavia fell off her chair and scrambled away from the table. She rushed over and grabbed Vinyl for support. “Vinyl! Vinyl! Its face is bleeding! You have to get a help now! I can’t take much more of this!”

“Whoa whoa!” Vinyl put her hooves on Octavia while also keeping an eye on the omelet. “Careful, I don’t want to burn breakfast.” She looked over at the skeleton, which was using some napkins to clean up the blood. “Yeah, he did that to me too when I answered the question. Kinda freaky.”

“Kinda? Vinyl, the dead are eating at our table! Why in the name of Celestia did you bring it back!?” What am I saying?! It’s a hallucination… oh Luna, I’m probably already in a padded cell somewhere! “

Vinyl shrugged. “I felt bad for him. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but I think he lost his pals.” Vinyl frowned a little. “Maybe you can figure out what’s eating him.”

“I am not talking to it anymore! In case you don’t recall, I tried that and it started bleeding everywhere!”

“I expected a bit more decorum from you, Tavi.” Vinyl jokingly levitated a spatula over and tapped Octavia on the head. “Now be nice and introduce yourself. He was worried about you.”

Octavia steeled her resolve and went back over to the table. She kept her eyes glued on the wood, afraid something pop out of the skeleton’s skull and scare her to death. “H-hello.”

“Are you alright now Miss?” It asked.

“I’m n-not the one bleeding everywhere.” Go away, evil spirit! Please go away!

“Yes, sorry about that. I’m not used to such… customs.” Octavia got the horrible feeling that it was bleeding again.

“W-well, I still want to thank you for h-helping me last night, I think.”

“It is no problem at all miss. May I ask your name?”

“O-Octavia.” What sort of evil abomination says “miss”?

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Octavia. I’m Brook. Sorry if I frightened you last night. Yo ho ho!”

Okay, maybe he’s not the bad. He seems polite. Octavia looked up just to see Brook finish laughing. His jaw looked like it was about to fall off. For an absolute terror maybe. Octavia shivered.

“Is something wrong?”

“Y-you’re a skeleton.”

“I suppose I am… then again you’re a talking horse. It’s a strange world.” Brook took another sip of his drink.

Before Octavia could say anything more, a plate with a large omelet was dropped in front of her. Vinyl also floated a plate over to Brook and her own seat. “Alright, eat up. I know only one of us has a hangover, but I still cook a mean breakfast.” Vinyl and Brook then tore into their meals while Octavia slowly ate her own eggs.

“Ms. Scratch, these eggs are quite good,” Brook said with a mouthful of food. He let out a large belch.

“No problem Brook.” Vinyl then let out an unladylike belch of her own.

Octavia stared at the display. Some of her hair went crooked. “Vinyl? Did that chaotic monster from a few months ago escape again?”

“Not to my knowledge.” Vinyl stuffed more eggs into her mouth. “Why?”

“You’re taking the undead eating breakfast with us too casually.” Octavia slumped. “And I’m having a harder and harder time believing this is just my own delusion.”

Vinyl shrugged. “Eh, I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my job. At least Brook here isn’t trying to slam his face into my records to get the green fairy.”

Octavia opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She thought for a second about what Vinyl said and then decided she’d never comprehend it. Understanding the current situation was more important. “You don’t question why a skeleton is talking and eating food?” Octavia noticed that Brook’s plate was halfway gone now. She also noticed that despite drinking coffee, there were no stains on the floor or its suit.

Vinyl eyed Brook. “Well I have been a little curious.”

“Oh yes, that.” Brook stopped eating and looked at the two mares. “I died.”

“No,” Octavia sarcastically replied. “Next you’ll tell us you used to have flesh.”

“I did have that too. You’re very perceptive.” Octavia didn’t like the way Brook always seemed to be smiling.

“So you died, but how’d you come back to life?” Vinyl asked. “Again, seen some crazy stuff, but not a whole lot of necromancy.”

“You see, I ate a very peculiar fruit,” Brook explained. “I died, but I didn’t move on. Unfortunately, when I found my body, it was just a skeleton!”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “You ate a fruit that revived you?”

“Yes, I also can’t swim.”

“That makes everything much more clear,” Octavia said with a smile. “Vinyl, can I talk to you for a second?” She got up and went around the corner. Vinyl followed. As soon as they were out of Brook’s sight, Octavia pinned Vinyl to the wall. “I want him out!”

“Why? He’s fun.”

“Vinyl, he’s clearly a sign for me of things to come. Why else would he have an instrument cutie mark?” Octavia was sweating profusely and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head. “He’s clearly a monster sent from who knows where t-” Vinyl’s hoof lodged itself in Octavia’s mouth.

Vinyl gave Octavia a piercing glare. “That ‘monster’ saved your life. I caught up to you two right when you passed out. He kept you from falling off the mountainside.” Vinyl smiled and reverted to her usual cheery self. “Besides, if he has a talent in music, you now have something to talk about.” Vinyl trotted back into the kitchen. Octavia begrudgingly followed.

“Is everything alright?” Brook asked as Vinyl and Octavia crawled back into their seats.

“Great actually,” Vinyl replied. “Tavi said you had a musical cutie mark and was curious how you got it.”

“What’s a cutie mark?” Brook asked.

Vinyl tilted her head a little. “Being dead mess with your head a bit?” Vinyl pointed a hoof at the musical note on her flank. “This thing. Everypony has one.”

Brook shifted his suit back to look at the instrument inscribed on his bones. “Oh, I was wondering about that. I always wanted a tattoo, but I don’t have skin anymore. Yo ho ho!”

Octavia flinched a little. “C-could you watch it on the laughter a little?”

Vinyl inspected the Brook’s cutie mark. “Anyway, how’d ya get it? Concert? First time playing? Pulling a really sweet gig?”

Brook gave her a blank stare… which wasn’t saying much given that skeletons usually only did that anyway. “I don’t quite follow.”

Vinyl scratched her chin. “Hmm, note to self, death and revival messes with memory.” She looked back at Brook. “You know, how’d you realize music was your special talent?”

“Oh, so that’s what this thing means. Well, to answer your question, I’ve always had a talent for music,” Brook replied.

“Could you possibly show us?” Vinyl asked. “We’re both musicians too, so we’d love to hear some of your music. Right, Tavi?” Vinyl gave Octavia a stern glance.

“Um, y-yes, let’s hear something,” Octavia nervously said.

“Do you by chance have a violin?” Brook asked. He was looking directly at Ocatvia.

“I-I have a cello.”

“May I borrow it?”

“Y-yes! I-I’ll get it right now!” Octavia bolted out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her room. Any time away from Brook was a relief to her. She took deep breaths as she leaned against her door. Why in Equestria did I say it could have my cello?! Oh, it’s gonna curse it!. Octavia put her hoof on the door, but didn’t push it open. Maybe… maybe if I let it just play it’ll calm it’s soul and it can move on! She dashed into her room and carefully placed it on her back. Y-yes, aren’t ghosts good is some stories? I let it have a final song and it goes away. She trotted back into the kitchen.“O-okay M-mr. Skeleton, l-lets see what you’ve got.” She hoofed the cello over to him. He gave her that blank stare again. “What?”

“How do you hold it?” he asked.

“Um, like this?” Octavia assumed her playing position and played a few notes. “But now I’m curious about hearing what you play.” It might have been a good player in life at least.

Brook slowly reached forward and got a loose grip on both the cello and its bow. “Hmm, this is new for me, but I’ll do my best. Sorry if it’s a bit rough.”

“No problem,” said Vinyl. “Most skeletons have trouble just walking around.” She chuckled at her own joke.

“Very well.” Brook then began to play. Even on the cello, the song was fun and festive. “Yohohoho, yohohoho, yohohoho, yohohoho, yohohohooo. Going to deliver Binks’ sake…

~~~

Both Octavia’s and Vinyl’s mouths were practically touching the floor at the end of the song. Octavia had never heard anything like it. It was nothing like the classical music she played. It was fun and lighthearted and made her feel quite happy by the end of it. With a final “Yohohoho”, Brook concluded the song and did a little bow. “You two look like you have both seen a ghost… guess I’m close enough. Yo ho ho!”

“That was awesome!” Vinyl draped her hoof over Brook’s shoulders. “You’ve got some real skills there. What’d you think Tavi?”

It took Octavia a second to register she’d been asked a question. “That was… beautiful. I never thought a cello… my cello could produce something like that.” She bowed her head, partially in shame, partially in honor, to Brook. “I’m sorry if I was a little unwelcoming earlier Mr. Brook, but you now have my deepest respect as a fellow musician.”

“Thank you Ms. Octavia.” He rested the cello against the table and placed the bow on top of it. “There is but one favor I would like to ask of you now.”

“W-what?” Octavia nervously asked. Oh, please don’t say my soul! This was going well.

“There is a place I must go back to. Ms. Vinyl didn’t know of it though. By any chance, do you know the where the Shabondy Archipelago is?”

Huh? Octavia looked at Vinyl, who shrugged to show she didn’t know either. She brought her attention back to Brook. “Um, is that what the afterlife is called?”

“No,” he replied. “It is very important that I get back there though.” His head drooped. To Octavia, it looked like Brook was frowning. “I will have to ask someone else.” He turned to the door. “Thank you for you hospitality.” He started to walk away.

“Wait.” Surprisingly, it wasn’t Vinyl that had said anything. Octavia trotted a little closer to Brook. “I… I know we couldn’t help. But… you don’t have a place to stay and we could help you find this place.”

“You would really do that?” Brook asked.

“Yes. But there’s more. I… I also want to know how you play like that!” Octavia turned her head away from Brook. How could I have said that? Why am I asking the dead for help?

“Okay,” Brook nonchalantly replied.

“W-what?” Octavia stared at him with eyes that were filled with confusion.

“I will help you in exchange for you helping me.” Brook trotted closer to Octavia now. Octavia hadn’t noticed it before, but Brook must have been quite the stocky stallion when he was alive. His head was a good half a foot over Octavia’s own. He loomed down on her. “But if you don’t find the Archipelago, I’ll be sure to haunt you!”

Octavia’s eyes rolled over. She unceremoniously crashed to the ground.

“Oh dear.” Brook looked over the unconscious mare. “I should have said the ‘kidding’ part sooner.”

“Don’t sweat it Brook.” Vinyl lifted Octavia up with her magic. She also drooped a hoof over Brook’s shoulders. “Octavia’s always been a little too high strung. Guess it comes with playing the cello.” Vinyl let out a little snicker. “Haven’t seen her do that since last year’s Nightmare Night Party. My neck still hurts from that.” The DJ cricked her neck back and forth. She then looked down on her friend and covered her in a soft blue aura. “She just needs a little rest. Until then, make yourself at home.” Vinyl trotted up the stairs with Octavia floating in front of her. “I’ll be right back.”

Brook stood alone in the kitchen. “This is a most peculiar day.” A ship with a lion’s head on it flashed before Brook’s eyes. “But I must get back to the archipelago! Forty degrees!” Brook flamed his head against the wall at the acute angle, but then slid to the ground. “I promise Luffy, I’ll make it back.”

Set Adrift: Lost in the Woods

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A large crescent moon hung over Equestria. Directed by Luna, its soft light filled the night and illuminated the darkness. The moonlight did not help the unicorn that was currently muttering curses to herself. Then again, not much moonlight could pierce through the thick trees of the Everfree forest.When the moonlight did poke through the dense forest canopy, it shined on the unicorn’s mane and accentuating its silver hue.

Somewhere close by, a branch snapped, causing the unicorn to twist her blue muzzle back and forth in fright. Whether it was a tree blowing in the wind, a random pebble tumbling down a hill, or even the sound of her own hooves; the slightest provocation sent her darting away from whatever had alarmed her. The constant creaking of the cart she pulled didn’t help her paranoia.

“Trixie should have never bought a secondhoof cart,” she huffed. “The noise it makes is displeasing and doesn’t attract customers!” Trixie grunted and continued pulling the cart.

“That stupid sign has clearly lied to Trixie! It said the way to Trottingham was on the right and the Everfree was on the left! Oh!” Trixie let out a snort. “If I ever find that sign again, it will rue the day it dared defy the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie reared up on her hind legs and swatted the air with her front ones in frustration.

A crow cawed in response to Trixie’s ranting. Trixie fell back onto four hooves and shivered. She pulled herself closer to her cart. “T-trixie is not scared of a tiny forest. She is j-just not accustomed to being away from her adoring fans.” Another branch snapped. “T-trixie is n-not afraid of anything in this forest. S-she has managed to tame an Ursa M-major. She can h-handle herself!” Her whole body involuntarily shivered.

“O-obviously, the s-sign is to blame. It has c-clearly misled me, uh, her, er!” Trixie stomped her hooves in frustration. “This is that sign’s fault!” Trixie lurched her cart to the left and turned it around. “T-trixie will s-simply go back the way she ca—”

The forest was filled with small paths. The path she was currently on forked in multiple directions. Following tracks was useless as well. The undergrowth covered up any signs a path had been visited. Trixie stared at the vast maze the forest had now become. Her ears drooped and her eyes widened in both horror and panic. “I d-don’t want to b-be here anymore.”

~~~

The night would not end. Whenever Trixie caught of glimpse of the moon through the trees, she saw that the moon had moved, and yet the black night remained. Her azure coat was a mess and parts of it were completely frayed off due to her attempts to gallop while pulling the cart. Her breathing was almost as fast as her heartbeat now. Every noise sent her into a mad gallop.

There was a far-off howl and Trixie sprinted. She galloped until a root stopped her in her tracks. The cart, in turn, knocked the wind out of her.

She pulled herself up. Mud covered both the inside and outside of her muzzle. She spat out the wet earth and looked at herself to assess the damage. Her cape and hat had become further dirtied, her mane covered in more leaves, and new cuts and scrapes accompanied the injuries that dotted her legs. She had lost count of how many times she’d fallen tonight.

She sighed and continued trotting onward, desperate to find an exit from the nightmare the forest had become. However, when she moved forward, the cart wouldn’t budge. She looked back and saw her fall had been a double whammy. Not only had she tripped on a root, but the cart had gotten stuck in the undergrowth as well. Her horn lit up for a brief second, but then she stopped her magic and fell to the ground. She curled into a small ball.

“What’s the point?” she sobbed. “Ever since Ponyville, it’s been one failure after another! Nopony wants to see Trixie anymore, I…I’m just yesterday’s news!” She peaked out at the forest. To her, it looked like it was closing in on her. “Now I’m going to die here, alone and forgotten! Nopony will care or even know!” Hot tears rained down Trixie’s cheeks. “I-I never even h-had any friends w-who cared!”

Then, in the darkness, Trixie saw a glint of light. It was much larger than the simple moonbeams that popped up throughout the forest. “The exit!” Trixie unhitched herself from the stuck cart and dashed toward the moonlight. “Trixie knew she could do it!” The trees started fading away. “Trixie just got a little lost is all. Now she can go and… and…”

The light had not led to the exit of the forest, but rather a large meadow. Trixie fell to her haunches. “T-there’s no way out. No way out.” Trixie gave up and lied down in the meadow.

Where had it gone so wrong? Had it been the show? The foals? That stupid purple unicorn? Trixie shuddered and let out a small cry. Was it always going to end this way? A broken star?

Trixie gazed up at the vast expanse that made up the night sky. At least Princess Luna made the night beautiful. Trixie began to close her eyes. If the creatures of the forest didn’t get her, then she would just lie there until exposure did her in. This was always how it would end. “I just wish I could have done one last show with some friends.” Her voice was as soft and as quiet as the wind that blew through the meadow.

Something flickered in the sky and caught Trixie’s closing eyes. “Huh?” she asked weakly. Whatever it was wasn’t a star. It didn’t just twinkle in space and then become a dot of light, it kept shimmering and it continued to grow larger.

Trixie weakly shuffled to her hooves and looked at the strange object “W-what?” Is it a phoenix? Trixie squinted her eyes to look at it. No, it’s too big to be a phoenix. What… “A meteor.” The object kept getting closer.

A shooting star. “I… I wish I had a friend!” Trixie yelled to the heavens. “I just don’t want to be here alone anymore! Please!” Trixie gazed up at the object as tears ran down her face. “Please…” she repeated.

In response, the object kept getting bigger. “Eh?” Now Trixie could see it wasn’t a meteor, but some weird bubble. “Eh?” A bubble that was zooming right for the meadow. “Eh?!” Trixie darted for the trees as the bubble came crashing into the forest. The blast knocked her back a few feet and into a tree.

Trixie coughed as she recovered from the hit. “I should have known a wish would go wrong.” Anger crept into her voice. “So even the stars are against me? Fine!” Trixie got to her hooves and glared up at the moon. That stupid darn moon! “Screw you Princess Luna! I always ha—” Trixie stopped her rant when she saw the impact crater was smoking and shaped like a paw. “That wasn’t a normal… whatever it was.” Trixie trotted closer. The crater looked just like the paw that had destroyed her last cart. “It was a sign. But then, what does it…”

As the smoke cleared away, Trixie saw that in the center of the crater was a pony. His coat was black and his mane a dark seaweed green. A green scarf was wrapped around his neck and sticking out of it were three full scabbards. A horn stuck out of his head and three blades graced his flank. Trixie’s mouth dropped.

“This… this is…” A huge smile slowly grew on Trixie’s face. “A friend!” Trixie scooped up the unicorn and gave him a hug. She didn’t notice his head flop back. She happily looked up to the moon. “Oh thank you Princess Luna! Trixie should have never doubted you! Thank you so mu—”

Trixie noticed her coat was wet now. “Huh?” She looked at the unicorn. Now she saw that his eyes weren’t open and he was barely breathing. A large scar across his chest was bleeding onto Trixie’s coat.

“No!” Trixie instantly picked up the unicorn with her magic and started performing all the first aid procedures she know. “Oh, I can’t lose you! I just met you!” Trixie rushed back to where she’d left her cart. The cart! It has medical supplies in it! She reached the cart at record speed. She threw it open with magic and laid the unicorn down on the small bed inside. Then she rifled through all cabinets.

“Where is it? Where is it? Ha!” Trixie grasped what she was looking for with her hooves and held it high in victory. It was a roll of bandages. “Mom always said these were the best magic in Equestria!” Trixie looked at the unicorn. “Don’t worry. Bandages make everything better!” Trixie went to work on “healing” the unicorn.

~~~

The black unicorn’s left eye twitched a little. He swatted an ear at it. “Huh? Ugh, that’s right, that damn bear sent me…” There was a blue horse sleeping right next to him. “Ahhh!”

Trixie opened her eyes and saw the unicorn was up. “Ahhhh!” She jumped up and braced herself against her dresser. Makeup and other cosmetics crashed to the floor. “Oh. I mean, you’re up! I’m was worried, it’s been a whole two da—”

“Shut up!” he yelled. “Alright.” He winced a little as he moved a hoof to his side. “You’ve got three seconds to tell me…” He moved his hoof over his side as if he was trying to grasp something. Then he grimaced. He drew up the hoof to his face. “What the hell? My hand!” He glared at Trixie. “Okay, horse thing, give me back my hands now or I…” He twitched a little as the scabbards shifted around his neck. “Ha!” He grabbed the white one with his teeth and unsheathed the sword within. “Giff me baph ma hafs now!”

Trixie had never seen a pony brandish a sword before. Certainly nopony had ever pulled one on her, not even in the rougher areas of Equestria. “I-I d-did not take away whatever hands are. I o-only tried to h-help. P-please don’t hurt me!” She fell to her haunches and cowered.

The unicorn looked over the situation and re-sheathed his sword. “Tch, what a pain.” He looked down. He was literally covered in bandages for hoof to head. Did it think bandages helped that much?

He slowly got to his hooves. His wobbled and would have fallen had it not been for the small confines of the cart.

“Damn it!” He braced himself against a side. “Bastard blasts me off and then makes me whatever the hell this thing is.” He kept pushing forward to the door that led outside.

Trixie galloped over to him. “Wait! Y-you can’t! You shouldn’t even be moving! Y-you need to rest. Please!” She raised her hoof to him.

He turned around to face Trixie. “Look talking horned horse thing. I got places to go. Thanks for fixing me up, but I gotta go.” He faced the door and slumped over to it. He extended a hoof, but the knob wouldn’t turn

Trixie stood, watching the scene in front of her. But… but he’s a friend right? I wished and he came here. He fumbled more with the door. She clenched her teeth. Stupid unicorn! He can’t even use his magic! And he has the gall to say he’s fine to the Great and Powerful Trixie? “Now listen here, foal!” Trixie mustered up her courage. “Trixie has taken good care of you, now she demands you fulfill her wish and be a good friend!”

“Huh?” The unicorn glared back at her with a look that sent shivers down her spine. “Sorry, your door is annoying.” He slid the sword out again and swiftly swung his head around. A second later, the door split into multiple pieces. Trixie’s jaw dropped.

“My cart!”

“What? I apologized,” he said nonchalantly. The unicorn hopped out of cart and into the forest. “I’d give you some cash, but I haven’t got anything on me.”

Trixie still gaped at the new hole in her cart. Then she scowled. How dare he! I heal him and he breaks Trixie’s cart! Why Trixie will… will…” Her eyes fell on the three scabbards. Her horn lit up.

Great, a forest. The unicorn sighed and continued trotting forward. Oh well, at least there’ll be stuff to eat here. Still, what the hell? Why am I a horse now? Ugh, doesn’t matter, need to get back to th — His swords wiggled out of his sash and flew into the air, covered in a blue aura. “What?!”

The swords bobbed up and down in the air around Trixie. “T-trixie demands that you be her friend or… or you do not get your weapons back!”

The unicorn was upon her in an instant. His hot breath was in Trixie’s face. “You’d better drop them right now,” he growled.

“N-no, Trixie made her wish and she will have it fulfil—” One of the swords crackled. Lightning sizzled around it. “What?! What is that weapon?” More lightning emanated from the sword. Trixie fell to her hocks. “Eep! Get it off! Get it off!” The blue aura surrounding the swords darkened.

The unicorn glanced up at the sword and then back at Trixie. “Stop floating them then!”

Trixie closed her eyes and tried to push through the pain the sword was causing. “I’m trying! But it… Ahhh!” Trixie was suddenly engulfed in the dark blue aura. “Ahh! Get it away!” Trixie and the swords flew away from the unicorn and zoomed through the forest.

“My swords!” The unicorn galloped after Trixie. He pounded through the forest, trampling over the undergrowth and snapping countless branches. His eyes, like a hungry wolf, were focused on the glow. Then the forest darkened and the glow was lost. “Damn it!” He pounded his hooves into the ground in frustration. “Er, I’ll just have to guess where she went.”

A nearby twig snapped. The unicorn turned his head to see a wolf like creature emerge from the bushes. It advanced and more twigs cracked. Only it wasn’t stepping on any twigs. The creature’s own body was making the snapping noises.

“Great, monsters,” the unicorn sighed. He twisted to grab a sword, but grasped at nothing. “Crap! If I ever find that thing again I’m gonna…” Wait, it had a horn than I should…

He glared up at his head. Unfortunately, that meant taking his eyes off of the timber wolf. It lunged for him. “Crap!” It opened its jaws for the kill and fell on the unicorn.

For a second, the forest was still. The unicorn and the wolf stood unmoving. The wolf let out a yelp and fell to the ground. There was now a small crack in its wooden body. The unicorn looked down on his defeated foe and then up at his horn. “Tch, can’t even cut with this thing.”

Suddenly, a scream resonated throughout the forest. The unicorn craned his head to where he thought the scream was coming from. “Great, now that thing is in trouble. Oh well, at least now I know where it is!” He barreled into the forest towards the scream. However, there was another scream, this time from behind him. “Huh?”

He looked back and forth between where the scream had come from and where he was headed. “Wasn’t it screaming coming from this direction?”

He darted off in a different direction, only for the scream to once more come from the opposite side of the forest. “Darn it! This forest must be playing tricks on me!”

Another scream. He didn’t bother to pinpoint its source this time. “Er, this is get— “ More screaming. He gritted his teeth and galloped forward. He saw a fleck of blue in the green forest and darted for it. “Would you shut up!”

“M-mr. sword pony!” Trixie cried out. “Help!”

“Fine! But will you stop…” He looked around the forest they were in. “Screaming.” Dozens of the wolves surrounded them. “Crap.”

He rapidly twisted his head around looking for his swords. “Horse-thing! Where are my swords?!”

“I-I’m not a horse-t-thing, I’m a p—“

“Swords! Now!” The wolves started to advance.

Trixie held out a shaky hoof over to a bundle nearby. “O-over there!”

“Good!” The unicorn jumped for them and unsheathed one. Crap! I can only hold one right now! He turned to look back at Trixie. “Gif ouffa here!” He growled.

“I’m not just g-going to leave y—“ The unicorn dashed at her with his sword held high. “I’m sorry! I’m really really sorry!” He swung his sword.

A timber wolf fell behind her, a large gash running across its chest. The unicorn glared up at her. “I canf profef you and taf care oph teess guys af ta swam time!”

“I… Trixie will help you then.” Her horn glowed and a shield materialized around them. “There! That should keep us safe while we re—“ A wolf smacked into the shield and shattered it into bits. The rest of the pack advanced on them. Trixie’s pupils turned to pinpricks. She turned around and galloped away. “Please be safe Mr. sword pony!”

The unicorn watched as Trixie disappeared into the forest. “Well, that’s one problem out of the way.” He brought his attention back to the wolf pack. “Now pher you.” They bared their fangs at him. “I neef some phipherwood!” Five darted forward and lunged at him. He moved his sword and in one motion sent them back down to the ground with new chest wounds. “Stuphid wophes.” The rest of the pack looked at each other and their injured brethren and snarled at the unicorn. “Gueff, that didst scare you oph?”

Hundreds of teeth raced toward him. He brought up his sword and slashed at the wolves. Wave after wave came at him, a mess of wood, teeth, and golden eyes. Some managed to reach him with their claws and created red streaks across his body. Sometimes he used his horn to knock them back with blunt force. The wolves kept coming, their supply never waning.

The unicorn started to breath heavily. Damn it! This isn’t good! He looked at the two swords right by his hooves. If only I could use all three! Something flashed in the corner of his right eye. A set of teeth were launching themselves at him. “You want some too?”

He raised his sword to block the attack, but suddenly his knees gave out. His whole body burned. The image of a giant paw flashed into his mind. Damn it! Not now! The jaws moved in to close on him. No!

Klang!

A sword was stuck in the wolf’s chest. A green glow surrounded its handle. The wolf fell to the ground with a thud. Both the unicorn and the wolves looked at the still-floating sword in bemusement.

What’s going on? Thought the unicorn. Why is my sword floating? Maybe if I got a better look at it… In response, the sword flew over to him. In its reflection he saw that his horn was covered in the same glow as the sword’s handle. “Am I doing this?”

He looked over at his other sword, which was still on the ground. Come here! He felt a weight tug on him, but the sword didn’t move. Damn! Shusui’s too heavy! He glared back at the wolves. He spat out his other sword and managed to levitate it at his side. “Oh well, two swords is better than one!” He charged straight into the pack.

~~~

Trixie galloped through the forest with a million thoughts blasting around in her head. Why did the sword do that? Where am I? Are the wolves chasing me? Where’s the exit? Where/s the exit?!

The sound of the nearby battle filled the forest. Barks, howls, and the sound of wood being chopped assaulted Trixie’s ears. She continued to race forward, unsure where to go.

Her shield easily shattering from one hit burned in her memory. Am I really that useless? Trixie stopped galloping. “I… I couldn’t do anything. It was my fault the wolves came… because I took his swords.” She looked down to the ground as tears fell from her mud stained face. “My fault.”

A howl rang throughout the forest and then everything went silent. “Oh no!” Trixie raced back to the battlefield.

~~~

The forest was littered with wolves. A few were still twitching, but most were still. They all had large cuts running along their bodies. A few had had their limbs chopped right off. Trixie shivered a little as she made her way past them. He didn’t do this all alone did he?

She came upon a large pile of the wolves. The fading moonlight fell on them and highlighted their wounds. Trixie turned a shade of green and was about to look away, when something near the pile moved. “H-hello? M-mr. s-sword pony?”

The figure stopped and advanced on her. Sweat gathered on her brow as it got closer. She readied her horn for battle. Oh who am I kidding? I should have kept running and never looked ba—“

“I thought I told you to run,” the unicorn said, his voice was raspy and strained. All three of his swords were back in his scarf now.

“I-I was w-worried.”

“Whatever,” he sighed and turned around. He went back to the pile and draped a wolf carcass over his shoulder. “Help me carry one of these.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m hungry and if I can’t eat them I can at least make a fire.” He trotted forward with the wolf on his back but winced.

Trixie rushed forward and saw large splinters sticking out of his right foreleg. “You’re hurt! Let me help!” Her horn lit up.

He reared back a little.“Keep that crazy thing away from me! It’ll send me flying like it did my sw… huh?” A cooling sensation wrapped around his leg as the splinters removed themselves and the wounds they had caused partially closed. “How did you do that?”

Trixie looked up from his wounds at his eyes and blinked. “I… Trixie, like all unicorns, learned basic first aid at a young age. Didn’t you?”

He let out a sigh. “Look uni-whatever, until I woke up, I didn’t have a horn, or hooves, or any of this crap!” He flung his tail down in frustration. “Don’t even know where I am.”

“Trixie thinks we are in the Everfree, she doesn’t particularly like it.”

“Sheesh, it’s always forests that are a big pain. Where’s the exit?”

“Trixie doesn’t…” She pawed the ground. “I don’t know.”

“Super.” He glanced up at the sky and the falling moon. “Well, the moon sets in the west, right? So lets just follow that. It’s gotta lead somewhere.”

“Trixie doesn't disagr— where are you going?” Rather than heading in the direction of the moon, the unicorn was heading north.

“In the direction the moon is.”

Trixie jabbed up at the moon. “It’s that way!”

“So this forest really does play tricks on you.”

Trixie rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Perhaps you are right. Trixie got lost here because signs were wrong.”

“You probably just have a bad sense of direction,” he said bluntly and kept trotting northward.

“At least Trixie can see the moon!” she guffawed. “We should go this way!” She jabbed in the direction of the setting moon.

“Do whatever you want. I’m sure you can survive the forest alone.” He continued going north.

Trixie closed her mouth and walked by the pony. For a long time they were silent. The dead wolf on the unicorn’s back didn’t help the atmosphere. Finally, Trixie spoke up. “What enchantment did you put on your weapon?”

“Huh?”

“Trixie has never seen an anti-theft spell like it.”

The unicorn glanced at his swords. “What do you mean spells?”

Trixie peered closer at the unicorn and his swords. She lit up her horn for a second and was blasted away the next.

The unicorn trotted over to her, but didn’t help her up. “You okay?”

“Trixie is not okay! She doesn’t know what spell you used, but that thing…” She pointed at the sword in a red scabbard, “is dangerous!”

“Oh you mean Kitetsu, it’s cursed,” he said with a wicked grin.

“Why in Equestria would you keep something cursed? I wouldn’t even meddle with those sorts of things!”

“I tamed it.”

Trixie deadpanned as she pushed herself to her hooves. “What?”

“I broke its curse.” He looked down at the swords again, his eyes not focused on the red scabbard, but the black one. “If only Shusui was a bit lighter…”

He’s crazy! I summoned a monster! Trixie moved a few steps away, afraid he was going to transform into a raging beast. Wait, why does he have three swords anyway? Her eyes then traced their way to his cutie mark and her eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Now Trixie gets it!”

“Gets what?”

“You’re a performer too! Why else carry three swords around? Trixie’s wish is making much more sense now!” Trixie looked about ready to jump in joy.

“Weirdo…” he sighed and continued trotting forward. Trixie got a little closer now and looked at his face. “What?”

“Trixie would like to know your name, ‘Mr. Sword pony’ sounds rude.”

“Zoro.”

“Hmm.” Trixie tilted her head a little. “Trixie was expecting something more like ‘Three Slice.’ What does ‘Zoro me-oof!” Trixie tripped over something and was instantly looking down a crevasse. “Ahhhh!”

“Stophh screaming!” Zoro yelled as he bit into her tail to keep her from falling.

“Ow ow ow! Help!” she continued to scream. Zoro jumped back and pulled her away. They flew back into a trip and landed in a clump.

He got up and spat out a few silver threads of hair. “Ugh! Great, there goes my appetite.” He looked down at the shivering ball Trixie had become.

“T-thank you! Thank y-you!” she whimpered.

“Get up.” Zoro looked forward. “I found something.”

Trixie peaked an eye out from under her hooves. “W-what is…” Trixie stopped when she saw what Zoro was looking at. Across the gorge was a building of some sort. It was made of stone that had been weathered down and broken in places.

“C’mon.” Zoro trotted forward.

“But how are we going to cross this gap?”

Zoro didn’t say anything, but instead pointed to his right. Trixie looked over and saw a bridge in the loosest sense of the word. It was just a rotting collection of wood and rope. The rope looked especially worn and not even fully tied to the wooden poles at either end of the bridge.

“Trixie is not getting on that!”

“Fine, I’m not keeping you. You enjoy the forest now.” He then nonchalantly stepped on the bridge, which squeaked under his hooves.

Trixie watched as Zoro walked further away from her and then looked back at the forest. The bushes close by rustled in response. “Trixie hates stupid wishes.” She raced after Zoro.

~~~

A pair of sharp eyes looked at the edge of the forest, noting the large amounts of birds rising into the air. “Strange, the birds only move if someone is in the forest. Probably an idiot.”

Set Adrift: Changing History

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“Bawk! Bawk, bawk!” crowed a rather raspy rooster.

An orange mare with a disheveled blond mane stuck her head out of her bedroom window to glare up at the offending fowl. “Ah’m up, okay!” Applejack yelled.

She stuck her head back into her room and trotted over to her dresser to grab her hat. “Land’s sake, Ah know he’s meant to get me up, but that rooster sounds worse than a cat taking a bath,” she mumbled to herself as she trotted downstairs to the kitchen. Hmm, maybe Ah should take him into Fluttershy.

“Mornin sis,” said Big Macintosh. Applejack chuckled a little at her brother’s appearance. She always got a laugh out of seeing him standing over the stove cooking in a apron. He ignored the laughs and went back to making breakfast.

“Mornin Big Mac.” She took a whiff of the pancakes her brother was making and smacked her lips. “Those smell mighty good.”

“Well, Applebuck season is coming up soon and we’re all gonna need our strength for that.” He flipped a pancake and put it onto a plate. “This year, Ah think Applebloom might what t—”

“Pancakes!” screamed youngest Apple sibling. She ran up and hugged Big Macintosh’s leg. “Thanks so much brother!”

“Well ain’t that something,” Applejack mused. “Applebloom, this is the earliest Ah think Ah’ve ever seen ya up.”

“Well, Ah was having this dream about ma cutie mark, but then everything turned into pancakes,” Applebloom explained. “Ah woke up and knew Big Macintosh was makin his super special apple pancakes and Ah had to try some!” She pranced happily around her brother, who was attempting to stay focussed on the pancakes.

“That’s all fine and fair,” said Applejack. “But remember, if ya wanna get the cakes, ya have to help out too.”

“Of course Ah wanna help out!” Applebloom ecstatically replied.

Applejack reached out and tousled her little little sister’s mane. “That’s the Apple family spirit!” She turned her attention to the kitchen table and the elderly mare asleep at the head of it. “Granny Smith.” The older pony kept sleeping. “Granny Smith,” Applejack repeated with a raised voice and still got no response. She let out a sigh. “Somepony called ya a chicken.”

Granny Smith instantly awoke and grabbed her cane and waved it around as if it were a sword. “Who’s callin an Apple a chicken? It was those Flab Fin Brothers again, wasn’t it?”

“It’s okay Granny Smith,” Applejack clamly stated. She walked over to her grandmother and sat her back down in the chair. “Ah just needed to get ya up.”

“Oh,” Granny Smith hummed,”why didn’t ya say so?”

Applejack resisted the temptation to facehoof. “Anyway, Ah just need ya to keep an eye on Applebloom while Big Macintosh is making breakfast. Ah’m gonna go check the trees to make sure they’re ready for harvesting.”

“No problem at all dearie,” Granny Smith replied.

With Applebloom in relatively competent hooves, Applejack made her way outside. She took a deep breath of the early morning air and looked to the horizon to see the sun just starting to peek into the sky. Ah bet it’s gonna be a great day. For now, Ah got work to do.

Applejack trotted away from the farmhouse and made her way over to some of the closer apple trees. She stopped at one that looked particularly full of fruit. A coy smile was stretched across her face. Ah’ll just loosen up a few trees for Applebloom, wouldn’t want her to hurt her legs.

Applejack turned around and planted her forehooves into the ground while keeping most of her weight off her hindlegs. She double checked her position to make sure her hooves would hit the tree and then then let her hindlegs kick out. However, she made sure to only use a fraction of her strength. Her hooves connected with the tree... and then the ground shuddered.

“What in tarnation?!” Applejack lost her footing and fell to the ground which shook a little more but then suddenly stopped. “What the hay was th—” An apple conked Applejack on the head, followed by three more.

“Ow!” Applejack slowly got back to her hooves while nursing her head. When she stopped seeing spots, she looked around to assess the damage. All around her lied apples on the ground and a few leaves as well. “Shoot, whatever that was knocked all the fruit from the trees. Ugh, how are we gonna get these all into baskets before they go bad?” She turned to rush back to the farmhouse, but something green flickered in the corner of her eye.

Applejack’s ears perked up in attention. “What the hay was that?” Curiosity pushed Applejack over to the where she’d seen the green. She trotted past the trees and fallen fruit to the flicker’s source. As she got closer, she noticed some of the trees were bent at odd angles, as if something had pushed them back.

She was so distracted by the trees that she didn’t notice the large hole right in front of her. With a slight misstep, she tumbled down into it and landed with a loud thud. “Ugh, forget what Ah said about this being a good day.” She dusted herself off and looked around the hole she was in. It wasn’t very deep, but it had a uniform precision to it that told Applejack that something was up. “Now who would go and dig a hole on ma farm?”

She climbed out to get a better survey of the the hole she’d fallen into her. Her heartbeat quickened when she saw it wasn’t a hole, but rather a large paw print. “This ain’t good. Ah gotta go warn everypony in town that there’s a monster on the loose!”

Applejack sped back to farmhouse as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn’t notice the pair of eyes that had been watching her from the bushes. “Hmm, is it possible that equines are the dominant species on this island?” the eyes’ source asked itself. “That still doesn’t explain my entire appearance though. It did mention a town though. Perhaps there will be answers there.”

There was rustling in the bushes and then a small thud. Hopefully I’ll figure out how to walk by then.

~~~

Rarity awoke with a smile. “Ah what a lovely dream,” she mused to herself as she stretched her legs. She magicked open her windows and let the sun shine in. Opal gave a hiss and pulled herself deeper into her cat-home.

“Oh come now Opal,” Rarity cued over the entrance to Opal’s home. “It’s a glorious day and we can’t enjoy it by staying inside.” Her eyes lit up with delight. “Oh! Ideaaaa! I’m going to freshen up and then it’ll be your turn! We’ll both look magnificent together and be the talk of the town!” Opal gave a small moan, knowing she was in for trip to the beauty room.

“You stay here while I take a shower and get ready,” Rarity said. She trotted over to her bathroom and opened the door. “As soon as I’m done, it’ll be your turn! Oh, this is going to be fabulous!” She closed the door and left Opal alone in the room. Opal, in turn, darted out of her home and desperately tried to open the window and escape.

“Hm hm hmm hm hmmm,” Rarity sung to herself while the shower water cascaded down on her. Now what look should I go for today? Artist? Fancy? She levitated her shampoo and lathered her mane with it. Hmm, the wet mane look has been catching in popularity lately. Ooh, or maybe I’ll go with th—

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Ahhhhhh?” Rarity tilted her head and washed off the rest of the soap in her mane. Why would I think that “Ahhhh” is a type of fashion? For that matter, it sounded more like somepony was...

“Ahhhhh!”

Rarity jumped out of the shower at the sound of the second scream. “Oh my word, somepony is in peril! I’ve got to go help!” She rushed for the door, but stopped before opening it. She lit up her horn and wrapped towels around her body and her mane. “Don’t want to be immodest.”

Rarity galloped outside her store and saw a bunch of ponies running around in a panic and flailing their hooves everywhere. “What in Equestria?”

Rarity noticed that a pink mare with a green mane was cowering behind her flower cart muttering, “The horror, the horror.”

“Daisy,” Rarity asked the shaking mare, “what exactly is going on?”

“Oh Rarity,” Daisy shook, “it was terrible! We... we should have listened to Applejack.”

“Applejack?” Rarity’s brow creased a little. “What happened? Is she alright?”

“I-I think so, but she warned us that a monster was near town, but we didn’t listen. T-then it... it showed up.”

“What showed up?” Rarity asked, agitation lacing her voice.

“We didn’t know what it was at first. From a distance it looked like a pony, but then we saw that it was pure black with holes running through its mane and its legs.” Daisy shook more. “It had this horrible crooked horn and wings like a giant insect.” Rarity’s began to shake as well now. “It tried to get closer to us, but Sunny Days managed to throw one of his oranges at her but...”

“But what?” Rarity nervously asked.

“It... It..” Daisy ran forward and collapsed onto Rarity’s shoulder. “It made another leg pop out of its side and crushed the fruit!” Rarity felt hot tears on her shoulder. “T-then Sunny kept throwing oranges at it, but it made legs appear out of nowhere and held Sunny down. W-while it was d-dealing with him, C-carrot Top managed t-to hit it with one of her carrots. Then it just ran off into one of the allies!”

“I see.” A cold sweat now ran down Rarity’s neck. A changeling in Ponyville! Not those things again! She gave Daisy and pat on the back and raised her head. “You were very helpful Daisy. Now, I need you to get some ponies together and warn the rest of the town. That creature was a changeling and it’s very dangerous. The leg thing is new, but we have to keep everypony safe from it.”

“W-what about you?” Daisy stuttered.

“I’m going to go get Twilight.”

“Wait!”

Rarity stopped and looked back at Daisy. “What?”

“Why are you wearing a towel?”

“Oh for Celestia’s sake!” Rarity ran into her store before dashing back out again, this time sans towels.

Nopony noticed the sharp black ear that rested on the side of Daisy’s cart and vanished as Rarity galloped away.

~~~

She gasped for breath from behind a barrel and tried to make herself as small as possible. She looked down at her black legs and thought back to how the town’s residents had reacted to her. This isn’t good. Whatever form I’ve taken must belong to an enemy of this town.

She brought her breathing down to a slower pace and reflected on what she’d gleaned from overhearing the white unicorn’s discussion with the flower seller. Most of the town residents just assumed I was a monster, but that white one called me a “changeling.” That must be the name of this species.

She looked down at her hoof again and focused. Another hoof instantaneously popped out of the hoof in front of her. At least my powers seem to be in working order. She closed her eyes and summoned more ears to listen to the situation around town.

“We have to warn the mayor!”

“How do we contact the Royal Guard?”

“The horror! The horror!”

“What have you done with her? You’re a changeling aren’t you!?”

“No!”

She focussed on the last two voices she’d heard. “Ojos Fleur,” she muttered. She was now looking at a beige equine with a purple and blue mane confronting another equine with a seafoam green coat and a mint colored mane with a stripe of white running through it.

“Prove it!” shouted the beige one. “You told me you got bewitched at the wedding, so how do I know it’s really you?”

“Your favorite recipe are bonbons filled with cider. You once had a catfight with Berry Punch over the last cup of cider because you like them so much!” the green one replied.

The beige one turned bright red and her form slumped. “Okay Lyra, that’s you. We need to be careful though. Didn’t you say changelings can look like anypony?”

She opened her eyes again as her additional ears and eyes disappeared. I have shapeshifting abilities? Hmm, I do need a disguise to avoid capture. Maybe I can get back to my normal body then.

She closed her eyes again and focussed on her original appearance. Green flames consumed her body for a second and then dissipated. She gazed down at her new form and sighed at the sight of a hoof. The holes on her legs were now replaced with fur. “Hopefully this is better than nothing.”

She got up from her hiding spot and peeked her head out of the alley to look at the street. All the residents that had been there before had cleared out. She pulled her head back into the alley. It would be suspicious for anyone to be wandering the streets now.

She turned to walk deeper into the alley, but paused when she felt her stomach tighten. Her legs became wobbly and she nearly lost her balance. She braced herself against a wall to keep from falling down. I must have been flying for days. I need to get some food. She focussed and summoned eyes around the town to locate a restaurant. She stopped her search when she spotted a bizarre structure that seemed to be composed entirely of sweets.

~~~

“Don’t worry Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie Pie assumed a defensive pose at the front of Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes were upstairs standing guard by their foals’ room. “There’s no way some nasty changeling is gonna get the drop on me! My tail would twitch if it tried to do that!” Pinkie triumphantly smirked at nopony in particular and continued to guard the door.

A shadow appeared outside Sugarcube Corner and Pinkie sunk down and got ready to pounce. Alright Pinkie, this is it! Time to become the hero of Ponyville... wait, I’ve saved Equestria twice now, so technically I’m already a hero of Ponyville. Oh! I got it! If I save the town then I’ll be a super ultra mega hero! Then everypony can have a super ultra mega hero pa—

A knock at the door interrupted Pinkie’s fantasy. Her eyes narrowed at the shadow on the other side of the door. “Hmm, usually meanies just blast doors down. Well, if they’re willing to knock, they can’t be all that bad.”

Pinkie happily bounced to the door and grabbed the knob with her mouth.

“Pinkie!” Mrs. Cake shouted out. “Don’t open the do—” Too late. Pinkie flung the door open and was greeted by a pony.

“Hello,” the mare calmly said. She was a bit taller than Pinkie with a deep black mane that was divided by a horn. Her coat was of a dark purple hue even heavier than Twilight’s. On her flank was a picture of a book and magnifying glass. Her nose seemed a bit sharp for a mare. However, her most drawing trait was her wide pupils, which were large even by pony standards. She also looked a bit weathered and her knees shook a little. “Is this a restaurant by chance?”

“It sure is!” Pinkie happily replied. “There’s kind of a strange monster on the loose threatening the town right now so you should probably get inside. Then we can have snacks! Oh! I’ve never had a safety shelter party before! This’ll be fun!”

“Um...” The mare paused for a moment before taking a step into the Corner. “Thank you.” However, a pink hoof blocked her from going further into the Corner.

“Sorry, I don’t usually do this, but can you Pinkie promise that you’re not an evil monster that wants to hurt ponies?”

“I promise.”

Pinkie frowned a little. “No, you have to Pinkie promise. Are you new or someth—” Pinkie’s eyes turned to pin pricks as she deeply gasped. “Oh my gosh! You’re a new pony! That means we’ll have to celebrate!” She started happily bouncing up and down. “We’ll have a party, eat cake, play games, but we’ll have to wait until after the monster...” She stopped bouncing and narrowed her eyes at the mare. “Hmm, you’re a new pony that showed up just as a monster shows up too. Well, I definitely need to make you Pinkie promise now.”

“How exactly do you make this promise?”

“Oh it’s easy.” Pinkie coughed and sucked in her breath. “Cross my heart and hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie played out the crossing part and substituted sticking a cupcake in her eye with a hoof. “See? Easy,” Pinkie said with a hoof still in her eye.

The mare nodded and then copied Pinkie’s actions while saying, “I ‘Pinkie’ promise.”

Pinkie playfully wiped some sweat off her brow. “Whew, that’s a relief. I’d’ve hated using my party cannon on you.” Pinkie turned around and bucked the door closed. “Wouldn’t want the actual monster to get in.”

“Yes... that would be a problem. Anyway would it be possible to get some...” Pinkie was now mere inches away from the mare’s face. “Food.”

“Of course you can! You’re new in town! That means you have to try some awesome food!” Pinkie was bouncing around again. “Oh wait!” She got right back into the mare’s face. “I have to learn your name first, otherwise I’d just have to call you ‘mysterious mare that showed up when a monster was here too’ and that’s a mouthful!”

“Robin,” the mare replied, unperturbed by Pinkie’s energetic attitude.

“Ooh! That’s a really neat name! Anyway, what do ya want to eat? We’ve got cakes, cupcakes, pastries, muffins... did I mention cupcakes?”

“I’ll have a blueberry muffin if you have one.”

“Oki-doki-loki!” Pinkie zoomed over to display case of all the Corner’s food and quickly came back with the muffin balanced on her head. “Here ya go!”

Robin initially reached out with her hoof, but put it down and paused for a moment.

Pinkie gave Robin a confused look. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I’ll just...” Robin extended her head forward and bit into the wrapping on the muffin. Meal procured, she trotted over to a nearby table and sat down to enjoy it. Pinkie also took a seat at the table.

Robin was about to take a bite of the muffin when she noticed two ponies staring at her from the upper level of the Corner. “Hello, is something wrong?”

“No,” Mr. Cake nervously muttered. He looked back at Mrs. Cake and whispered something to her. She trotted out of Robin’s sight while Mr. Cake descended the stair. “Pinkie, is everything alright?”

“Everything’s great!” Pinkie enthusiastically replied. “I met Robin and now we’re having a safety shelter party!”

“I see, well if you trust her, things should be okay. Just be careful. I’m going to go help the missus with the foals, okay?”

“Roger!” Pinkie playfully saluted Mr. Cake. He softly sighed and then went back upstairs.

Robin bent her head down again to eat the muffin, but stopped when she noticed a pair of bright blue eyes inches away from her own. “Yes?”

“Well you’re a new pony in town and aside from having bad luck on coming when a monster was here you’re super lucky to be here!”

“I am?”

“Yep, because now we can celebrate and have fun!”

Robin chuckled a little at Pinkie’s enthusiasm. “You remind me of a few of my own friends.”

“Ooh! Are they in town too?”

Robin stopped chuckling and her face returned to its neutral expression. “I’m afraid my friends may be very far away. Would you happen to know the location of this island?”

PInkie corked an eyebrow but then stuck her tongue out. “Silly, Ponyville isn’t an island, it’s a town.”

“I meant the island this town is on.”

“Um, Equestria’s not an island either.”

“I see.” This could be a problem. Then again, she seems to have her head in the clouds, so she might not be that knowledgeable. I need to find someone with information. “Do you know where I could possibly look at some maps?”

“Sure, at the library. We’ll have to wait until the monster disappears to go there though.”

Might as well find out more about my form while I’m here. “Can you possibly tell me more about this monster?”

“Oh, well I didn’t see it, but I know what a changeling looks like. They’re black and have bug wings. Buuttt, this one also had a mane and a crooked horn, so it might have been a changeling queen, which is odd because I thought we sent them all flying a few months ago. Hmm, if changelings have queens do they have princesses? Wait, why is Princess Celestia a princess if we don’t have a queen? This is gonna be a tough one.”

“Anyway, what makes these changelings so dangerous?”

“Well, they’re really mean and steal other ponies love and feed off it. The worst part is that they look like somepony you love and then feed off you. Buuuut, the real worst part is I’ve totally seen better transformations.”

“Fascinating.” I hope the need to depend on love for sustenance doesn’t apply to me. That will only compound things.

“Wait a minute!” Pinkie slammed a hoof onto the table. She stretched her head forward. “Did you...” A miniscule twinge of fear ran through Robin. “Get attacked by the changeling on the way here?”

“I recall getting hit by something and then awakening a few moments later,” Robin lied.

Pinkie rubbed a hoof against her chin. “No wonder you were hungry, that mean old changeling must have stolen some of your love!” She dashed back over to where the food was and grabbed a biscuit as well. “Here, you probably need this as well.”

“You’re sure? I think that thing also took my money so I’m a little destitute at the moment.”

“No problem!” Pinkie flashed Robin a smile. “I always give new ponies a treat when they come to town anyway!”

Robin gave Pinkie a small smile. “That’s quite generous of you.”

“Silly, Rarity’s the generous one, I’m the funny one.”

“What’s a rarity?”

“Not ‘what’, ‘who’. She’s one of bestest friends ever! Ooh! We should see her once things call down! We should also see Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, and Applejack, and Twilight, and...” Something tapped Pinkie on the shoulder. “Huh?” She turned around and saw nopony there. “That’s weird, I could have sworn somepony tapped my shoulder. What a strange day. Anyway...” She turned back around to look at Robin and noticed that the mare was whipping a few crumbs off her face. The rest of the muffin and the biscuit were nowhere to be seen. “Wow! You ate those fast!”

“I was a bit hungry.” She brought a hoof down to her stomach and noticed that it still felt a little empty. I’ll need to move fast off this island. She focused her attention back on Pinkie. “So this library is the main information hub in town?”

“Uh-huh! It’s where one of my friends...” Before Pinkie could finish, Robin was already marching over to the door. “Lives.” She rushed over and blocked the exit.

“Could you please move?” Robin nonchalantly asked. “I’m sure I can find this library on my own.”

“Sorry, but I can’t let somepony, even if I just met then, go out while a changeling is on the loose. You understand, right?” Pinkie looked at Robin with concerned eyes.

“I can fend for myself.”

Something pushed against Pinkie’s back and began tickling it. “Ah ha ha ha! St-stop it!” Pinkie giggled. She collapsed on the floor, unaware of the two black hooves that were assaulting her. “P-please! This—Hee!— is my greatest weakness!” The tickling continued. “Okay! I p-promise! You can go!” The hooves stopped their attack and disappeared before Pinkie could get a look at them.

“Good.” Robin started to trot out the door, but noticed that Pinkie was right by her side. Next to Pinkie also appeared a cannon of some sort. “I thought you said I could go?”

“I did, but there’s no way I’m letting anypony go out alone right now.” Pinkie tapped on the rather colorful cannon. “I’ve even got my party cannon as backup. Plus, you totally have to show me how you did that trick without using your horn. It’ll make a great prank,” she giggled.

Robin lightly sighed. “Well, if you’ll be tagging along, at least it’ll be easier to find this library.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you where it is, but first tell me how you did that trick.”

“Just of simple sleight of...” Robin looked down at her limbs, “...hoof.”

“Well, I guess the best tricks are the ones you keep secret. I’ll probably figure it out eventually,” Pinkie said with a giddy smile. “Anyway, the library is right...”

~~~

Inside the giant tree, Twilight ran back and forth, levitating books and scrolls all around her while she ran. Spike stood, watching his partner dash around the library. In his claws were a piece of parchment and a writing quill.

“Spike, is the letter almost done?” Twilight nervously asked.

“Almost... got... it,” Spike replied as he furiously brought the quill up and down against the parchment.

“Good, the Princess needs to know of this threat immediately. A changeling would be bad enough, but a changeling in the same rank as Chrysalis could be a disaster! What about the rest of the town?”

“For the fifth time, you sent Rarity and Applejack to warn the rest of the town after they came here and to get the other Elements pronto.” Spike finished the letter and sent it off in a blaze of green fire. “I don’t see what the big deal is. You told me you took down dozens of changelings at the wedding. Why is this such a big deal?”

“Because Spike, a horde of changelings is bad, but a single one could be even worse!”

Spike tilted his head at Twilight. “I don’t get it.”

Twilight sighed and facehoofed. “A single changeling is worse because it can assume somepony’s form and turn everypony else against each other.” Twilight’s lips curled downwards a little. “Just like the wedding.”

Spike walked over and patted Twilight’s shoulder. “Oh, I didn’t mean to bring it up that way. I just meant that you and your friends could handle this.”

Twilight gave Spike and small smile and rubbed the spines on his head. “Thanks Spike. Well, now that the letter is sent, we just have to wait for everypony else to...” A knock at the door interrupted Twilight. “That was fast.” She trotted closer to the door and lit up the knob with her magic.

“Hiya Twilight!” Pinkie enthusiastically screamed and bounced into the library.

“Pinkie, good, you’re here.” Twilight looked down and noticed the cannon at her friend’s side. “Even better, you brought the cannon. Hopefully we won’t...” Twilight now noticed the additional set of hooves by the cannon. However, these ones were dark purple. “... need it.”

Twilight’s eyes traced the hooves upward to the pony they belonged to and met with the deep pupils of said pony. “Um, Pinkie, who is this?” Twilight cautiously asked.

“Oh!” Pinkie zoomed over to Robin and put a leg around her shoulders. “This is Robin! She’s a new pony in town. Aside from the whole ‘arriving when a monster is on the loose’ thing, she’s really nice!”

“I see,” Twilight replied. She turned to her assistant. “Spike, could you entertain our guest for a second?”

“Sure thing Twilight,” Spike saluted and walked over to Robin. “Hi, I’m Spike.”

However, Robin’s eyes were focussed on the shelves of books that lined the inside of the tree. She brought a hoof to her mouth as well. So much like Ohara.

“Um, you okay?” Spike tapped Robin’s knee a little, seeing as his words weren’t getting to her.

“Hmm?” Robin looked down at the small dragon. “Oh, sorry, this place just reminds me a bit of my home.”

“Another bookworm? Cool!” Spike grinned. “Maybe you can help Twilight with her books or something while I go help...” His eyes glazed over and his cheeks reddened a little. “...Rarity.”

Robin chuckled a little.

Meanwhile, Twilight dragged Pinkie into her kitchen and put a hoof on her mouth. “Be very quiet about this. We can’t let it hear what we’re about to say, okay?”

“Opha,” Pinkie muffled under Twilight’s hoof.

“Good.” Twilight removed the hoof and took a deep breath. “Pinkie, have you considered that this new pony might be the changeling that’s threatening the town?”

“Duh!” Pinkie smiled. “Geez Twilight, it’s like you think I’m loopy or something. Don’t worry, I made Robin Pinkie promise that she wasn’t an evil monster that wanted to hurt ponies.”

The sound of Twilight facehoofing was heard all throughout Ponyville. “Pinkie,” she said through gritted teeth. “A monster would lie about something like that to get it to trust you! That’s how changelings work!”

Pinkie pouted out her lips. “She was also nice enough to knock on the door at the Corner. What sort of monster knocks on a door?”

Twilight facehoofed again. “It might have been trying seem nice as part of its plan! Ugh!” Twilight took another deep breath. “Okay, we’re going to focus on the positives here. You found a strange pony, i.e. our main suspect in this attack. We’ll just keep ‘her’ here while we continue the search.”

“Oki-doki-loki!” Pinkie bounced out of the kitchen leaving Twilight to sigh a little more before following her.

The two made their way back to the main room of the library to find Spike sitting down next to Robin.

“Twilight, you gotta hear some of Robin’s stories! They’re crazy,” Spike exclaimed.

“I’m sure they are,” Twilight replied. Hmm, nothing nefarious yet, she thought as she approached Robin. “Sorry about not giving a proper introduction. My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She held out a hoof.

Robin held out her own hoof and shook Twilight’s. “Robin, nice to meet you. I assume you’re the owner of this quaint library?”

Trying to distract me with flattery, eh? “I suppose you could say that. I’ve always been a bit of a bookworm. I’m guessing by your cutie mark you must also have an interest in reading.” Twilight’s lips curled up into a sly grin. Gotcha! Like a changeling would know what a cutie mark means.

“Actually I’m an archaeologist,” Robin explained. “I find out about history and record it. The magnifying glass symbolizes research and the book represents chronology.”

“Oh.” Twilight’s ears drooped a little. Okay, wasn’t expecting that. “Anyway, what would bring an archaeologist to Ponyville?” Ponyville’s less than two centuries old, this’ll trip her up!

“I’m actually passing through on my way to Los Pegasus. That’s not to say your town lacks history. Its founding by Earth Ponies, its location lying directly in the path of the dragon migration, and its close proximity to the Everfree all make it an interesting town.”

“I... see.” Twilight’s form slumped. This doesn’t make sense. She clearly knows her history... then again, Chrysalis knew about the Canterlot mines. Twilight. She’s also acting like she’s not interested in the town, why? Twilight. She’s the prime suspect, but I don’t have any hard evidence. Twilight. Er, if I could just piece everything tog— Twi—

“What?!” Twilight blurted out, sending Pinkie onto her back. “Oh, sorry Pinkie.”

“It’s okay.” Pinkie got up and dusted herself off. “You were just kind of spacing out. Also, somepony is at the door.”

“Right.” Twilight slowly turned her eyes away from Pinkie and over to the door. On the other side were four familiar shadows. She lit up her horn and opened the door to her friends. “Girls, glad you made it.”

“Hay yeah we made it!” Dash loudly exclaimed. “Nothing is gonna mess with Ponyville under my watch!”

“That why ya were sleepin when Ah found ya?” Applejack asked.

“Hey! It’s still kinda early! Sue me for enjoying my sleep!” Dash retorted.

“It’s nearly eleven!” Applejack replied.

“Girls! Really?” Rarity pushed the two arguing ponies away from each other with her magic. “This is no time to be fighting.”

“I... I agree with Rarity,” Fluttershy murmured.

Dash pouted and shrugged. “Fine.” She turned her attention to Twilight. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

“Step one was warning everypony else,” Twilight explained, “since you’re all here, I’m guessing that part is done.” Her friends nodded. “Step two is finding evidence. That includes the paw at Sweet Apple Acres and interviewing witnesses, while keeping our eyes out for suspicious activity. Finally, step three, finding suspects.”

“Speaking of which...” Rarity raised a hoof and pointed it behind Twilight. “Who exactly is that? Her mane is fabulous!”

Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof again. “That is Robin. She’s supposedly a traveling archaeologist on her way to Los Pegasus.”

“She’s an archaeologist?” A wide grin grew on Dash’s face. “Like Daring Do?”

“Well I suppose you could put it tha—” A rainbow blur zoomed past Twilight over to Robin.

“Oh my gosh!” Dash proceeded to do loops around Robin. “Okay, I know you’re not Daring Do, but you’re like the closest thing I’ve got! Please tell me you’ve gone on awesome adventures!”

Robin blinked and then responded, “Well, to a pegasi like yourself, it’s probably not that interesting, but I did once go visit the clouds.”

“Did you at least explore an ancient temple?” Dash despondently asked.

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

Dash started to grin again. “Did you find treasure?”

“Yes.”

Dash let out a girlish squeal. “So awesome!” Robin took note that there was now a slight warmth in her stomach.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight summoned her magic around Dash’s tail and pulled her away. “Now is not the time to be gawking over something! We have a crisis on our hooves!”

“Oh... right.” Dash turned and flashed Robin a sympathetic look. “Sorry about that, just got a little excited.”

“Anyway, Robin’s a new pony that just came to town today,” Twilight explained. Her friends gave her blank stares. “Right when the monster showed up.” Still blank stares. “The monster that can take on other ponies’ forms.”

“She thinks I’m the monster,” Robin said with a small smile. “I don’t blame her though, it was probably a part of its plan to attack me, cause chaos, and then shift the blame on me when I arrived while it worked in secret.”

“I... I hadn’t thought of that,” Twilight stuttered. “I’m... I’m sorry. I’ve just had some bad experiences with changelings. If one of them hurt somepony under my watch I’d never be able to forgive myself.”

“It’s quite alright,” Robin replied.” The other ponies, minus Twilight, breathed a sigh of relief. “As I said before, you had every reason to mistrust me, at least you had valid reasons.” The last half of the sentence let a little spite break through Robin’s normal monotone.

“I still feel bad about it though... and I feel worse for what I’m about to say.” Twilight closed her eyes and composed herself for a moment before turning back to her friends. “Okay, if what Robin says is true, than this changeling may have already succeeded in making Robin a scapegoat for whatever it’s planning. Therefore, I’ll keep Robin here while the rest of you go out and search for the changeling.” She gave Robin a brief glance. “Sorry.”

“All right!” Dash screamed. “Let’s do this! The faster we take care of this changeling, the faster I get to hear some awesome adventure stories.” She bolted off, leaving a rainbow contrail behind.

“Please,” Rarity commented, “the faster we get this done, the faster I can look proper.”

Applejack eyed her fancy friend for a second. “Ya look fine to me.”

Rarity gasped and looked like she was about to faint. “I barely brushed my mane, I only have foundation on, I haven’t polished my hooves, my coat is uneven...” Applejack sighed and started pushing Rarity out the door while the fancy pony continued to prattle on about minor beauty issues.

Fluttershy lifted a hoof over towards the door,but then retracted it. “Oh, maybe I should stay here too and keep you two compa—”

Pinkie popped up right in front of Fluttershy and nearly scared the pegasus to death. “C’mon Fluttershy! It’ll be like hide and go seek!” She grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof and dragged her out the door. Fluttershy continued mumbling objections all the way out.

Twilight closed the door with her magic and then looked at Robin with downcast eyes. “Sorry.”

“For a librarian, I would have thought you vocabulary would be a little more extensive,” Robin replied.

“I’m just a little on edge is all. However, while we’re solving this issue, you’re free to look at any books you want.”

“Thank you,” Robin replied as she walked over to a shelf and pulled out a book. She struggled a bit to get it with her hooves though.

“Um, why aren’t you using your magic?” Twilight asked.

“That changeling creature sapped a lot of my energy, incapacitating my magic temporarily.” Robin put the book on the table so Twilight could get a look at it. The cover read, Your Horn and You: A Guide to Basic Unicorn Magic. “Going over some basic techniques might help me recover a little.”

“Good point, I’m not too familiar with how changeling feeding works, but I know it does sap magic.”

“I assume that unfamiliarity means there aren’t any books here on those creatures.”

“No.” Twilight lit up her horn and levitated a book off its shelf and over to the table Robin was near. Robin glanced at the title, Myths and Monsters of Equestrian Lore. “This is one of the few books on them. However, as you can guess by the title, the information is there is shaky.”

I can also fact check with myself, Robin thought. “Thank you.” She looked up and around the library for a second. “I already told your assistant this, but you do have quite a nice library. It reminds me of my old home.”

“Oh, were your parents librarians?”

“No, but a very close friend of mine was.”

“I see, where are you from anyway?” Twilight’s eyes began to sparkle with curiosity. “Can’t be Canterlot otherwise I’d know about it. Is it Trottingham? I know they have quite a collection of Libraries. What about Baltimare?”

Robin shook her head back and forth, ignoring the warm feeling that continued growing inside her. “I’m afraid my hometown is very far away,” Robin partially lied. She also involuntarily shook a little. For a second, she imagined the library on fire.

Twilight’s ears drooped again. “Oh, well, could you at least tell me its name? Maybe a general location, or...”

“No!” Robin shouted out and then brought a hoof to her mouth. She broke eye contact with Twilight and looked down at the ground. “I shouldn’t have brought that up. Could I have some privacy to read?” She turned away and dove into book on magic.

“Yes, I’ve got some reorganizing to do upstairs anyway,” Twilight gingerly backed away. Great Twilight, stumble upon the trauma why don’t you? She gave Spike a brief glance. “C’mon Spike, we’ve got some organizing to do.”

“Ohh,” Spike complained, “but I wanted to hear some more st—”

“Now,” Twilight commanded. She made her way to stairs, but on her way up she noticed some books laying on the ground. “Spike! You told me you got the bottom floor reshelved.”

“I did!” Spike replied.

“Nevermind.” Twilight lit up her horn and pushed the books back into the shelves. “Let’s hope you’re less sloppy with the upstairs shelves.

As soon as Spike and Twilight disappeared upstairs Robin breathed a small sigh of relief. Good, they didn’t notice. She trotted over to where Twilight had re-shelved the books and looked up at said books: Equestrian History and Basic Pony Biology.

“Hmm.” Robin glance up and saw the tip of her horn. “The book warned about accidental incineration, but I need practice.” She closed her eyes and rather than focusing on her devil fruit powers, focussed on her horn. It lit up with a sickly green glow as did the two books. She opened her eyes and saw the books floating in front of her. “Well, that book was meant for children. Magic must become tempered with a—” The biology book began to blacken on its edges. Robin dropped the spell and let the books fall to the ground with a thud.

“Everything okay down there?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, I’m just not used to reading without my magic,” Robin replied.

“Okay.” The library then became quiet again.

Robin closed her eyes again and summoned multiple black hooves to move the books to their proper locations. This will take some getting used to. She brought a hoof down and felt her full stomach. She really does love books, hopefully, I’ll won’t be dependant on her for long. The Thousand Sunny briefly flashed before her eyes. I hope everyone else is okay. Robin proceeded to go back to her books.

~~~

On the edge of the Everfree forest, a pair of compound eyes appeared in the shadows and looked over Ponyville. A black hoof pulled out a small snail-like creature and its owner spoke, “An unknown has entered Ponville. Orders?”

“Observe for now,” came a voice out of the snail. “Find out if they are native or seafaring. If the latter, prepare to bring the unknown to us.”

Meat!

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A snot bubble waxed and waned out of Luffy’s nose. Visions of meat that kept running away from him filled his dreams and made him toss and turn on the large bed he was sleeping on. The door to his room creaked open and a figure slowly trotted over to his bed.

I can’t believe I’m letting him sleep in the royal chambers, Celestia brooded. I should send him away now and be done with it.

The figure inched closer to Luffy. It readied its horn and lit Luffy’s hoof up.

“Hgfl,” Luffy mumbled in his dreams.

The figure paused for a second, and then raised Luffy’s hoof again. Its eyes widened with curiosity and its magic gave the hoof a tug. Rather than become tense, the hoof simply stretched out. “Fascinating.”

An image of Twilight flashed in front of Celestia as she rose from her throne. He had to make friends with her. She looked out a window and brought the sun to dusk.

“Wha huh?” Luffy’s eyes flickered a little. The magic surrounding his hoof disappeared and his hoof snapped back and hit him in the face. “Ow!”

“Eep!” There was a flash and then the room was empty.

Luffy rubbed the spot where he’d been hit. “What just happened? I know I heard someone scream... weird.”

There was another flash and then Celestia was in the room. “Good, you’re awake. It is time for dinner.”

“Sweet!” Luffy hopped from the bed. “Ya know, I thought you were a jerk, but anyone who gives me food can’t be all bad.”

Celestia and walked out of the room while Luffy followed. “Despite my contempt for pirates I do owe you a debt for saving my sister and I’m a pony of my word”

“Oh yeah, how was your sister anyway? Does turning to stone hurt?”

“She is recovering,” Celestia replied. “Perhaps that is for the best. While she’s recuperating, she won’t see you.”

“She hate pirates too?” Luffy pouted. He glanced to his side and noticed the royal guard flanking the door to the room he’d been in.

Celestia rubbed her head with a hoof. “Maybe if you’d listened to why I have disdain for your ilk, you’d know why it’s better that Luna never see you or another pirate ever again.”

“How is everypony else so nice, but their leader is so mean?” Luffy murmured.

Small trails of fire laced Celestia’s mane.“What was that?” She paused when she realized how loud she’d been and deep breath as the flames died down. “As per my student’s request, we shall have a small celebration for your defeat of Discord.”

Celestia lit her horn up and opened the door to the grand ballroom. A table sat in the middle with a vast array of foods lining it. “Know that this banquet has not been enjoyed by humans for centuries,” Celestia explained. “This will also hopefully be the last time a human ever...” She glanced over and noticed Luffy was already at the table stuffing himself.

“This is awesome!” he exclaimed with a mouthful of food. He didn’t even say hello to six mares already at the table.

Rarity’s face turned slightly green. “I think I’ve found a new dieting method.”

“His abilities must prevent him from choking,” Twilight postulated while Luffy continued to inhale food.

“Shoot, even after cider season, Big Mac isn’t this hungry,” Applejack said with a gaping mouth.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy squeaked.

“He’s got a point though,” Pinkie said before burying her head into a bowl of mashed potatoes. She emerged with her face completely covered in the food. She quickly ate it all with one wide lick of her tongue. “This is really good.”

“Ya mind saving some for the rest of us?” Rainbow Dash impatiently asked. She reached out to grab an apple, only for Luffy’s head to spring out of the maelstrom he’d made of himself and snatch the apple away. “Hey! I was gonna eat that!” Dash then jumped into the mess that Luffy and Pinkie were making.

Celestia facehoofed. “If the paparazzi get wind of this, I’m going to cause a draught.”

~~~

Ace sat in his cell and looked down at his red hoof. His own words played in the back of his head, “Whitebeard is my only father.”

He smiled as he twirled the hoof around. “Pops would get a laugh out of this, one of his sons made into a horse.” He heard a clanking on the cells and clamped his mouth shut.

A large horned beast entered the cell. However, its attention was on the other cell’s prisoner. “Last chance to get out,” it bellowed.

“I’m not going anywhere!” Ace’s fellow prisoner yelled.

The beast sighed a little. “When someone resists, give them a few hits!” It raised its club and brought it down on the prisoner’s head. It then trudged out of the room. It gave a brief look back at the prisoner. “Sorry brother.”

For a few moments, the cell was silent, save for the sound of blood dripping onto the floor. Finally, the prisoner spoke up, “Can’t even scratch myself.”

“You wouldn’t be able to even if you were free,” Ace stated. “Heh, at least I have something rough on the end of my legs.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the prisoner sighed. He shifted his body a little to get closer to the wall. In a brief glint of light, his form was easier to make out. From afar, he’d look like a rather bulky blue Earth pony. However, up close he was unlike any type of regular pony. Rather than having rough hooves, he had what looked like webbed stumps. His legs were covered in sapphire-like scales up to his knees. Sharp teeth extended out of his mouth, particularly his bottom canines. His most unique trait was his tail though. Rather than being made of hair, it was a thick fish tail that was also covered in scales. A large stylized sun made of orange scales instead of blue ones adorned his flank. “I’d rather suffer a thousand wounds worse than this in order to stop this war.”

“Jinbei...” Ace muttered.

In a nearby cell, a pony with a wide line of stitches running across his face grinned wickedly. Sounds like things are getting interesting. “Kuhahaha.”

~~~

Save for the broken pillars, the grand ballroom looked worse than it had at the Gala. Celestia, Rarity, and Twilight all cringed a little at the splattered food that was on both the walls and the floor. Dash and Applejack were still in the midst of a cider drinking contest and quite a few empty pints lied at their hooves. Fluttershy was off in a corner, nursing some cider of her own and watching events play out.

In the middle of all of this were Luffy and Pinkie, both with rather humorously distended stomachs. “That was good,” Luffy moaned. He then let out a rather loud belch.

“It sure was,” Pinkie replied before letting out an even bigger blech. “What was your favorite? The cake? The sunday? The chocolate fountain?” Pinkie shuddered a little at the mention of the last dessert.

“Ugh, don’t make me choose,” Luffy playfully complained. “Still wish we had meat though.”

“Barbaric,” Celestia commented.

“Oh hey, pony princess, where’s the bathroom?” Luffy asked as he wobbled to his hooves.

“Down the hall, to the left, it’ll be the sixteenth door. You shouldn’t miss it,” Celestia sighed.

Luffy darted out to the bathroom. “Thanks.”

“How can he move with that much food in his system?” Twilight pondered.

“Twilight, some things are best left unknown,” Rarity replied. She levitated a pint of cider over and started chugging it. In between gulps she said, “I never wish to remember this transpired in Canterlot.”

~~~

Luffy quickly reached his destination and now stared at two doors. One had a silhouette of a stallion on it, while the other had a silhouette of a mare. “Hmmm.” Luffy craned his neck forward and closely examined both pictures. “Argh! This is too complicated. Bet that jerk princess is just messing with me. I’m gonna go find the real bathroom.”

He wandered up and down the halls of the castle, trying in vain to find the bathroom. Corridors twisted, stairs gave way to more endless hallways, and doors were fruitless in revealing Luffy’s goal. “Er! This is ridiculous!” Luffy yelled as he slammed a door that had only led to janitorial closet. “How big is this place?!”

~~~

Pinkie’s left ear twitched a little. “Huh?”

“Pinkie, is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

“My ear wiggled,” Pinkie replied. “That means somepony is getting really confused.”

“I need to make sure your friend hasn’t done something to the castle.” Celestia trotted out of the room and left the ponies alone.

Twilight bit her lip. “I’ve never seen her like this... not even when I was tardy.”

“Um Twilight,” Fluttershy spoke up, “this is much more than just you being late on an assignment. Imagine how you’d feel if something happened to your brother.”

“I do know.” Twilight shuddered a little. “I hadn’t thought about it that way though.” She looked over her friends. “This is different though, right? I mean, he helped defeat Discord.”

“He sounds like a mighty fine fellow too,” Applejack stated.

“I agree,” Fluttershy whispered. “He’s loud but he’s funny too... kinda like Rainbow Dash.”

“What?” Dash exclaimed as she took to the air. “Look, I may shout a little, but I’m not that crazy...” She noticed her friends giving her a look. “Okay, maybe a little. But I don’t want to be a queen or anything.”

“Ha!” Rarity chuckled. Her face was visibly red now. “Thash funny Dashy! Cause you— hic!— wanna be the queen a tha wonderbolts... this carpet is simply fabulous.” Rarity then collapsed in a heap onto the rug.

“Some mares just aren’t built for cider,” Dash sighed. She floated down and shifted Rarity onto her back. “Better get her to bed.”

“It is getting late,” said Twilight.

“Parties do make me tired,” Fluttershy murmured. She joined the rest of the group making their way to the bedrooms.

Applejack was nearly out the door when she noticed the group was missing somepony. She craned her neck around and saw that Pinkie was still sitting the middle of the room. “Pinkie, ya comin?”

“I’ll be there soon,” Pinkie replied. “I just don’t want Luffy to come back and nopony would be here. That’d be a super duper bummer.”

Applejack rubbed her eyes and then trotted back over to her friend. “Ah’ve stayed up through worst. Ah don’t think ya’d like to stay here alone either.”

“Well, I was thinking of playing tic-tac-toe with myself, but now we can play it together!” Pinkie happily exclaimed.

“How about we play pin the tail on the pony instead?” Applejack asked. “No offense, but Ah’ve seen how you play tic-tac-toe and Ah ain’t in the mood for losin.”

“What’s wrong?” Pinkie said with a coy smile. “Afraid of getting beat?”

Applejack slammed a hoof down in front of Pinkie and glared out her. “It is on.”

~~~

“That’s it!” Luffy stomped a hoof to the ground. “I’m just gonna go use the bu—” He paused and took a deep breath. “Is that...” He tilted up his muzzle and started sniffing with it. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “It is!”

He happily started galloping in the direction of the scent. “Where is it? Where is it?” He raced through the corridors, oblivious to the fact that the decor was taking a turn for the gothic. Whereas most of the castle was well lit, this section employed minimalist lighting. Heavy drapes were currently pulled back from the windows, but they could easily block out most light.

Luffy heard hoofsteps and paused. He peered around a corner to see who was making the noise. He saw a royal guard emerge from a room pushing an empty cart. His armor was darker than the other guards as was his coat. His wings were also noticeably sharper and bat-like. “Huh, he looks cooler than the other guards.” Luffy sniffed the air again. “That’s probably why they get to eat real food.” Drool started to drip from his mouth. “Shishishi, I wouldn’t be a pirate if I didn’t steal a little.”

He looked around the corner again to make sure the coast was clear and then he inched his way along the wall muttering, “food food food...” the entire time. He made it to the door, ignorant of the moon symbols on it and thrust them open. “Meat!”

“What in Equestria?!” A dark blue alicorn yelled as a chicken leg lost its aura and fell to the ground. Luna looked down at the piece of meat and then glared at Luffy with eyes white with magic. “How dare thou intrude on thine Princess of the Night! Thine punishment shall be severe for entering unannounced into our private chambers!” she roared, employing the full power of the Royal Canterlot Voice.

Luffy rubbed his ears with a hoof and took a deep breath. “You’re really loud!”

“By Starswirl’s beard!” Her eyes lost their glow. “Another user of the Royal Canterlot Voice!” She paused and got a better look at Luffy. “You are the strange pony sister mentioned. Forgive me, I had no idea you were royalty as well.” She bowed her head a little. “I am Luna, Princess of the Night. And your proper name would be?”

“Luffy.” Luffy corked his head. “Did you say something about royalty?”

“You employed the Royal Canterlot Voice. Only those with a disposition to rule have the ability to use it. I admit I’m surprised as well, I have never known a stallion t—”

“You gonna eat that?” Luffy gestured to the chicken leg on the ground.

“What?!” Luna nearly fell over. “Nopony else ever dines on this food! Oh, sister has kept even more things from me than I thought.” Luna’s eyes began to spin. “A royal dressed oddly that stretches and eats meat, this is so much to take in. Then there was Discord and the stone and...” Luna’s eyes rapidly spun and then she collapsed in a fit of confusion. Her tiara slid off and stopped near Luffy’s hooves.

“Sheesh, everypony who’s in charge around here is weird.” His eyes then turned back to the chicken leg. “Well, since she’s passed out, might as well finish off this food before it gets cold.”

Luna awoke a few minutes later to the sound of somepony munching on something. She opened her eyes and saw Luffy finishing off the rest of her chicken dinner. He’s even worse than I am. “Sir Luffy, may I ask how you came to... enjoy such food?”

“Huh?” Little bits a food fell out of Luffy’s mouth as he spoke. “I just like meat. I was worried I’d have to spend my whole time here without it.”

“Here?” Luna’s eyes glittered with realization. “Oh, you must be from one of the neighboring lands. No wonder you acquired such a diet.”

“Yeah land is neat,” Luffy replied, ignorant of the actual question, as he nibbled on the chicken bone. “So what’s up with you eating this stuff? I thought ponies don’t eat meat.”

“We normally don’t,” Luna replied. “However, some vestiges remain of my imprisonment. My desire for flesh is a symbol of my...”

The moon was slightly higher in the sky when Luna took a breath. “... and that is why I’m trying to ween myself off it.” Luna looked over at Luffy. “Does that answer your qu—” Luffy was snoring. “Thou hast fallen alseep?!”

Luffy jumped up and looked around. “Huh? Oh right, so what happened with your imprisonment?”

Luna’s jaw nearly touched the floor. “That was the beginning of my story! Ugh, you are worse than the Bearer Element of Laughter.”

“Who?”

“Hmm, that’s right, you are from out of Equestria.” Luna tapped a hoof to her face. “She is a rather energetic pink Earth pony who enjoys both screaming and sweets. I caution that you avoid her while you are here, she can be a bit of a... nuisance.”

“Are you talking about Pinkie?”

“Oh, you’ve already encountered her... I’m sorry.” Luna bowed her head in minor dismay.

“Why?” Luffy raised an eyebrow a little. “She’s fun.”

“I admit, once you understand her labyrinthian form of amusement, she is slightly entertaining... and that party was nice.”

“Oh yeah, the other princess said you were recovering so you weren’t coming, but you look fine to me.”

“Sister is a little overzealous in her protection of me. Ever since my return, she’s been very limiting on voyages outside the castle. I was lucky just to visit...” Luffy was snoring again. “Stop falling asleep!”

“Huh? Oh sorry, must have dozed off.”

“Aside from stretching, narcolepsy seems to be one of your talents,” Luna sighed.

Luffy tried to process what narcolepsy meant and rolled the word around in his mind. An awkward silence filled the room before Luffy tapped a hoof to the ground as he came upon an epiphany. “How’d you know I could stretch?”

“Um...” Luna looked at the ground and twirled. “Forgive me for eavesdropping, but as I was being freed of my stony prison, I overheard Twilight Sparkle and her comrades mentioning you. While sister was preparing the celebration, I may have gone off to see if this story was true.”

Luffy jabbed a hoof at Luna. “So you were the one who smacked me in the face!”

“I did not mean to! I was curious is all. I have not seen abilities like that since I ventured in days of old.”

Luffy grinned a little. “You went on adventures?”

“Quite a few. I wished to explore the seas beyond these lands and see the rest of the world.” She frowned a little. “Perhaps I was naive then.”

“Sounds fun,” Luffy smiled. “Why ya getting sad about sailing?”

“You would not understand,” Luna replied. “Nopony would. Sister has made the seas seem so distant and terrifying.”

“Well they are sometimes. Like this one time my ship almost got eaten by sea kings. It was pretty crazy.” Luffy rubbed a hoof against his chin. “Wonder if sea kings taste good.”

Luna’s eyes somehow went wider than they’d gone the whole night. “How... how do you know about sea kings?!”

“Oh, I’m a pi—”

“You!” Celestia burst into the room with her mane aflame. “How dare you enter my sister’s room!”

“Sister!” Luna cried out. “What in Equestria are you doing?! You’ll burn down the castle like that!”

“I will not have him corrupting you!” Celestia yelled back. She lit up her horn and a golden aura surrounded Luffy and slightly singed parts of his coat.

“Ow! Watch it!” Luffy glared over at Celestia.

“Be glad I don’t burn you to cinders here!” Celestia retorted.

“Sister!” Luna yelled. “I don’t know what’s come over you, but this is no way to treat another member of the royal family!”

“He,” Celestia hissed, “is the farthest thing from royal you could imagine. He’s not even a pony!” Celestia slapped a hoof to her mouth as soon as she finished her sentence.

“Sister...” Realization slowly dawned on Luna’s face. “What are you ta—” For the first time, Luna actually got a good look at Luffy’s cutie mark. “A jolly roger.”

Celestia turned around. Luffy pounded against Celestia’s spell to no avail. “I’m sorry sister, I didn’t want you to know.” She took a breath and summoned a piece of paper over Luna. Luna looked at it and saw Luffy’s bounty. “He’s a notorious pirate that has caused chaos all over the world. He’s only here because of the debt I owe him for saving you.” Celestia practically spat out the last sentence.

“He saved me?” Luna asked. “I don’t...” Her forehead became slick with sweat and her breathing became strained. “Pirates... humans... brand...”

Celestia’s eyes filled with terror as she summoned a golden aura around Luna’s head. The Princess of the Night collapsed instantly. “Forgive me sister,” Celestia muttered before glaring up at Luffy. “Scum.”

There was a bright flash and then they were back in the the room Luffy had woken up in. Celestia flung him into the bed with an unceremonious thud. “You’re forbidden from leaving this room. I’ll be watching.” Celestia trotted out the door and slammed them shut.

“What is with her?” Luffy pouted. He flopped around on the bed until he was comfortable. “I wanted to hear her sister’s stories,” he sighed before drifting off to sleep.

Moonrise

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Luffy awoke to the sun glinting a little too directly into his eyes. He got up and rubbed the spots he was seeing away with a hoof. “Ah, that was a fun party.” His stomach gave a low rumble. “Better go get breakfast.” He walked toward the door, but his hoof was blocked from pushing on it by a purple glowing purple shield. “What’s this?” He tapped on the shield a few times. “Er, is this another thing like the purple one used? Oh well, I’m hungry.”

He stretched one of his hooves back and then sent it flying at the wall. “Gum-Gum Bull—” Luffy didn’t get to finish as his hoof met the wall and then he was sent flying back. He coughed a little before get back to his hooves. “Ow! That actually hurt.” He slowly advanced over to the shield again and tapped it. “I don’t get it, I broke the last one real easily. Maybe if I hit it again.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” a voice said behind Luffy. He turned to face Celestia, who had a stoic look on her face. “I’ve ordered my finest guard to erect a shield around this room. You are not getting out without my permission.”

“But being stuck in a room is boring,” Luffy complained as he wallowed on the ground in fake misery. “Can I at least get breakfast? I’m starving!”

“You ate enough food to supply an entire regiment of soldiers,” Celestia retorted. “But I shall grace you with a meal.” Her horn glowed and a covered plate popped into the room. “Enjoy your breakfast.” She was then gone in a flash.

“Well, at least she’s not a total jerk.” Luffy removed the lid, grimaced, and screamed. In front of him was a rather large plate of salad. “She’s pure evil!”

~~~

“Whu huh?” Applejack opened and eye at the sound of pure despair. She then noticed that Pinkie’s head was resting atop hers and that Pinkie was drooling on her hat. “Pinkie! Get off!”

“Huh?” Pinkie’s eyes fluttered open. “Oh, morning Applejack.” She glanced down and saw they were atop a three-by-three grid. “Hee! We must have fallen asleep after the fifty-second round.”

Applejack got up and stretched, her joints giving a few audible cracks. “Well, guess we might as well get breakfast.”

“Oh! Hope Luffy’s okay. He never came back.”

“Fella took down Discord. Ah’m sure he’s fine.” Applejack’s stomach grumbled a little. “C’mon, maybe they have a good fruit...”

~~~

“Salad!” Luffy cried out in misery. A comical stream of tears ran down his face. He bent down and ate all the greens in one gulp. “This is too cruel! She could have at least given me bread or something...”

He flopped on his back and instantly fell asleep again. He awoke sometime later and rubbed his stomach. “Darn it, I need food.” He looked at the shimmering shield that practically stuck to the room’s walls. “Maybe the pony making the shield could get me something.”

Luffy got up and went over to the door. “Hey shield pony, can I get some real food? The princess was a jerk and only gave me a salad.”

“First off,” came a stout voice from beyond the doors, “it’s not ‘shield pony’, it’s Shining Armor. Second, the Princess has ordered me to keep my post until preparations were done for your departure. Third, the Princess is not a j—”

“Shiny?” came another voice. “What in Equestria are you doing?”

“Twilight? Why are you here? You usually send me a message when you’re in town,” replied Armor.”

“The Princess didn’t tell you I was here? Oh, this is worse than I thought,” Twilight murmured. “But there’s more important things right now, like why you’re casting a shield spell on Luffy’s room.”

“You know this criminal?” Armor uttered in surprise.

“He’s not a criminal... okay technically he is, but he hasn’t done anything wrong here,” Twilight explained.

“Sorry Twily, orders are orders,” Armor droned.

“Well, it’s a good thing I asked the Princess to take him around the city then,” Twilight replied.

Luffy heard the sound of paper unfurling and then Armor spoke up again, “Very well.”

Suddenly, the shield around the door faded and it opened to reveal Twilight. “Um... morning?” she said with an awkward grin.

“Morning!” Luffy smiled. “Thanks for getting that shield thing down. I couldn’t break it like last time.”

“My brother is a master barrier caster. His defensive spells make mine look like foal’s play,” Twilight explained. “Luckily, I convinced the Princess it’d be more dangerous to coop you up.” She turned around and walked out the door again. “C’mon, we’ve all got some questions for you.”

“Okay, I’ll answer whatever you want,” Luffy replied as they walked. “Just give me bread, or cheese, or anything but a salad!”

“Um, okay.” Twilight looked to her left at a white stallion in a guard uniform. “Thank you brother.”

“I’m not one to disagree with the Princess.” Armor trotted over and gave Twilight a nuzzle. “Just be safe, okay?””

“Cross my heart and hope to fly stick a cupcake in my e—ow!” Twilight yelped as she poked herself in the eye with her hoof.

Armor turned away from Twilight and walked past Luffy. He got close to Luffy and whispered, “Hurt her and you’ll regret it.”

Luffy creased his brow a little at Armor. “Hey! Why would I—”

“Luffy,” Twilight called a bit ahead of them, “are you coming?”

“Yeah.” Luffy trotted away from Armor, noting that the stallion kept glaring at him until he and Twilight rounded a corner. “What’s his problem?”

“Shiny is just worried about me...” Twilight looked at the ground. “We had some marital issues a while back.”

“He still seems like a jerk to me,” Luffy pouted. “The only pony that doesn’t seem like a jerk is that princess.”

“Celestia?” Twilight replied with confusion in her voice.

“No, the other one. She had meat!”

“Princess Luna?!” Oh no, I can’t encourage him to meet with her, not after all she went through. Think Twilight! What can distract him? “So... what’s this ‘Grand Line’ like?” she blurted out.

“It’s awesome!” Luffy grinned.

Oh, thank the stars. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

“There’s so much cool stuff there!” Luffy continued. “Like sea trains, sky islands, long islands, gold, round rainbows...”

“Did somepony say rainbows?” Dash flew down from one of the adjacent corridors and joined the group.

“Yeah,” Luffy replied. “It was super cool! We saw it after candy fell on us.”

Pinkie popped out of nowhere and yelled, “Candy?! You didn’t tell me that part!”

“I got tired explaining everything,” Luffy sighed. “‘sides, Sanji makes better stuff anyway.”

“Ooh, that’s right, you have a super awesome karate chef,” Pinkie squealed with glee. “Your crew is so cool.”

“Oh yeah...” Dash flew in front of Luffy’s face. “It true one of your friends copies pegasi?”

“None of my friends fly,” Luffy replied.

Dash facehoofed. “I meant mess with the weather.”

“Oh yeah, Nami totally does that. There was even this one time Ussop made me and Chopper sneak into the bathroom and she shocked us for some reason. It really hurt.”

“Sounds like Derpy,” Dash chuckled.

Luffy felt a wing poke him in the side. He turned and saw Fluttershy standing close by and shaking a little. “Excuse me Mr. Pira— I mean Luffy! If it wasn’t too much trouble, c-could I mphl...”

Luffy tilted his head at her. “Huh?”

“I... I just wanted to ask about your mphh...” Fluttershy hid behind her mane and backed away a little.

“Anyway,” Luffy looked back up at Dash, “it’s funny to see a pegasus ‘cause I—”

“I wanted to ask you about your reindeer!” Fluttershy blurted out.

“Chopper?” Luffy tapped a hoof to his chin. “Um, he’s a reindeer.”

“Oh, that’s so fascinating,” Fluttershy cued. “It’s too warm for them in Ponyville, but I’ve always wanted to see one. Are his horns really velvety?”

“Yeah, except when he beats people up,” Luffy grinned, “then they sometimes get really sharp... at least that’s what Ussop said.”

“Yes, from what Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity said this Chopper is not like other reindeer,” Twilight spoke up. “He’s a reindeer-hummane, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Luffy answered, “he ate a devil fruit that made him part human... I think. Sometimes I wonder if half my crew was ever human to begin with! Shishishi!”

“Fascinating, and these fruits grant you your abilities as well?” Twilight asked.

Luffy stretched out a forehoof to scratch his flank. “I ate mine when I was little. Kinda sucks that I can’t swim though. Oh, and it tasted awful.”

“I see,” Twilight replied. “I wonder if these fruits have any relation to Poison Joke.” While she was wondering to herself, Luffy walked in a direction opposite of the group.

Pinkie bounce over next to Luffy. “Hey Luffy, where are you going?”

“I’m going to find the princess,” Luffy replied.

“Um... I thought that you thought that Princess Celestia was a meanie...” Pinkie’s eyes nervously darted left and right. “Even though she’s totally not.”

“Not her, the adventure one, Lupa!” Luffy smiled. “She had chicken!”

“Silly, you mean Luna,” Pinkie corrected.

“Oh.” Fluttershy grinned a little. “I didn’t know Princess Luna owned a chicken. I’d love to ask her about it.”

Luffy paused for a second and furrowed his brow. “I thought ponies can’t eat meat, but now you’re saying you want to eat chicken? Ooh, maybe she has other stuff!” Luffy drooled a little.

Fluttershy stood still for a second as Luffy’s words ran through her brain. Her pupils contracted into tiny dots, her her whole body shook, and finally her legs gave way and she crashed to the floor.

“Fluttershy!” All five of her friends yelled.

“Luffy!” Twilight looked away from her friends and over at Luffy, who was currently scratching his head in confusion. “Please don’t mention your eating habits in front of Fluttershy!”

“Oh, sorry,” Luffy nonchalantly replied.

Dash trotted over and chucked Fluttershy onto her back. “Haven’t seen her this bad since Nightmare Night,” she muttered.

“Anyway, why would Princess Luna be eating a chicken?” Pinkie pondered before her eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh! She did want to gobble us up!”

“Pinkie!” Twilight yelled at her friend.

“Oh right.” Pinkie blushed a little. “Sorry.”

“Ugh,” Twilight grunted, “let’s just get some food.” She opened a pair of doors that led to the dining area. “And no more talking about meat!”

~~~

Luffy laid on his side and patted his stomach. “Ah, that was good! Way better than a stupid salad.”

Twilight had pulled out a quill and some parchment and was taking down notes while keeping a close eye on Luffy. “Subject appears to have expandable organs as well.”

“Yeah yeah, food was good,” Dash said, “can we get to exploring now? Castle’s nice and all, but I keep thinking I’m gonna run into something...” Her lips and her wings drooped a little. “... like the Gala.”

“Ooh! Let’s go find those giant candy canes they have during Hearth’s Warming!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Um, Pinkie, I think they, uh, only have that during Hearth’s Warming,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Huh, guess you got me there,” Pinkie replied. She brought a hoof to her head and swirled it around a little. “I bet there’s other fun stuff to do! Oh, maybe there’s a good joke shop!”

“Well, why don’t we get going then?” Twilight asked. She then turned and looked at Luffy and his bloated stomach. “We might have to roll him.”

“Nah, I’m good.” Luffy took a breath and his stomach deflated. “Good food though.”

Twilight’s eye twitched a little. He’s a greater anomaly than Pinkie.

“So where are we going?” Luffy asked.

Twilight turned and began walking to the door. “I suggested to the Princess that it would be best to take you around the city for the day.”

“Sounds fun,” Luffy replied.

“Twilight,” Fluttershy spoke up, “what about Applejack and Rarity?”

Twilight’s face turned a little red. “Rarity’s a little... under the weather.”

“Oh dear, maybe I should... oof!” Fluttershy whimpered as she lightly bumped into a white pony with a blond mane.

“Who the Tartarus are you?” the pony demanded while glaring at Fluttershy.

“I...I...” Fluttershy stuttered.

“Out with it!” The pony placed a hoof on his head and sighed. “Ugh, to think Aunt Celestia would allow such whelps into the Castle.”

Fluttershy just backed away and whimpered a little. Pinkie trotted over and put a hoof on her back. “It’s okay,” Pinkie whispered.

Dash zoomed in front of the pony and gave him a stern look. “Hey! Don’t mess with Fluttershy!”

“Watch your tongue commoner! I’m Prince Blueblood and I can have imprisoned for contempt against the crown,” Blueblood retorted.

“You think I give a—” Dash was silenced by a purple aura clamping her mouth shut.

“My apologies, Prince Blueblood,” Twilight said with a bow. She then used her magic to pull Dash back. “It won’t happen again.”

“Be sure it doesn’t,” Blueblood huffed.

“Who’s this idiot?” Luffy asked. Everypony’s jaw dropped.

Blueblood somehow turned even whiter and fell back a few steps. Then the veins on his head started pulsating and he reared back. “You! How dare you! I’ll have you thrown in the dungeon forever!”

“You’re annoying,” Luffy bluntly stated.

Blueblood fell into shock again before the veins in his head somehow throbbed even more. “That does it! I shall deal with you myself!” His horn blazed and he started charging at Luffy.

Luffy mischievously grinned. “Oh, you want to fight? Sounds fun.” Neither he nor Blueblood noticed Twilight’s horn and Blueblood’s hoof glowing purple for a second.

“Have at yo—” Before he could finish, Blueblood tripped and flew past Luffy and into a pillar. “Ugh.”

“I think it’s time to leave,” Twilight quickly said.

“Aw,” Luffy frowned, “I wanted to fight him.”

“Luffy, Blueblood is a high ranking noble,” Twilight explained. “If you hurt him, you really would be a criminal in Equestria.”

“So?” Luffy nonchalantly replied. “He was being an idiot to your friend.”

Twilight looked down at the ground. “It’s hard to explain. Fluttershy is my friend, but messing with Blueblood would hurt all of us.”

Luffy scowled a little. “He’s just like those jerks on Shabondy.”

“What?” Pinkie exclaimed. “Blueblood may be a meanie, but he’d never hurt somepony like that... that reminds me, are those dragon popple actual dragons?”

“No, they’re just jerks. They deserved getting punched. It’d be cool to see a real dragon though,” Luffy wondered aloud.

“Yes, yes, that’s all good,” Twilight nervously said. She glanced down at Blueblood’s still-unconscious form. “Why don’t you tell it to us while we’re exploring the city?” She then turned around and headed for the Castle gates.

“Okay,” Luffy smiled. He glanced back at Fluttershy. “Oi, you better?”

“Oh yes,” Fluttershy mumbled, “I’m much better.” She wiped a small tear from her eye. “Thanks.”

Dash flew over and whispered in Luffy’s ear, “Don’t worry, I’d have given him a good smack too.”

“I like you blue pegasus,” Luffy grinned.

“Oh for crying out loud,” Dash replied. “Is it really that hard to remember my name? Rainbow Dash! It’s in my mane for pete’s sake.”

Twilight silently consoled herself. Just show him around and expend his energy. I know that’s possible, even Pinkie gets tired eventually.

As the group set out to explore Canterlot, they failed to notice the pair of gleaming eyes that watched them from the shadows.

~~~

“I’m never eating peanut brittle again,” Twilight complained. Her mane was currently affixed to her head and neck with little bits of sugar and peanuts attached to it. The rest of the group wasn’t faring much better as they made their way back into the Castle.

“Well, I thought it was yummy!” Pinkie exclaimed. Black splotches of ink dotted her coat and mane. She looked like a bizarre mix between a pony and a dalmatian.“Although the candy store owner seemed a little mad at us.”

“And the tailor, and the librarian, and the deli owner, and...” Fluttershy mumbled to herself. A bit of ketchup dripped off her mane as she spoke. Nopony seemed to hear her as they crossed over the moat and into the Castle.

“I think it was fun outrunning them,” Dash enthusiastically stated. She was covered in ink, sugar, condiments and feathers that didn’t match her own.

“Yeah, that was pretty neat,” said Luffy. Somehow his only ailment was a few pieces of his coat being caramelized. “Hey just wondering, that one store owner was a donkey right?”

“The wig owner?” Pinkie asked. “Yep, he’s actually a good friend of another donkey I know back in Ponyville.”

“So do all animals talk here?” Luffy wondered.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy explained. “There are many little creatures that nopony can understand... sometimes I wish I could though.”

“Huh, wonder if I could ask a cow if it ta—” Twilight’s hoof silenced Luffy before he could traumatize Fluttershy again.

“Why don’t we all go back to our rooms and clean up before dinner?” Twilight asked with a nervous smile.

Luffy waved a hoof and noted that his coat made a pealing noise as he did so. “Well, being sticky is kinda gross.”

“Excellent,” replied Twilight. “We’ll also go check on our friends.”

“Got it.” Luffy left the group and ventured back to his own room.

Shining Armor was standing outside. “Ah, you’re back. No problems?”

“Nope,” Luffy smiled.

“Good, now please make your way to your room.”

“You know I’m gonna leave as soon as I’m clean for dinner right?”

“Orders are orders.”

Luffy just sighed and entered the room. The shield went up behind him. However, before he went to the bathroom, he noticed a large platter on his bed. “Huh?”

He trotted over and examined it. He frowned upon noticing it was just like the serving of salad he’d gotten this morning, just bigger. “Bet that Princess is just being a jerk again. Still maybe it’s something good this time.” He reached his head out and lifted the dome on the platter.

He instantly dropped the dome when he saw what was inside: a large cooked turkey. He mouth watered instantly. He tore off a leg and started eating it, tears of joy streaming down his face. “Aff fo haffy!” He exclaimed.

He quickly devoured the bird and fell asleep instantly afterwards. Twilight came to get him for dinner, but upon seeing him asleep left him be. Neither she nor Luffy noticed the eyes from earlier were also watching now. Their owner grinned a little.

~~~

Luffy was sweating. He pushed off the blankets he was sleeping off, but continued to feel hot. “Guh, where’s a fan?” he mumbled. His eyes half opened to see his room aflame. “Oh, room’s on fire, that’s why it’s hot.” He peacefully closed his eyes, only for them to nearly pop out a moment later. “Fire!”

“Yes, fire!” Celestia roared as she picked Luffy up by a leg with a ring of flames. “It’s what you deserve!” Her mane violently tossed itself around, burning various parts of the room.

“Ow! What’d I do?” Luffy asked as he tried to free himself from Celestia’s grip.

“Don’t you dare play innocent with me!” Celestia said, now employing the Royal Canterlot Voice. “What have you done to my sister?!"

Blaze

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Luna lay tucked in her bed with a damp cloth covering her forehead. She took rapid shallow breaths and grasped at her bed’s covers. Twilight and Fluttershy stood by her while their friends watched nervously.

“Princess, just keep breathing,” said Twilight as her horn lit up. “I”m going to try and reduce your temperature a little.” She glanced up at Fluttershy. “Monitor her, okay? If anything goes wrong, I’ll stop the spell immediately.”

“O-okay,” Fluttershy shook. “T-twilight, I’m worried. I only do this for animals, not ponies. I’m not sure I can—”

“You can!” Twilight asserted. “Fluttershy, we just need to keep her breathing until Princess Celestia finds a cure. I know you can do this!”

“I... I...” Fluttershy stammered.

“I have found the cause!” Celestia exclaimed as she entered the room with Luffy still bound by her fire.

“Princess! What are you doing to him?!” Fluttershy nearly shrieked.

“Isn’t it obvious? He’s the cause of this!” Celestia retorted. She loosened her magic and let Luffy fall to the ground.

“Hot! Hot!” Luffy blew on his smoking legs and then looked up. “What’s going on?”

“Princess Luna... she’s sick,” Twilight explained.

“More like poisoned,” huffed Celestia.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Pinkie yelled. “That’s jumping to conclusions! I told you that was bad!”

“Not now Pinkie Pie,” Celestia said through gritted teeth. “My sister is mortal danger.” She glared at Luffy. “Now tell me how to cure her.”

“Um... why would I know?” Luffy asked.

“Because you’re the reason she’s like this!” Celestia replied. “She has been acting odd ever since you barged into her room two nights ago. She complained of sickness last night, but when I came to check on her this morning she was barely breathing. I’ve done all the spells I can think of to remove toxins from her, but to no avail. My faithful student, you’ve been with her all morning, you know I speak the truth.”

Twilight avoided direct eye contact with her mentor. “I haven’t found anything either... but I don’t think Luffy caused this.” She looked at Luffy with stoic eyes. “No offense, but I don’t believe he could or would want to harm Princess Luna without us noticing. Besides, he has no motive.”

“He’s a pirate!” Celestia yelled. “That’s enough reason right there!”

“It’s not,” came a voice from the bed. Luna pushed herself up and blearily looked at her sister. “It is not.”

“Sister!” Celestia gasped. “Lay back down! You need rest!”

“No,” Luna replied while taking labored breaths. She focused her attention on Luffy. “Straw Hat, can you come over here?”

“Um, I guess,” Luffy replied and trotted over to Luna’s bed.

“Thank you,” Luna weekly replied. “What you said yesterday, was it true?”

Luffy corked his head. “About what?”

“About...” Luna paused and whimpered for a second. She slowly raised her hooves and placed them around the small piece of cloth that wrapped around her neck and undid the knot that held it in place. Celestia withdrew her breath, Twilight and her friends drew closer to see what Luna had revealed, and Luffy just corked hsi head again. “This,” Luna quivered.

Emblazoned on Luna’s chest was a large circle with three triangular points above it and one point below it. “Huh.” Luffy moved in to look a little closer. “What is it?”

Luna drew back and pulled the covers over her chest. “Y-you don’t know? B-but I thought you and the Celestial Dragons and...”

“Oh, those guys,” Luffy grimaced. “Yeah, they were jerks, so I beat them up.” A few tears fell down Luna’s cheeks. “Whoa whoa!” Luffy said as he flailed his front hooves. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Luna cried. “You... you are the bravest creature I know!” She lurched forward and gave him a hug. “Thank you! Thank you!” she sobbed.

“Uh...” Luffy awkwardly turned to the other ponies in the room, all of whom’s mouths were touching the ground.

Celestia left her stupor first and marched over to Luna and Luffy. “Sister, what are you doing? He’s the reason you’re like this.”

“No,” Luna replied as she kept her hold on Luffy. “Sister, he’s done nothing wrong. I’m sure this is just some bad heartburn or bad food.”

“Hey, don’t blame meat,” said Luffy.

“Sister,” Celestia replied with a stern glare, “you are not just a little sick. You nearly died this morning! Furthermore I—” Her eyes went wide. “Did you say heartburn?”

“Yes, it’s just been hurting a little.” Luna raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think I have a heart condition do you?”

“No, but I think you have a poison condition!” She glared at Luffy. “I knew this was your fault!”

“I told you! I didn’t do anything!” Luffy yelled back at Celestia.

“Yes you did!” Celestia turned and started marching back and forth. “I should have known. The fever, the odd behavior, the heart condition.” She pointed a hoof at Luna. “You’ve been smitten by him!”

“What?!” cried everypony save for Luffy.

“You slime!” Celestia yelled. “How dare you seduce my sister!” Her mane caught fire and her eyes glowed bright.

“Sister, stop this!” Luna yelled back. “You are being just like me when I... I...” Luna’s eyes filled with fear. “S-sister, have you come into contact with Discord?”

“Of course I have!” Celestia glared down at Luffy again.”I did battle with him to defend Equestria after this monster freed him!”

“Sister,” Luna quivered, “you need to just calm down. This will not go well.”

“I know that!” Celestia roared. “It has not gone well since this pirate— this fiend— showed up! Banishment is not enough! He’s a toxin to this land and everypony in it. He. Should. Burn!” Celestia’s eyes went from glowing write to burning red. Her whole body spasmed and she screamed.

“Everypony!” Luna yelled. “Get down! She’s going to—” Her words were cut off by a wall of fire that sent everypony flying into the walls and took out a good chunk of the castle.

In the smoking remains, everypony laid unconscious. In the center of the mess stood a single figure. Her coat was as white as burning coals, her mane was a dark flame with flecks of blue spouting out at some spots, and her eyes were the deep red of a dying sun. Sharp and horrible golden armor covered her.

She looked around at the bodies of the ponies before her. She snorted and said in a voice that dripped with vengeance, “This kingdom has gone soft with princesses. It is time for a proper queen to rule it. I will purge everything and cauterize the earth’s wounds. I shall be known for the service I do. I am the blaze that will cleanse this land.”

Uncontrollable

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The stones below Blaze’s hooves sizzled as she looked at the ponies around her. “So powerless... I shall have to correct—” She paused when she noticed movement to her right. She smiled, revealing her sharpened teeth. “Perhaps my work won’t be too difficult.”

“Ugh,” Twilight moaned as she laid on her side. Parts of her mane had been singed and were still smoking. Her friends didn’t look to be in much better shape. Suddenly, a red aura seized her right hind leg and lifted her upside-down off the ground. Her eyes snapped open and were met with Blaze’s own. Twilight let out a small whimper.

“Ah, my faithful student,” said Blaze in false joy. “You managed to put up a shield just in time to keep you and your friends from becoming ash. I’d expect no less of you.”

“W-what have you done with Celestia?” Twilight quivered.

“I am Celestia,” Blaze coldly replied. “Or rather, I’m what Celestia should be. A powerful, competent leader that can defend this land.”

“Why... why would you try to hurt us then?”

“Because...” Blaze leaned forward. Her eyes bored into Twilight’s, who tried to look away, but Blaze’s magic kept her looking forward. “You are weak. Your friends lie beaten, Luna is most likely not in a better position, and that trash is hopefully dead... I’ll need to check for a body though.”

“P-princess Celestia would never say something like that,” Twilight stuttered.

“Yes,” Blaze hissed, “because I was soft, just as you are now. Look around Twilight Sparkle, where has friendship gotten us? I couldn’t handle Discord, he nearly destroyed you, all of us would have died at Chrysalis’s hooves had it not been for her own hubris, and now I nearly destroy you just by existing. I can now see that this land needs to be reshaped, but first we will need to burn off the fat it has accumulat—” A hoof smacked right into Blaze and knocked her into some nearby rubble.

Twilight fell onto the ground and looked up to see the hoof stretch back to its owner. “Luffy!” Twilight cried.

“And you said she wasn’t a jerk,” Luffy replied. He placed his hoof near his mouth and blew on it. “This must be what fighting Ace feels like.”

“But how’d you survive the blast?” Twilight asked as she shakily got to her hooves.

Luffy tilted his eyes upward as if he were looking directly at his brain. “No clue. Guess I just got lucky.”

“I suppose I am lucky than,” Luna grunted as she pulled herself out of the rubble. She shook off some dust and looked over at Luffy and Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle, did your friends make it?”

“Barely,” Twilight replied. Her eyes doubled back to her friends, who were all starting to regain consciousness by this point. “Princess, what are we going to do abou—” A wave of flame, blocked only by Luna’s instantaneous shield, washed over them.

“Fools!” Blaze roared a few feet above the other ponies. “You are like cockroaches! I crush you only for you to pop back up again! Burn!” Flames shot out of her mouth and joined the ones already coming out of her horn.

While her shield still held, Luna herself was forced back a few inches by the sheer power of the flames. “Twilight Sparkle! Retrieve your friends and get to the Elements! They are the only hope of stopping her!” She winced slightly as the tip of her horn blackened.

“But what about you?” Twilight yelled over the roar of the fire.

“I will hold her! This is my responsibility as much as Nightmare Moon was sister’s! I will not let her harm anypo— where is Straw Hat?” Both the mares now noticed the Luffy had somehow slipped out of the shield and the flames.

Above them, Blaze continued her assault. This cannot last. Luna can’t defend both herself and the others at the same time. I just need to— Something glinted to her left. She stopped sending out her flames and sent her mane to cover her left side. It barely made it to stop a barrage of hooves, which sizzled on contact with her mane.

“Ow!” Luffy yelled. “Darn, guess beating you will be a little harder than I thought.”

“You!” Blaze screamed. “Why can’t you die?!” Another beam of flame erupted from her horn and sailed toward Luffy.

“Yikes!” He stretched out his front hooves and grabbed onto a broken pillar down below. His body snapped toward his hooves and barely avoided Blaze’s attack. His eyes turned up to see another jet of fire rushing toward him. “Crap!” However, the flames were stopped by a deep blue aura. “Huh?”

“Luna!” Blaze roared. “You dare defend a pirate?! Think of the pain they’ve caused you! Caused us!”

“That... that may be true,” Luna said in a small voice. “But I also made friends, friends that stayed with me through everything. When I lost them, I... I felt so lost, so powerless. I just wanted to make everything go away.” She looked at Blaze with pleading eyes. “Please sister, it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Blaze cackled before glaring at Luna. “You’re just like the rest of them, a fool that thinks friendship can save you.”

“It will,” Luna calmly replied.

“Ha! What can it d—” Blaze’s eyes went wide and she quickly spun around and noticed six ponies running away from the ruins and back to the rest of the castle. “No you don’t!” Blaze’s mane turned into tendrils and zoomed over to Twilight and her friends.

Twilight dared to glance up long enough to see the fiery tentacles racing towards her and her friends. Her horn glowed bright and a shield erected itself around them. However, cracks ran down it almost as soon as Blaze’s mane made contact.

Blaze cackled more. “You think that spell can stop me?” More tendrils shot out of her mane and rushed at the shield. “Farewell, my faithful student! Take your friendship with you!”

“No!” Luffy and Luna both yelled as they rushed to stop Blaze’s attack. However, Blaze’s mane was too fast and shattered the shield, only to harmlessly brush against another shield.

“What?” Blaze asked before a bolt of magic hit her square in the chest and knocked her back.

“Hooves off my sister!” Shining Armor yelled, his horn ablaze with magic. Four other guards stood at his side, their horns lit up as well.

“Shiny!” Twilight said in relief.

“No time for talk now!” Armor replied. “I don’t know the whole story, but you and your friends need the Elements. Get going!”

“Shiny...” A determined look crept onto Twilight’s face. “Thank you.” She turned and looked back at her friends. “C’mon!”

“Right behind ya!” said Applejack.

Dash enthusiastically smashed her hooves together. “Lets show her nopony messes with the Princesses!”

“Yeah!” Pinkie yelled. “She’s just a big meanie!”

“Oh, she’s so mean,” Fluttershy shivered. “What if she scares the animals in the ga—” Fluttershy furrowed her brow and raced ahead of her friends. “Nopony hurts the animals!”

“That’s the spirit Fluttershy!” Dash smiled before rushing up to her friend.

“This is terrible!” Rarity screamed while running with her friends. She gingerly levitated part of her mane in front of her face. “It’s scorched! Scorched!” Her friends glared back at her. “Oh, and she’s an evil monster that must be stopped at any cost... for the sake of fashion!” That said, Rarity and the rest of the group left the battlefield and entered a corridor of the castle.

“Rah!” Blaze screamed. “Pests! All of you!” She glared down at Armor and the guards. “You are my servants! You do as I command!” Lightning-like beams of flame exploded of Blaze’s horn and honed in on the guards.

“Stay strong men!” yelled Armor. “The shield should ho—” The fire effortlessly cut through the shield and set all five ponies ablaze.

“No!” Luna yelped. “Sister!” she cried at Blaze. “How could you?!”

“You should thank me,” Blaze said with a maniacal grin. “Those guards who could do nothing before are now empowered by my flames.” As she spoke, the smoke and fire surrounding the guards blew away, revealing five demonic entities.

It appeared as if they were still caught in Blaze’s flames. Their bodies danced with fire, which played around the golden armor they were encased in. Standing in front of four of them was a larger guard composed of blue and white flames, as opposed to the white and orange flames that made up the other guards.

“S-sister, what have you done?” Luna despaired.

“The first step in correcting this kingdom,” Blaze coldly replied before turning her attention back to her guards. “Find the Bearers and seize them.” The guards silently nodded and departed, leaving a smoking trail in their wake.

“Stop!” Luna cried rushing after them.

“Yeah!” Luffy yelled.

However, a giant wall of flame erupted from the ground and rose high into the sky before doubling back to create a half-sphere that enclosed the ruins. “You’re not going anywhere,” Blaze hissed. She glared at Luna. “You’ve betrayed your family and your country. Luna, your previous imprisonment will be a dream compared to what you’ll suffer now.” She shifted her focus to Luffy. “As for you, I’ll flay you and stretch your body around Equestria’s borders as a sign to the rest of the world.”

“I’m gonna beat you first,” Luffy replied while glaring at Blaze. “You know, I thought you were a jerk at first, but you’re worse than that. Twilight looked up to you and you wanted to kill her!” Luffy’s eyes sharpened a little. “You do whatever you want with your kingdom, but don’t mess with someone like that!”

“Who are you to tell me what to do?” Blaze roared. “You do not know this land, its laws, or its subjects. I can treat all of those things however I want!”

“You don’t get to treat my friends that way,” Luffy sternly replied.

Luna trotted forward and stood by Luffy’s side. “Well said. Straw Hat, we will aid you in this fight.”

“Weren’t you kinda sick?” Luffy asked.

“It was nothing...” Luna’s face reddened a little. “We... I just had some heart complications. Besides...” Suddenly, her form glowed and enlarged. When the glowing stopped, Luna was now pure black and adorned with silver armor. “I can actually put this form to good use for once.”

“That’s awesome!” Luffy practically screamed in amazement. “Can everypony do that? Aw, please tell me I can do that!”

Luna took a deep breath. “Um... no... we’ll explain it when this is done.”

“Sounds like a deal!” Luffy and Luna then rushed forward at Blaze, both letting out loud battle screams.

Corruption

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Beads of sweat dripped off Rarity as she and her friends made their way through the Castle. “Oh, this is awful! I’m presperating!”

“Kinda bigger issues right now!” Dash yelled back at her.

“It is pretty warm out,” Fluttershy murmured, a few drops of sweat sliding down her face as well.

“Oh no,” said Twilight.

Rarity flashed Dash a triumphant smirk. “See Rainbow? You may enjoy sweating, but some of us find it quite unsanitary.”

“No!” Twilight screamed back at Rarity. “That’s not the problem! The problem is that it’s still morning and it already feels like the middle of summer!”

“Well, it is a bit warm for ma liking,” said Applejack.

“I like it!” Pinkie smiled. “Oooh, maybe we could make some eggs on the sidewalk.” Pinkie’s sweat-laden mane suddenly flopped in front of her eyes. “Wow, it’s never done that before!”

Twilight nervously looked back at Pinkie playing with her mane. “This isn’t good. The Princess is causing the temperature to elevate to unhealthy levels.” Her friends gave her blank stares. “She’s making it too hot.”

“Ohh!” they all said in unison.

“We have to get to the Elements fast!” Right as she finished, Twilight was tackled by Pinkie. “Pinkie! What in Equestria are you...” She froze when she saw Pinkie’s tail violently spasming.

Suddenly, the spot where Twilight had been running at was consumed by a pillar of fire. When the flames abated, five figures stood in front of the ponies. Fluttershy ducked behind Rarity as the leading figure, cloaked in blue and white fire, stepped forward.

“Twilight,” said the figure, its voice like the sound of a blazing inferno.

“S-shiny?” Twilight stuttered as she picked herself and Pinkie off the floor. “What... what happened to you?”

“Our queen has shared her power with us,” Armor replied. “She’s also given us orders to seize you.” The guards at his sides took a step forward, singing the carpet they were standing on. “But her highness doesn’t give you enough credit. I know you have power, the power of the Elements. So I have a better plan, join us willingly and use the Elements to help cleanse this land.”

“N-no,” Twilight stuttered. “Shiny, this isn’t you. Please she’s con—” Her eyes went wide and her horn flared up just in the nick of time to put up a shield that stopped a jet of flame from Armor’s own fiery horn.

“While I don’t agree with her highness’s plan, I won’t let you belittle her.” Armor growed as he poured more power into his flames. “Submit sister! It’s the only way you’ll live to see tomorrow!”

“Ugh!” Twilight stammered as she and her shield were pushed back. Cracks formed through her purple aura, while tears streamed down her face. “Shiny! Don’t do this! Please!” Suddenly, the cracks in the shield were filled by a light blue aura.

“You brute!” Rarity yelled, her horn now ablaze with magic. “How dare you treat your sister like this!”

Armor’s knees began to sputter and smoke as he was pushed back, leaving scorch marks on the ground. The other guards saw this and added their own flames to the fire. Armor grunted in frustration and glared with his eyes of blue flame at Twilight. “You can’t win this!”

Pinkie jumped forward and physically pushed on the shield. “You’re taking the burning bridges thing waaaayyyy too seriously!”

Applejack pushed on the shield as well. “With ya on that Pinkie!”

Dash backed up a few inches and then zoomed at the shield, pushing it forward a few inches. “Like the look and all, but the burning us thing really isn’t my style.”

Seeing the shield inching ever closer to them, the guards’ bodies turned from stable flames into raging infernos.

On the other side of the shield, the ponies gritted their teeth and kept pushing. The heat from the fire was beginning to reach them and they were all sweating even more than before. “Just a... few... more inches,” said Twilight. Then she noticed that only four ponies were helping her with the shield. “Fluttershy,” she groaned, “help.”

“I... I can’t...” Fluttershy whimpered from behind Twilight. “What... what if I can’t stop it? You’ll get hurt and it’ll be my fa—”

“We don’t have time for this!” yelled Dash. “Fluttershy, don’t worry about what will happen! You just have to try!” Smoke started to emanate from Dash’s hooves, along with everypony else’s that were touching the shield. “Please!”

Tears were on the verge of spilling down Fluttershy’s face, but she took a deep breath and then charged at the shield. She slammed her hooves on it and resisted every urge to remove them when they started to smoke.

Seeing all her friends fighting with her, Twilight sharpened her gaze and and looked at Armor. “Brother, I’m sorry... but we’re getting through! Everypony push!” The magic coming out of her horn redoubled, as did Rarity’s. Everypony else lunged at the shield, which carreened forward.

“No,” was all Armor could say before he and his guards were hit by their own flames and then by the shield, creating a blast that knocked them and the other ponies to the ground.

Twilight and her friends quickly got back to their hooves. Seeing the guards temporarily stunned and scattered, Twilight looked back at her friends. “Lets go!”

They all raced forward. However, Fluttershy trailed in the back a little, her eyes on the guards around her. The flames that made their bodies only sputtered now, revealing what looked like glowing embers underneath. Only Armor was still fully cloaked in flames. As she passed him, she frowned and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“You should be,” Armor growled. Suddenly, his hoof elongated into a whip of fire and wrapped around Fluttershy’s leg. “Treason is a high crime!” Fluttershy yelped in pain as the flames licked her leg but didn’t spread beyond their contact point.

“Fluttershy!” All her friends yelled.

Dash flew at Armor and bucked him right in the side.“Let her go!”

Armor went flying straight into the adjacent wall and left at large black mark where he hit it. He then slid to the ground, his flames now flickering like the other guards’ had.

Dash stayed in the air and hovered over to Fluttershy, who was kneeling on the ground and crying over the burnt ring around her leg. “Fluttershy, it’s gonna be okay,” Dash said in an uncharacteristically calm voice. “But we can’t stay here. These guys probably aren’t gonna be out for long.”

Much to Dash’s dismay, she noticed that the guards’ bodies were slowing being retaken by the flames. She reached down and put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “It’s just a small burn. I’ve seen Pinkie take worse in the kitchen.”

“She’s right!” Pinkie chirped close by. “I still think I can totally make a birthday cake just out of can—”

“Pinkie!” Twilight yelled.

Pinkie blushed a little “Oh, right, saving Equestria.”

Fluttershy looked at her friends and smiled despited the pain her leg. “Okay, lets go.”

“That’s the spirit!” For a second, Dash smiled. However, her grin instantly turned into a scowl. “Down!” She rushed at Fluttershy and shoved her out of the way of another flame whip, this time from one of the other guards. The whip deflected off Dash’s leg, but left a strip of burnt skin. She noticed the other guards, along with Armor, beginning to rise again.

She twisted her neck so that her eyes met Twilight’s. “Get Fluttershy out of here and get to the Elements!”

Twilight’s horn glowed and wrapped the shivering pegasus in a purple aura. “Okay, now lets move Rainbow!”

Dash turned away from her friend and rammed into one of the guards, causing her hooves to smoke but also sending the guard into another one. “Just go! We don’t have time to fight these guys! Just give me my Element when you get back!”

“But—”

“Trust me!” Dash yelled, dodging another flame whip. “These guys have nothing on Spitfire!”

Twilight’s legs weren’t listening to her. Her left ones wanted to go in Dash’s direction, but her right ones wanted to get to the Elements. She took a deep breath before sending out a beam to knock back a guard that was coming up on Dash from behind. She looked at her friend and nodded. “We won’t be gone long.”

Twilight then turned around and rushed out of the hallway, her friends followed. Armor, meanwhile, was once again fully coated in flames and slowly rose from where he’d fallen. His flames became violent and chaotic in nature and whipped against the floor and the walls. “You will not escape.” He raced to the ponies like the flame he was, however, Dash flew at him and slammed him again. This time, he didn’t crumple.

Instead, Dash flew back, letting out a small hiss of pain. She looked down at her hooves and saw them quickly fade from red to their normal cyan.

Armor regained his footing and looked at her. While his current form had no mouth, his eyes were angled to look like twin sadistic grins. “Rainbow Dash, it was noble of you to try and stall us, but you can’t win this. Merely touching us destroys your body, while we can quickly recover.”

Suddenly, four jets of fire shot at Dash and wrapped around her legs. She screamed as she was slammed into the ground. While the other guards held her, Armor trotted up to her and looked down, the same horrible smile dancing in his eyes. “I won’t call you a fool though. No, you are strong, which is what her highness requires.”

Armor’s horn lit up with a golden flame that glistened even in the bright daylight. He began to lower his horn towards Dash’s head. “S-stay back!” Dash yelled. “Don’t think you’re gonna get off easy just cause you’re Twilight’s brother. I... I’m gonna kick your flank!”

The smile in Armor’s eyes widened. “Yes, you’re just the kind of hot-blooded spirit we need.”

Armor’s horn got lower and lower. Dash flailed about, causing the guards to dig into the ground, but their restraints held firm. She flapped her wings as hard as she could to no avail. All the while, the golden flame got closer and closer. “No,” Dash quivered, her bravado quickly fading as escape got further away from her. With the flame just inches from touching her, she screamed.

~~~

Luffy ran at Blaze and jumped up. He stretched a hoof far back. “Gum-Gum...” The hoof started racing back at Blaze.

Blaze just smirked. “You think that will work? You’ve already tasted my flames twice and those weren’t even direct attacks. If I was inclined, I could just let you pummel me until you burnt to a cri—” Blaze noticed a second too late that Luffy’s hoof was covered in a blue aura.

“Pistol!” Luffy yelled as the attack connected, yet didn’t burn him this time. Blaze was sent back a few feet, but she dug her hooves into the ground, melting it in the process, and kept herself upright.

Blaze then glared at Luna. Luna’s now black horn was alight with her familiar blue aura. “Don’t forget you’re fighting both of us.”

“Er,” Blaze growled. The flames her wings were made of grew in size and extended far above all three of them. “Fine Luna, you want to stand by your pirate lover so bad, then I’ll smash you together!” Blaze’s wings then snapped in front of her and aimed to squash Luffy and Luna.

However, Luna’s horn lit up and her form dissolved into a purple mist that surrounded Luffy and repelled the flames. When the flames retracted back into wings, Luna resumed her battle form as well, her silver armor smoking for a few seconds. “You’re sloppy,” Luna smirked. “Discord hit us much faster and harder than that.”

“You can do mist too?” Luffy asked. “Aw, why couldn’t I have gotten cool pony powers?” He then raised a hoof and wiped the sweat off his brow. “Man, it’s hot in here.”

Blaze cackled at this. “And that is the other reason why you’ll fail. You’re surrounded by my flames. Luna can protect you from the heat, but eventually all the oxygen here will dissipate.” She smirked at Luna. “I’d love to see you maintain an air spell, a heat protection spell, and defend yourself at the same time.”

Luna took a reflexive step back. Worry glinted in her eyes for a second. Blaze continued smiling. “See? It’s just a matter of time.”

“So I just have to beat you before the air runs out, huh?” Luffy said with a grin. “Sounds fun.” He firmly planted his legs in the ground and pumped them. His coat went from beige to pink in a few second and steam poured out of his body. “Gear Second!”

“What is that?” Luna asked.

“You heard her,” Luffy sternly replied, “no time to talk.” He then moved to his right and disappeared.

“What!?” said both Blaze and Luna.

Suddenly, Luffy appeared out of nowhere at Blaze’s side. “Jet Bullet!” The hit sent Blaze tumbling across the ground and nearly to the other side of the ruins. Luffy smiled for a second before realizing his hoof was smoking. “Ow! Hot! Hot!”

Luna flew over and covered his hoof in her magic and it stopped smoking. “Careful,” Luna chided, “that speed is incredible, but my magic can’t keep up.”

They both then jumped out of the way of a giant fireball that then collided and meshed with flames that encompassed the ruins. Blaze huffed in frustration as she glared at both Luna and Luffy. “Insects!” Snakes of flame then shot out from her mane, her horn, and her wings.

Luffy jumped and dodged the flames with his enhanced speed, narrowly avoiding being grilled alive. While weaving through the fires, he kept an eye on Luna. “Can you keep the magic glove thing on for awhile?”

“I can try,” Luna responded, flying and teleporting around the fires as she did. “It’s just contact with her that’s an issue. She’s not just hot, she’s incredibly volatile. Even my magic can’t sustain itself for long against her temperature.”

“Okay,” Luffy replied, “then I got an idea.”

Suddenly, Blaze emerged out of one of the fire tentacles between Luffy and Luna. “Planning things, are we? Well, so have I. See, in my contempt for you, I forgot that Earth ponies don’t fly.” A wicked grin crossed her face. “It would be a shame to have the ground you stand on crumble.”

Luna’s eyes widened in horror as Blaze’s horn lit up. “Straw Hat! Get on my back now!” A sea of flames then erupted from the ground and bathed the ruins in a tempest of destruction.

~~~

Twilight and her friends were gasping for breath as the made it into the Elemental Sanctuary. All their coats were slightly reddened and sweat soaked all their manes. Twilight unceremoniously dropped her levitation spell and Fluttershy fell to the ground. She looked at Rarity. “Rarity...” Her lips cracked and bled a little as she spoke. “Can you give us all an emergency hydration and sunscreen spell?”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Rarity replied. Her horn lit up and a powder blue aura encompassed her and her friends. The redness of their coats faded a little back to their regular colors and the sweat stopped pouring from them as rapidly. “This is the worst disaster I’ve ever had to deal with. Nopony will want to wear anything in this heat!”

“We can worry about fashion later!” yelled Applejack. She rushed ahead of her friends toward the doors that led to the chamber that held the Elements. “We’ve got to get the Elements and save Rainbow!”

The rest of the group joined Applejack and rushed to the door. Pushing it open, they hurried over to the chest and opened it, revealing five golden necklaces and a tiara. Twilight levitated them up and dished them out to their respective owners. The tiara and the necklace with a lightning bolt on it still floated in the air.

“Twilight...” Fluttershy mumbled.

“C’mon.” Twilight turned to the exit. “We’ve got to get back to Rainbow Dash.”

“I think that’s taken care of,” echoed a voice all around them. Suddenly, the wall to the left of them was busted open by a large jet of purple flame. Armor then emerged from the aperture, followed by his other guards.

“Brother!” Twilight yelled. “What have you done to Rainbow Dash!?”

Armor responded with a deep laugh; it sounded like a building was being engulfed in a blaze. “You can tell me.”

Out of the hole in the wall emerged another pony. Its body and its wings was composed of azure flames that violently lashed out at anything near it. Its mane was a glorious inferno comprised of multiple flames of all colors. In contrast, its eyes were a pure burning white. It walked over to Armor, leaving rainbow flames wherever it stepped.

Twilight and the others could only stand paralyzed as they watched the pony join Armor’s side. “No,” Twilight whispered.

The wicked smile was in Armor’s eyes once more. “You should be happy.” He glanced over at that flame demon Dash had become. “She’s quite loyal to us.”

Jammed Gear

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“Whew,” Luffy breathed. He looked down and saw only flames. Whatever was left of Luna’s room was now ablaze.

“That was far too close,” said Luna. She craned her neck back and looked at Luffy, who was now standing on her back. “Are you injured?”

“Nah,” Luffy happily replied. He pointed a hoof at some steam that was coming off of his body. “I’m fast like this, so dodging wasn’t too hard.”

“I’d liked to see you dodge when you have nothing to move off of,” the flames below them growled. A spot of them turned black and Blaze emerged out of it. She flapped her wings, sending out waves of heat and pressure that would have cooked Luna and Luffy alive had it not been for Luna’s protection. “Humans must have discovered immortality in the past few centuries,” Blaze hissed while continuing to rise, finally come to a hover at Luna and Luffy’s height. “Why don’t you disappear?”

“‘Cause I’m not the king yet,” Luffy flatly replied.

“Fool!” Blaze roared.”I’m the only ruler in this world! It is mine to burn! You think that piece of tra—” Blaze was interrupted by a hoof to the face.

As his hoof snapped back, Luffy said, “Don’t insult the pirate king.” He then noticed he wasn’t on Luna’s back. “Oh...”

Before Luffy could fall into the flames, Luna swooped down and caught him. “Careful!” She then weaved out of the way of a barrage of fireballs from Blaze.

“Okay,” Luffy pondered aloud while attacks rained down upon him and Luna. “I think I know how to attack without falling off.”

“And how is—eh!” Luna was caught off guard by Luffy wrapping his hindlegs around Luna’s torso. Her black coat momentarily turned slightly red.

“Ha! Now I’m a ce—” Luffy stopped celebrating over his joyous invention to look at one of his hooves. “Hmm, am I a cencen now or a taurtaur?”

Blaze cackled and broke Luffy out of his puzzlement. “Oh, this is too rich! You actually think I’ll be bested by that? Ha, if only I could...” A malicious grin crept onto Blaze’s face. “Yes, I think I’m going to revise my plans on what to do with you.”

Blazes horn cracked with magic now rather than flame. “You two will make a grand pedestal, a symbol of what will happen to all who oppose me!”

Luna’s eyes went wide. “Straw Hat! Hold on!” She flexed out her wings and pushed them back to her sides in a swift and invisible motion. She moved from the spot she’d been in in a flash, leaving only a gale that managed to blow back some of the flames on the ground. Had she been a second slower, a bolt of magic would have hit both her and Luffy.

“Whoa!” Luffy exclaimed. “What’s she up to now?”

“She intends to petrify us!” Luna yelled while dodging more magic strikes. “It’s a spell we devised after Discord’s last escape, but it was never meant for use on ponies!”

“Wrong!” Blaze roared. “It was meant to be used on all who would defy me!”

“Just keep dodging!” Luffy said to Luna. He then focused on Blaze. He reached a hoof back, twisting it as it went further and further away from him. “Gum-Gum...” The twisted hoof spiraled forward at blinding speeds. Just before it completely unraveled, it struck Blaze square in the side. “Jet Rifle!”

“Ugh!” Blaze grunted. The hit sent her tumbling through the air. She snarled and righted herself just in time to see a pair of hooves rushing at her.

“Jet Bazooka!” Luffy screamed when his hooves smashed into Blaze. The force of the hit sent Blaze into the flames below and caused Luna to falter in her flight for a second.

Luffy looked down in the flames, but couldn’t make out Blaze’s form. “Is she gone?”

“I can only hope it’d be that easy,” Luna replied. Suddenly, a pillar of flames shot up and blasted Luna on the edge of her wing. Luna yelped as burnt feathers dropped off the injured wing, revealing the charred skin underneath.

Once more emerging from the flames below, Blaze looked up and sadistically grinned at the damaged she’d done. Blaze’s own damage had seemingly disappeared. “As long as there are flames, I’ll heal. Your aren’t so lucky.”

“Oi!” Luffy called out to Luna. “Can you keep fly—” A fit of coughing interrupted Luffy’s concerns.

“Having trouble breathing?” Blaze teased. “There’s only a few minutes of air left after all.”

“Straw Hat!” Luna huffed. Her horn glowed and a blue aura encased Luffy’s head. His coughing stopped instantly. “There, that should—”

“No!” Luffy yelled at her. “If you can do this, then focus on your wing!”

“But...” Luna stuttered.

“We’ll both die if you fall!” Luffy replied.

“I... I understand,” Luna said as she steeled her resolve. The faint glow around Luffy’s head and his hooves disappeared and were replaced by a blue glow on Luna’s injured wing. Small feathers cropped up on it and began to cover the burnt skin. In second, the wing was back to normal.

“There,” Luna huffed. Her horn glowed, but instantly dimmed. “Oh no, that was too much damage.”

“You think I don’t know how much magic a healing spell takes?” Blaze mused. Her horn was again crackling with magic. “Straw Hat, this is the end, your protection is gone. My magic or my flames with take you. Surrender and I might just make you a nice statue in my garden.”

Luffy deeply inhaled and exhaled. His coat lost its pink sheen and reverted back to its beige color. Steam stopped coming off of him.

“See? Is defeat so hard to accept?” Blaze gloated.

“Yep!” Luffy replied before biting his hoof. “Gear Third!”

Luffy proceeded to breathe onto his hoof. He stopped after a few second and looked down at his hoof. “Huh?” He bit his hoof again and blew. When this produced the same results, he pulled his hoof back and noticed that Luna was nervously looking at him.

Blaze laughed at the odd spectacle. “Is that how you surrender?” The magic in her horn coalesced and grew in size. “Maybe after a few centuries of imprisonment, I’ll make you my jester.”

“Oh crap,” said Luffy.

~~~

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight despondently called out to the flame engulfed pegasus.

Dash growled in response. She then shot at the group of ponies, transforming into a large multi-colored fireball.

“Move!” Applejack yelled. She slammed into Twilight, knocking her out of the way. However, she wasn’t fast enough to fully dodge Dash’s attack and a good part of her tail was singed off.

Even though she hadn’t made a direct hit, Dash continued to barrel into the wall. She collided and caused a shower of flames that scattered the rest of her friends. The bits of rainbow flames then gathered together and reformed her.

“Woah, that’s an amazing trick,” said Pinkie, “Do you think you ca—” Pinkie was cut off by a blast of rainbow fire erupting from Dash’s face and burning part of her mane. “Hey! That wasn’t nice!”

Applejack shifted her knees down and readied herself to either dodge or stand her ground. “Dash, c’mon, don’t do this. Ah know you’d never hurt a friend.”

A blaze of magic laced with fired slammed into Applejack and sent her across the room. The fire atop Armor’s head solidified back into a horn while he looked over at Dash and then at Applejack. “She would if it means serving her highness. Loyalty does have priorities after all.”

“Ugh,” Applejack groaned as she got to her hooves. “That’s... that’s a load of parasprites and you know it!” She looked over at Dash with pleading eyes. “Please Dash!”

Dash just growled in response.

“As much as I’d love to see this play out, her highness is expecting us and the Elements,” said Armor. He turned and looked at the other guards. “Take them. Leave Twilight to me though. Rainbow Dash also has her pick. Do not interfere with her fight.”

The guards nodded before galloping toward each of the ponies. Dash followed suit and barreled at Applejack. However, just as Applejack braced herself for the hit, Dash turned up and looped around in the air and aimed for a nearby pillar. Upon impact with her, the pillar blew apart, revealing a shaking Fluttershy. Dash growled in satisfaction at having found her pray.

Applejack was the first to try and rush over, but a guard smashed into the ground just a few feet ahead of her. Applejack glared at him. “Mister, nothin personal, but if ya don’t move out of ma way, a few sore bruises are gonna be the least of your worries.”

The guard just growled in response.

“Fine,” Applejack replied. She ran straight at him while he conjured up a fireball. However, just as he launched it, Applejack jumped to the left and closed the distance between them instantly. She planted her forehooves into the ground and let her back ones fly out with all her strength. She felt the heat of the guard when she made contact, but it didn’t fade. In confusion, she turned around and saw that her hooves were buried in the guard’s body.

The guard let out a sound similar to the hiss a fire made when drops of water were poured on it.

“Darn it!” Applejack yelled as she tried to pull her hooves out of the guard. “Let go!”

In response, the guard’s form shifted and twisted Applejack’s hooves around and tripped her. He quickly reached out his hooves and held her to the ground, hissing the entire time.

Meanwhile, Rarity and Pinkie were galloping over to Fluttershy.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity screamed. “If you lay one hoof on Fluttershy, I’ll make sure you regret it!”

“Yeah,” Pinkie also screamed. “This is, like, a hundred times worse than breaking a promise!”

However, their rescue attempt was halted by two more guards landing in front of them. They both snarled at the ponies.

Rarity focused on one of the guards and lit up her horn. “While I support ponies of uniform, I afraid I’m going to have to be a bit rough with you.” Suddenly, the rocks from the broken wall Armor and the guards had come through flew over and smacked into the guard, encasing him in the stones.

At the same time Rarity was attacking, Pinkie seemingly pulled her party cannon out of nowhere and launched its celebratory assault at the other guard. “Take this! It’s my super party barrage!”

Pinkie repeatedly pressed the fuse on her weapon, somehow making it fire until the the guard couldn’t be seen under the massive amount of confetti, streamers, and balloons. Pinkie happily smiled at her work. “That’s gotta be my best surprise assault yet!”

Rarity gawked at the effectiveness of Pinkie’s attack, but a shriek brought her focus back. Dash now had Fluttershy pinned to the ground and a golden flame was spouting out of her head. “Fluttershy!”

Both Rarity and Pinkie raced to their friend. However, flames erupted out of the rock and party accessories that covered the two guards and grabbed hold of them, sending them to the ground.

On the other side of the room, flames washed over Twilight’s hastily constructed shield. The shield faltered after a few seconds and the backlash sent Twilight flying. The Element of Loyalty flew away from her and clattered on the ground far away while her tiara remained attached to her head, but it was now lopsided. Armor stomped over and extended his flames to pin his sister to the ground. “We really shouldn’t be fighting like this,” Armor mused.

“Brother, please don’t do this!” Twilight cried. In her peripheral vision, she saw that her friends were in similar situations. She then met with her brother’s eyes. “T-take me, but don’t hurt them!”

“Sorry Twilight.” A golden flame emerged from Armor’s horn. “Orders are orders. Besides, look what it took to defeat you. Your friendship failed just because of one weak link.” He looked up at the golden flame and his eyes filled with a disturbing glee. “With this power, you’ll be able to defend yourself and reliance on others will become obsolete.”

“You...” Twilight stammered, but then she hardened her eyes. “You’re not my brother. He was a kind and caring pony who’d lay down his life to protect his friends. What would Cadance say to you!?”

Armor pushed down his hooves and seared Twilight’s own. While she yelped he coldly said, “What I am doesn’t matter. Strength is all that matters now.” He began to lower his horn.

The other guards followed Armor’s lead and started lowering their horns and flames as well. Dash looked down at Fluttershy and did the same.

“P-please...” Fluttershy whimpered. She dared look up at Dash in hopes of finding the pegasus she knew. However, all she saw were burning white eyes that bore into her. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she frantically screamed, “Rainbow Dash! Stop! Please stop!”

Unnoticed by anypony, the Element of Loyalty shook a little. The ruby lightning bolt in the center glimmered for a second. Then, the necklace pushed off the ground and zoomed at Dash, affixing itself onto her neck. She proceeded to let out a wail akin to hundreds of dying fires. A storm of images flooded into her brain and came to rest on one of a yellow and pink pegasus filly.

✦✦✦

“Please stop!” cried a young Fluttershy. She scrunched up into a tighter ball and tucked herself further into the cloud she was hiding in. “Just go away Rainbow Dash!”

“Not until you tell me what the hay happened,” replied Dash’s voice.

“You... you don’t want to be my friend anymore!”

“What?!” Dash yelled in surprise. “Fluttershy, when have I ever said anything like that?”

“You... you didn’t, but all your friends said that a slow flyer like me would never have a chance of hanging out with a cool pony like you!” Multiple sobs escaped Fluttershy’s mouth.

“Oh, those ponies,” Dash snorted. “Fluttershy, listen to me, I don’t care if you’re not the best flyer. I wouldn’t care if you were a unicorn or an earth pony. We’ve been friends since we were foals and that’s all I care about.”

Slowly, Fluttershy’s head emerged from the cloud and turned to look at Dash. “R-rea—”

Fluttershy gasped when she saw the condition Dash was in. Her azure coat was bruised and purple in places, her left eye was black and swollen shut, and her nose was bent a little and bleeding.

“Heh, we must both be quite a sight,” Dash chuckled. “See, after I saw you running out of the lunch hall, I asked what happened and a few ponies made the mistake of calling you a loser. Lets just say I’m the one who got off easy in this case.”

Fluttershy said nothing. More tears welled up in her eyes and she gave Dash a huge hug. It took all of Dash’s resolve not to yelp in pain. Instead, she brought a hoof over and patted Fluttershy’s back with it.

“Why?” Fluttershy sobbed.

“You deaf?” Dash playfully asked. “I told you, because you’re my friend.” Fluttershy’s knees shook a little when all of Dash’s weight shifted onto her. “But trying to find you while I was bashed up like this took alot out of me. How about you pay me back by flying me to the infirmary?” With a smile on her lips, Dash passed out.

✦✦✦

“Huh?” said Dash. She then noticed she was standing on something. She looked down and was met with the terrified gaze of Fluttershy. “Fluttershy? What’s going on?”

“R-rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy whimpered. She then noticed that Dash’s pupils and her pink irises had returned, albeit still composed of flames.

“Um, why am I holding you down?” Dash glanced down and realized she was on fire. “Ahh! Oh my gosh! Fluttershy get me some water! I’m... why am I on fire, but I’m not burning?”

“You... you don’t remember?” Fluttershy asked.

“No I was...” Dash raised one of her hooves. Oddly, Fluttershy’s leg hadn’t been burnt. “Discord was messing with us again and I... no, it was Nightmare Moon...” Dash shook her head, sending out a few embers. “No, wasn’t it the Changeling Queen?” She shook her head more. “No, no, no! I was fighting...” Her eyes went wide and she looked down at Fluttershy. She released the rest of her hooves and helped her friend up. She broke eye contact with Fluttershy and looked despondently to the ground. “I was fighting you.”

Fluttershy reached out her hooves and hugged Dash. Once more, the flames didn’t burn her, but simply washed over her in a few places. “It’s okay, you’re back now.” A few tears fell down her face and evaporated in Dash’s flames. “I was so scared you were gone.”

Armor stopped his attempt to convert Twilight and looked up at Dash and Fluttershy. “No!” he roared. “You serve us!”

“I don’t serve anypony!” Dash yelled back. She broke from her hug with Fluttershy and bolted across the room, leaving a trail of rainbow fire in her wake. She slammed into one guard and then slammed into another one. She corralled all four of them and threw them at Armor. “Especially jerks like you!”

Armor erected a shield that the guards slammed into. While he was focused on the shield, a blast of purple magic struck his side and sent him back a few feet. When he recovered his balance, he was met by six ponies staring him down.

“It’s over brother,” said Twilight, her horn aglow and ready to perform another attack.

“No!” Armor yelled. “No! No! NO! You are weak!” He glared at the fallen guards. “You’re all WEAK!”

Tendrils of flame shot out of Armor’s sides and latched onto the guards. The other ponies could only watch as the fire was stripped away from the guards, returning them to their normal, but burnt, forms.

Armor, however, only grew in size. His flames became incredibly wild, his horn elongated, and the flames on his back solidified into fiery wings. “Power is strength. Those without it are weak. Those who are weak...” He glared are Twilight and her friends, who all took a step back. “Those who are weak shall die!”

Armor’s whole body erupted into a grand wall of flames, which rushed forward at the ponies. However, Dash jumped in front of them. She took a deep breath and her wings grew to become walls of flame as well. Her and Armor’s fires met and pushed against each other. “You’re not the only one with some neat new tricks!” Dash yelled.

~~~

Magical bolts and fireballs rained down on Luna and Luffy, the former barely dodging the assault. Luffy was biting parts of his leg and blowing on them to no avail. “Darn it! Why isn’t it working?”

“How is eating yourself going to defeat her?” Luna yelled. She braked sharply and veered out of the way of a pillar of flame.

“My limbs are supposed become giant so I can kick her butt!” Luffy replied.

Luna glanced back and gave Luffy a worried look. “Were you hit in the head by an attack?”

“No, I just need to...” Luffy paused and turned his neck around. “Um, where’d she go?”

Luna paused her flight when she too noticed that Blaze had seemingly vanished. Her attacks had stopped as well. “Careful, Straw Hat.”

“Maybe you should worry about yourself,” came Blaze’s voice from all around them. Suddenly, the mad queen burst out of the flames next to Luffy and Luna and smacked them to the ground with a combined blast of flames and magic.

“Ugh,” Luffy grumbled as he got to his hooves. He looked down and noticed he was standing on a solid ground again. He looked over at Luna, who was also slowly standing back up. “Hey, did you make the flames go away?”

Luna took in the sight around. “No, she hit us too fast.”

Blaze trotted through the flames and looked down on them. “I thought it’d be a nice final gift for you.”

“Yes,” came Blaze’s voice, even though her lips weren’t moving. Luffy and Luna slowly turned their heads and were met with another Blaze leering at them. “A queen should at least show a little mercy.

Multiple copies of Blaze emerged from the flames and encircled Luffy and Luna. All of them had malicious grins stretched across their faces. Luffy and Luna put their back to each other and faced down the small army of Blazes.

Suddenly, another Blaze burst out of the top of the fire area and flew straight at Luna and Luffy. Her horn had the fully charged petrification spell ready. “Die!”

“Crap!” Luffy desperately bit into the part of his leg right next to his hoof, but this time when he blew into it, his leg started growing in size. “Got it! Gear three!” He turned up to Blaze, only to see the spell was already rushing at them.

“No!” Luna yelled. She jumped in front of Luffy, but the spell still hit them both at the same time, creating a blinding flash.

As the light dimmed, the true Blaze flew down while the flame clones dispersed. The spot where Luffy and Luna had been was encased in smoke. “Ah, now that they’re gone, I can finally...”

“Gum Gum...” came voice from within the smoke.

“No...” uttered Blaze, completely flabbergasted.

Luna shot out of the smoke and rushed at Blaze. Luffy was hitched to her back with a giant hoof trailing behind him. In her shock, Blaze wasn’t even able to raise a wing before the massive hoof smashed into her and pushed her into the flames. “Giant Pistol!”

Extinguished

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Luffy quickly drew back his hoof, only to see that Blaze had once again disappeared into the flames. “Darn!”

“It’s not her body that we need to beat, its the flames,” Luna postulated.

“Yeah we need t—” Luffy was interrupted by another fit of coughing.

“Straw Hat!” Luna started flying straight at the flames. “We can’t stay in here any longer!”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Blaze’s voice echoed throughout the fire sphere. Suddenly, all the flames in the sphere went black. Out of the wall opposite of where Luna had been headed, the flames surged and flailed wildly, as if gasoline had been poured on them. Their roar solidified into a terrible rumbling that even shook the ground. It stopped becoming the raging noise of a blaze and turned into an animalistic growl.

The black flames gathered in the spot where the growl was coming from, turning the rest of the sphere back to regular flames. Luna noticed a brief distortion in the flames and saw a speck of blue through them. She turned back to Luffy. “Straw Hat! She’s taken all the power reinforcing the flames into herself!”

“It’s the only way to finish you!” roared the black flames. They converged more and started flaring out of the regular flames. The flames spiralled up and became a dark and crooked horn. Two hollow points in the flames appeared and were filled with a blazing white fire in contrast to the rest of the blaze. Finally, the rest of the flames shot out to form an enormous muzzle. “You’re not the only one that can manipulate your size!”

Suddenly, Blaze’s giant head started racing at the Luna and Luffy. “Die!”

No! Luna thought in a panic. I won’t be able to dodge!

However, Luffy kept determined eyes on the Blaze’s attack. He took some ragged breaths and then said to Luna, “I need you to launch me at her.”

“What?!” She rapidly turned her head to meet Luffy’s eyes. “No! You’ll burn to a crisp before even touching her!”

“Don’t you have a spell or something?”

“It... it took too much magic to...” Luna’s eyes widened. “I have one thing to use.”

“Rah!” Blaze yelled as she barreled at them.

“Then do it!” Luffy screamed.

“Hold on!” Luna dashed at incalculable speed toward Blaze. Luffy took a deep breath and the air in his hoof shifted until it came to rest in his torso. At the same time, Luna’s form started glowing and dispersed into a thick mist that clung tightly to Luffy.

“Woah!” Luffy exclaimed.

“This will take up the rest of my magic,” said the mist from all around Luffy. “But if it saves my sister, it’ll be worth it!”

“I hear ya!” Luffy yelled back. He then focused back on Blaze. “Gum-Gum...”

“Burn!” Blaze yelled. Luffy, encompassed in Luna’s mist, was rushing at her with blinding speed.

“Lunar Impact!” Luffy screamed. They collided and Blaze’s eyes seemed to almost pop out of her head. She let out a large gasp as the air was beat out of her. However, her eyes regained their composure and she looked down at the giant pony that was smashing into her muzzle.

“N-no! I will not be beaten by scum!” Blaze quivered.

“Keep pushing!” Luffy said to Luna.

“Sister!” Luna screamed. “If you can hear me then wake up!”

Blaze’s entire form shuddered as Luna put even more power into her mist. Blaze’s head slammed into the flames and with one final push from both Luna and Luffy, she was pushed out of the flames. She was reverted to her pony form and the flames covering her body were flickering and sputtering.

“Damn it!” she huffed. “Where... where are they!?”

“Right here,” came a female voice.

Blaze slowly looked down only to be met with Twilight Sparkle and her friends glaring up at her. All the Elements were affixed to them and glowing with magic.

Next to them stood Shining Armor, still aflame, but back to normal size with his irises and pupils back as well. His horn was aglow with magic. Next to him stood Cadance. She had a few burn marks along her coat, but other than that she seemed fine. Her horn was lit up as well.

“Your highness,” said Armor. “It’s over.”

Restoration

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A few minutes ago in the Hall of Elements...

“Err!” Dash gritted her teeth as Armor’s white and blue flames began to overtake Dash’s rainbow ones.

“Hold on!” Twilight called out. She rushed up to her friend, lit her horn up, and added her magic to Dash’s fire.

“Twilight! Get back!” Dash yelled out. “He’ll fry you!”

“No way!” Twilight shouted back. “You already stayed behind before!”

“She’s right,” said Rarity. She galloped up to them and mixed her magic into the fire. “We’ll handle this together this time!”

Armor roared and his flames pushed harder against Dash’s. Dash grunted and dug her hooves into the ground, burning up the carpet and turning the stones beneath red and white.

“Okay,” Dash grunted, “if we’re in this together, do you think you could hit him with something? Just pushing isn’t helping.”

Twilight turned to Rarity. “Can you hold the spell for a second?”

“Certainly,” Rarity replied, her horn glowing slightly brighter. “One does earn a little magical stamina when they’re using their horn on dresses all day.”

“This won’t take long.” The glow on Twilight’s horn disappeared. She closed her eyes and sorted through the mental library of spells she knew. There’s the vacuum spell... No, on that large a scale it’d suck out all the air in the room too. Water summon?

Twilight glanced up and saw that both Dash and Rarity were being pushed back. Dash’s flames were beginning to flicker and Rarity’s horn was smoking. Twilight lit up her horn with intense power. No time left! Gotta go with a containment spell!

Twilight sent a blast of magic out at the warring flames. Upon impact, Armor’s flames started to be siphoned into a small purple sphere, which grew in size the more flames it absorbed. Dash’s attacked started pushing against Armor’s own.

Okay, thought Twilight, now I just need to move the spell ove— Twilight saw the spell crackle and her pupils shrank into pinpricks. “Dash! Stop attacking! Cover Rarity now!”

“Huh?” Dash didn’t stop her attack but turned her head. “But we jus—”

A massive explosion of fire and magic sent everypony flying. Twilight struggled to get up, only to be met by a spear of pure flame. A quick glance revealed that all her friends were in similar predicaments. Armor snarled at her. The spears raised up and were poised to land a final blow. Armor bellowed sinisterly.

“Enough!” A bolt of magic smashed into Armor’s side and sent him into a nearby pillar, which toppled upon impact. The spears that were floating over Twilight and her friends disappeared in whisps of smoke.

An aura surrounded Twilight and got her to her hooves. A hoof rested on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Twilight shook her head to clear out the fogginess the explosion had caused and got a better view of her savior. “Cadance.”

The pink alicorn smiled softly at Twilight. “Nopony hurts my family.”

“But how’d you know we were here?”

Cadance turned and looked at the broken pillar where Armor had fallen. “I didn’t, but I knew Armor was.” She raised her hoof and pointed at the tip of her horn, which was slightly burnt. “After the wedding incident, we made a spell to track one another. When whatever is going on happened, I got hit by the recoil of the spell clashing with something else.”

“It... it’s Princess Celestia. It’s the same thing that happened when Luna became Nightmare Moon...” Twilight glanced up at her tiara. “She... she corrupted Armor and almost got Dash too.”

Cadance stepped closer and gave Twilight a hug. “It’s okay, I know you and your friends can stop her... does explain why it’s burning outside though.”

“We don’t have time to waste.” Twilight turned around and saw that her friends were back on their hooves as well. “Girls, we need to get back and use the Eleme—”

A giant burst of energy interrupted Twilight. Armor emerged from the blast enraged. His white eyes locked onto Cadance. “You!”

“Yes me!” Cadance retorted. “Shining Armor, you stop this right now!”

Armor just roared in response and charged at them, not even resorting to magic or flames. Twilight and Cadance easily dodged. “He’s completely lost it!” Twilight yelled. “He’s like an angry monster!”

“Or a hurt one,” Cadance stoically replied.

“Huh?”

Cadance turned to Twilight with soft but determined eyes. “Whatever that spell is doing to him, it’s causing him to hurt a lot. Twilight, I know stopping whatever Celestia has become is important, but...”

Twilight cut Cadance off with a hoof. “I know. Besides, we can’t let him run wild like this, he’ll hurt innocent ponies.”

“Okay, I just need you and your friends to distract him for a few moments. I need to get close to him.”

“Got it.” Twilight turned to look at her friends. “You heard her, we’ve got to stop him.”

“Way ahead of ya Twi.” Applejack pulled out her rope and sent it flying at Armor. Unfortunately, it disintegrated before it even touched him. “Shoot, that was one of ma favorites.”

“Well, lets see how it like—” Before Pinkie could finish, Armor darted at her. She dodged, but her party cannon was left as a twisted piece of glowing iron. Pinkie frowned. “Ohhh, I only brought one along.”

“Ruining carpets I can understand, but you don’t make Pinkie sad,” Rarity cried out. She let loose a blast of magic, but it only caused Armor to slightly stagger.

“Battle isn’t your thing Rarity!” Dash darted past Rarity and rammed into Armor, pinning him to the wall. “Alright big guy, you wanna fight, yo— Ow!”

“Rrrh!” Armor snorted. The hoof that was pinning him down lost its flame and began to turn back into a normal burnt leg.

Dash jerked back, but Armor’s flames crept up her leg and latched onto her own. “Let go!”

Armor felt something tap his side and glanced to see two large eyes blue eyes glaring at him. He dropped Dash instantly and his flames flickered a little. “She said to let her go!” Fluttershy huffed, unleashing the full brunt of her stare. “I don’t care what sort of spell you’re under mister! You don’t hurt ponies, you don’t hurt your family, and you do not hurt my friends!”

The last part of Fluttershy’s sentence caused her Element to shimmer. All her friends developed goosebumps while all of Armor’s flames vanished, leaving a dark ashen pony in their wake. He fell to the ground with a thud.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy squeaked. She turned her eyes to Twilight. “Twilight, I... I didn’t...”

“It’s okay,” said Cadance rather than Twilight. She trotted over to Armor, her horn glowing softly. “You gave me all the time I need.”

Cadance crouched down and touched her horn to Armor’s ashen ones. Her magic raced down his form, reigniting his flames, but now they were much less violent. He was also back to his normal size. Cadance backed away and let Armor regain consciousness.

Twilight looked back and forth between Cadance and Armor. “Is he...”

“Ugh...” Armor slowly opened his eyes, revealing that his pupils and irises had returned. “Twily?”

“Shiny!” Twilight galloped to Armor and nuzzled him. “I was so worried! I thought... I thought you were gone!”

Armor raised a hoof to comfort his sister, but paused when he saw his fiery form. “I think I was... what happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

“No.” Armor pushed Twilight back and got up. “I remember seeing you fighting a monster and then...” He put a hoof to his head. “Everything was burning and the changelings were back. I saw you and your friends fighting them, but you were losing.”

Armor’s flames flickered again. “They took you and started turning you into one of them... I wanted to scream, to fight, but I couldn’t! Then the Queen showed up and was about to cast her spell on me again. It made me feel so weak so... powerless.”

Cadance trotted over to Armor and put a leg around his shoulders. “You’re not powerless. You just need to remember you’re not alone. Also...”

“What?” Armor asked. Cadance responded by slapping him full force in the face.

“Don’t you ever hurt Twilight again. Fluttershy already told you, but you need to get this into your head. This is the second time a spell made you hurt her. Promise me that no matter what, you’ll never do it again!”

“I...” Armor rubbed the spot where he’d been hit. “I promise.” His eyes went over to Twilight, specifically the scrapes and burns on her body. “Twily, she’s right. What I did to you was wrong. Even if I don’t remember it clearly, that was still horrible to put you through that.”

“It’s okay.” Twilight reached out and gave Cadance and Armor a hug. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

“Thanks to your friends and Cadance.” Armor focussed on Fluttershy. “I don’t know what you did, but it knocked me the heck out.”

“I... I just didn’t want you to hurt anypony else... or yourself,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“About that...” Armor looked down at his form and then at Dash. “This’ll probably be the calmest I ever say this but... why are we still on fire?”

Cadance bit her lip. “I’m not sure. I broke down the spell that was blocking his mind, but there must be more to it than that.”

“Luffy must still be fighting the Princess,” Twilight nervously replied.

Dash flew right up to Twilight’s face. “Then why are we wasting our time here?” She rustled the Element around her neck. “We got the Elements, lets show her that nopony messes with us!”

“I agree,” replied Armor. His eyes then shifted over to the four unconscious guards. “My men! Don’t tell me I...” He didn’t wait to get a response from anypony. He lit up his horn and a magic enveloped the guards as well as everypony else, causing their burns to fade a little.

A cooling sensation ran through Twilight’s body as her own wounds and burns either faded and shrank in size. “You can use healing magic?”

Armor chuckled a little. “Best defense is a good offense and the only way to have that is to keep the offense healthy.” He gently put the guards down once his spell finished. “That’ll cover the worst of it.” His horn was still glowing. “Everypony get near me.”

They all complied and drew near to Armor. “If you haven’t done mass teleportation before, hold on. This might be a little rough.”

In a flash, they all disappeared and then popped back into existence by a large dome of fire.

“Ooooh,” said Pinkie. “I bet we could toast like a thousand marshmallows with that.”

“Not the best time Pinkie.” Just as Twilight spoke, the flames turned pure black. “Really not the best time! Girls, get your Elements ready. Armor, Cadance, I need you to get a blast spell ready. We need to get in there and get a direct shot on the Princess.”

“Um... Twily?” said Armor, his eyes affixed to the dome, which had now reverted to normal fire again. “I think I know where she’s gonna be.”

“How can yo—” Twilight was cut off by a rumbling that shook the ground and caused the dome to quiver. Through the flames, everypony could make out what looked like a giant pony balloon surrounded by a deep blue mist. It was struggling against a giant mare’s head made of flame. “Girls! Elements now!”

Just as Twilight spoke, Blaze was pushed out of the dome, which evaporated without her in it. Her flames were much weaker now and her breathing ragged. “Damn it! Where... where are they!?”

“Right here,” said Cadance, her horn aglow with magic.

“Your highness,” said Armor, “it’s over.”

“No!” Blaze roared, her flames becoming a little more active. “I am the ruler of this kingdom! If I can’t have it...” She glared up at the sun, which was tinted a slight red. “Nopony wi—”

Blaze’s wings suddenly locked up and sent her spiraling to the ground. Her flames were now barely sparks, revealing her blackened and ugly form. She tried to stand, but her legs kept giving out on her. “Damn... damn it. Why can’t I move?!”

A purple hoof stomped in front of her face. Blaze looked up and saw Twilight’s eyes glowing pure white. The other Bearers levitated behind Twilight, their Elements crackling with power. “Give me back my teacher.”

Blaze screamed and tried to send a final blast of fire at the Bearers, but it was met and pushed back by a prismatic beam. The Elements of Harmony struck Blaze head on and circled in a giant tornado around her. When they were finished, the Elements dissipated, leaving a young white mare with a pink mane behind. She floated down to the ground and rested softly on it.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s over.”

Recovery

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Twilight looked down on the smaller form Celestia had assumed with a nervous frown. The white alicorn looked like she was sleeping. Her mane pulsated a little like it had its own heartbeat, but didn’t constantly flow like it normally did. Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned to see that Rarity was at her side. “Don’t worry Twilight. Princess Luna was fine after we used the Elements on her. Princess Celestia probably needs some rest.”

“I think we all do,” rasped Dash. Everypony turned to see that she was covered in multiple burns and smoking. Her form tipped and she started to fall. Right before losing consciousness and crashing to the ground, she said, “Wake me for the party.”

“Rainbow Dash!” all her friends screamed. They rushed over, Twilight and Rarity already performing healing spells on her.

“She’s stable,” said Twilight, her aura intermingling with Rarity’s.

“But those are bad burns,” Rarity replied.

“Cadance, get some rooms ready in Canterlot Hospital,” Armor croaked. Twilight’s eyes, followed by her friends’ fell on him. He wasn’t doing much better than Dash and one of his legs dragged against the ground. Despite his best efforts, minute signs of pain showed in his face: a few eye twitches and clenched teeth were most notable.

He got closer to Dash and lit up his horn. He flashed a sympathetic look to Twilight. “Heh, you looked the same the day I got my cutie mark and got the hay beaten out of me.” His horn stopped glowing and his magic faded away from Rarity’s and Twilight’s. Dash’s coat was almost back to normal now, save for a few of the larger burns, which were now much smaller. “There, she should be good in a few hours. It’s the least I can do.”

He brought his attention over to Cadance. “Honey, I’m stepping out for a bit.” Armor collapsed with an unceremonious thud.

“Shining!” Cadance rushed to him, her horn alight with healing magic which instantly wrapped around him. Tears started to flow down her face. “You stupid stupid colt!”

Twilight trotted over and gave Cadance a reassuring pat on the back. “He is, but that’s why we love him.”

Cadance finished her spell, leaving Armor unconscious but not as horribly injured. She raised a hoof and wiped some of the tears from her face. “You got me there. What am I gonna do with him?”

“Well, remember that time he got a cast?”

“And we drew...” A devious smile filled Cadance’s face. “And here I thought you’d become a complete bookworm.”

Applejack looked back and forth between Cadance and Twilight. In her mind, images of the two of them playing pranks came into conflict with images of Twilight quietly reading books. She shook her head to clear the paradox away. “Um, don’t mean to interrupt, but it looks like we’re missin two ponies.”

“Oh my gosh,” Twilight called out in an alarmed voice. “Where and Princess Luna and Lu—”

“Ahhh!” Pinkie screamed from nearby but out of sight. The rest of the ponies rushed over to see what had disturbed her.

“Pinkie! What in Equestria is—” Rarity gasped as she saw what Pinkie had screamed about.

Standing a little below them was Princess Luna. However, she was much smaller and her mane was a very light blue and unmoving. She essentially looked the same as when the Elements had first cleansed her. On her back rested a small tan colt with a familiar straw hat on his flank and attached to his neck.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Pinkie flailed her legs around wildly and shook each of her friends. “That big meanie turned Princess Luna and Luffy into a filly and a colt. Now we’ll need to go on a quest to find the ancient fountain of aging and save them!”

Twilight resisted the urge to facehoof. “Pinkie, that’s the plot of a Daring Do novel.”Her eyes nervously went over to a Luna and Luffy. “Princess... what happened?”

“Magical exhaustion,” Luna huffed, her breathing a little ragged. “Among the many ways my sister and I are unique is that our magic is represented in our physical forms. When we expend too much energy...” Her eyes fell over to Celestia’s form. “... or we have stripped away, this is the result.”

Luna’s shifted to look back to Luffy, who was rubbing his stomach. “I don’t know about Straw Hat though.”

“Oh, I just get small after I become giant,” Luffy nonchalantly replied. “I’ll be back to normal in like a minute or two.”

“What?” Twilight deadpanned. “Actually, you know what, I don’t want to know. Studying you would be worse than analyzing Pinkie. I’m just glad you’re both safe.”

“Plus you look absolutely adorable like that,” Rarity cooed. “I haven’t seen anything that cute since we dressed up Spikey-wikey.”

Luna blushed a little. “Er... um... yes, we suppose thou doest look a little...” Her voice dropped to a whisper that even Fluttershy would have a hard time hearing. “... cute.”

“So now that we kicked the jerk-princess's butt, can I eat something? I haven’t even had breakfast. I hate fighting without having breakfast.” Luffy flailed his hooves in a childlike fashion, only for one of them to pop back out to it’s original size. The rest of his body followed and caused the smaller Luna to fall. “Oh, sorry.”

“Hee, you two look like you just lost a game a Twister!” Pinkie giggled.

Luna went from her normal blue colors to bright red. She pushed Luffy off with a burst of magic and dusted herself off. “W-well, we s-should probably get sister and the others some m-medical attention... and get Straw Hat some breakfast.”

“Already on it!” Pinkie jumped over them and handed Luffy a cupcake, which he instantly inhaled. She noticed her friends giving her odd looks. “What? You always need cupcakes.”

Applejack adjusted her hat and chuckled a little. “In the words of Rainbow Dash, ‘Ya are so random.’”

~~~

Everything was burning around Celestia. Canterlot Castle had collapsed and was just a collection of rubble now. Houses were mostly ash now and those that weren’t were completely engulfed in fire. But what made Celestia’s heart stop were the ponies. All around her were her subjects, burnt and blackened shells of the citizens they’d been. Even in their state, Celestia could make out the contorted agony on their faces. She reached forward to cradle the body of a young colt, but it crumbled to ashes in her legs.

“No,” she sobbed. “How, how could I have allowed this?”

“Because you were weak.”

Something pushed Celestia through the carnage. Hundreds of bodies were strewn around her, each causing more tears fall down her face. “Stop it.”

“No.”

A pony slammed into the ground at Celestia’s hooves. Her blue coat had been made into ash and her mane had been burnt away. Celestia still recognized Luna’s deep blue eyes. “Why sister? Why couldn’t you stop it?”

Before Celestia could reply, Luna crumbled into dust and blew into the wind. Celestia bent down and cried more, pounding what was left of Luna into the ground. “No! I only wanted to protect her!”

“And you failed.”

Celestia looked up to see a monster was in front of her. The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony were scattered around it. It held Twilight’s neck in one hand and coldly looked at Celestia. Its straw hat flowed with the flames around it. “You were weak.”

“N-no,” Celestia quivered like a small filly. If she could have seen herself, that’s exactly what she was: a child staring down a behemoth. “I... I’ve done everything to p-protect my citizens.”

“And it was useless,” the monster replied. It flung Twilight at Celestia, but the unicorn exploded into dust before hitting her. “You thought peace and friendship were the answers, but those are just flimsy walls to hide behind.”

The monster trotted closer, losing its human visage and adopting that of a tall white pony with a flaming mane and tail. Celestia backed away, but a field of magic picked her up and forced her to looking into the monster’s abysmal eyes. “You should have taken action! You should have listened to me! I will cut your ties and leave only righteous hatred!”

The monster opened its mouth and prepared to devour Celestia. Celestia screamed. However, just as the monster’s jaws were about to close on her, a light grew above both of them. Despite her fear, it caused Celestia’s eyes to twinkle a little.

She pushed with all her might and freed herself from the monster’s gulet. Now the monster seemed much smaller in size, while Celestia was growing back to her regular height. “You said friendship isn’t the answer?”

Celestia trotted at the monster, which continued to shrink down under the rainbow light. All around them, the fires died down.“Friendship is the answer. It mends hatred, unites the scattered, and gives the weak strength.”

Celestia focused on the monster, now little more than a filly itself. “I’m not weak. You are.”

For a moment, the monster said nothing. It just glared up at Celestia. “For now Celestia, for now. Don’t think you’ve won. This is just a stalemate. Besides, what will you do when the war comes to you? You’ll be alone again.”

Celestia patiently shook her head back and forth. “I won’t be. When I go, it won’t be to just protect my citizens like before.” Seven forms coalesced around her to form Luna, Twilight, and the other Bearers. “They’ll be at my side.”

The monster became but a speck. It floated over and brushed against Celestia’s flowing mane. A whisper carried upon the wind, “Don’t forget, friendship only makes the scars stop hurting.”

“I won’t.” Celestia looked up to the rainbow light in the sky and was overtaken by its colors.

~~~

Celestia slowly opened her eyes. She recognized that she was on her bed and in her room. However, before she could take in her room, she felt pressure on her torso.

“Thank the stars!” Luna cried.

“Luna? I...” A tuft of Celestia’s pink mane fell in front of her face. “Oh...” She then realized Twilight and friends were looking at her. Twilight had a few tears in her eyes. “Oh.”

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight quivered, “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I... I should be the one saying that. Luna please let go, there is much we must discuss.”

“No,” Luna replied, “sister, I know better than anypony else what it’s like to be like that. You must understand what happened may have started with your own fears, but what you did while possessed by them was not fully in your control.”

“That doesn’t excuse either of our actions,” Celestia retorted. “I would be a hypocrite to hide behind that excuse when I’ve cautioned you against it.” She turned over to Twilight. “My faithful student, once more you have prevailed against the odds and saved the kingdom, despite the turmoil I have caused you.”

“We wouldn’t have been able to do it without Princess Luna and Luffy,” responded Twilight.

“Where is Straw Hat anyway?” Celestia asked. “He deserves my apology more than anyone else.”

“Um... well...” Twilight lit up her horn and from the floor emerged Luffy. He was sound asleep and had a slightly distended stomach. “He’s... Pinkie, how did you put it?”

“Food coma,” Pinkie replied in an uncharacteristically scientific tone. “I haven’t seen one like this since Applebuckin season four years ago.”

Applejack whistled at the mention of that event. “Shoot, we both must have slept for a whole day straight. Ah had hat hair for a week after that.”

“Anyway,” Twilight continued, “after last time, perhaps explanations would be best left to us.”

“Very well,” Celestia replied. “First, let me apologize once more for the harm I have done to all of you. Second, you deserve to know just how this nightmare came to be. For centuries now, my hopelessness over Luna’s banishment has slowly eaten away at me. When I became a Warlord, that hopeless mixed with hatred and festered in me.”

Celestia took a deep breath. “I thought when Luna returned, things would get better. I still had to listen to the World Government, but my services were not called upon except on one occasion.”

“What was that?” asked Twilight.

“The execution of the Pirate King.”

Luffy’s ears shot up and his eyes flared open. “Did someone mention Gold Roger?”

“Oh, you are awake,” Celestia commented. She bowed her head deeply. “Straw Hat, I have committed foul and terrible acts against you. Know that you have my eternal debt for not only saving my sister, but stopping my rampage.”

“Can I get meat?” Luffy happily asked.

“Oh...” Celestia frowned. “Understand, in Equestria cows are sentient creatures, slaying one for your nourishment would be practically equivalent to cannibalism. However...” Celestia’s horn lightly glowed and a plate with a large steak appeared out of nowhere. “Will this work?”

“Meat!” Luffy lunged at the food and bit off a large chunk of it. With a full mouth he said, “Tanks! You’re nof a ba—” He swished the meat around his mouth and slowly swallowed. “This isn’t real meat, is it?”

Celestia’s mouth dropped a little. “That is a highly advanced synthetic spell... unless you did a magical analysis of it, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

“I just know when meat isn’t meat. It’s still tasty though,” Luffy said with a smile. One bite later and the rest of the “meat” was gone. “So what were you saying about the Pirate King?”

“Yes, that.” Celestia took and breathed and continued her tale. “That day, all seven of the Warlords were gathered. It was more show than anything else. The World Government just did it for publicity... the Pirate King was an odd character to say the least. I don’t know what inspired him to do it, but he...”

“...turned himself in,” Luffy finished.

Celestia’s eyes widened a little. “How do you know that? No one outside of the Government and Roger’s cr— you met Rayleigh didn’t you?”

“Who?” Twilight asked.

“A member of the Roger’s crew. I met him when I was contemplating Roger’s execution. His death wasn’t disturbing as much as it was puzzling.”

“Puzzling?” Applejack pondered. “How is somepony passing puzzling? Was it a mystery or something?”

“No,” Celestia answered. “It was public, but it brought up more questions than just him turning himself in. When he died he proclaimed his treasure and in his dying breath and died with a smile on his face.”

“Ooh, I love that part of the story,” said Pinkie. “It’s sad, but also really neat. He wasn’t even scared of death.”

“I know, right?” Luffy said with a smile.

“Following his death, I was hastily making my way back to my ship when I was stopped by an odd man,” Celestia continued. “He simply took out a bit and gave it to me.”

“What’s so amazing about a bit?” asked Rarity. “Surely he didn’t think you were a beggar of some kind?”

“No... but the issue was that a majority of the world operates on a monetary standard called a berri.”

“Wouldn’t they rot?” asked Pinkie.

“No Pinkie,” Celestia explained. “A berri is much like a bit: a solid coin made of metal. However, the point here is he had a bit. There was only one way to obtain one and it would have been impossible... at least I thought.”

The gears clicked in Twilight’s head. “He was here, wasn’t he?”

“And completely undetected,” Celestia added. “I nearly incinerated Rayleigh there. However, he promised he’d taken nothing but the the old bit and few scraps of food. Rather, that he, Roger, and the rest of the crew only enjoyed Equestria and felt that it was no place for their kind.”

“Wow, so Shanks went here too,” Luffy mused.

“I’m not aware who this Shanks is, but if he was a part of Roger’s crew, then I don’t doubt him entering this land.” Celestia’s expression darkened. “I quickly returned to Equestria after that, more shaken by his words than comforted. Roger’s death didn’t help either. I silently cursed him for inspiring more adventurers to the sea. It just meant more troubles for me.”

“After that, Equestria was largely insulated from the world.” Celestia focused on Twilight again. “I helped raise you to discover the magic of friendship which helped curb my own disgust. You freed Luna when I could not and things were truly looking bright.”

Celestia frowned and looked down to the blankets. “Then Discord came back. With Luna, I had chosen not to fight her, but with Discord, I would have gone to the dying breath to defeat him... but you already know how that went.”

“Only the Elements can stop him,” Twilight whispered.

“And even then, just temporarily,” Celestia replied. “Seeing him run amuck and hurting ponies— hurting you and your friends— it made me feel so weak... and angry. I wanted power to defend my little ponies. Then when the changeling attack happened that only increased my desires.”

Celestia sighed deeply. “To add insult to injury, my Warlord duties were being called upon more. They were just briefings, but I still detested them. I was exposed to the worst crimes of humanity: rebellions, wars, cover-ups, and annihilations. It was not a pretty picture. Then, the dam broke when a Warlord was defeated by a certain pirate with a straw hat.”

“Ohh.” A look of recognition dawned on Luffy’s face. “You’re talking about when I kicked Crocodile’s butt.”

“Needless to say, you caused a mess for the Government,” Celestia said with a faint smile. “Back then, all I saw was disorder that imperiled Equestria. My worries only grew more with the chaos you caused... no offense.”

Luffy smiled back at her. “Eh, part of being a pirate.”

“However, while your actions caused significant distress to the government, they were nothing compared to the great storm that was coming.” Celestia lit up her horn and a stone flew out of a nearby wall, revealing a small vault, which also opened with Celestia’s magic. Out of it flew a small scroll. “This is the gravest threat Equestria has ever known.”

“What... what is it?” Fluttershy quivered from behind Rarity.

“War,” Celestia coldly answered. The room grew deathly silent.

“But... but I thought we were safe as long as you complied,” Twilight gasped.

“This is not war with Equestria,” replied Celestia. “No, this is a war that could shift the balance of the whole world. You see, in its ignorance, the World Government has decided to execute a commander of an old and powerful pirate crew. Their leader is monster, a relic of ages past that has survived to become one of the most powerful forces on the seas. Just hearing of his power gave me cause for alarm. This man... this legend is known as Whitebeard.”

A shiver ran through all the ponies in the room, as if the name itself carried weight. Applejack managed to get out a few words. “Ah’m not one for fancy government stuff, but why would ya want to make a thing like that angry?”

“To assert their power.” Celestia shook her head back and forth. “Like me, they feel strength is the only answer. By executing a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, they think it will show off their authority. They even know Whitebeard will come to save him... and I must fight him.”

“You can’t!” Twilight yelled, stunning the rest of the ponies. “Princess, you can’t. If you go you... you could get hurt or... or turn back into a monster again.”

“I must,” Celestia replied with a regal tone. “If I don’t, the my status as a Warlord is void and Equestria will be in shambles. Even on the off chance Whitebeard did win, that might be even worse. Then, this island would lose its protection. It was a no-win scenario and it caused me much turmoil. In fact, combined with my century of worry, it was enough to release Discord again and for him to corrupt me.”

“That snake,” Luna cursed. She then saw the blank stares everypony else was giving her. “Twilight Sparkle, tell me, when you fought Discord, did he come into contact with you?”

“No... but he made everypony else act strange and... horrible.” Twilight shivered at the memory.

“He made me think everypony was laughing at me!” said Pinkie.

“He made me think the only way to keep everypony together was to lie,” snorted Applejack.

“He made me think a...” Rarity scrunched her eyes in frustration, “... a rock was more important than my friends.”

“He just touched my head,” said Fluttershy quietly.

“It’s his most vile magic,” explained Celestia. “It brings out the worst in a pony and gives their negative emotions dominance... for normal ponies at least. For Luna and me, it gets much worse. Our emotions slowly poison us until we reach a breaking point and become monsters no better than Discord himself.”

“And unlike other ponies, even when we’re freed, there is always a risk of relapse,” Luna continued. “It’s easier to deal with once you’ve been cleansed, but the corruption is always there, like a whisper in the back of your mind.”

Celestia pushed herself up and revealed more of her smaller form. “The physical toll of being cleansed is also heavy on us. It took Luna six months to recover from her ordeal. It will be shorter for me, but I’ll still need rest.”

“But... but what about the war?” Fluttershy nervously asked.

“The execution is not for fortnight. That will give me time to heal.” Celestia looked out the window and noted that smoking ruins of Luna’s room. “And help rebuild.”

“I just have a question,” said Luffy, his voice not so jumpy anymore. “You said a commander from Whitebeard’s crew was gonna be executed... who is it?”

“A pirate known as Portgas D. Ace.”

Luffy’s eyes turned into pinpricks. “He’s my brother.”

“What?!” Everypony else in the room screamed.

Celetia rested a hoof on her head. “What sort of family do you have? It would have been enough for you to have caused the World Government trouble on your own, but now it’s your brother that’s at the center of the war? Such coincidences are far and few in this world.”

“We’ve gotta stop them!” Luffy yelled. “I won’t let them kill Ace!”

“This is the World Government at full force here Straw Hat,” Celestia yelled back. “Your escapade at Enies Lobby will be nothing compared to this. Even now Ace is... is...” Celestia’s eyes went wide as dinner plates. “There is one way.”

“Tell me!” Luffy snorted.

“Ace is being held in Tartarus right now,” explained Celestia. “I can get us in there and then stage a jailbreak.”

“You’d do that?” Luffy nervously asked.

“It’s the least I can do,” Celestia solemnly answered.

“Sister,” Luna spoke up. “Let me go instead. If what you’ve told me about Tartarus is true, then the risk is too high.”

“Luna,” Celestia calmly replied, “you are not taking your emotions into account. Besides, I spared you the worst news about Tartarus and made it seem like a storybook dungeon.” Her eyes flickered over to Luffy. “Straw Hat is a strong individual with no true ties to Equestria. His interference wouldn’t nullify my agreement. Given his involvement at Enies Lobby, it wouldn’t be a hard to assume that he’d snuck into Tartarus using knowledge he gained from there. It is not something I wish on anyone, but this may be the only way to avoid war and save countless lives.”

“I understand, but...” Luna’s eyes went over to Luffy. “He’ll be safe, right?”

“As safe as I can keep him for you,” Celestia replied. A small smile crossed her face. “I wouldn’t want your coltfriend to get hurt.”

“What?” Luna yelled at full Canterlot Voice levels, shaking the room a bit. Her form turned pure red before she collapsed on the bed, her eyes spinning in circles.

“Oh dear,” Celestia mused, “she’s much worse than I thought.”

“Ugh, why does she keep being so loud?” Luffy complained.

Celestia blinked at this. “You don’t know? But I thought...” A revelation dawned on Celestia. “You haven’t had proper haki training, have you?”

“Um... how did we get to talking about sports?” asked Pinkie.

“Not hockey, Pinkie,” Celestia corrected. “Haki. It’s a force that few creatures can use... in fact, you use it quite often.”

“I don’t make my voice super loud,” replied Pinkie.

“But as my faithful student has told me, you can predict certain actions.”

“Silly, that’s my Pinkie sense, not haki or whatever,” Pinkie giggled.

“It’s a variant of haki,” said Celestia. “If ponies knew how to fully train haki, I fear some would use it for ill deeds. That and finding natural users of it is incredibly rare.” Celestia’s eyes fell over the ponies. “That’s why I’m impressed that some of you can manifest the three different forms of it.”

“What? Who?” asked Applejack. “Ah mean, Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever done anything too strange.”

“Except run a farm from a young age. Even with assistance, that requires massive stamina,” explained Celestia. Her eyes passed over the Rarity and Twilight. “Incredible levels of magic from a young age and unique spells to find gems are not just rare gifts, they’re natural ones. However, I think the two most profound examples of haki users are our two pegasi friends.”

“M-me?” shook Fluttershy.

“Yes,” answered Celestia. “Make no mistake, Rainbow Dash’s ability to maintain high speeds is incredible, but her performance of a Sonic Rainboom would be impossible without haki augmentation. Pegasi wings would normally snap at the pressure Rainbow Dash exerted on herself. You, however, have an even greater skill.”

“I... I... what?” Fluttershy stumbled.

“At the Gala, you probably didn’t notice it, but I did, you caused quite a few ponies to pass out.”

“I... oh...” Fluttershy shuffled her hooves around awkwardly.

“It is fine,” Celestia continued. “However, from what I’ve heard from Twilight, you’ve done a similar thing before. How else would such a gentle mare keep so many rowdy animals in line? Fluttershy, you not only have haki, you’re a proficient user of the rarest type: King’s haki.”

“Fluttershy?!” All her friends said and turned to her. Fluttershy just shrunk into herself.

“Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous, especially since you’ve mastered it,” Celestia explained. “Even Luna slips up here and there... then again, her haki practically pours out of her. Then there is Straw Hat who is... asleep.”

Indeed, Luffy had fallen asleep and had actually been slumbering since Celestia started mentioning haki.

“I should have known that would happen,” sighed Celestia.

A/N: Oh look Luffy fell asleep after an epic battle... I wonder what that means.

Set Adrift: I NEED A LADY!

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“Hmm hmmm hm hm hmmm,” Rarity hummed. In front of her rested multiple needles, multi-hued threads, and large rolls of cloth. Dozens of gems glinted with magic above her, listing in her telekinetic bubble. She bent down and stitched a ruby onto the dress she was designing. “Ooh, this will look fabulous!”

She looked up from the dress and at the jewels floating around her. “Now what will compliment the ruby?” A green stone zoomed over to her. “Emerald? No.” A black stone replaced the emerald. “Obsidian? Dreadful!” A blue stone now rested in front of Rarity. “Sapphire? No, no, no!” All the stones lost their glimmer and fell to the worktable.

“This is horrible!” Rarity melodramatically screeched. “Why can’t I just get some proper diamonds to... to...” Rarity’s eyes widened and lit up with delight and she happily clopped her hooves together. “Of course! Diamonds!” Her horn lit up and all the stones floated into the air again. “They’ll go pe—” Rarity’s mouth became taught, her pupils became pinpricks, and her whole body shuddered. “Where are my diamonds!?”

The stones fell again, this time clattering to the floor. Rarity ignored the mess she’d just made and rushed over to the chest where she kept her reserves of stones. She flung it open and started haphazardly chucking stones out of it. “It’s got to be in here somewhere! One! Just one diamond!”

She raked her hooves around the now-empty bottom of the chest before raising the chest with her hooves and shaking it and then throwing it in vain. “This is unacceptable! It is the worst possible th—”

“Rarity?” came a voice from the stairs. Sweetie Belle looked down at the scene in front of her. Jewels were scattered all across the bottom floor of the Boutique, the chest had knocked over a line of mannequins, and Rarity herself looked liked she’d just fought a manticore. “Um... so is this what it’s like when I make a mess?”

“Sweetie, you must understand,” Rarity said, attempting to cover up the flurry she’d unleashed. “This is not just a mess, this is a disaster brought about by a tragedy!”

Sweetie slowly walked down the steps, knocking down a few stray gems as she did. “What kind of tragedy?” Her eyes widened with fear and sadness. “Did something bad happen? Are you sick? Is there another threat to Equestria?”

“Yes Sweetie,” Rarity replied. She grabbed a brush with her magic and floated it over to her mane to straighten it out. “There is a grave threat and I have an incredibly important task for you.”

The worry in Sweetie’s eyes turned to excitement. “Really?”

“Yes, I need you to watch the store and help clean up some of this mess. I have an emergency diamond run to go on.” Rarity turned to leave, but added, “Maybe you’ll earn you cutie mark.”

Before Sweetie could say anything to her sister, Rarity galloped out the door. Sweetie looked down at the mess and yelled, “I don’t want a cutie mark for cleaning!”

I’ll just run over to the jewel fields... hopefully those ruffian dogs won’t be there this time, Rarity thought. Ponyville blurred around her, ponies and building melded together into a pallet of color.

Suddenly, out of the blur emerged a cyan pegasus. Rainbow Dash’s prismatic mane trailed along with the wind while she drew closer to Rarity. “Whoa Rarity, never thought I’d see you galloping this fast. You finally realize running is fun?”

“Not now Rainbow,” Rarity huffed, “I’m on an emergency mission right now!”

“An emergency?” Dash’ brow furrowed in slight worry. “Do you need me to get everypony else?”

“Do we need to fight a monster?” The worry on Dash's face turned to excitement as a grin appeared on her lips. Dash playfully punched the air in front of her. “We can take it!”

“No Rainbow,” Rarity replied between heavy breaths. “It’s even worse than that! I ran out of diamonds!”

Dash’s wings stopped in shock and she rolled into the dirt. She picked herself up and coughed some dust out of her mouth. Rarity was still running away from her. “Rarity! You crazy mare!”

Dash took off in a fit towards some nearby clouds. “I’m taking a darn nap!”

~~~

“Finally,” Rarity huffed. In front of her were the jewel fields. Small common gems poked out of the earth here and there,but Rarity knew the greatest spoils of the fields were tucked underground. She paused a moment to catch her breath and a strand of her purple mane fell in front of her face. “Oh, now I’ll need to redo my mane as well.”

Had she not been so focussed on obtaining her diamonds, Rarity would have noticed that aside from her mane going off in multiple directions, her coat was covered in dust, her hooves were encrusted by mud, and her neck was drenched in sweat. She looked more like she belonged at Sweet Apple Acres than the Boutique.

However, her attention was on the field in front of her. She trotted forward, her horn alight with her gem-finding spell. “Oh, why do diamonds always have to be so—”

Rarity froze when she saw a large hole ahead of her. Acting on instinct, she jumped and hid in a nearby bush. Oh no! It’s those dreadful dogs again! Maybe I should have gotten Rainbow to come along.

Thus, Rarity sat in silence in the bush, waiting for the dogs to either come out of the hole or back to it. Slowly, the sun dragged across the sky. “Where are they?” Rarity wondered. Surely they’d have...

Something sparkled over near the hole. Rarity squinted her eyes and saw a nice bright diamond on the edge of the hole. With her trained eyes, Rarity could clearly make out that the diamond was one of exquisite quality. Although still rough, it had already been molded almost perfectly by the earth. As the sun’s rays reflected off it, the white diamond created a dazzling array of light.

“It’s perfect!” Rarity swooned. Her left leg stepped out of the bush, but she stopped her other legs from following. “Okay Rarity, you just need to rush over, grab the diamond, and get out of here. It’ll just be like those spy novels.”

Images of a streamlined stallion in tight camouflage flashed through Rarity’s mind. However, she thumped herself on the head to knock the images away. “Focus Rarity!”

She took a deep breath and darted out of the bushes straight at the diamond. She latched onto it with her magic and held it aloft in victory. “Oh, it’s even better up—”

“Ugh,” came a voice from within the hole. Close up now, Rarity could see she wasn’t standing on the edge of a hole, but rather a crater. Right in the center of it was a powder blue unicorn with a light blond mane split by his horn so that part of it covered his left eye. He was dressed in a suit that, had it not been dirtied, would have looked quite nice.

“Good heavens!” Rarity cried, dropping the diamond and rushing down to the pony. Up close she now saw he was covered in various bruises, cuts, and dried blood. She also took note of the rather odd swirly eyebrow he had.

The pony’s right eye inched open for a second before shutting again. His whole form went limp.

Without saying a word, Rarity picked the pony up with her magic and laid him on her back. She kept him secure with his magic and then took off back to Ponyville at even faster speeds than she’d left it.

~~~

The first thing he realized was that the hard earth he’d crashed into had been replaced with an incredibly soft fabric. He slowly opened his eye and saw his head was on a pillow and his body was covered with a quilt of some sort. Where am I?

His eye moved away from the bed and to the walls of the room, which were a light purple color with the bottom half covered in a darker purple criss-cross pattern. Various sketches of dresses dotted the wall. A clothing store?

His eye wandered away from the sketches and to an odd figure in the room. It was a mannequin of some kind, but it looked like it was designed for a horse rather than a human. Odd... but given the daintiness of this place...

A thin smile crept across his face. I’ve been rescued by a lady of sophistication!

He moved to get up, but winced when his leg bent differently than he wanted it too. “Ow! Damn, that fight must have taken a lot out of me.”

He fell back on the bed as the pain abated and looked at the canopy above him. If I lived, then maybe everyone else is okay too.

Relieved that his friends were probably okay but scattered, he decided to see if whoever had saved him was still here. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

~~~

Downstairs, Rarity stirred some soup around with an enchanted ladle. She also floated a knife above some greens and quickly chopped them up. She took note that the water in a pot by the soup was boiling. She placed the knife on the cutting board before lifting up the boiling water and putting it in a cup with a tea bag in it. Tea steeping, she went back to work on the salad. She collected all the chopped greens, placed them in a bowl, added some vinaigrette, and mixed it with her magic.

Well, it’s not exactly proper medicine, but I’m sure he’ll be hungry when he gets up, thought Rarity. Thank goodness they teach basic first aid to everypony in magic kindergarten.

She disengaged her magic and went back to stirring the soup.Twilight said she’d come as soon as she got back from Canterlot. Thank the stars Spike was able to send that letter.

Her mind went back to the unconscious stallion upstairs. What in Equestria could have happened to him? Was he attacked by the dogs?

Rarity used the ladle to pour some of the soup into a bowl. That doesn’t explain the crater though... or his cutie mark. Why woul—

“Hello? Is anyone there?” came a voice from upstairs.

He’s up! Rarity instantly lit up her horn and gathered all parts of the meal onto a serving tray. She quickly rushed up the stairs with the food levitating behind her. However, once on the second floor, she paused in front of her bedroom door. Mustn’t rush, don’t want to frighten him. Best to talk to him before I go in.

“Sir? Are you up?” she asked.

On the other side of the door, the pony nearly jumped with joy. The voice of a muse... oh crap, maybe I did die. “Yes, I’m up. I’m assuming you’re the one that found me?”

“Oh yes,” Rarity replied outside, “you looked absolutely dreadful. I rushed you back here and gave you some first aid.” Rarity paused for a second before nervously asking, “if you don’t mind, what exactly happened to you?”

“That? Well...” The pony looked to the canopy again. Probably shouldn’t tell her I’m a pirate. “It's a long story but basically I was fighting a cheeky bear monster.”

“What?” Rarity practically screamed. “Why in Equestria would a chef be fighting a bear?”

“Well it—” The pony’s eye widened a little. “How did you know I was a chef?”

“Oh...” Rarity looked down at the ground in embarrassment. “Forgive me for prying, I just assumed your mark meant you were a chef.”

Mark? Ohhh, I get it. The pony chuckled a little. Of course such an elegant mademoiselle would be able to tell I’m a chef. “I’m impressed, usually I have to introduce myself before someone figures out I’m a chef. By the way, may I ask my savior’s name?”

“Rarity,” she replied, smiling a little. There’s so much respect in his voice. Oooh, maybe he works at a fancy restaurant!

The pony’s eye was starting to turn into a comedic heart. “I’m Sanji, the pleasure is all mine lady Rarity,” he exclaimed.

Rarity blushed a little. “Why thank you... I’ve got some food here for you. Given your talent, it probably won’t be much, just something to pick you up. I’ve also called a friend of mine to come over, but given what a well-built stallion you seem to be, I’m sure she’ll just be here as a formality.”

She thinks I’m like a stallion! A small dribble of blood fell out of the Sanji’’s nose. Nami, Robin, I’m sorry! I’ve died and gone to heaven!

He was broken out of his revery by Rarity’s voice. “May I come in?”

“Of course!” Sanji happily replied. Rarity turned the doorknob with her magic. “I’d love to finally put a face to your beautiful vo—”

Rarity trotted into the room. However, the smile on her face quickly fell away when she noticed that Sanji was staring at her like she was Nightmare Moon. “Is something wrong?”

“What?” Sanji rasped.

Rarity set the food down and rushed over to her bed. “Are you hurt? Ooh, I’m so sorry! I’ve never been good at first aid. Just tell me what’s wrong and I’ll try to help you until Twilight gets here.”

“W-what?” Sanji repeated. His eye went even wider than it had been when he saw the strange unicorn’s horn light up. “S-stay away!”

“Now don’t worry,” Rarity replied. “This is just a simple pain relief spell. It’s very short term, but it will help a little.”

“No!” Sanji screamed. He jabbed a hoof at Rarity. “What have you done with Rarity?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at this. “I beg your pardon?”

“The girl I was just talking to! The one whose voice you st—” His pupils turned to pinpricks when he saw his hoof. “Ahh!”

“What?” Rarity asked with alarm.

“My hands! What did you do with them?!”

It was Rarity’s turn to say, “What?”

Sanji backed away and tumbled out of bed. He scampered to his hooves, causing color to drain from his face. “What the hell?! My legs too? What did that bear bastard do to me?!”

“Language sir,” Rarity chided. “Honestly, I’m glad I sent my sister off. What if she’d heard you?”

“Not important right now,” Sanji snapped, completely losing the charming act. He reflexively jabbed out a hoof at Rarity. “First off, where’s Rarity? Second, why do I have hooves?”

Instead of being offended, Rarity nervously bit her lip. “Oh dear, you must have hit your head. Look, my friend will be here soon and she knows a memory restoration spell that’ll fix you right up. So just calm down and we’ll sort this all out.”

At the mention of spells, Sanji backed further away. “You’re not pulling any demonic spells on me! Now what have you done with Rarity?”

He’s delirious, and he seemed so nice before. Rarity frowned a little. “Sir Sanji, I am Rarity and I assure neither my nor my friend’s spells are ‘demonic’ at all.”

Sanji’s face drained of any remaining color. His whole frame violently shook. Finally, a broken smile appeared on his face. “N-no,” he quivered, speaking more to himself rather than Rarity. “I... I was talking to a girl. She had a nice voice that could have only belonged to fine mademoiselle.”

“Well...” Rarity nervously eyed Sanji. “That’s a nice complement?”

“No!” Sanji screamed. “Rarity was a girl! You are a horse! Girls have nice voices! Girls have curves! You. Do. Not!”

Rarity stood frozen for a second, before tears started streaming down her face. “I... I try to keep my looks good. Maybe I’m not like those model ponies in Canterlot, but I try! This is what I get for being generous!” Rarity broke down into sobs and darted out the door, leaving a completely befuddled pony behind.

Sanji stood still for a moment taking in the scene he’d just caused. He instinctively reached for the spot where he kept his cigarettes but only found blue fur and a strange mark of a knife and a fork crossed over each other. He turned up to the sky and screamed, “What the hell is going on?!”

Meanwhile, Rarity rushed down the stairs. She had no goal in mind, she just want to get away from the horrible pony upstairs. How could he? I was just taking care of him and— Rarity smacked right into a purple unicorn, causing them both crashing to the ground.

“Rarity! Oh my goodness!” exclaimed Twilight. Picking herself up, she rushed over and help Rarity to her hooves as well. “I came as soon as I landed... have you been crying?”

Rarity fell into her friend’s shoulder and let out a string of sniffles and cries. “Twilight, it’s terrible! He seemed so nice and sophisticated and then he... he...” She devolved back into sobs.

Twilight patted Rarity on the back. “What happened? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“He might as well have,” replied Rarity. “He said I had no curves!”

Twilight stopped patting Rarity’s back and gave her friend a deadpan look. “What?”

“I couldn’t believe it either,” Rarity continued to sob. “But those were the words right out of his mouth!”

Twilight pushed Rarity off and shook her head to make sure this conversation was actually happening. “Okay, you’re gonna need to start from the beginning. What happened after you sent that letter?”

Rarity sniffled and took a deep breath before speaking again. “After I sent the letter, I grabbed some food supplies at the market. I thought he’d need some food after waking up. I came back, made his food, and while I was cooking, he woke up. I talked to him a little before walking into the room. He sounded like such a gentlecolt.”

“And then what happened?”

“Well, I walked in and he turned white as a sheet. He ranted that I’d stolen my own voice and then started screaming about his hooves. I tried to calm him down but he just...” Rarity scowled. “He just acted like a big brute!”

“Anything else?”

“Well, he did mention fighting some horrible monster.”

Twilight closed her eyes in satisfaction. “Ah, that explains things.”

“It does?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied. She trotted over to the stairs and started walking up them. “Most likely he got hit in the head, causing severe trauma to his brain. It probably messed up the part of the brain that controls his eyesight.” Twilight paused on her accent and tapped her chin. “I’m not leaving memory loss out either. I’m sure anything he said was just due to shock.”

“Really?” Rarity asked from behind Twilight.

“Why don’t we find out?” Twilight finished climbing the stairs and proceeded over to the bedroom. However, she stopped short of it and stayed away from the door. She turned and looked back at Rarity. “Okay, we don’t want to upset him, so lets talk with him first.”

Back in the bedroom, Sanji and stumbled over to a mirror. He was taking in his form and gawking at it. Okay... why am I a horse too? He raised up a hoof and smacked his muzzle with it. “It’s not an illusion, otherwise I’d have hit nothing.”

The image of a hand with a paw on it flashed in his head. “Don’t tell me that bear bastard had another ability or maybe it was that horse thing.” He sighed, reached for his pocket again, and lamented that he no longer had any. “Man, I really need a sm—”

“Hello?” came a voice from the hall outside of the bedroom. It wasn’t Rarity’s voice, but to Sanji it was still quite lyrical.

Oh thank the heavens, a woman to console me in this time! He then looked down at his form. Crap, what sort of woman likes a horse?

“Are you okay in there?” asked the voice.

“I’m deeply sorry, my dear,” Sanji eloquently replied, “but unfortunately, no.”

Hmm, Rarity was right, he does seem quite refined, thought Twilight.

“Some cheeky monster has transformed me into some horrible horse beast and worse yet, it stole fair Rarity’s voice!” Sanji cried a few comedic tears at the last clause of his sentence. “It even threatened me with spells!”

Twilight sighed. And there goes my previous thought.

“I was trying to help!” Rarity shouted at him.

“You’re still here?!” Sanji galloped, with quite a few tumbles, over to the door. He rushed out of the bedroom and locked onto Rarity. “Alright you horse monster! I’m gonna kick your ass for threatening another fine...” He noticed Twilight standing next to her. “... lady.”

“Now lets just all stay calm,” said Twilight. “Nopony wants to get hurt here.”

“W-what?” Sanji deadpanned.

“Look, you’re hurt and we just want to help,” Twilight explained. “We think you have some brain trauma, so I’m gonna need to give you a quick scan.”

“Where... where’s the girl?” Sanji stuttered.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What girl?”

Sanji pointed a hoof at her. “The girl whose voice you stole!” He shifted his hoof over to Rarity. “You too! Where are the fair maidens you’ve captured?”

“Sir,” Twilight said in the calmest voice she could muster. “I assure you, we’ve done nothing to anypony else. Rarity here has been taking care of you and I came to provide assistance.”

Sanji stood frozen as he took the information in. Then he spoke in a small shaking voice that reminded the two mares of Fluttershy a little. “W-what am I?”

“A pony,” Twilight nervously answered.

“Is... is everyone on this island a pony?” Sweat started dripping from Sanji’s face.

“Well, Equestria isn’t an island, but yes, everypony is, well, a pony,” Twilight explained.

The sweat was now rapidly pouring down Sanji’s face and his eye was twitching. “E-even the girls?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied, taking note of Sanji’s declining demeanor. “If this is causing you distress we ca—”

Twilight was interrupted by Sanji breaking down into tears and bawling like a foal. He flailed his hooves at the ground and wailed in sorrow. Watching a grown stallion have a complete breakdown, all Twilight could say was, “Um...”

Rarity, however, trotted forward and placed a hoof and Sanji’s back. “Surely whatever happened to you can’t be this bad?”

“It is!” Sanji sobbed. Then he noticed who was comforting him. “Oh, Rarity, forgive me! I didn’t know you’d been cursed!”

Rarity stopped comforting him. “What?”

“This island,” Sanji cried, “it must be cursed to turn whoever enters it into a horse.” His eye went over to Twilight. “What a cruel fate for such innocent girls to suffer!” He then buried himself in Rarity’s shoulder.

Rarity gave Sanji another pat on the back before looking over to Twilight. “Twilight dear, I think he’s gone into shock.”

In response, Twilight lit up her horn. “I hear ya.”

A purple aura encased Sanji’s head for a moment. His eye drooped heavily. “Huh?” He then collapsed onto Rarity.

~~~

With one skillful flick of his wrist, Sanji sent the jambalaya he’d been cooking onto nine separate plates. He ensured that two of the plates he was using were of a much higher quality than the others.

He quickly picked up eight of plates, leaving one for himself in the kitchen. Meal in tow, he balanced all of them out onto the deck of the Sunny. “Lunch time!”

Out of nowhere, a monkey in a straw hat jumped onto Sanji’s shoulder and snatched up one of the nicer plates. “Thanks Sanji! This looks great! Shishishi!”

Sanji’s eye went wide in shock. “Luffy?! What the hell? Why are you a monkey?!”

An owl with a rather long beak then landed on Sanji’s other shoulder. “Geez man, what’s wrong with you?”

“Ussop?! Why are you a bird?” Sanji screamed.

A tiger with green and black stripes walked over and bared its fangs at Sanji. “Oi, stop screaming like woman.”

“Shut up moss-head!” Sanji replied. “Now will somebody tell me why you’re all animals?”

“We’ve always been!” A large blue gorilla jumped up from the side of the ship and onto the deck. It flipped its sunglasses up and gave Sanji a confused look. “You okay bro? You’re not looking super.”

Sanji raised a hand, causing the food to crash to ground. “Hey, I was gonna eat that,” complained the monkey-Luffy.

“Okay,” Sanji huffed, “Luffy and Franky I can understand, by why are the rest of you like this?”

“Like what?” said a skeletal dog with a large afro. “Sanji, I think you need to calm down or you’ll die of fright! Yo ho ho!”

“Not now Brook!” Sanji hissed. “Something is wrong! You’ve all become animals and you don’t even realize it!”

A teenage boy wearing a pink top hat excitedly ran over. “I’m not an animal!”

“Chopper?” Sanji’s eye went wide in fear again. “Oh no, if you’re all switched around then...” He dropped the remaining plates he had and sprinted across the ship. “Nami! Robin!”

“What are you yelling about?” came Nami’s voice. Sanji froze and turned around. Behind him were two reclining chairs. He could make out Nami’s orange hair in one and Robin’s in the other.

Sanji joyfully rushed over to the two women. He placed a hand on Nami’s “Oh thank god, when I saw the others I...” He was looking down at a peach colored horse with an orange mane. “N-no...”

“Sanji, you okay?” asked the horse-Nami. “You don’t look well.”

“Perhaps he caught something at the last island,” said Robin.

Sanji spun around and was met with another horse. This one was purple with a black mane and a horn. “No, oh god no!”

“Chopper!” Nami called out. “Can you get over here? I think Sanji’s sick.”

“No!” Sanji screamed. “I’m not sick! You are!” He jabbed a hoof at them. He gasped in horror,tumbled back, and somehow managed to fall off the boat and into the sea. He flailed around, but he couldn’t swim with hooves. Above him,, the animals the rest of his crew had become looked down with crooked grins. Just before the waves washed over him, he screamed.

~~~

“Waaaahhh!” Sanji yelled. He sat up from the bed he’d been sleeping up and breathed heavily. “Oh, it was just a...” He realized Rarity was giving him a concerned look. He fell back on the bed with a fwump. “Crap.”

“I knew Twilight shouldn’t have used that sleeping spell on you,” said Rarity. Sanji’s mouth dropped when he saw her horn light up with a blue aura and a wet cloth floated over to his head. “You sounded like you were having a terrible nightmare. I tried to wake you up, but when you started kicking, well...” Her eyes drifted over to a corner of the bed.

Sanji looked over at the corner and saw that one of the beams holding up the canopy had been obliterated. The beam in question was now on the other side of the room, resting under a large dent in the wall. “Oh.”

“It’s quite fine,” replied Rarity. “I wanted to redo the room soon anyway. Right now though, we’re more concerned about you. You sound like you’ve been through something horrible... does it have something to do with a ‘Nami’ or a ‘Robin’? You kept muttering them in your sleep.”

“They’re friends,” Sanji explained. He pushed himself up. “I need to be going.”

“Going where?” Rarity wondered.

“Back to my ship.” Sanji’s eye traced over Rarity. “This place if far too cruel.”

Rarity corked her head a little. “I don’t quite follow.”

Sanji comically sniffled a little. “Oh fair Rarity, to not even know you’ve been cursed! Such a fine and sophisticated woman trapped in the body of a horse. It’s too tragic,” Sanji whimpered.

“Pony,” Rarity corrected. “And I still don’t quite follow. I’m not ‘trapped’ in this body, I was born a pony like, well, everypony. Still, thank you for the complement.” Rarity leaned a little closer. “Aside from the delirium, you seem like a nice stallion.”

“Oh,” Sanji smiled a little. “So everypony is born this way. Well, I’m glad that got cleared up.” Before Rarity could even sigh in relief, Sanji bolted out of the bed and ran straight out of the room. Unfortunately, this meant running into the rest of Rarity’s friends.

“Whoa!” yelled Dash.

“Eep!” squeaked Fluttershy.

“What in tarnation?” said Applejack

“Rarity!” said Twilight. “I thought we were going to take this slowly!”

"Oooh!” said Pinkie Pie with a smile. “Are we playing a game?

Sanji stared at the mares he’d run into for a second before running even faster away from them. In seconds, he was out the door and speeding down Ponyville’s streets.

“Stop him!” Rarity called out. “He’ll hurt himself!”

Outside, Sanji’s heart was racing faster and faster. All around him, ponies with sweet girl voices stared at him and asked what he was doing. He ran faster. Behind him, he heard the voices of the ponies he’d seen in Rarity’s house.

“Geez, he’s fast,” said Dash.

“So we’re playing tag then?” asked Pinkie.

“Knew Ah should’a brought ma rope,” said Applejack.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,” exclaimed Fluttershy.

“Sir Sanji, please wait!” yelled Rarity at the head of the group with Twilight following close behind. “We just want to help you!”

“Ahhhh!” Sanji gasped for breath as he heard the words of a concerned maiden coming from the muzzle of an animal. Running from them, he thought back to Nami and Robin again.

Dear Nami and Robin, I hope you’re safe. As for me, fate has thrust me into the darkest pits of despair!

A/N: There was a part of me that really debated saving this one for last. Then I thought, "Too funny."

Set Adrift: Rumble

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Fluttershy took a slice of bread from her saddlebag and tore it into tiny bits with her wings before flinging the pieces into the lake she was standing by. She smiled as she watched a school of fish of various sizes and colors swim up and hastily devour the bread. “There, there. I hope you all like it. Pinkie and I worked extra hard to make that bread super nutritious. Winter’s coming up you know and it’s almost impossible to get you all food when the lake freezes over.”

The fish just happily partook of their meal and then darted off to other parts of the lake. “Oh... please don’t swim too fast,” Fluttershy murmured. Unfortunately, the fish didn’t seem to listen and quickly left. Fluttershy looked out at the lake and sighed.

She looked down at the water near her hooves. “The water makes it so hard for them to hear me. Oh, some days it just makes me want to...” Acting on impulse, Fluttershy raised her front hooves and prepared to strike a blow to the lake. Her hooves raced down... and produced two small ripples. The water didn’t even splash.

To Fluttershy’s horror, a frog jumped out of some nearby reeds and croaked at her. Fluttershy bent down and looked at the frog with eyes on the verge of tears. “Oh no, no, no! I’m so sorry Mr. Frog! I... I just lost my temper and I—”

The frog interrupted her with another croak and rolled its eyes.

“W-what?”

The frog croaked again.

“I... I didn’t disturb you? Oh thank goodness! I’d never want to upset a little guy like you... I have some food, would you like that?”

The frog croaked once more.

“Oh, you already ate? Well, I guess I’ll just be on my way then. I’ve got some other animals t—”

The frog let out a chorus of ribbits and looked at the sky with eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Fluttershy’s eyes mimicked the frog’s and she rapidly spun around and looked up. “Mr. Frog, w-what are you talking a-about? T-there’s nothing in the sk—”

The sound of snapping wood filled the air. Whitetail Woods was normally a peaceful place, a stark contrast to the Everfree Forest. Occasionally, one of the forest’s nastier residents would enter the woods, but nothing that made this much noise. That many tree branches snapping at the same time meant whatever was breaking them was big and they were breaking very fast, meaning the creature was also very agile.

“Oh no! Oh no!” Fluttershy quickly turned back to the frog, only to find that it had already fled. The sound was getting closer. “I... I’ve got to hide!”

Fluttershy’s eyes darted around and locked in on the nearby reeds. She dashed into them and pressed herself into the water and the mud below it. Her whole body shivered waiting for whatever creature was about to appear. Please don’t be a dragon! Please don’t be a dragon!

The sound of branches snapping grew to a roar when a giant translucent paw zoomed over the forest, knocking over the tips of a few trees. It zoomed over the lake and then disappeared off into the horizon.

It wasn’t until birds began chirping and other ambient noises returned to the forest that Fluttershy emerged from her hiding spot. She was covered head to hoof in mud and a few reeds were sticking out of her mane. She looked down at her messy form and sighed, “Oh, Rarity will be so mad if she sees me like this.” She turned her head up and looked at where a few trees had been broken. “What was that?”

~~~

“I’m bored,” complained a rotund brown dragon. He bit off a piece of a ruby and then chucked the now-deformed gem into a large pile of other stones.

“Shut up Quake,” hissed a nearby red dragon. “I’m bored too, but you complaining about being bored doesn’t help.”

“But Garble,” Quake continued, “we’ve been watching these gems for hours nothing has shown up. Bet those stupid dogs finally realized not to mess with us.”

Garble got up and gave Quake a stiff punch in the arm. “That’s just what Boil was thinking when he fell asleep at the job and got his part of the hoard stolen. There’s a reason he’s now just a skinny loser.” His eyes went down to Quake’s gut. “You could probably deal with being a little thinner.”

“Hey!” Quake bared his sharp teeth at Garble. “This is all muscle!”

“Really?” Garble joked, backing away and assuming a pouncing stance. “You said you were bored, right? Then why don’t I beat the snot out of you for some entertainment?”

Quake also got ready to pounce and growled, “Couldn’t have said it better myse—” His eyes lost their aggressiveness and his form slacked. He raised up a claw and pointed to the sky. “Um, Garble, what’s that?”

“Ha!” Garble sneered. “You know how old that trick is? It’s old just to call you out on i—”

Quake didn’t listen and instead darted for a nearby rock.

This just made Garble chuckle. “This is too rich! Aw, when I tell the other dragons about this, you’ll be a bigger joke than that stupid little wannabe dr— ”

Garble was interrupted by his hoard exploding. Gems went flying everywhere. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of diamond dogs emerged in the chaos and started catching the gems or picking them up from the ground.

“Hurry!” one of the dogs yelled. “While dumb lizard is distracted!”

“Lizard?!” Garble roared. He spat out a jet of flame straight at the dogs, but they were too nimble and easily dodged. With gems still falling and smoke now rising from Garble’s fire, the dogs slipped away with a hefty amount of gems that they’d quickly stuffed in their bags.

Just before escaping, one of the dogs spotted an odd shaped gem in the smoke. He reached out and grabbed it. The gem was definitely a strange one: part of it was hard yet velvety, but the rest of it felt very soft and plush. The diamond dog didn’t care; a gem was a gem and that was what mattered. He caught up with his brothers and fled beneath the earth.

Garble swatted the smoke away only to belch out more fire when he saw what had become of the hoard. Very few whole gems were left, most were shattered or missing. In the center of where the hoard had been, there was now just a large paw print.

~~~

“Good haul,” said a lanky diamond dog.

“Yes, very good,” said another dog. This one was very short and slightly rotund. He raised up its bag and put it on a table-like stone in the middle of a large cavern. “Stupid big lizards!”

A large third dog also raised up his bag and put it on the stone. “What was boom? We didn’t plan boom.”

“Who cares?” the short dog chuckled. He quickly undid the knot on his bag and looked over the gem, then he moved onto the lanky dog’s bag. “I like boom. We should get it!” He then moved over to the large dog’s bag and spoke as it undid the bag’s knot. “We could steal even more ge—”

A pair of large eyes stared back at the small diamond dog. They belonged to a small creature with a pair of horns. The dog paused and looked over the creature’s form. It somewhat looked like a diamond dog, but it’s limbs were more even with it’s torso and ended with cloven hooves. It also had a strange hat atop its head. The dog’s eyes narrowed. “This not gem.”

“Ahhhh!” The creature screamed. Its body shuddered but didn’t move beyond that. “Ahh! I can’t move! Someone help!”

The small dog quickly reacted and placed a paw over the creature’s mouth. “Screaming thing annoying!” He glared over at the large dog. “We only get gems!”

“Thought it was gem,” the large dog replied.

“Doesn’t matter, we throw it ou—” The small dog’s eyes then widened. It turned back to the creature. “If it not gem then maybe it boom.”

“Oooh!” The other two dogs awed. “But how do we know if it is boom?”

The small dog raised a leg and scratched his head. “We ask.” He focused back on the creature. “I move paw away if you don’t scream. Understand?” The creature nodded. “Good.”

The dog moved his paw away. The creature breathed a little and then screamed, “Where am I? What’s going on? Who are yo—”

The dog raised his paw and silenced the creature again. “You yell again and we throw you to lizards! Stupid horned thing! Reminds me of...” His muzzle turned into a deep scowl. “Her.”

The other dogs gasped at this. The lanky one rasped, “It bad, but not that bad. Maybe lizards scared it. Maybe it want food?”

The creature weakly nodded at this.

“See?” said the lanky dog. He walked over and removed the small dog’s paw from the creature. “We not hurt you horned thing. Horned thing wants food, yes?”

“I am hungry, but I can’t move,” the creature weakly replied. “Give me a few minutes and I should be fine.”

“That okay,” replied the lanky dog. “We need to stay quiet for a little anyway. Lizards will be listening.”

“Lizards?” the creature asked.

“Big lizards,” said the third dog. “Lizards have wings and shoot fire, but they have good gems.”

The creature’s eyes widened. “Those aren’t lizards, those are dragons! What sort of crazy island did I land on?”

“This not island, this cave,” the lanky dog chuckled. “You silly horned thing.”

“I’m not a ‘horned thing,’ I’m a reindeer,” the creature huffed. “And my name is Chopper.”

“Never heard of reindeer before,” the lanky dog sighed. “Hooves remind us of pony though. You strange pony?”

“No,” the small dog whispered. “Pony have butt tattoo.”

“You mean a brand?” asked Chopper.

“Call it whatever,” the lanky dog replied.

Chopper shifted around a little, causing a large diamond to clatter to the ground. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the sheer amount of treasure he was resting on. “Eh?”

The small dog grinned. “You like? If you boom, then you get us good gems. We like you if you boom.”

“S-so much treasure,” Chopper stuttered.

“Yes,” the small dog chuckled, “we like gems. Lizards stupid. They only eat gems.”

The image of a raging orange haired girl flashed through Chopper’s mind. Nami would kill them. “What a weird place. Can you tell me anything more about this place? Anything dangerous here?”

The dogs looked at each other and then back at Chopper. “Lizards stupid,” said the small one. “Easy to steal from. But ponies... ponies very dangerous.”

Chopper’s cheeks puffed up and he tried to hold back a laugh, but failed. His laughter rang throughout the cavern. His managed to raise up his hoof. “How could a pony be dangerous? Even the horses I’ve met were nice.”

“You have not met her,” the small dog shuddered.

Chopper raised an eyebrow. “Her?”

“The screaming one. She was evil. She would not stop complaining. We tried to cover ears, but her voice got through. Every dog knows and fears her: the rarity.”

“Okay...” Chopper replied, confusion all over his face. “But why was she compla—” Something plopped onto the ground. Chopper and the dogs looked as a small orange ball rolled across the ground and came to a rest at the dogs’ bottom paws.

The small dog bent down and picked up the ball. “What this thing? Candy?”

“No!” Chopper yelled. “That’s a rumble ball. It’s not candy!”

“What is it?” asked the big dog, curiosity growing in his eyes.

“It’s mine! Please don’t eat it! It could be dangerous for anyone else to eat it besides me,” Chopper continued yelling, his eyes growing a little desperate.

“Well, it ours now,” the small dog sneered. It overdramatically raised the ball up and placed it over his mouth. “We hungry anyway.”

“No!” Chopper pushed with all his strength and launched himself off the gem pile and snatched the ball out of the small dog’s grasp. However, he snatched it away with his mouth and accidently ate it. He then tumbled to the ground. The dogs rushed over and glared down at him.

“That was stupid thing to do,” the large dog growled. “Bad to steal from dogs.”

“You stole it from me!” Chopper yelled back as he pushed himself back onto his bottom hooves. He involuntarily smiled at being able to move again, even if his legs were a little wobbly.

“I don’t like horned thing anymore,” the lanky dog hissed. “We should put in cell.”

“I should have known thieves were no good,” Chopper growled. He then smacked one hoof on top of the other. “Oh yeah, I guess I’m a thief too. But pirates are still better than jewel thieves!”

“Horned thing talk too much!” The small dog complained. “We shut mouth now!” He, along with the other dogs then lunged at Chopper.

“So that’s how it is? Fine! Arm Poin— Huh?!” Even as he spoke, Chopper’s form shifted. He went onto all four of his hooves, which became rounded and thicker. His muzzle pushed out a bit and his horn disappeared beneath his hat. Oddest of all, a beaker with a pink liquid in it with three cherry blossoms in front of it appeared on his flank. “What?! Why is my form messed u—”

Chopper didn’t get to finish as the dogs all tackled him at once. He couldn’t even be seen under all three of them. The big dog smiled. “We get horned thing good. Now we throw it in ce—”

“Guard Point!” A voice emanated from under the dogs. All three of them were all suddenly pushed away by a giant furry ball. Out of the ball emerged Chopper’s head. “Phew, at least this form seems normal.” His eyes looked over the the dazed dogs. “Better move now.”

He shifted forms again. This time, his horns grew out, his hooves stayed thin, and his fur thickened around his chest. “Walking point will get me out fastest.” He then darted out of the cavern.

A few minutes later, the dogs recovered. They rubbed their heads and looked around. Finally, the lanky dog spoke up. “It had butt tattoo.”

The other dogs shook their heads. Together, all three snarled, “It pony spy!” They all then took off, growling deep into the caverns.

~~~

Gotta keep running! There’s gotta be an exit somewhere! Chopper thought as he dashed through the tunnels. He took a whiff of the air and caught traces of a smoke and fire that differed from the rest of the cave’s scent.

Where is everyone else? How long was I flying? Darn it! I need to get back to the Archipelago! He skidded to a stop and raced down a tunnel he’d almost missed. “This way!”

The small dog’s voice then echoed throughout the cave. “Pony! We’ll find you!”

Pony? Chopper thought as he ran faster. Is that what I looked like with Arm Point? Why would the rumble ball mess up like th— His thoughts were interrupted by him smacking into a stone wall. “Ow! What’s going on? I thought this is where the exit... was.”

Chopper shifted back to his normal form and rubbed his head. He then looked up and saw a glimmering of light far at the top of the cavern. “Okay, I gotta get up there, before...”

“We’re coming pony!” The small dog yelled.

“No time! Jumping Point!” Chopper’s body shifted once more. It grew in size, but also became sleeker. He went onto all fours again and grunted a little when his back started to burn. He turned around and stared in shock as wings sprouted out of his back. “What the hell? Darn it!”

He rapidly flapped his wings and slowly and haphazardly rose, continually bumping into the cavern walls. “Come on! Just work until I get to the top!”

He dared glance down and saw that the dogs were at the bottom of the cavern. The small dog waved a clenched paw at Chopper. “Stupid pony! We’ll climb and get you!”

True to his word, he and other dogs began climbing the walls and racing up to Chopper. In response, Chopper flapped his wings even faster and pushed against the stone walls to propel himself up the cavern.

Above him, the exit’s light was getting brighter. “Almost there!” Chopper huffed.

He reached out a hoof to the exit’s ledge right as his wings gave out. With a last heave, he pulled himself out. “Made it.”

“Well look, a stupid pony working with even dumber dogs,” a voice hissed. Chopper turned and stared straight at bright yellow reptilian eyes. “Bad move stealing from dragons.”

“W-wait I...” Chopper stuttered.

Garble said nothing and instead released a huge stream of fire that engulfed Chopper. He didn’t even have time to feel the burn before everything went black.

Set Adrift: Mechanical Brother of Mine

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“Anything?”

“Er, I think it’s the fourth piston. It’s no—” A cacophony of heat and noise cut off the pony. The giant train-like behemoth he was under let out a giant heap of smoke as its frame rose up for a brief moment before sagging down. Gears screeched when they went wrong way and parts of the metal line bent and deformed. It was over in an instant but the sound still rung through the air.

The pony who had been cut off by the explosion slowly pulled himself out of the mess. It was difficult to make out his cream yellow coat underneath all the soot the machine had deposited on him. His red and white mane glistened with the sheen of motor oil. The oil was so thick that it made the white part look dark grey. He blearily took in his surroundings and stumbled a little before another pony rushed to his aid.

“Easy there,” said the other pony. Save for a dirty red mustache and a slightly different cutie mark, they two ponies were identical. The mustachioed pony was even just as dirty.

“Well... at least you didn’t lose your mustache.” The mustache-less pony let out a nervous chuckle and fell to the ground. His muzzle pointed down and he dared not make eye contact with the other pony. “Flam, what are we gonna do?”

Flam took slow steps over to his brother and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Now Flim, it’s just a little jam tha—”

Flim swatted the hoof away before it made contact. He was now glaring straight at his Flam. “We’ve been having multiple ‘jams’ ever since that blasted cider competition!” He then stared at the Super Cider Squeezy 6000 for a few moments. When words came out of his mouth, the bit like a bitter wind. “Brother... we might have to start from scratch.”

“What?! Flim, we’ve retooled, added, subtracted, and reworked her, but we’ve never ever fully scraped her. Even her register is from back when we used to just sell cider off the Manehatten streets. You can’t be serious!”

“Flam, you know her as well as I do! The pistons are a mess, the gas tank is on the verge of leaking into the cider storage, the magical receptors are on the fritz, and the darn steering wheel is jerky as Tartarus!”

“To be fair, the last one has always been an issue,” Flam meekly replied.

Flim reached out and grabbed his brother by the shoulders. “Brother, we have to face facts. Sweet Apple Acres really cooked our goose. We’ve barely been able to get by with what we’ve made in towns.”

A small brown maple leaf blew in the wind and fell onto Flim’s mane. “To top it off, the fall isn’t going to last much longer. When winter sets in, we’ll have to deal with even higher prices to get apples. We’re not far from Baltimare. We should just sell what drinkable cider we can there, get what we can for scrapping the Squeezy, and start anew in the spring... we can always do song and dance if we need cash to get through winter.”

Flam’s face blanched a little. “I will no—”

“Flam!” Flim grasped his brother tighter and gave him a shake. “We have to give it up. Unless Princess Celestia sends a holy mechanic from the sky to fix her, the Cider Squeezy is done!”

Nature responded to Flim with a loud boom. Violent tremors erupted from the ground and shook the brothers and their machine. The two of them fell to ground and held their ears for fear of losing their hearing along with their balance.

As swiftly as it had come, whatever had occurred abated. Neither of the brothers moved for a few moments. The barren road around them became deathly quiet. The only noise was the pitter-patter of oil leaking from the Squeezy. When no further tremors came, they dared to lift their heads up and look at each other.

“Are you okay brother?” they asked simultaneously.

Flam got off the ground and wiped some of the dirt off himself. It was a futile attempt as most of it stuck to the mess that was already covering his coat. “Nothing worse than that time in Las Pegasus.”

“Don’t remind me.” Flim shivered at the memory of the ground turning to mush and the earth cracking like an egg. He scratched his head for a moment before speaking again. “...but Baltimare never has earthquakes. What in Equestria could have caused that?”

Flam pointed off the road. “Perhaps that?”

“Perhaps what?” Flim squinted his eyes and then noticed that, where the landscape had been rather flat before, there was now a clear deformation. “Brother, maybe we should go investigate?”

“I suppose... it’ll beat dragging the Squeezy to Baltimare,” Flam sighed. He trotted off the road and over to the oddity. Flim followed close behind.

“Do you think that’s what caused the quake?” asked Flim.

“It could have been a meteor.” Flam casted his eyes and a hoof up to the sky. “You know, those little rocks that float really high up and fall down when nopony’s expecting them.”

Flim’s brow and lips shifted down and his body slumped a little. “So we’re going to inspect a rock then?”

“Now hold on a minute Flim, it might just be a rare rock. If you’re saying money’s gonna be tight, we should take whatever we can to help get by.”

They reached the crater and gazed down. Both of their eyes went wide. Flim rubbed his before looking down again. “Brother, that’s not a rock.”

A pony bigger than they had ever seen was lying in the middle of the crater. Standing up, he could have easily dwarfed Flim and Flam, despite their lanky appearance. But where Flim and Flam were spindly, this pony was heavily muscular. His legs were especially prominent and his front legs’ musculature was exaggerated to the point of being cartoonish. The star emblems on them just accentuated the pony’s oddness.

He had on a red unbuttoned hawaiian vest over his torso. His mane was the same electric blue hue as his coat and hung limply down across his shut eyes. A pair of angular sunglasses rested behind his ears. The brothers noted with interest that while he had a horn, it didn’t match his coat’s color and glistened with the unmistakable shimmer of metal. Like his horn, a good portion of the pony’s upper muzzle was metallic. To top off his strange appearance, the pony’s chin appeared to be made of three triangles.

Like his brother, Flam rubbed his eyes to make sure there was actually a pony in front of him. When he withdrew his hoof, the pony was still there and unconscious. “This is gonna be one of those days, isn’t it brother?”

“It might be,” Flim mused. A sly grin was now growing on his face as he gestured a hoof to the pony’s flank. “What to do make of that?”

Flam’s eyes grew wider when he was the pony’s cutie mark. It was wrench and a hammer forming an “X” shape. A nail ran through the middle of them, completing the mark. “Brother... you don’t think...”

“Celestia works in mysterious ways.” Flim jumped down into the crater and used his magic to prop up half of the pony. The effort caused a few droplets of sweat to form on his face and his breathing became slightly labored. “Come on brother, he’s quite heavy. I’ll need your help to get him out.”

~~~

“Ugh,” the pony mumbled. He slowly opened his eyes and let them readjust to the light, which wasn’t too hard given that it was night. The sweet smell of apples cooking drifted into his nose. His stomach growled in response.

“Hmm, looks like our guest is awake and hungry,” came a voice.

The pony glanced to his left and was met with a two ponies staring at him. They were sitting around a fire and cooking something in a skillet. A large barrel was propped up near the fire. A small bit of amber-hued liquid dripped out of it.

The pony raised a hoof and rubbed his head. “I’m really not feeling super this w—” He stopped rubbing his head and pulled his hoof back so that it was directly in front of his eyes. Like other parts of his body, it was bandaged up since it had had a few cuts on it. His pupils contracted as he took in the sight. “Eh?”

Flam handed the skillet over to Flim and trotted over to the now-awake pony. “Don’t worry. Luckily, nothing was broken or needed stitches. You must be quite tough to get through whatever landed you here without any serious injuries. How about you tell us over dinner?”

“Eh?” the pony repeated. He looked away from his hoof and at Flam. “Okay, this is so not super. First, where’s my hand? Second, why are you talking? Third, where the hell am I?”

Flam rolled the questions around in his head. His attention went back to Flim, who was still tending to dinner. However, Flim’s ears were perked up and attentively listening to the conversation. “Brother, do you know what a ‘hand’ is?”

Flim gave a shrug in response, his mind more on not burning the apples he was cooking. Flam turned his attention back to the pony. “Sorry, I’m not sure what a ‘hand’ is. Is it some sort of tool?”

“No, it’s...” The pony stopped when a realization smacked him in the head. Damn, of course a horse wouldn’t know what a hand is... His eyes shifted down to his hoof again. He brought up his other front hoof and touched both of them together. He ran his left hoof over his right hoof and vice versa, making out the shape. He reclined back and banged his head against the Squeezy. “A horse, that’s just great.”

Flam tilted his head a little at the pony’s response. “Um, I don’t follow.”

“Bear bastard blasts me off and turns me into a damn horse.” The pony kept staring up at the sky, not noticing Flam’s face becoming more and more contorted with worry.

“Perhaps you could explain?” Flam asked.

The pony took a deep breath and bent his head back down to look Flam straight in the eye. “The whole story’s a little crazy, but the gist of it is I got separated from a few of my friends. Now I’ve got to get out of wherever-the-hell this is.”

The pony dug his legs into the ground and used his front hooves to push himself up. However, he quickly fell back to the ground with a thud. Flam rushed over and helped him back up. “Easy there, you’re still beaten up pretty bad.”

“I wish that was all that was wrong,” the pony sighed.

Flam draped the pony’s left foreleg over his back and started marching over to the campfire. “If you wanna get somewhere, my brother and I have a proposal we’d like to make. Why don’t we talk it out over some food?”

The pony tried to take a few steps but was more or less dragged by Flam. He blew up his limp pompadour. “Might as well, I’m probably not getting anywhere by myself like this.”

~~~

Flim and Flam’s bowls floated in front of them while they watched the pony eat. Pieces of apples went flying everywhere but most of it ended up on the pony’s muzzle. When he finished his bowl, he extended his tongue out and licked off the remnants of the food from his face. He bent his head out of the now empty bowl and and patted his stomach. “Gahahaha! Good food! Now if only you had something to wash it down with!”

The brothers stared at the uncouth pony for a minute before Flim spoke up. He gestured over to the barrel next to the fire. “We do have cider.”

“Cider?” The pony somehow managed to scrunch up his metallic nose. “Not my thing. Ya got any soda?”

“Soda?” both of the brothers exclaimed. Their eyes turned upward a little and it seemed like they would pass out for a second. However, the focused again and glared at the pony.

Flim took the initiative and thrusted a hoof at the pony. “Now see here. We are the finest sellers of cider in all Equestria. We would never dirty the Squeezy with that diabetic concoction!”

“Not even if it meant earning double the bit we make!” Flam added.

The pony shoved his two front hooves back and forth in response. “Okay okay. Guess I’ll just get some in Baltimare or wherever. Sheesh. Speaking about that, what’s this deal you want to talk to me about?”

Flim set his bowl aside. “Well, mister... oh hay, we haven’t even gotten your name.”

The pony smiled and flipped his sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose. He stuck he forelegs together so that the markings on them formed a star and raised them high above his head. “Franky! You better remember it!” He then fell flat on his face due to the shift in balance.

“Er, right,” Flim replied. “Anyway Mr. Franky, we want to get to Baltimare and you want to get to... wherever it is you were before you... landed.”

“That’s right!” Frankly bellowed.

Flam scratched at his mustache in a nervous manner. His eyes went down to Franky’s cutie mark and then back to Franky’s face. “The, uh, problem is Baltimare is a bit of journey away by hoof. Now we also have a problem with our ride and dragging it will take quite a while.”

Franky’s ears instinctively perked up a little. “Ride, huh? What sort of things you ride on this island anyway?”

Flam opened his mouth to question what Franky meant about “island” but instead chose to point to something behind Franky’s head. Franky flipped up his sunglasses before turning around. With his eyes unobscured, he saw the crimson reflection of fire on steel. Even in the night, his eyes could trace the outline of the massive machine. Most of his attention was on the parts that were illuminated by the flames though. Those sections of the machine were easier to make out and see their inner workings.

“Gahaha!” Frankly chuckled as he got onto his shaky hooves and shuffled over to the machine. “Now this is a fine piece of work! Good craftsmanship, sturdy materials...” His eyes went over to a pair of conductors. “... a few unfamiliar things, but a beauty nonetheless.”

So much like the Sea Train, Franky thought as he stopped at the Squeezy’s side. Taking in the entirety of the machine, he placed a hoof on it. The smile instantly faded from his face. Now he heard the sound of leaking oil, the crack of messed up pistons, and the tension in the steel just waiting to burst.

Franky didn’t turn around and kept his hoof on the machine. “She’s been through a lot. You’ve had her for a long time, haven’t you?”

Flam gave his brother with a forlorn frown before turning Franky. “Yes, w—”

“Then why did you do this to her?” Franky snarled. He rapidly spun around with eyes boiling with rage. He stumbled over to Flim and Flam. They wanted to turn away from him but his glare held them captive. “She’s been around awhile, so accumulating damage is natural, but what’s messing her up now is new. What did you do?”

The brothers quivered and stayed silent for a moment. The only sound was the crackling of the fire. Finally, Flim gulped and spoke up. “We were foolish. We got greedy and forgot what made us and her so great in the first place. Now we’re all paying the price.”

“Please,” Flam called out, falling at Franky’s knees. “You clearly know what you’re talking about. We’ve tried everything with her, but it never holds. She’s been with us since we were colts!”

A caravel ship was aflame. Franky had known her for a just a few days but she was the only one of her kind he had ever seen. She had climbed mountains, braved storms, even flown into the sky. She had been a brave ship that had held her crew close to its heart. The machine in front of Franky now wasn’t on the same level, but there was still love in it.

Franky relaxed his shoulders and fell on his haunches. “You two are a bunch of idiots... but I can tell you’ve taken good care of her. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Really?” the brothers cried. They fell to their knees and hugged Franky’s legs. “Oh thank you! Thank you!”

“Cut it out.” Franky vigorously swung his legs around to dislodge the brothers. “Actually, I don’t think I ever told you I was a craftsman. How’d ya figure that out?”

The brothers both chuckled. Flam then gestured to Franky’s flank. “Simple, your cutie mark.”

“Huh?” Franky twisted his neck back and glanced at the bizarre mark on his flank. “That what this weird thing is? Sheesh, what a freaky island... although I’d be fine with a tattoo if I had my hands.”

“There you go again with those ‘hand’ things,” Flim commented. His horn lit up and a tin box flew out of the Squeezy and over to the three of them. To Franky’s eyes, the box somehow opened itself, revealing nuts, nails, and hammers. “If you need tools, we’ve got pretty much anything we need right here.”

Franky bent down and rustled his muzzle through the tool box. However, he quickly pulled back his head, glanced at the Squeezy, and then raised an eyebrow at the brothers. “This is all you’ve got? Where are your welding torches? Your saws? Your screwdrivers? Hell, the most you could make with this would be a mediocre crate.”

Flim looked to his brother for advice, but they both had the same confused expression on their face. Their mouths were now scrunched up as if they were chewing on their words, trying to figure out what to say. “Um, surely you use simple fire and sanding spells as a craftspony, right?”

“‘Course I use fire and sanding, but what’s this about spells?” Franky asked.

“Thought something was up,” Flim mumbled. He trotted over and tapped Franky’s horn, producing a klink. “Fake. You’re an earth pony, aren’t you?”

Franky tilted his head until it was at an odd nearly-ninety degree angle. “Eh? Earth pony? You saying not everything on this island has a horn like you?”

The response quieted Flim, which meant Flam had to take over. “Where did you come from again?”

“Far enough away that all this pony stuff is pretty confusing. Eh, whatever.” Frankly let out another chuckle and picked up a hammer and some nails with his teeth. “This ain’t the first time I’ve been incapacitated on the job. I’ll do what I can with what ya got here. When we get to a town, I’ll need some real tools though.”

Flam put up a hoof in objection. “Um, we’re a bit strapped for cash as it is, so...”

“So I’ll steal it,” Franky finished the sentence. “Forgot to mention, I’m a shipwright to a pirate crew, so stealing is no issue to me.”

The brothers’ jaws gaped open before both of them started stuttering similar words. Flim managed to form a coherent sentence first. “Y-you’re a... a criminal?”

“Yep!” Franky set down the nails and readjusted the hammer in his mouth before getting on his belly. He shuffled his body around and disappeared under the Squeezy. However, his voice still echoed throughout the night air. “Don’t worry though. You have my word that I’ll fix this machine up.”

Despite the cool night air, a little bit of sweat trickled down Flam’s face. “Brother... we’re not hiding a fugitive are we?”

“As you said Flam,” Flim sighed, “it can’t be worse than Las Pegasus.”

~~~

The sound of a hammer hitting metal filled the darkness. By now, the moon was high in the air and casted its glow on the Squeezy. Flim and Flam had stood by the Squeezy for some time, asking if Franky needed their assistance, but he had remained silent. The only noise he produced were a few grunts mixed in between hammer swings. The sound had eventually become rhythmatic to the brothers and they had snuffed their fire and gone to bed.

Long after the brothers had fallen asleep, the hammering stopped and true silence graced the road. A dirty blue hoof appeared from under the Squeezy and pulled its owner out. The hammer was still clenched between Franky’s teeth. He slowly wobbled back to his hooves. Just as he was upright, he fell to the ground.

“Dammit!” He spat out the hammer but didn’t even have the strength to send it more than a few inches away from his mouth. There were deep bite marks on the handle and a little bit of blood dribbled off it and into the dirt.

Crap! Franky thought. It’s worse than I thought. A hammer isn’t going to fix it! Hell, just dragging it to the next town could permanently wreck it. They really don’t have any other tools?

Franky glanced down at his hooves. He peered closely at them and noted the small lines running along them and the faint shimmer of metal here and there. He prodded his left foreleg with his right hoof and with a click it separated from the rest of his leg to reveal four holes inside his wrist... if he could call it a wrist that anymore.

“Hmm, so my schematics are still the same then?” Franky peered at the holes before a small piece of lead popped out one of them. He slammed his right hoof into the ground and gritted his teeth.“I could use Fresh Fire if I had more fuel. Damn! There’s got to be a way to fix this! I can’t be stuck here!”

He gasped when he thought back to what Flim and Flam had talked about. His eyes went over to the fire and the barrel of cider they’d all been drinking from. He pushed himself off the ground and slowly advanced over to the barrel. He felt around his side until he found a point where he could push down. Part of his torso opened up, revealing a compartment with three empty bottles in it. He took one bottle out with his mouth and filled it with cider. He eyed the full bottle for a moment before sticking it back in his compartment and grabbing another bottle. “Hope this does something at least.”

~~~

The smell of burning oil and the sound of machinery awoke Flim. Flam awoke shortly after. Neither of them moved and instead took in the noise and scent. “Brother, you don’t think he’s been up all night?” asked Flim.

“In the state he was in?” Flam balked. “I’m sure he just got up earlier than us.”

“I suppose. Perhaps he’s made progress then?” Flim squirmed out of his sleeping bag and stretched out his limbs. After producing a few cracks, he made his way over to the Squeezy. He then proceeded to scream like a filly who’d just got her cutie mark. “Flam come quick!”

Flam attempted to race out of his sleeping bag but his right hindleg got caught on the edge of it. He fell and was sprawled on the ground for a second before he spat out the dirt in his mouth and got back up. He shook off the fall and limped over to where his brother was. “Flim, what the hay is...”

Flam’s words fell flat at the sight in front of him. The Squeezy was billowing out a steady stream of white smoke, it engines were running but silent, and its magical conductors hummed in the morning air. It was like the Sweet Apple Acres incident had never occurred at all. What’s more, the Squeezy now glinted in the morning light with what could only be described as a healthy glow.

Flim slowly reached out a hoof to make sure the fixed Squeezy was actually there. His lips quivered as he mouthed words before actual sentences took shape. “F-flam... in all her years, she’s never looked this good.”

Flam rubbed his eyes and tugged at his mustache to confirm that he was awake. “I... I know brother.”

“Oh hey brothers, you like what I did?” Flim and Flam searched for the voice’s owner and found him atop the the Squeezy. He was similar to the pony they had had dinner with last night, but certain aspects were different. He now had a genuinely cheery grin on his face, whereas before his smile had had a mischievous element to it. The biggest difference were his mane and tail though. His mane was now flipped up and had a spiky quality to it and it was no longer blue. Rather, both it and his tail were a red hue similar to the brothers’.

“Uh... Mr. Franky?” Flam dared to ask.

Franky enthusiastically jumped down from the Squeezy, landing right in front of Flim and Flam. The brothers now saw that his horn was spinning like a drill and had a faint orange glow to it. The brothers quickly noticed that Franky had a mock frown on his face. “Ah, don’t call me that brother, just call me brother!”

“Er, what?” the brothers both asked.

Franky playfully trotted around them. It almost appeared like he was dancing. “See, I got to thinking last night. This is one fine machine you got here, making all the cider you could want. Would be a shame to leave it. I think I’d like to stay around and work on it... if that’s alright with you, brothers.”

Flim and Flam gave each other a long hard stare before smiles erupted on their faces. “Certainly!” they both said.

Franky raised up his legs again and pressed them together. “Super!”

“Athough...” Flam trotted over and ran a hoof over the Squeezy’s rail guard. “I have to ask, how did you fix it in just one night?”

“It was easy once I got some of that cider in me. I figured out how to use this horn and everything. Wish we had them where I come from, they’d make shipbuilding a breeze.” Franky suddenly reached his arms out and hugged Flim and Flam. “But it doesn’t matter now brothers. We’ve got cider to sell!”

“Y-yes!” said Flim. He and Flam broke out of Franky’s hug and took up their seat on the Squeezy. However, before they lit up their horns to get it moving they noticed something was odd. In front of them was an unfamiliar set of buttons and levers next to some of the older ones. “Hmm?’

Flam eyed some of the new additions and then turned his attention to Franky, who’d taken his own seat behind them. “Uh Franky, what are all these?”

“Oh, I added a few new defensive functions to her.” Franky leaned back in his seat with a grin still on his face. “Never hurts to be too careful.”

Flim and Flam both smiled at Franky’s extra precautions. Flim then reached out for the start button, a simple green dot on the switchboard. “Shall we get on the road?”

“Oh yeah,” Franky called out just as Flim pressed the button, “I also moved the start button. That red one is now the start button and the green one is my own specialty.”

The words connected in Flim and Flam’s minds a second too late. The Squeezy’s engines rumbled to max power, the whole machine shook, and steam hissed all around then. Then, it went silent. Flam wiped the sweat off his brow. “Franky, ya scared us there for a second. I thought the Squeezy was gon—”

The back of the Squeezy then exploded in a burst of apple-scented air. The remains of the campsite were blasted to oblivion. Not that anypony on the Squeezy saw it as they were currently rocketing across the land. Flim and Flam both screamed as the hung to the Squeezy for dear life.

“Franky, stop this thing!” one of them cried out.

Franky simply laughed and pulled up a mug of cider. “Don’t worry brothers! My Coup de Cider is working like a charm. It’ll get us anywhere in no time!”

~~~

“I knew it was too good to be true,” Flim sighed. A snowflake fell on the tip of his muzzle, but he didn’t bother pushing it off. It would have just been replaced by another one anyway. Instead, he hugged himself to try and conserve some body heat. He’d need it given the icy glaciers and snow that surrounded him.

All around the three ponies, mountains peaked up and scratched grey clouds. Flam used one hoof to shield his eyes while he tried to search for civilization. He kicked up a fluff of snow in anger. “Darn it! Stranded in the middle of Celestia knows where!”

Franky trotted over and placed a hoof around Flam’s back. “Don’t worry about it brother. The Squeezy’ll get us wherever we need.”

Flam shoved Franky’s hoof away. “We needed to be in Baltimare! By the time we get back to any civilization, our cider will be spoiled thanks to you!”

“No it won’t,” Franky nonchalantly replied.

Flim walked over, eyes ablaze with wrath, and sneered, “Why’s that?”

“Cause, we used up all the cider to get here.” Franky didn’t seem to care too much about the brothers’ eyes popping out of their heads. “What you thought magic alone was enough? Nah, you need some serious cider power to get this far. Complete success.”

“Our... our supply...” Flam stuttered. His form crumpled and fell to the snow.

Flim followed his brother into the snow. “The last of our reserves.”

“Huh?” Franky watched at the brothers stayed motionless in the snow. “We can just make more.” Franky pushed his side and produced two bottles of half full cider. “I mean, if it’s that big a deal, I got three bottles we can all split right now.”

Flim and Flam shot out of the snow. They snatched the two bottles away, not even noticing that Franky’s torso was open like a refrigerator. They galloped over to the Squeezy and hopped on. They downed the cider into the reserve tanks and hit the Coup de Cider button. They were gone instantly, leaving Franky alone in the cold.

Franky raced off in the direction of the the Squeezy’s tracks, yelling, “Brothers! Wait, that was the last cider I had to! If I don’t get more...” He tripped over a rock hidden in the snow and sent up a plume of white. When it cleared, Franky was sitting in a snow angel, his mane and tail blue once more. “Ugh, never doing cider again.”

“Crap.” He pulled himself out of the snow and put a hoof to his head. “What the hay happened? Wait... ‘hay’? What am I saying? Argh, doesn’t matter, gotta get out of this place before I freeze...”

~~~

Franky’s whole body shook as snow and wind assaulted him from all sides. When he raised a hoof to defend himself from a northern blast, a western blast struck him instead. Franky had abandoned following the Squeezy’s tracks as soon as snow had covered them. He now wandered aimlessly, occasionally running towards a rock or another unique sight in the sea of white.

Man, I really screwed up! He thought before stealing his mind. No, I gotta keep going. For the Sunny! For Luffy! For everyo—

Franky smacked right into the side of the mountain. A collection of snow fell and buried him under it. Luckily, he quickly shoveled his way out with his hooves. “Gah! Screw this island! Is it too much to ask for some... shelter...”

The anger left Franky’s body when he saw that the part of the mountain he’d stumbled into also had a dark entrance. He focused on it and saw that the light couldn’t penetrate it. “Heh, seems like my prayers got answered. Maybe there’s soda inside.”

He galloped over to the entrance and disappeared into the cave. Outside, the last bit of snow dislodged itself from the engraving it’d been covering. Large black letters, weathered by age spelled out a single word:

Vegapunk

Set Adrift: Cutie Mark Liars! Yay!

View Online

“Are you sure potion making is a good idea, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked Apple Bloom. Both of them were sitting together in a large red wagon while Scootaloo pulled them on her scooter. They were currently on an old rarely used path covered in roots and plants that made navigating it a little difficult.

“We’re not going to Zecora’s for potion making cutie marks,” Apple Bloom sighed as the trio made their way through the Everfree. “Trust me, I learned that the hard way.”

Scootaloo stopped pulling the wagon and turned to look at the two other Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Then what are we going to Zecora’s for?”

“Ah was thinking,” Apple Bloom started to say, “since Zecora’s from out of town, maybe we could get our cutie marks in learning about other places.”

Scootaloo replied by blowing a raspberry at Apple Bloom. “That sounds boring. Who would want to learn about places, especially if they’re too far to visit? I’d rather get a cutie mark exploring lands!”

“Scootaloo has a point,” said Sweetie.

Apple Bloom’s excitement dimmed and her smile drooped. “Ah suppose you’re right. But Ah still want to go see her to apologize for the Gabby Gums article.”

“For when we caught her talking normally?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, Ah felt pretty bad about it, especially since Ah still owe Zecora for that time she fixed ma to–”

A sound akin to a hammer hitting a rock resonated around the three fillies, causing the ground to shake a little. Above them, hundreds of birds spread their wings and took off in reaction to the noise. When the rumbling abated, the forest grew very quiet. All the Crusaders’ eyes darted around the woods. A few leaves fell to the ground but neither bird nor beast moved.

“Wh-what was that?” asked Sweetie, breaking the silence.

“Ah don’t know.” Apple Bloom’s teeth chattered while she continued scanning the forest. “Maybe we should go back home... Ah can always apologize to Zecora later.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Sweetie quivered.

Scootaloo, however, slammed a hoof to the ground. “Oh come on! Where’s your crusading spirit?”

“I think mine already went home,” Sweetie quipped.

“Er,” Scootaloo snorted, “there’s a mysterious something in the Everfree and you don’t want to investigate? We could get our cutie marks as mystery solvers!”

Apple Bloom scratched at her chin “Ah suppose...”

“Oh!” Sweetie brightened up and grinned widely. “We could be Private Pies!”

Apple Bloom corked an eyebrow at Sweetie. “Ah think ya mean Private ‘Eyes.’”

“Why would you keep an eye private?” Sweetie pondered. “I can understand a pie, because it’s tasty, but why an eye? If it were private, it wouldn’t see anything.”

“Why are we talking about pie?” Scootaloo huffed. “We should be focusing on th—”

“Ugh,” came a nearby noise.

“Eep!” all three of the Crusaders screamed. They hugged each other and shivered.

“It... it’s a monster!” Sweetie trembled.

“It’s gonna eat us!” Scootaloo shrieked.

“Uhhhh!” came the voice again.

“It’s...” Apple Bloom paused and swiveled her ears to listen to the noise. “It sounds like somepony is hurt.”

“What?!” exclaimed her friends.

Apple Bloom darted toward the sound, twigs and leaves crunching beneath her hooves. She whipped up a hoof to bade her friends to follow her. “C’mon!”

Sweetie and Scootaloo watched Apple Bloom disappear into the thick bushes of the Everfree. They didn’t hesitate in going after her.

“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie called out. “Be careful, it could be dangerous!”

Scootaloo raced ahead of Sweetie and closed the distance between Apple Bloom and herself. “Yeah! What if you get your cutie mark fi—” She slammed right into Apple Bloom while Sweetie did the same to Scootaloo. They all then tumbled into down into a hole that only Apple Bloom had seen and came to rest at the bottom of it.

Sweetie Belle snorted dust out of her nose. She raised her head only to find her neck was stuck between one orange hoof and one yellow hoof. “Ugh, why’d we stop?”

Scootaloo pushed her hooves against Apple Bloom and Sweetie’s bodies and pulled herself out of the mess. Once she was back on her hooves, she dusted herself out and explained, “I stopped because Apple Bloom stopped!”

“It wasn’t ma fault!” Apple Bloom replied. She got onto her hooves. “Ah stopped because o—”

“Aw man, I must have really hit my head badly,” said a fourth voice. The Crusaders searched for the voice’s source and came upon a small brown dragon. His outer scales were a deep brown, while his underbelly was a simple beige. A pair of oddly shaped metal goggles rested atop his head between long chocolate-colored spines that ran to the tip of his tail. However, what drew most of the Crusaders’ attention was his abnormally long thin snout. It poked out at least a good foot away from the rest of his face.

He reached a claw up to his brow and used his other one to steady himself as he got off of the ground. “You all look like colorful ponies.”

“Um... we are,” Apple Bloom replied.

The dragon snickered a little. “Nice try kid, but you’re not gonna beat me in a lying contest.” He whapped his tail up and down. “Hmm, why does it feel like I’ve got a third le— Ahh!”

All the Crusaders covered their ears at the dragon’s shout. Scootaloo wrenched an eye open and managed to ask, “What are you screaming about?”

“I grew a tail! That’s what!” the dragon frantically replied. His claws grasped at his tail and shook it as if he were trying to strangling it.

“Well, ya are a dragon... don’t all dragons have tails?” asked Apple Bloom.

The dragon instantly let go of his tail, which hit the ground with a light thwap. “I’m a what?! But dragons are just in stories!”

“Um, maybe you should keep it down?” Sweetie pleaded. “You might attract—” A deep growl interrupted Sweetie. Her pupils, along with everyone else’s became pinpricks. “... something.”

The nearby bushes rustled and out of them emerged an manticore. Its scorpion tail whipped around, slicing through the air. Thick saliva dripped from its thin tongue that it ran over jagged teeth. Its eyes bulged with bloodlust as they scanned over the group.

“Oi, oi, oi!” the dragon shrieked. “What the hell is that?!”

“It... it’s a manticore!” Applebloom shivered. She and the rest of the Crusaders had clambered behind the dragon. They were now hugging each other so tightly the resembled a multi-colored ball.

“Why are you hiding behind me?” he asked, flashing his teeth at them while his eyes blazed with fear.

“Maybe they don’t like scales?” Scootaloo suggested with a nervous smile.

The manticore saw the group arguing amongst themselves and decided now was the chance to strike. Its onyx claws dug into the dirt as it bounded at the group, preparing to jump off the ledge and sink its fangs into them.

“Crap!” yelled the dragon. “If only I had my—” His pupils expanded when he saw a green staff that ended with a large circle and a bag lying next to it. He lunged at them and picked them up while the manticore raced at them. He quickly moved and got between it and the Crusaders.

“Mister dragon!” they all screamed.

The dragon just pulled back a part of the staff and aimed it at the manticore. Just as the manticore lunged at them, the dragon let fly his strike. “Hissatsu! Firebird Star!”

From behind the dragon, the Crusaders fell the heat of flames as a jet of fire burst out of the dragon’s weapon. As it raced toward the manticore, the fire spread out into crimson wings and a sharp golden beak. The phoenix struck right in the manticore’s abdomen, hitting with such force that the beast was repelled out of the crater. The manticore’s chest smoldered and flames licked at its fur and skin. It rapidly rolled on the ground, howling in pain. The noise sent shivers down the Crusaders’ back.

When the flames were squelched, the manticore was left with a nasty burn mark that ran up a good part of its torso, a hideous black mark. It got to its paws with a hiss before limping away to its lair. It was hungry, not stupid, and didn’t wish to face the blaze again.

The bushes soon stopped rustling from the manticore’s retreat. The dragon’s grip on the weapon slumped down and his body followed. Relief weighed heavy on his shoulders as he sighed, “That was way too close.”

“That was awesome!” All at once, the Crusaders were on the dragon’s back. His breathing was cut off by hooves that constricted his windpipe while their bodies pressed down on his chest. They didn’t seem to pay heed and instead continued hugging him. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Help! I have ‘don’t get trampled to death by talking horses’ disease!” He flailed on the ground, vainly trying to get them off. He bent in one direction, causing his tail to twist backwards. “Ow!”

The Crusaders ceased their appreciative assault and loosened their grip on the poor dragon. He slowly stood up as they slid off him. He gently pressed a claw against his tail to ease the pain a little. Okay, I’ve grown a tail and I’m a dragon. I’ve been attacked by a monster and by girls that look like ponies...

The dragon’s attention went up. He glimpsed a small bit of the sky through the thick forest canopy. He inhaled deeply and produced a produced a small bit of smoke when he exhaled. Yep, I’ve finally lost it. Always thought Luffy would be the one to cause this.

The dragon’s pondering was broken by an yellow hoof tapping his side. Apple Bloom was giving him uncertain eyes but a friendly smile. “Um, sorry if we hurt ya Mr. Dragon, but that was really cool what ya did there.”

“Yeah!” said Sweetie. “It was like you were a unicorn or something!”

Scootaloo bounced right up in the dragon’s face. “Ya gotta tell us how you do that!”

“Wait...” The dragon put up a claw to quiet the girls. An errant thought wandered into his mind as he studied their hooves. “Assuming I’m not crazy, how would you even hold a slingshot?”

“Hmm...” Apple Bloom’s eyes glazed over as her mind drifted off into solutions for a pony using a slingshot.

“Maybe Sweetie could do it,” Scootaloo suggested.

“What?” asked Sweetie.

Scootaloo gave Sweetie’s horn a light flick with her hoof. “You have a horn, after all”

“When have I ever been able to launch phoenixes with my horn?” Sweetie retorted, throwing her hooves into the air for extra emphasis. “My sister can’t even do that!”

Apple Bloom corked her head a little. “Have ya ever done anything with your horn?”

Sweetie’s cheeks reddened. “It’s just... I mean...” She distraughtly cast her eyes to the ground. “No.”

Scootaloo pridefully threw up her wings. “Okay, magic may be out of the picture, but maybe I can pull it with my wings!”

A large sweat drop awkwardly slid down the dragon’s face. Geez, they remind me of the kids back home.

The dragon scanned over the three fillies, taking note of the horn and wings. His eyes then came to rest on Apple Bloom. “Um, so why do they have wings and horns and you don’t?”

“‘Cause Ah’m an earth pony,” Apple Bloom replied. The dragon responded with a blank stare. “Don’t ya know about the different types of ponies?”

“Why would he?” Sweetie gestured a hoof over to the dragon. “Remember what we learned in class after that big dragon migration?”

“Oh yeah,” Scootaloo excitedly spoke up, “there aren’t a lot of dragons in Equestria... maybe he doesn’t know much about ponies.”

“I’m right here you know,” said the dragon. “Then again, you’re right, not too familiar with this island.” Or being a dragon for the matter.

Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “Island?”

“Yeah, island, you know...” The dragon moved his arms around to illustrate what he was saying. He alternated between moving them around to form a bowl of air and wiggling his arm around like snake. “Floating land, surrounded by the ocean...” He stared up through the trees at the sun again. “... hopefully not too far from the Archipelago.”

Sweetie swished the words around in her brain for a moment. She shrugged her shoulders when she saw that her friends were drawing up blanks as well. “Cheerilee must not have covered that in class yet.”

“Okay, do you know someone I can ask about maps?” A loud rumble then erupted from the dragon’s stomach. He clutched it and gave it a rub. “On second thought, maybe some food first?”

Apple Bloom’s eyes grew wide with delight as did her lips. “No problem, ma family runs the best farm in Equestria. We’ll get ya some good food.”

“Yeah, then we can take you to Twilight. She’s the smartest pony Ponyville. She’ll definitely be able to help you mister...” Sweetie paused before speaking again. “Do you have a name besides ‘dragon’?”

The dragon smirked. He picked up his weapon and planted it in the ground. He clasped it tightly, shifted his legs, and took up a dramatic pose. “I’m glad you asked. I am the brave Captain Usopp! I’m an explorer who has gone on many grand adventures and defeated countless enemies. My crew numbers in the thousands and my infamy is known around the world!”

Usopp quickly swung his weapon out of the ground and raised it high into the heavens. The sun glistened off of parts it and gave it a mythical luster. “My skills with the legendary Kabuto have made me feared throughout the seas! My title strikes terror into the hearts of my foes, for I am the great Sniper King!”

A hushed awe fell over the forest. The Crusades gawked at the dragon in front of them, still striking his heroic pose. Their eyes were completely filled to the brim with wonder. Usopp slyly grinned at his work, impressed that his tale had garnered such a stunned reaction out of them. Memories of telling similar tales in his hometown sprang to his mind. “I’m sure you want t—”

“That’s amazing!” all three Crusaders yelled at the top of their lungs. Their voices echoed throughout the forest, producing a fit of howls, rustles, and caws in response.

Usopp put a finger to his lips, constantly trying to shush the Crusaders. A thin veil of sweat now covered his forehead. “Okay-okay! But in order to tell you more about my great tales, we need to get out of this forest.”

“Yeah.” Apple Bloom had managed to break out of her revelry to take notice of the forest coming alive again. “Lets do that. Ah think Ah’ve had enough adventures in the Everfree for today.”

The group climbed out of the crater and back to the path. However, Sweetie took a look back and saw that the crater was actually a large paw print. When they were back on the main path, Sweetie hopped over towards Usopp. “Was fighting an Ursa Minor one of your great tales?”

“An ursa what?” asked Usopp.

“It’s like this really big bear!” Scootaloo jumped up and down, her wings keeping her in the air for a few seconds. “But it’s made of stars and gets really mad if you wake it up.”

“But luckily, Twilight took care of it,” continued Apple Bloom.

“Huh.” Ussop’s curiosity was now piqued. “So who is this Twilight? Is she also a... uh... pony?”

“Yep,” Sweetie explained. “She’s the second most amazing unicorn in Ponyville. The first is my sister!”

“But the best pony in Ponyville is Rainbow Dash!” exclaimed Scootaloo.

“Na, the best pony is ma sister Applejack!” Apple Bloom argued. She slid over to Usopp and whispered in his ear, “Her food’ll prove that.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo retorted.

“No, Rarity!” Sweetie yelled.

“Applejack!”

“Rarity!”

“Dash!”

“Rarity!”

“Pinkie Pie!” a fifth voice yelled.

The group had just stepped out of the forest when the voice had spoken up. Just as heads began to turn looking for its owner, a pink blur darted out of nowhere. It honed in on Usopp and slammed him to the ground.

“Ahh!” Usopp fell on his back and massaged the back of his neck as he got up. However pink hooves held him down. “What the...”

Bright blue eyes filled his vision. “Oh my gosh! Another dragon! Spike’s gonna be so happy! Oooh, and Fluttershy will be happy too, ‘cause she loves baby dragons. Plus, everypony will be happy because...” The eyes retreated back and revealed the pony they belonged to. She took a deep breath before screaming, “You’re new in town and that means I get to throw a party!”

Any birds left in the forest or that had returned after Usopp’s fall fled at Pinkie’s excited voice. Usopp stared at Pinkie and, for a second, imagined her decked out in a straw hat and a red vest. The image sent a chill through his heart. His dull eyes moved over to the Crusaders. “So you have one here too?”

Pinkie pressed her muzzled down until it was pushing against Usopp’s snout. It didn’t take Pinkie much effort to do that. “Silly! There’s only one Pinkie Pie, me! It gets a little crazy if there’s more of me. Oh yeah, what’s your name? I’m Pinkie Pie, but you probably already know that ‘cause I said my name twice and now I just said it again! Isn’t that fun?”

How on earth do her lungs work? Ussop thought. “Um, if you don’t mind, I’ll explain if you get off me.”

“Oki-dokey-loki!” Somehow, Pinkie jumped off of Usopp but he felt no pressure as she did so.

He grabbed Kabuto and propped himself up with it. He used his free hand to brush off some dirt and then stood tall. “I don’t normally do this twice in a day but... I am the great Captain Usopp! My tales are known far and wi—”

“How come I haven’t heard of you?” Pinkie chimed in.

Usopp instantly lost his bravado and collapsed to the ground. He scraped at the dirt as tiny tears brushed the sides of his cheeks. “Is that all a thirty-million berri bounty is worth?”

Pinkie peered down at Ussop. “You’re a silly dragon. Just a warning though, nopony really likes a boaster. Last time somepony boasted, a giant bear nearly destroyed the town!”

“That’s how we found him!” said Apple Bloom. “He was in a giant paw crater thing!”

“Ah-ha!” Pinkie grasped Usopp’s snout and pulled. “You were old mare Trixie all along!”

“Ow!” Usopp yelped. Pinkie let go and fell on her flank. Usopp rubbed his snout where Pinkie had been pulling. “What gives?”

“Oh! I’m super sorry! Here, have a cupcake!” Pinkie inexplicably pulled a blue frosting coated cupcake out of nowhere.

Usopp stared at the confection and then at the Crusaders. “How did she...”

“Don’t ask,” Sweetie flatly replied.

“Hmm...” Usopp rubbed his stomach. “I was looking for something to eat.”

He reached forward, grabbed the cupcake, and was about to eat it, when something in the frosting shimmered. “Huh?” He pulled the cupcake away from his mouth and over to the center of his face. Tiny blue gems poked out of the frosting. He glared at Pinkie. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“Huh?” Pinkie replied in a confused tone.

Usopp plucked one of the gems out of the pasty and waggled it in front of Pinkie’s face. “There’s crystals in this cupcake!”

“Actually they’re sapphires,” Pinkie replied, her voice far meeker than it normally was. “Don’t dragons like gems?”

“I... how... This island is nuts,” Usopp stuttered. “Ugh, do you have something that won’t break my teeth?”

Usopp reached out and traded the sapphire cupcake for the regular one. “It’s fine.” Seeing as I don’t know anything about actual dragons either.

He stuck the cupcake in his mouth and took slow careful bites. When he was sure there wasn’t anything in it to cut up his insides, he swallowed it and smiled. “Wow that’s good!”

“Really?” Pinkie shouted before happily bouncing around. “Yay!”

Usopp watched in a stupor as Pinkie bounced around them. “Geez, I think she might actually be a rival for Luffy.”

Pinkie stopped bouncing and stuck her face into Usopp’s again. “Who’s that? Another one of your friends? Oooh, is he here too?”

“No.” Usopp pushed Pinkie away before staring off into the distance. Unfortunately, he saw no sign of a shoreline. “I actually need to get back to him and my other friends.”

“Are they far away?” Pinkie asked.

“Don’t know.” Usopp swept an arm over the Crusaders. “But these three said someone named ‘Twilight’ could help.”

“Oh yeah, Twilight is super smart!” Pinkie nodded back and forth like pendulum. However, she suddenly stopped and frowned a little. “She’ll definitely be able to help you... when she gets back.”

Usopp balled up his fist a little. “When is she gonna be back? I’m kinda in a hurry.”

Pinkie’s smile returned as she put a hoof on Usopp’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, she just had to see her brother about cooking buns or something. Weird, right? Shining Armor must be a really good cook for her to board the first train to Canterlot. Anyway, she probably won’t be gone too long.”

“Guess I’ll have to wait then.” Usopp’s stomach grumbled again and his attention went back to Apple Bloom. “So where is your place at anyway?”

Apple Bloom pointed over to a nearby farmhouse. Usopp blinked, it looked like something he’d describe in one of his own stories: red and white paint, a little aged, and a rocking chair out front. It even had a metal triangle hanging on the porch. “Lucky for ya, we took the forest entrance closest to ma family’s farm.”

Apple Bloom gestured a hoof over to Pinkie. “Actually, what are ya doing all the way out here, anyway?”

“Oh, Mrs. Cake wanted some extra applesauce for the foals.” Pinkie propped open one of her saddlebags and pulled out a jar filled with the mushed up apples. “They really seem to like them.”

“We wouldn’t have anything less at Sweet Apple Acres,” Apple Bloom pridefully beamed.

“Mmmhmm.” The group started walking over to the farmhouse. Pinkie was now looking over Usopp again. She reached a hoof to her side where Usopp couldn’t see and pulled out a plaid deerstalker hat. “So, assuming you’re not Trixie in a reaaaalllly good disguise, why were you fighting an ursa minor?”

“I wasn’t fighting one of those things, just...” A large paw raced at him and then Usopp was flying over land and sea. He’d flown for days and nights with no sign of stopping. He shuddered at the memory. “... a bear. A very strong bear.”

Pinkie had now stuck a bubble pipe in her mouth and blew a few suds over to Usopp. “But why?”

“To help my friends.” There was a slight bite in Usopp’s words now. One of his claws clenched hard around Kabuto while the other became a thick fist.

Pinkie’s pupils became huge black dots and she was uncharacteristically silent for a moment. A bird tweeted nearby and a small part in her lips started spreading. It grew until it was a smile that stretched from ear to ear. “Oh! Well, why didn’t you say so? What a mean old bear. He didn’t hurt your friends, did he?”

Usopp glanced down at his claw and uncurled it. “I don’t know. They’re strong though, way stronger than me, so they’re probably okay.”

“Really?” All three Crusaders asked at once.

Usopp’s expression lightened a bit after that. “Yup. My crewmates are some of the most fearless you’ll ever find at sea. We’ve climbed mountains, crossed vast deserts, and even flown into the sky.”

Scootaloo fluttered her wings a little. “What’s so special about the last one?”

“We didn’t have wings,” Usopp chuckled. “Actually almost fell through the clouds myself. Luckily, my friends pulled me back.”

Sweetie tilted her head over to Usopp. “If you can’t fly, how’d you get up there? Did you take an balloon?”

“Ah, that’s the best part.” The memories of that day flooded into Usopp’s mind. He remembered crying and screaming for his life all the way into the clouds. He chose to omit that part. “We kinda used a balloon to get down from the clouds, but we took water up.”

Pinkie playfully tapped one of Usopp’s spines. “Silly, water goes down, not up.”

“Not in this case. It’s a little hard to explain but...” Usopp clenched his free claw again and held it up. “Think of a bunch of gas trapped underwater then suddenly igniting.” He quickly opened his claw and shot it up at the sky. “Then think of riding it in a small ship.”

“Whoa!” All four ponies replied.

“That’s a mighty fine story ya got there, little fella. Awfully noisy one too.” All of them looked up a nearby ridge and saw a orange pony standing atop it. A brown and white dog stood by her side. She raised up a hoof and adjusted her hat. “Apple Bloom, last time it was a bunny and this time a dragon?”

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom parted from the group at galloped towards her sister. When she reached her, Apple Bloom nuzzled her side.

Applejack tousled Apple Bloom’s red mane. “What’s up with ya? You’re acting like ya ran into a monster or something.”

Apple Bloom stopped nuzzling her sister and averted her gaze to the ground. “Ah’m sorry sis, Ah was just going to apologize to Zecora for that newspaper stuff.”

Applejack huffed in response. Apple Bloom shivered, praying her sister wouldn’t figure out that she’d almost been mauled. That would have gotten her grounded until Winter Wrap Up. “Apple Bloom, what am Ah gonna do with ya and your friends? You’re always doing stuff like this.” She then bent down and nuzzled Apple Bloom’s face.

“Huh?” Apple Bloom stuttered.

“Ya remind me of me when Ah was just a filly.” Applejack backed away and gave her sister a playful wink. “You’re still grounded for a week for not telling me, Big Macintosh, or Granny though. Honestly, if ya were going to visit Zecora, Ah would have gone with ya. The Everfree is no place for fillies.”

Applejack’s attention then went to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo was currently hiding behind Pinkie while Sweetie was on her hind legs trying to line up behind Usopp. Sweetie lost her balance as soon as Applejack’s glare was upon her. She slipped right into Scootaloo and left them both tumbled onto the ground.

Applejack jumped down from the hill and landed right in front of the shaking fillies. “Your parents are gonna be hearin’ about this too.”

They both groaned and slumped their faces into the dirt. Punishment doled out, Applejack made a beeline for Usopp. She took off her hat and did a slight curtsy. “Howdy there little fella. Sorry if ma sister and her friends got ya tangled up in their shenanigans. Name’s Applejack, nice ta meet ya.”

Usopp stood still, unsure how to properly greet a talking pony. He chose to imitate Applejack and did a small bow. “Uh, same here.”

“Ya got a name?”

For the third time of the day, Usopp planted Kabuto in the ground. “I am the legendary Captain Usopp! I am a warrior of the seas who commands over a thousand me! My infamy knows no bounds!”

Applejack tapped a hoof to her chin before chuckling a little. She moved her hoof over to Usopp and rustled some of his spines like they were hair. “Well ain’t that a neat story. Lands’ sakes, ya kids get more and more inventive with your stories every year.”

“It’s not a story, sis,” Apple Bloom called out. She trotted over to Usopp’s side and pointed at Kabuto. “He really is a brave warrior. He scared away the monsters in the forest and everything.”

“Yeah.” Usopp clasped Kabuto and gave it a twirl. “With my loyal weapon, I slew many a foul beast just before their jaws came upon us!”

Applejack leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at Usopp and his weapon. She took a breath and backed off. “Well, ya kept ma sister from gettin’ into an even bigger mess, so ya have ma thanks for that. Ya might want to tone it down on the fibbin’ though, Apple family don’t take kindly to it.”

“How did you...” Before Usopp could question Applejack further, his gut called out for food again.

“Hmm, sounds like ya need some food. Consider it a thank you and welcome to Ponyville. Not that often that we get a dragon visiting... at least one that doesn’t cause trouble.” Applejack did a one-eighty back over to her farmhouse while the rest of the group followed her. “Come’on. Oh, that reminds me, Pinkie, what are ya doing out here? There’s faster ways to get back to town, ya know.”

When she got no response, Applejack glanced back and saw that Pinkie had vanished. She pushed her hat up and glanced at the sky. “Somedays Ah just don’t get that girl.”

~~~

Sweetie and Scootaloo had said their goodbyes to Apple Bloom and had gone back to their homes. Usopp noted they had walked very slowly but with small grins on their faces. He knew their faces well, he’d often seen it on the kids back in Syrup Village when they walked home after a day of annoying the villagers. Their faces had given Usopp his own grin.

Now he was seated at a wooden table in the farmhouse’s rustic kitchen. Above the door to the room hung a pitchfork crossing over a spade. There was a photo on the wall opposite of Usopp that had more ponies in it than he could count. He did spot a very young Applejack near the center though. He mostly noticed the apples: apple wallpaper, apple carvings in the furniture, and actual apples in the pantry, near the sink, and by the stove.

Applejack came downstairs after sending Apple Bloom to her room. She trotted into the kitchen with a small beige bag clenched between her teeth. She set it down in front of Usopp. “There ya go, little fella.”

Usopp looked at the bag before his eyes went over to the apples by the stove. “Um, didn’t you say you were gonna cook something?”

“Tell ya what, ya have what’s in that bag and then we’ll see how hungry ya are. Those usually hold Spike over.”

Curious, Usopp undid the knot on the bag, pausing for a brief moment to wonder how Applejack had tied it. His thoughts were broken when tiger’s eye and turquoise spilled out of the bag. Here and there a ruby or a piece of jade popped up and sparkled in the kitchen’s light. Usopp raised an eyebrow at Applejack, who was now munching on her namesake. “Um, treasure is nice and all, but I can’t really eat this.”

Applejack stopped chewing and let the apple sit in her mouth a second before swallowing. “Ma apologies, Ah thought most dragons ate gems. ‘least, that’s what ma friends said and Spike does.”

Usopp picked up a ruby and examined it, letting the sun filter through and reflect off its facets. “Let’s just say I’m probably an exception to the rule. Still, you must run a pretty good farm to afford gems like this. My friends will love seeing these when we get back.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“I mean, it’s not like gems just grow out of the ground. Plus, we’re always strapped for cash anyway.”

“Um, how are a few gems gonna help with cash? No offense, but most of those came from the south field. Spike loves it when we give’em to him, but really, they’re just a nuisance when we’re plowing.”

Usopp’s jaw dropped as the ruby slipped out of his limp claw and clattered to the ground. “A... a nuisance? But... but... it’s a ruby! You could at least get five thousand berries for everything in this bag! What’s wrong with this island?!” Thank everything holy Nami didn’t wind up here, she’d have cleaned this whole island out.

Applejack frowned at Usopp’s yelling. “Now look here little fella. Ain’t no point in raisin’ a commotion about just a few gems.”

“That’s the other thing,” Usopp retorted, “why do you keep calling me a little fella? You’re a pony, you’re probably what? Twelve?”

“Ma age is ma own darn business,” Applejack snorted. “To answer your question, Ah thought ya were a baby dragon... maybe a few years older than Spike.”

“And how old is he?”

“Ten.”

Usopp slapped himself in the face, overcome with the ridiculousness of the situation. “I’m seventeen.”

“Yet you’re a ‘brave warrior’?” Applejack said with a suspicious tone.

Usopp slammed a claw to the table. A little smoke steamed out of his nose as his vision kindled with anger and pride. “I’m trying to be! I may not be a strong fighter now, but I will be someday! Then I won’t lose...”

The fire in Usopp was extinguished instantly and his sunk back into his chair. His whole form deflated and his head flopped to the ground. Applejack got out of her own chair and stood next to him. “Okay, Ah’m sorry if what Ah said offended ya. How ‘bout Ah make ya an apple pie? One of the best things we Apple family can make.”

Usopp kept his eyes on the floor and his lips turned down. “I guess.”

~~~

Usopp stuffed another piece of pie into his mouth. The cinnamon coated apples met with the flaky crust and exploded with flavor. It was all Usopp could do to not eat the whole thing at once. “This stuff is great! Wish Sanji made stuff this great.” He probably does for Nami and Robin.

Applejack ate her piece of pie at a much slower pace. She was slightly distracted watching Usopp inhale the rest of it. “Ah swear, if ya weren’t a dragon, I’d peg ya for havin’ an Apple family appetite.”

Usopp finished off the last of the pie and let out a large belch. He grabbed for the pie tin and sent out a forked tongue that licked it clean. Task done, he reclined back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “Heh, you trying going on the trip I’ve been on.”

“Ah thought ya said a bear sent ya here.”

“He did!” To both Applejack and Usopp’s surprise, his stomach grumbled again. “Aw man, ya got anything else to eat?”

Applejack glanced over to the apples that she was saving for dinner. Her eyes then went over to the untouched gems by Usopp’s side. “I know ya ain’t too keen on it, but Ah’m sure those gems will fill ya up.”

Usopp shrugged and picked up one of the smaller pieces of jade. Like the ruby earlier, he studied its features for a moment. “Eh, why not?”

He stuck the jade halfway into his mouth. While he was hungry, he was still aware that he was about to bite into a rock. He wasn’t anxious to add broken teeth to his problems, so he slowly brought his teeth down on the jade.

There was a soft splintering noise as Usopp’s teeth made contact with the jade. He stopped and saw that the gem was awkwardly stuck to one of his front teeth. He then connected his two rows of fangs and split the jade in half with a crunch. He had cut through the jade as if it was made of crystallized sugar.

Yet the taste that filled Usopp’s mouth was delicate, not sweet. It had a slightly oiled flavor to it as well, similar to an avocado. The texture was like rock candy, clinking and clanking against Usopp’s teeth while he ground the gem into small pieces. He quickly sucked in the rest of the jade and ate it as well. He swallowed it gleefully. “We’ve been selling these this whole time?!”

Before Applejack could respond, Usopp was upon the other gems like a ravenous beast. He stuffed clawfuls of the jewels down his gullet, savoring the flavor for only a second before moving on to more. His supply ran out almost instantly and when he was done, he unceremoniously sprawled himself out on the table. “Hmm, that was good.”

Applejack sighed. She may have been a farmpony, but even farmponies had table manners. She moved over to Usopp’s face while his distended belly moved up and down. “Ah think Ah’ve seen hogs eat more refined than ya.”

“It was good though,” Usopp belched. His claws rose up and caressed his swollen stomach. “Any way I could get some more?”

“Fer pete's sake.” Applejack stomped the ground in annoyance, hospitality could only go so far. “Ya eat anymore and you’re gonna pop! If not that, then ya got a hay of a stomachache comin’ your way.”

Usopp’s face softened so that it resembled a whimpering child. He seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears. “But I want some more! You treat these things like rocks! There’s gotta be more!”

“They are rocks,” Applejack huffed. “If you’re so set on gettin’ more, there’s a large jewel field to the east of here. Ain’t ma fault if ya get sic—”

There was a woosh of air that sent Applejack’s hat flying to the ground. She looked around for the source, only to see that Usopp had disappeared and the kitchen door was swinging like its hinges were going to fall off. Applejack shook her head in bewilderment and picked up her hat. “Ah swear, between him and Spike, Ah’m gettin’ a little tired of dragons.”

~~~

The Friendship Express puffed its way over to the boarding platform at the Canterlot train station. A few ponies stood on the platform, awaiting friends and loved ones. The train came to a halt and let off a cloud of steam. As the steam cleared, the doors to the passenger cars slid open.

Before anypony could greet the train’s passengers, a purple blur darted out of one of the cars. It leaped off the platform and then disappeared in a flash of light. It reappeared nearby and zoomed off into the city streets. A few of the ponies on the platform marveled at the oddity, but quickly remembered they had schedules to keep and other ponies to meet.

Twilight galloped and teleported across Canterlot. Her mane was a disheveled mess: loose ends popped up everywhere, strands knotted together, and clumps of it matted to her scalp. The frenzied expression on her face would have scared off a hydra. Anger laced her sight and clenched her teeth. “I’m going to kill him! First the wedding and now this?! Gah!”

She quickly made her way through the Canterlot and arrived at the castle in record time. The guards at the front entrance raised their spears when they saw a wild pony charging at them. When they recognized Twilight, they lowered their weapons. She passed them and left a cloud of dust in her wake.

“Did the Princess warn us she was giving her student a test today?” one of the guards coughed.

Twilight blasted through twisting corridors, spiraling staircases, and dozens of rooms. She came to her goal at a pair of larger doors. She twisted around and let fly the hardest buck she could give.

There was a scrambling noise from inside. Something metallic fell and clanged against the ground. The area was quiet for a moment and then the door opened. Shining Armor stood on the other side, a pot precariously balanced on his horn and his whole body doused in flour. “Twily?”

“You!” Twilight lurched forward and tackled her brother to the ground. Her hooves grasped him and shook him with a vigorous furor. “How dare you tell me in a letter! I don’t care if you’re a prince now! There are some things you say to my face!”

“Twilight?”

Twilight stopped her assault. A pink alicorn with hair the color of a sunrise was looking down on her with a confused expression. “Cadance.”

“Yes, now what in Equestria is going o—” Cadance nearly tripped over her hooves when she was suddenly hugged by Twilight. She managed to regain her balance, but her mind was still shaken. Her sister-in-law had barged into her room, assailed her husband, and was now giving her a deep hug. She raised up her hoof and put it down again, unsure what to do.

“Oh, I’m so happy to hear about the foal!” Twilight lifted a hoof and gently massaged Cadance’s stomach. She then stared daggers at Shining. “I just wish I’d heard about it a better way.”

Cadance lit up her horn and levitated Twilight away from her. “Twilight, what are you talking about?”

“The letter,” Twilight said with an off-kilter grin. “Shiny said you were gonna have buns in the oven, so I came here as quickly as I could.”

“Ugh.” Cadance buried her head in a hoof. She set Twilight down and walked over to Shining. She picked him up with her hooves rather than her horn. “Shiny, you really need to choose your wording more carefully.”

“What?” Armor asked while he brushed off the dust on his coat. He flexed his legs producing a few cracks. “I didn’t do anything. I just asked Twily if she would like to join us later for some tea and cinnamon bu... oh.”

~~~

A little while later and a few issues cleared up, Twilight and Cadance were seated on one of the castle’s balconies overlooking the city. Shining opened a door and joined them outside. A tray of cinnamon buns floated at his side, which he put down on the center of the table. They all took a whiff of the delicious treat and shared a chuckle.

Armor took his seat and reclined over to Cadance. He gave her a little nuzzle on the cheek. “I think I’ll let you read over my letters in the future.”

“How you gave orders and became the Captain of the Guard is beyond me.” Cadance returned the nuzzle with one of her own. Her eyes had a slightly mischievous grin to them. “At least, when we do have foals, this will be a funny story to tell them.”

They all laughed at that as well. Shining summoned a spatula over and pulled the center bun out. With a smile, he sent it over to Twilight’s plate. “Your favorite. Careful, it’s hot.”

“Thanks BBBFF.” Twilight sucked in his breath and then blew on the hot bun. However, instead of a small stream of air, a gust kicked up all around the three of them.

When it stopped, a fourth pony was perched on the balcony’s railing. Her snow-white wings went to her sides as she stepped down. Her multi-colored mane moved of its own accord as she trotted closer to the other ponies. “Twilight, I’m glad my guards told me you were here.”

Twilight pushed away from the table and leapt out of her seat. She bent down in a small bow to her teacher. “Princess Celestia, sorry for not telling you I was coming. I... uh... had a minor family miscommunication.”

Celestia brought herself close to Twilight and raised her student’s head with a hoof. “It is no problem at all. You are always welcome in the castle, my faithful student. However, there are more pressing matters that we must attend to now.”

Twilight straightened her form. Her ears perked up at the grave tone in Celestia’s voice. “What is it? Another unsealed ancient evil? A dreaded force that must be stopped? A test?” The last guess sent a shiver down Twilight’s spine.

“No, nothing that dire” Celestia replied. Her horn glowed and a letter popped into existence by her muzzle. It uncurled itself while it floated between Celestia and Twilight. “Unfortunately, I’ve received word that another dragon has taken up residence near Ponyville, this time in the jewel fields.”

Twilight wiped the sweat that had accumulated on her brow. Her form relaxed a little and she let go of the tense breath she’d been holding. She swung a hoof in relief. “Don’t worry Princess. My friends and I will be able to take care of him in no time.”

“About that...” Celestia’s eyes switched and forth between Twilight and the letter. She tried to keep her lips a straight neutral line, but they went ever so slightly upwards. “I have dealt with various types of dragons throughout my rule, but this one is... unique.”

“How so?” asked Shining.

~~~

“You brute!” Rarity screamed. She clawed at the ground, but only managed to dirty her hooves. “Everything! You took everything! Do you know how long it takes for a jewels to grow here?!”

The ground wildly shook beneath Rarity’s hooves. A sound like the thickest thunder rent the air asunder while the land turned to jelly. Rarity fell to her haunches and covered her ears until the chaotic phenomenon stopped. She dared to open her eyes and saw that her body was brown with dust. “And now you’ve ruined my coat as well!”

Rarity seethed in contempt as she reared back and struck the scaly brown hill in front of her. It just expanded and sent her flying back before contracting again. She picked herself up and was about to strike again, when a yellow hoof tapped her on the shoulder.

“M-maybe we should wait until Twilight gets back. I... I’m sure she’ll get the Princess to help us,” Fluttershy suggested. Her eyes twisted up to the hill. Its oddest feature was the single sharp tower that jutted out and seemed to touch the sun. “At... at least he seems like a nicer d-dragon than the rest.”

“He ate all the jewels!” Rarity hissed. Her shoulders drooped and neck went limp as Fluttershy led her away from the behemoth. “Oh darn it all! I’m going to the spa and reading my novels! This is too much to bear!”

All around the massive creature, a few brave ponies gathered and gawked at it. A couple of colts on a dare were climbing up its winding tail. They quickly slid down it and ran home when the creature unleashed another deafening belch that made the land quiver and echoed throughout Ponyville.

The ponies watching it all took a few hundred steps back when the creature raised up its monstrous claw. The claw’s ends were fatter than the largest ponies in town, more pudgy than sharp. The claw blotted out the sun before falling back down on the creature’s stomach. It bent up and down against beige scales, like a colossal bongo drum. The action sent tremors through the earth and bounced all the nearby ponies around.

Usopp’s teeth glinted in the sun as he smacked his now fat belly. He paid no heed to his size or the fact that just turning over could have squashed half of Ponyville. He wasn’t likely to do that though as all the gems he’d consumed had made him quite lethargic. “Hmm, wonder if there’s anything else to eat.”

Exploration

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Something shifted under the sheets near Celestia. It crept closer and raised itself to strike, bringing up some of the covers as well. It rushed forward and struck Celestia in the gut. She scrunched up into a ball and tried to guard her underside from further attack. It was a fruitless effort and she was hit again. Celestia stayed in a ball and kept her eyes shut to defend herself. She gave an incoherent mumble that sounded a bit like, “Go away.”

Her assailant snickered watching Celestia retreat further and further into the covers. It was like she was a filly from ages long past. However, the assailant attacking Celestia knew that there was work to be done and problems to sort out. That tended to happen when a quarter of the castle was blown up. She sent out both her hooves and sent Celestia tumbling off the bed with a thud.

Celestia’s head poked out of a tangle of pillows and covers and she gave a grunt of annoyance. The outline of one of her legs rubbing her sore flank was easy to make out from under the bed sheets. She truly did look like a child again. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Sister.” Celestia’s attacker trotted out of the shadows, though a few strands of her mane stayed dark and wispy. The rest of it was a pale blue and light like the moon reflected on a still lake. Her body looked a bit awkward right now with a filly-sized torso but very lanky legs, far longer than a normal pony’s. It didn’t help that her legs had dark splotches on them that contrasted with the lighter blue hue of the rest of her body. “It is time to get up. I need your assistance raising the sun.”

Celestia followed Luna’s hoof as it moved over to the nearby window. Outside, Canterlot was dark, save for the small glow from a low hanging new moon and a few stars. The only other sources of light came from the castle itself, marking the locations of on-duty guards. There were quite a few more fires than usual.

“Then let us be off.” Celestia lit up her horn and the mess around her unfurled and neatly reassembled itself back on her bed. She moved over to Luna, taking a second to think how odd it was that Luna was currently a little taller than her.

“It’s bizarre for me too. Never in all our years have I stood over you,” said Luna. A couple of centuries together made faces a window into the mind. They walked across the bedroom over to a balcony door. Luna unlocked it with a smidgen of magic and a cool night’s breeze fell over both her and Celestia. Luna brimmed a little at the temperature while Celestia shivered.

They made their way to the edge of the balcony, casting their eyes down on the castle and the city. Scant movement came from guard patrols in the castle and none came from Canterlot. The sisters’ view then drifted up to the far-lying mountains and the horizon beyond them. They stopped at the moon. It was a sliver of the grand circle it normally was, but it was all Luna dared muster in her current state.

Eyes locked on target, the sisters took a deep breath at the same time. Rather than their horns glowing, their whole bodies started to sparkle with cosmic magic. Luna clenched her teeth as the tiny moon dipped behind the mountains.

Both sisters’ breathing became more labored when the moon fully vanished and an unnatural darkness took hold of Equestria. The stars went out and the sky turned into a black void. Sweat poured down both their necks before the sky to the east gained rosy fingertips and a small yellow glow.

Luna was cut from the cosmic magic and steadied herself. The mystical disengagement has caused her knees to quiver a little and put her off balance. Celestia, however, remained locked in shimmering aura for a few second longer. Her breathing slowed and she closed her eyes. The sun inched up a little more, a clear edge of a circle now.

When the magic ceased, Celestia’s legs shook and her breathing was hurried again. Luna went over and helped keep her sister from falling. Bracing Celestia against herself, Luna saw that the tips of Celestia’s mane had gained multiple soft colors to compliment her natural pink. The tips also now moved of their own accord, like tendrils of morning fog.

“This... really does remind me... of the old days,” Luna wheezed. She placed a hoof on Celestia’s back and Celestia did the same. Together they took in the dawn. Soon, Canterlot would begin to stir. Milk and newspapers would rest on doorsteps, overnight trains would arrive at the station, and ponies would awake to another day.

Celestia did not reply. Her vision flickered back and forth between Canterlot and the sun. Luna said nothing and watched her sister pensively stare out at Equestria. It dawned on Luna that Celestia wasn’t looking at the sun though; she was peering beyond it. “Sister...”

“Discord was true to his nature.” Celestia didn’t turn her head and was now solely focused on the world beyond the horizon. “He made this a chaotic land covered in an illusion and tucked away from the real world. Maybe he one day hoped something would smash the fake sky and end it all.”

Now Celestia chose to face Luna. As light washed over them, they were not princesses, rulers, rebels, or freaks. They were the two ponies that had found each other in a mad world. Long ago, they had swallowed the fear that madness afflicted on everypony to rise up and fight for a normal tomorrow. That fear was now back on Celestia’s face.

“Everything Luna... everything you and I worked so hard to build... it could all come tumbling down on us.” Celestia’s lip quivered as she spoke. “So many years... so many centuries... all in the balance of one man. How did it come to this?”

Luna blinked, unaccustomed to seeing Celestia emotional in such a long time. She extended a wing out and placed it alongside her hoof on Celestia’s back. She then faced the dawn again. “Sister, I know what tomorrow holds may be scary, but I have faith that you will succeed. True, Fire Fist’s life is now the key to destruction, but another key is with us right now.”

In the early morning light, Celestia could make out the red tint on Luna’s cheeks, giving her face a light purple sheen. She inhaled deeply while her gaze shifted over to the remains of Luna’s old room. The debris had been swept away, but smashed and blackened stone walls still poked out of the thick rock that had made up the floor.

“Straw Hat...” Celestia whispered. “Luna, you truly believe he can do it?”

Luna withdrew her wing and hoof and walked in front of Celestia. A blush still remained on her cheeks, but her eyes now glistened with fire. Celestia knew that fire well, it had blazed as long as Celestia had known Luna and had gotten them through their worst days. She had not seen it since Luna had departed to explore the seas. The Celestial Dragons had snuffed it out.

“Celestia...” Luna cooly replied, “he dared strike a Dragon. Neither you, nor I, nor any living being would dare do such a thing in fear of reprisal. I inquired further while you slept... Pinkamena was quite willing to talk. Straw Hat and his friends struck knowing full well the consequences.”

Luna’s lips turned down and her wings pulled close to her side. “Quite a coincidence that the force sent to kill him and his crew sent him here instead.”

Celestia’s mouth became a neutral line and her eyes narrowed at Luna’s words. “Are you implying the government sent him here on purpose?”

“Not the government, but a part of it, or maybe just a single person. From what you’ve said, they haven’t changed too much from when I last suffered under them... but there are small shifts here and there. The Warlords for one. They’ve become much more trusting of pirates.”

“And I am put alongside them,” Celestia sighed.

“Celestia,” Luna’s voice rumbled. Celestia noted that was the second time Luna had used her name rather than “sister.” “I bring it up because they are in a similar predicament to you. Perhaps some of them are more loyal to the government, but surely others are as opposed to this war as you.”

“What would you have me do then?”

A thin grin crept up Luna’s face. “Do as you have told Twilight Sparkle, make some friends... or allies at least. Someone isn’t fully on their side, but they might be willing to join ours.”

Celestia didn’t return Luna’s grin with her own. She instead heaved her shoulders forward and bent her head down. “I’ve attended meetings before. The only one who always shows up is Kuma. He’d make a good companion to Discord, he never speaks or moves while we talk. Then there is Doflamingo, he makes my skin crawl and I’m certain he can read minds. The only one I somewhat respect is Mihawk. He is far more courteous than you would expect of a pirate, but I have never lingered long enough to talk to him. I know nothing of Blackbeard other than that he’s the cause of this mess. I have not laid eyes on Jinbei or Moria as they go less frequently than I do. If it’s someone else, I have no clue how to find them.”

“I see.” Luna tapped a hoof against her chin sorting through all the information she’d just been given. She matched it with what Celestia had given to her the day she’d awoken: maps, history books, wanted posters, and summons. “I will need to consult your records again and possibly get a more coherent story about Straw Hat’s adventures. He seems to attract controversy wherever he goes.”

Celestia let out a chuckle at that. “You should have seen them after his run on Enies Lobby. Some fear-mongering marine proposed calling him ‘Emperor of Paradise.’ I didn’t laugh then, but now all I can think of is that when the marine stood up, he spilled his drink all over his pants. Humans and their clothes.”

“An emperor...” Luna murmured. A visage of Luffy filled her mind. He was standing tall, a proud stallion at the peak of his age. A royal red cloak was draped over his shoulders and a gold crown was attached to his head. He sparkled like a crystal pony as he turned to face her.

A loud grumble interrupted Luna’s thoughts and brought her back to reality. Celestia was giving her an inquisitive look, with her head corked to the side. “Luna, I think your dinner and everypony else’s breakfast is in order.”

“Y-yes!” Luna’s voice cracked a little, unleashing snippets of the Royal Canterlot Voice. She hastily drew a hoof to her stomach to distract from the crimson hue her face had taken. “Yes, we— I... I would like that! I am most hungry and lack of nourishment is making our— my head light!”

Celestia kept a sly grin on her face. She turned around and made her way back to her room. “Then let us eat. I somehow get the feeling our guests are already at it.”

~~~

“Ah just don’t get it,” Applejack said over the sound of smacks and munches. The noises filled the smaller dining hall she was currently situated in. It was tucked between Celestia and Luna’s rooms, far away from the greater dining hall. It had a much more relaxed and personal air to it. Soft carpets covered the floor, silken drapes adorned the windows, and an intricate mural of either dusk or dawn filled the ceiling.

However, Applejack’s attention, along with Twilight’s and Fluttershy’s was on the beige pony sitting opposite of them. Stacks of empty plates laid at his sides, along with empty banana peels, orange skins, and grape vines. His hooves reached out and shoveled more and more food into his mouth. Everypony else had had to munch down quickly on a meek breakfast before Luffy stole it from them.

What was really drawing all their curiosity was that Luffy’s eyes were completely sealed. A small bubble of snot also waxed and waned out of his nose. Applejack waved a hoof in front of his face and nearly got her hoof bitten by him. She recoiled back into her seat. “How’s he do it? He sleeps night and day and he eats more than all ma pigs combined, but he can take down monsters like they were nothing!”

“Best not to ask,” Twilight cautioned. “Pinkie’s the only one who really understands how he works and asking her to explain things... might just make things more confusing.”

The snot bubble on Luffy’s nose popped and his eyes fluttered open. A piece of pancake flopped along the edge of his mouth while he took in his surroundings. He made note of the multiple dishes around him and grinned. “Alright, I already got the appetizer done.”

Everypony else nearly fell off their chairs at that. Twilight and Applejack scrambled to grab hold of the table while Fluttershy just gaped at Luffy. Luffy didn’t seem to care and tore into another stack of pancakes. He spoke with a full mouth and a few pieces of food flying out of it. “Hey, did somepony mention Pinkie? I had a weird dream we were eating a chocolate mountain.”

“Well, we did kinda sorta raid the fridge for a chocolate cake last night,” Pinkie said, somehow already seated between Applejack and Fluttershy. A slice of carrot cake had also come with her and now rested on the table. “I mean, we left bits paying for it and everything. Don’t you remember?”

Luffy paused his feasting for a moment. He then gave Pinkie the smile that appeared permanently attached to his face. “Nope. Must have been asleep.”

Instead of banging her head into the table like everypony else, Pinkie’s grin just grew wider. “I gotta step up my game.” To add to the confusion of breakfast, Pinkie then pulled out her own stack of pancakes, closer her eyes, and stuffed the cakes into her mouth.

Applejack looked back and forth between Pinkie and Luffy cramming food into their mouths. She sighed and slunk back in her chair, wishing a little more food was at table. “Ah swear, ya two are gonna eat out all of Canterlot.”

“I highly doubt that.” The doors to the room opened and Celetia trotted in. She walked at akward paces, unaligned legs messing with her balance. Celestia still kept her head high and regal. “Canterlot has not been wont for food since the early days of my and Luna’s rule. That’s not to say Pinkie Pie and Straw Hat aren’t putting a small dent in it...” Celestia whispered the next part, “... and my cakes.”

Twilight got out of her seat and gently stepped over to Celestia. She lowered her head in a small bow. “Princess Celestia, are you feeling better today?”

Celestia bent her head down to Twilight’s and gave her a soft nuzzle. “With every day, my strength grows as does Luna’s. We will be fully restored soon.”

“And then we can go save Ace?” Luffy blurted out.

The rest of the ponies grew quiet and those seated stared at their plates. Even Pinkie lost her grin at that and her mane hung limper than usual. Celestia inhaled and managed a smile. “Yes, Straw Hat, but I will need to be at my prime to assist you. For now, please enjoy breakfast.”

Celestia’s focus then drifted away from Luffy and over to the other ponies. It came to rest on Twilight. “Twilight, where is your friend Rarity?”

“Oh... uh...” Twilight reached back and scratched her mane. Celestia took notice that Twilight’s eyes kept shifting over to Luffy, who was once more eating. “Well... given Luffy’s eating... habits... Rarity thought it best to eat a small meal in her guest-room.”

Celestia watched as Luffy inhaled a whole bushel of bananas, skin and all.“It would probably be best not to tell her that in the old days, eating like that was normal for pirates. Fruits, vegetables, and other perishable items were such a rarity back then that they would stuff themselves to the point of bursting.”

Pinkie giggled at Celestia’s explanation. “So Luffy must be a super good pirate then, right?”

“Or a super hungry one,” Applejack quipped.

“Oh!” Twilight’s eyes nervously shifted away from Luffy and back Celestia, filled with desperation to changed the subject. “How is Princess Luna? I haven’t seen her around much after the, um... incident. How’s her recovery going?”

Celestia noted the clump of flowing blue on the edge of a nearby window. She momentarily craned her head to watch it, but it seemed to notice her and darted away. Celestia then started at her student again. In her current form, they were practically eye level. “Luna is... doing well. She gets much more demure when we’re in our current state though.” Among other things.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy mumbled. She was drawing a circle on the table with a hoof, but her head was turned toward Celestia.

Caught on already? Celestia mused. Now was it because of her nature or haki... either way, hopefully she won’t make too much of a fuss about it. Celestia mentally sighed and thought back to when she’d first awakened after her rampage. Her words had been blunt, but they had been true in striking Luna’s heart. We’re both just tired. Luna has lived long enough to know that infatuation is a folly for us... I hope.

~~~

In one of the many apartment complexes in Canterlot, a young mare was getting ready for the day. Truth be told, she’d already been up for a few hours making breakfast, tidying up her room, and fine tuning her instrument. She swept back her long black hair, which had fallen in front of her face when she’d packed her cello onto her back.

Ready for another day, Octavia made her way to the door. On the way, she passed a small alcove which led to the kitchen. Her roommate was at the table, smacking on cereal and cider. How Vinyl drank cider so early in the day was a mystery to Octavia. Then again, Vinyl could rival Nightmare Moon as a creature of the night.

“I’m off to work, Vinyl,” Octavia called out.

“Have fun,” Vinly replied with a mouthful of cereal. She swallowed, put down her spoon, and smirked at Octavia. “Just remember to be careful though. I’ve heard there’s been a lot of weird things going on. Remember that story I told you about the guard last night?”

Octavia’s form slumped a little. She had grown accustomed to Vinyl’s wild tales, but wasn’t in the mood for them at the moment. “I would imagine you’d be a little more respectful. An ancient evil threatened Equestria, blew up the castle, and you are grasping at random rumors from a drunken guardpony.”

Octavia didn’t wait for a reply and marched over to the door. There was only a little space between the front of her apartment and the street. However, she lived in a much more quiet area of Canterlot so it wasn’t a terrible deal and worth the apartment’s price. She soaked in the morning sun, taking in the nice day. “Honestly Vinyl, a pony that swings like a monkey and stretches like rubber. No doubt something Discord would make, but the Elements dealt with th—”

“It feels good to be outside again! The castle was getting boring!” A pony yelled at it latched onto the apartment’s room with a disturbingly long hoof. He had a crazed grin on his face similar to the one Vinyl wore when she was in-character for her job. Octavia stood frozen as the pony’s other front hoof extend far past where a hoof should have extended and grabbed another building. With another swing, it bounder down an adjacent street and out of Octavia’s sight.

“Wait up! You’re going to fast!” Before Octavia could recover, a pink blur darted past her. Upon closer inspection, Octavia realized the blur was actually bouncing at ludicrous speeds. The blur slowed enough as it too went down the adjacent street that Octavia could make out that it was actually a pony.

Just when the dust settled from bouncing pony, two more ponies rounded a corner and chased after them. One of them was orange and decked out in a stetson hat, while the other was light purple. They both looked a little haggard, but the purple one looked completely winded. They didn’t stop and continued giving chase to the other “ponies.”

Finally, a soft yellow pegasus trailed after them, going at a leisurely pace. Her eyes sometimes darted to the castle, or behind her, or to her sides, or really anywhere. She ducked her head when she locked eyes on Octavia and sped up to the other ponies.

Octavia stood still on her doorstep. Her right eye twitched a little. She didn’t notice Vinyl walk over to her, levitating a cup of coffee at her side. Vinyl took a quick drink of the brew and watched Fluttershy’s tail vanish behind another corner. “Huh, so that’s what a chaotic monkey-pony looks like... I was expecting it to be a bit hairier.”

Octavia responded by crashing to the ground.

~~~

“Luffy, slow down!” Pinkie called out. In front of her and across the rooftops, Luffy swung along. “I can’t keep up!”

“Okay.” Luffy let go of the statue he’d grasped in his last leap and slammed into the ground. His hooves dug deep and created piles of dirt where he finally stopped. All around him, ponies were gawking and whispering, but he didn’t take notice. He instead twisted his neck back like an owl. “This place if pretty fun.”

“I... know!” Pinkie gasped. “You... should race... Dashy when... she’s better!”

“Hmm.” Luffy’s eyes went up to the sky and he rubbed his chin with a hoof. “Maybe I’ll ask her to join my crew.”

“Na.” Pinkie had regained her breath and playfully swatted a hoof at Luffy. “Dashy may like adventure, but she’ll never give up a chance to join the Wonderbolts.”

Luffy’s head slumped at Pinkie’s reply. A few small tears dribbled onto the ground. “But a flying pony would be so cool.”

“Ah swear Ah’m gonna tie ya two up!” Luffy looked up and Pinkie twisted her head around to see Applejack glaring at them. Twilight was close behind, but breathing too heavily to speak. “You’re are gonna tear up this whole darn town runnin’ around like that!”

“We’re just having fun,” Luffy and Pinkie both said at the same time.

Applejack lifted her hat up and wiped away the sweat that had built up on her brown. “Ah got an idea. Luffy, why don’t ya tell us one of your stories?”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie hopped around Luffy like her hooves were made of pogo sticks. “Tell the one about the giants! Or the fox guy! Or the giant whale!”

“Stop!” Twilight rasped. She slowly trotted over to Luffy, an unnerving smile on her face. Her left eyelid twitched a little as well. “How about you tell us what you do on a normal day?”

“Ugh, but that’s boring,” Luffy sighed.

“No! No it’s not!” Twilight’s voice cracked a little as she spoke. “Nopony sails very much, so it’d be very very interesting if you would sit down and explain, in detail, what you do on a normal day!”

“Um... yes,” Fluttershy muttered, having finally caught up with the group. She landed without kicking up any dirt and tucked her wings in. “I mean, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to hear about a normal day too... or what your reindeer friend does.”

“Okay okay.” Luffy trotted over to a nearby statue and took a seat at its base. He relaxed against the stone and sniffed the morning air. “We’re getting something good after this though. Anyway, most days...”

~~~

Luffy sat atop the head of a great wooden lion. His legs wrapped around its maw and kept him from falling into the sea below. He was reclining back and watching gulls pass by and making out the shapes of the clouds.

Behind him, Nami stood at the helm, checking her log pose and then making small changes to the Sunny’s direction. On the grassy deck, Robin was sitting in a chair and reading one of her many books. Nearby, Chopper was playing on the ship’s slide.

A light tune wafted through the air, it’s source being Brook’s violin. He stood atop the crow’s nest, but his music reached the whole ship. It mixed in with the clink and clank from below-deck, no doubt Franky and Usopp working on some new invention.

The galley door opened and Sanji appeared, balancing nine plates with his arms, legs, and head. He casually took a drag from his cigarette and walked out onto the deck. “Lunch is ready.”

“‘bout time,” Zoro complained. He’d been up in crow’s nest’s training room, but now he was slowly making his way down the main mast. Brook accompanied him down, using his clothes to float down rather than climbing.

“Shut it mosshead.” Just as Zoro put his feet at the deck, Sanji launched one of the plates at him. He easily caught it but still gave Sanji an irked look.

“Food! Food, food, food!” Luffy yelled as he ran over to Sanji. As soon as he’d smelled lunch, he’d jumped up from the Sunny’s head and made a beeline for the meal. His arms stretched out for one of the two nicer looking plates and he was so distracted that he didn’t see the black shoe he was racing towards.

Sanji didn’t even need to move his leg for Luffy to hit it. Luffy slowly slumped to the ground with a red imprint on his face. Sanji leaned over and slid a large plate over to Luffy. “This one’s yours. As if I’d let you touch Nami or Robin’s food. That stuff’s too delicate for you.”

“Aww, come on!” Luffy banged his hands against the deck like a child. “You always give them the best food.”

“Because they appreciate it!” Sanji bickered. Luffy got up and started pawing for the girls’ food again, but sanji blocked him. Arms and legs became a tangled mess, yet Sanji still managed to keep all the plates balanced. “Luffy! I swear I will...”

“If it’s too much trouble, you can just have mine.” Luffy and Sanji stopped fight to look at who had spoken. Robin had set her book aside and was making her way over to the group. “I’m not too hungry right now.”

“Yay! Good food!” Luffy grasped the plate away from Sanji and scurried away. Sanji remained frozen, bereft of any reaction to having Robin turn down food. “Thanks Robin!”

“It is no big deal, I’m sure you’ll like it,” Robin said with a smile.

Luffy didn’t take notice and instead sat down and got ready to eat. His lips already drooling, he removed the lid on Robin’s plate and grinned from ear to ear. On the Plate was a huge chunk of meat as big as he head. “Awesome!”

He tore into the meat and it melted in his mouth. It quickly disappeared from Robin’s plate and Luffy moved onto his own plate. He lifted the lid to find another large piece of meat. He hastily bit off a large chunk of it, which made his cheeks resemble a chipmunk’s. He was so focused on devouring the meal, he didn’t notice Robin sit next to him. A bit of her hair flowed over and tickled his head, but he paid no heed.

When only a large bone was left, Luffy set the plate down and patted his stomach. He then raised up his arms and shouted, “That was so...”

~~~

“...good!” Luffy sat upright in his bed with his hooves raised high. After a moment of revelry, he closed his mouth and looked around. He saw one of Canterlot Castle’s spires from out of his rooms windows and frowned. “Darn it. Dream meat tastes too good.”

Observation

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“I’m telling you, it was just like the story I told you!” Luffy said as he stuffed five fried eggs into his mouth. “Except for the meat! It wasn’t fair!””

“Ah have plenty of dreams where Ah’m working on ma farm.” Applejack paused to eat her own eggs. She only ate two at a time though. “Why are ya making such a big deal out of this?”

“‘Cause, usually my dreams are just me eating or being the king,” Luffy replied.

“Oh! I know!” Pinkie popped up beside Luffy and actually managed to swipe a strawberry from a nearby plate. While she munched on the sweet fruit, she rested a leg on Luffy’s shoulder. “Maybe being a pony makes you have different dreams. Then again, you could just be having normal dreams too, ya know. Like this one time, I dreamt everypony was having an awesome party, but that was right after the Summer Sun Celebration. Then, this other time, I dreamt I ate a cake as big as a mountain!”

Luffy’s eyes lit up at the mention of such a monstrous treat. “That sounds good!”

A little further down the table, Applejack turned and looked at Fluttershy, who was watching Luffy and Pinkie eat and talk. Fluttershy then stared at Applejack and they both gave a silent thanks to Pinkie for distracting Luffy long enough for them to get a proper meal in their bellies. They both quickly started eating their food.

The reprieve from Luffy’s stealing also allowed Applejack to note that the seat next to her was empty. She left a half eaten biscuit on her plate to lean over to her right where Fluttershy was seated. “Rarity Ah can understand, but where’s Twilight?”

Fluttershy put down the fork of fruit salad she was about to eat. She turned her head left and right, acknowledging that only four ponies were at the table. “Oh... I don’t know... maybe she wanted to sleep in a little.”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Hmm, Ah’d believe that. Ah ever tell ya about that time Rarity and Ah slept over at her house? After Ah thought we all fell asleep, Ah got up a little later to use the bathroom and Twilight was pouring over some old lookin’ book.”

“Maybe some extra sleep is good for her then.” Fluttershy and Applejack then resumed eating their meals. Unfortunately, they both returned to empty plates. Applejack glared at Luffy while Fluttershy raked a hoof against her empty plate and frowned.

~~~

“No.” Celestia’s vision was concentrated on a stained glass window a few feet above her. Unlike those in her throne room, this one was only composed of simple simple reds, purples, and yellows and depicted no epic deeds. Sunlight glimmered down on her face and through her now wavy mane. A good top portion of it was still pink, but it was at least back to its normal flow.

Celestia kept her gaze on the stained glass, ignoring the pony to her left. Twilight stood a respectful distance away with her head stretched out as if there were an invisible line separating her from Celestia.

Twilight’s eyes glistened a little in the morning light. Celestia knew the look well and had silently sighed when Twilight walked into her room with it on this morning. Twilight only wore it when on a learning quest.

Twilight nervously bit into her lip as hundreds of different sentences danced across her tongue. Her words came out rushed and choppy. “Please! Why can’t you just teach me the basics?”

“Because haki is something nopony should learn how to use!” Celestia raised a hoof to her mouth as soon as she spoke. She lowered her shoulders and head and turned over to Twilight. “Haki is a violent force.”

“So are the Elements.” Twilight practically gasped after the jab escaped from her mouth.

“The Elements were designed to purify and, if not that, neutralize any ill-bearing or disharmonic force. Haki can be used on anypony and it can kill!” Celestia rested a hoof against her brow and shook her head back and forth. “I shouldn’t have said anything as soon as I woke up. Twilight, I’m telling you this for your own good. Do not pursue haki training.”

“But you already said we’ve accessed it. Dash’s Rainboom, Fluttershy’s Stare, even my own magic.”

Celestia sighed. “There is no way to stop haki from leaking out at crucial moments in one’s life, but honing it is an entirely different story. You’d be making a weapon out of your body. I won’t do that to anypony else.”

Twilight looked to the floor and stayed silent for a moment. Her next words came out of her mouth slowly and hesitantly. “When you first started teaching me, you taught me how to control my magic. It wasn’t enough though. I always worried it’d go out of control again, that I’d hurt somepony.”

Twilight brought her head up, her eyes now focused on Celestia. “I don’t want to use haki as a weapon, I just want to know how to handle it. I’m sure Fluttershy could tell you something similar about her Stare as well. The rest of my friends probably feel the same way as well.”

Celestia said nothing. She turned her back and faced the stained glass again. Twilight’s head dropped again and she was about to say her goodbyes when Celestia spoke up. “Hit me.”

Twilight swiveled her ears around. “Um, Princess, could you repeat that? I thought you said you wanted me to hit you.”

“I do,” Celestia said, her focus still on the glass. “Hit me once and I will teach you.”

“I... I can’t hit you!”

“Then we are done here. You can go join your friends at breakfast. You’d best hurry before Straw Hat eats up everything.”

Rather than leaving for food, Twilight just barely lit up the end of her horn. A tiny violet dot then shot out of her horn and straight for Celestia. “Forgive me, Princess.”

Celestia casually swung neck to the left, leaving the speck to strike the stone below the glass instead. It made a soft fizzle and disappeared. “You’ll need to do better than that.”

Twilight bit her lip and winced as she unleashed a small beam instead of a dot. It traveled much faster than her previous spell as well. Celestia dodged to the right and Twilight’s attack left a black mark on the wall.

“Hmph.” Twilight concentrated her magic into her horn and sent another beam at Celestia. Like before, the Princess dodged. However, right as Celestia moved her head to the left, Twilight sent out another shot, sure that Celestia would move right into the beam’s path.

Celestia gracefully swerved her neck around and the two shots both missed. “Come now Twilight, you know it will take more than that to strike me. Surely I taught you better than that?”

Twilight huffed and gritted her teeth. Sparks flew out of her horn and sputtered to the ground. A volley of violet beams then raced out of her horn towards Celestia, flying in all directions. Celestia’s body moved back and forth like a snake, avoiding each and every attack.

Sweat trickled down Twilight’s face while she continued weaving her spells. Celestia proceeded with her dodging dance as more beams came at her, but none managed to hit. With a spin, Celestia faced Twilight, who was so focussed on hitting Celestia that she didn’t notice that the Princess’s eyes were closed.

She did notice when the Princess started to step closer to her though. Taking this as a greater challenge, Twilight breathed heavily and concentrated her magical volley into a single strand of energy. It stuck to the stone wall and smoldered where it made contact. Tensing up her neck muscles, Twilight heaved her spell around like a great sword, aiming to stop Celestia’s advance.

Celestia didn’t react to Twilight’s new tactic and just continued on her way. When the strand swung at her, she either jumped or dodged, all while her eyes were closed. Twilight took a few shaky steps back when Celestia was only a few feet away from her.

The retreat didn’t get past Celestia and she lunged forward. She bent her head down and used her horn to unbalance Twilight. Twilight’s spell left a black trail along the wall as she fell. When she hit the ground, the spell stopped. She buried the bottom half of her face in her legs to hide her gaping mouth. “How... how did you know?”

Celestia reached out and lifted Twilight’s head up with a hoof. Her eyes were open now. “Observation haki. Not my strong point, but any skilled user can apply it to avoid an enemy’s attack without even looking at them. Mixed with magic it has some... interesting effects.”

“Like what?” Twilight dared to ask.

“Normally, it can only pick up living beings. Apply it to a gem seeking spell though...”

“Rarity...” Twilight stuttered. “Her story makes a bit more sense now. The magic necessary for a spell of that range would never normally be possible for a filly.”

“Neither is artificially aging a dragon.” Celestia helped Twilight up and then lit up her horn. A faint golden aura appeared between herself and Twilight. Three objects appeared within: a stylized and cartoonish eye, a toy-like spear, and a crown fit for a doll’s head. The spear floated up above the other two and became a little bigger. “I think armament haki is your forte. It seems you have taken after me in more ways than I thought.”

“So does this mean...” A thin grin traced its way across Twilight’s face. Her eyes glimmered with excitement and her legs quivered, ready to jump at the slightest provocation.

“Yes, Twilight, I will teach you the basics.” Before Twilight could happily prance around, Celestia raised a wing to quiet her. “However, you must promise to never ever use haki unless your life is in danger. Can you promise me this?”

Twilight stared at Celestia, noting the unfamiliar fire in her teacher’s eyes. The hairs on her neck stood up. This was different from learning how to control her magic. The room was deathly quiet when Twilight’s words echoed, “Yes... yes princess.”

“Very well then. I will offer this teaching to your friends as well, but only if they seek it.” The room seemed to brighten a little as Celestia smiled at her student. “Now, let us begin with what haki is. To start, there are three main types...”

~~~

“I don’t think he ever stops eating.” Rarity pushed back a curl of her purple mane with an exaggerated flourish. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have a metabolism like that. I mean, I go on good walks to make sure I stay fit, but there are just some things you’re born with.”

“Rarity,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “I really don’t care.”

“Oh but you should, dear. Before Mr. Luffy arrived, I was always saying the same thing about you. True, you’re very active in your daily activities, but to not have even an inch of fat on you. Oooh, it just makes me so jealous.”

Dash blew up a piece of her mane that had fallen in front of her left eye. “Well, I’m gonna be a skeleton if you or a nurse don’t feed me.”

“Oh...” Rarity blushed a little. “My apologies. You know how I am sometimes.” Rarity levitated a spoon over to a bowl of oatmeal and then moved the full spoon over to Dash. Luckily, her burns weren’t bad enough around her face that she couldn’t eat properly, but movement was out of the question.

Dash was covered in bandages from head to hoof, save for the area allowed for her mane. Her legs were hitched up above the bed to restrain Dash’s movement. Under the bandages, her skin was recovering, but needed to be still in order to heal properly. Only her head and tail distinguished her from a pony-shaped bundle of gauze. “Yeah, yeah. Still, thanks for coming by. It’s creepy when the nurses give me food.”

“Not a problem at all, dear. Honestly...” Rarity’s brow slumped and the luster fled her eyes. “It’s better than watching Mr. Luffy and Pinkie stuff their faces. If they didn’t steal my food, I’d be too disgusted to eat anyway.”

Dash snickered at Rarity turning a slight shade green. “Everypony else is doing okay?”

“Oh yes, everypony is fine.” Rarity recovered from her momentary nausea and pushed her mane back again. “I am a bit worried about Mr. Luffy’s exploits into the city. Everypony in the castle has been talking about him. Half the city thinks he’s one of Discord’s creations.”

“Darn it Rarity! Don’t tell me that, I’m gonna laugh!” Dash was trying her hardest to keep her teeth clenched. Her whole body shook a little and she winced as a chuckle escaped her mouth. “Ow!”

A knock then came at the door of Dash’s room. It opened and Luna’s flowing mane slipped into the room, followed by her head. “Fair Rarity and Dash, may I come in?”

“Sure Princess,” Dash replied.

“Certainly your highness,” said Rarity the same time as Dash was speaking.

Luna smiled at the tangle the two pony’s words had made and let herself into the room. The only part of her that remained light blue were her wings and even parts of them were darkening. Her mane had fully recovered and she now stood a good head over normal ponies. “I am glad to see you are in such a talkative mood. I take it your recovery is going well?”

“The sooner I can fly, the better.” Dash paused and turned her eyes up. “Wouldn’t mind trying that flame stuff again though. Think of all the cool tricks I could do with that!”

“And wind up in the hospital again?” Rarity balked.

“Hmm...” Luna clasped her chin with a hoof and her sight became unfocused.

“What’s up, Princess?” asked Dash.

Luna removed her hoof from her face and waved it at Dash and Rarity. “Well... my sister already told your friends, but you might be able access something akin to that power.”

“How?” Behind her bandages, Dash’s expression glowed with curiosity and delight.

Luna didn’t instantly respond and instead moved over to the chair next to Rarity. She looked at Dash and gestured to the empty seat. “May I sit here?”

“No problem, Princess.” Dash slowly twisted her head around so that she was directly looking at Luna and Rarity. “So how can I do something like what Princess Celestia did?”

“Well, it concerns Straw Hat a bit as well,” Luna explain. “Perhaps we can share stories to explain it best. It all comes back to a power few posses. A power called haki...”

~~~

Firelight lit up the night sky. A monstrous flame clawed the heavens while giant spits of meat sizzled under its heat. Shadows danced on massive trees while their owners celebrated on the ground. Laughter, roughhousing, boasts, jests, jokes, and relieved sighs filled the air.

People garbed in fine tunics and robes joined hands with others dressed only in rough loincloths. They spun and twirled around the great bonfire, large smiles on their faces. Those that didn’t dance shared food and clanged glasses together. A few also carried shell-like tools that shot out jets of flame, air, and thick cloud.

The people were not alone in their celebration, the entire forest had joined the celebration. Birds with massive beaks larger than their heads sang a deep throaty chorus in the canopy and snatched away food from any unaware party guests. Wolves happily ran through the crowd, snatching up scraps of food no one else was touching.

Towering over everyone and everything was a great serpent. Its head extended to the tips of the bonfire and its forked tongue licked at the flames. It swayed back and forth, dancing just like the people below it. Despite a lack of teeth, save for two sharp fangs, its gaping jaw was easy to mistake for a smile.

Luffy was currently taking a break from dancing. He was chewing on a large skewer of meat that he needed both his hands to hold. This left him vulnerable to children and curious adults that pulled and stretched his skin. They’d hold it for a few seconds before letting go and it would snap back into place. All of them had wide eyes and fascinated expressions as they studied the unfamiliar rubber man.

Someone grabbed Luffy’s cheek, pulled it, and let it slap him in the face. Bits of meat flew out of his mouth before he turned and glared at the puller. “That’s it! I’m trying to eat!”

The person in question fell to her knees and hid her face behind her thick dark hair. She was dressed in Shandian clothing: a simple dirty brown dress. “I’m sorry! Your friend said you were made out of the stuff that stopped god Eneru. I just wanted to see what ‘ruebar’ was. I’m sorry!”

“Just don’t pull my face again,” Luffy pouted.

“Okay...” The girl traced a foot around the circle. “Your with the long nose said it’d be fine as long as you were eating.”

“Huh...” Luffy then stuffed the rest of the skewer into his mouth and pulling out a clean wooden stick. His face turned red as the food went down his throat, but he managed to swallow it. “Ha! Now no one can annoy me anymore!” A gurgle then erupted out of Luffy’s stomach. “Aw, but I’m still hungry.”

The girl continued tracing circles in the earth and kept her eyes to the ground. “Well... there was some ham and melon close by.”

In an instant, Luffy grabbed the girl’s shoulders and his grin filled half her vision. “Really? Awesome! Where is it?”

The girl squirmed out of Luffy’s grasp but held onto his left arm. She tugged at his arm and was shocked for a moment when it extended. She quickly recovered and raced off with Luffy’s arm. “It’s this way!”

Luffy pursued her through the crowds. The sounds of the party grew fainter as did the scents in the air. Crickets and rustling replaced the loud boisterous yells of men. The girl had disappeared into the forest but still held Luffy’s arm. He raced through a thicket of trees and bushes and found his arm back at his side. “Huh? Where’d the girl go?”

He surveyed his surrounding and found himself on steep stony shore. Clear blue water lapped at the rocks and a bit of spray went into the air. Luffy spotted something on a cliff that jutted out into the sea. “There!”

He sped toward the object, hoping it was the ham and melon he’d been promised. He didn’t take notice that the forest had thinned immensely behind him and the bonfire’s glow was much smaller and joined by other minor flames as well. He raced to the edge of the cliff but stopped when he could fully make out the object.

It was two pieces of wood, one piece perpendicular to the other to form a simple cross. Luffy stared at the cross and twisted his head at it. “It’s just a grave. Darn, Usopp must have told that girl to play a prank on me.

A wind suddenly blew at Luffy’s back. A voice was carried on. “No...”

“Hmm?” Luffy spun around and was greeted with the moon. It was full and larger than he’d ever seen it before. It was so close that it almost seemed touchable. “Whoa! When’d the moon get so huge?”

“No, no, no!” came the voice again.

Luffy looked around but saw no one around. It was only him, the moon, and the grave. “Hello? Is someone there?”

“I... I shouldn’t have! I just thought that...”

“Hey! Are you talking to me?” Luffy yelled.

“Next time... I’m sorry Straw Hat.”

“Ah ha! So you are talking to me! Show your-” Luffy pounced at the moon and went flying into the air. “-se— ow!”

Luffy had managed to ram his head right into one of his bedpost. He slumped down, leaving a sizable imprint in the wood. He gave an annoyed huff but didn’t move. “When did dreams start to hurt?”

Wake Up!

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The soft sound of water rushing against rocks filled the air. A bush rustled here and there while a bird gave a chirp in the trees. A leaf fell from one of the trees and landed in Fluttershy’s mane. She didn’t move to get rid of it and instead kept her eyes on the small collection of foliage in front of her. “Why don’t they ever come out?”

“They’ve always been a bit skittish.” The voice caused Fluttershy to jump into the air with an “eep!” When she fell back to the ground, she realized that Celestia had appeared behind her without her noticing.

“P-princess Celestia! I-I was j-jus—”

Celestia softly laid a hoof on Fluttershy’s right shoulder. “Don’t concern yourself, you’re always welcome in here Fluttershy.”

“Oh, but it’s...” Fluttershy shifted her view away from Celestia and down to the grass at her hooves. “After last time...”

“Last time, you were here at the largest celebration in Equestria, you were excited, and you only had one night to enjoy the garden. As I’ve said before, the Gala is always awful in some way or another. You can’t be fully blamed for losing control.”

The last word sent a shiver up Fluttershy’s back. “I... I always worry about it. First the Gala and then that time with Iron Will.” She gave a small sniffle and managed to look up at Celestia. “W-what if Discord is sti—”

Celestia silenced Fluttershy by extending a wing of the pegasus’s back. “He’s not corrupting you anymore. The fact that you worry about it is proof of that.” Celestia bent her head down to look straight into Fluttershy’s eyes. “If it still concerns you though, I can help.”

“You... you can?”

“Fluttershy, out of all your friends, if ever there was one I would teach haki to, it would be you.”

Surprise widened Fluttershy’s eyes. “W-what? Why not Twilight?”

Celestia let out a small sigh at the question. “Twilight has a great curiosity to her, she seeks out anything and everything she can learn about, despite the danger it might pose. Haki is just another realm of study for her. It wasn’t my wish to teach her, but after all I have put her, you, and your friends through, it’s the least I can do. As for why I’d choose you specifically? Because you want control and that is the most important part of haki training.”

Fluttershy was silent for some time after that. A few more birds chirped in the garden, but other than that it was silent. Finally, she managed to get two words out of her mouth. “Thank you.”

“Again, it is the least I can do. Now then...” Celestia raised her head up and stared off into the garden. It was a scene of pure green and brown but there was no sign of an animal save for the occasional bush rustling. “Can you tell me how many animals are in this garden?”

“Well, um...” Fluttershy fidgeted her wings around, whipped her eyes through the garden, and took a deep breath. “One hundred and twenty-seven, if we’re not counting the insects. I’m sorry, I can’t count all of them.”

Celestia blinked at Fluttershy’s response. “How is it that your observation haki is so honed without training? I expected a good rough guess, but to be completely correct is quite a surprise.”

“I mean... I’ve always had a good connection with animals.”

“Hmmm.” Celestia rested her chin on the end of her hoof. “Can you tell me how many ponies are in the castle?”

Fluttershy turned beet-red at the request. “N-no,” she stuttered even worse than normal, “I-I couldn’t! What... what if somepony was in the bathroom! Or wanted privacy! Or... mphhh!” Fluttershy’s legs wobbled a bit and Celestia had to shift her wing around to keep Fluttershy from falling to the ground.

Celestia let out a small chuckle. “Forgive me Fluttershy, but out of all the haki users I’ve seen, I’ve never met one who limited their range out of prudency. The fact that you have such high natural control is good though. It makes your starting point much easier and shows where your forte lies. Not that I’d imagine you’d be an strong armament user.”

“Um...” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at Celestia. “Can you possibly start with what haki is? I’m a little confused.”

“Oh.” Celestia lightly thumped herself on the head. “I apologize, I’ve already gotten accustomed to talking with Twilight about haki. Very well, I’ll start from the beginning. Haki...”

~~~

“... is gonna be super awe— Ow!” Dash squirmed a little and tenderly pulled her left hoof back to her side. It was still covered in bandages, but other parts of her body were unbandaged, showing the thin layer of blue fur that was slowly growing back.

“Really Rainbow,” Rarity chided, “you get back just a little mobility and you’re already overexerting yourself.”

“Yeah-yeah,” Dash huffed, pawing a hoof in Rarity’s direction. She was still confined to her hospital bed, but she was able to move her legs around at least. “C'mon, don’t tell me you’re not a little excited about it too?”

“I admit, I am excited to expand my own skills so that I may further my career.” Rarity’s eyes glazed over while she spoke. “Oh, just think about all the gems I’ll be able to find! Not to mention avoiding anymore diamond dogs.”

“Heh, and to think Princess Luna is teaching us for free.”

“Here I thought I was the generous one,” Rarity said with a small chuckle. “Plus, it really is nice to talk with royalty on such a casual level. It’s so easy to forget the Princesses are ponies just like us.”

“Yeah, aside from the whole ‘raising the sun and moon to make sure Equestria doesn’t fall apart’ thing.”

Rarity tipped up her nose to Dash’s comment. “You know what I meant.”

“Still...” Dash’s eyes shifted away from Rarity and down to her blankets. “Have you noticed she’s been asking a lot about Luffy?”

“Oh Rainbow, she’s probably just curious like we were. Probably more so since she’s actually gone into this ‘Grand Line.’ I really do like that name, it makes adventuring sound so romantic.”

Dash stuck her tongue out in a mock gag. “What’s so lovey-dovey about sailing the seas? That sounds more like something I’d like to do.”

“The quest for new lands, the exploration of the unknown,” Rarity flipped her mane back for dramatic effect, “the world stretched out before you! That’s what I mean by romantic.”

Dash stared at Rarity for a moment and then shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Hmm.” Rarity rubbed her chin with a hoof. “I think you did bring up a good point though. Maybe we should ask Luna about her own trip to sea next time she comes by. I’m sure she’d have some good examples of haki use for us. Oooh, or maybe some story about some daring rogue she picked up while sailing.”

Dash let out a hearty laugh. “Yeah, ‘cause Luffy totally proved your ‘pirate’ books right there.”

“Now see here Dash,” Rarity chided again, “while Mr. Luffy is not everything like the stories, he does have some noble traits to him. If his friends are any indication, he’s made himself quite a good captain. If it wasn’t for his eating habits, I’m sure...”

When Rarity stopped mid sentence, Dash peered over at her friend, whose mouth was now dangling open. “Um, Rarity, you okay?”

“No, that... that’d be silly... then again, the Princess did say...” Rarity muttered to herself.

“What the hay are you talking about?”

Rarity suddenly threw her head up as if she’d gotten cold water poured on her face. “N-nothing! I, uh, just need to check on something!”

Rarity darted out of the room with that last word, leaving a flustered Dash in her wake. She brought up a bandaged hoof and rubbed her eyes to make sure she’d been seeing things right. “What the hay just happened?”

~~~

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve noticed anything odd about Luffy,” said Twilight. She flicked her head to the left and dodged a flying green ball that had been zooming towards her. On the other side of the royal tennis court, the ball launcher picked up another tennis ball and readied itself to throw again.

“He hasn’t been going off by himself?” Rarity asked while observing Twilight dodge another ball.

“Going off alone?” Twilight’s voiced had become more rushed at the question. “Never! He’s worse than Pinkie on a sugar hi— ouch!”

While she’d been talking, Twilight had swayed to her right. Unfortunately, this had been right in the path another tennis ball, which smacked her on her left side. The machine was still on and was preparing to launch another shot when Rarity lit up her horn and shut it off. She then made her way over to Twilight, who was rubbing the spot where she’d been hit. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just a little tender. The machine has to be going at a high speed for it to work.” Twilight reached up and removed the blindfold she’d been wearing the entire time. She blinked a few times while her eyes adjusted to light again. “Hmm, guess talking makes practice a bit harder.”

“You know Twilight, while I’m not a normal partaker in sports, what with all that sweating, I do find that tennis holds a certain charm to it. Perhaps we could practice sometime? There’s an excellent area in Ponyville just north o—”

Twilight’s giggling interrupted Rarity. “Oh, this isn’t for tennis. I’ve never been a good athlete. This is just an exercise Princess Celestia assigned me.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Exercise is what?”

It was Twilight’s turn to raise an eyebrow at Rarity. “Um, haki? Didn’t Princess Celestia ask you about it too?”

“Oh!” A look of comprehension flooded Rarity’s face. “Well, Princess Luna has been teaching us a few basics. Did you know the hospital staff actually wear quite a bit of jewelry?”

“How is Dash doing anyway?”

“Wanting to fly as usual.” Rarity pawed her hoof in the air in a “meh” fashion. “Equestria help us when she starts practicing haki. This ‘armament’ thing doesn’t sound appealing at all.”

“You mean this?” With a grin on her face, Twilight raised up her left front hoof to Rarity’s face. It shimmered a little in the sunlight, as if it were made of metal. It also had a much darker color to it than the rest of Twilight’s leg. “I’ve only got this hoof down so far, but it’s progress.”

Rarity tilted her head around Twilight’s hoof, taking it in from all angles. She looked to Twilight after a few moments of observation. “May I?”

Twilight nodded in silent approval.

Rarity raised her own hoof and touched Twilight’s. To her surprise, the hoof felt nothing like she’d expected. It almost felt like a diamond: incredibly smooth and strong. “My word Twilight, that’s incredible! You’d never had to get your hooves done ever again like this!”

“That’s what you think?” Twilight yelled. He hoof lightened in color and became soft once more. “Darn, there goes my concentration again.”

Twilight sighed and put her hoof on the ground. “Anyway, that’s just one way use armament haki. Did you know the Princess’s manes use it too?”

“They do?” Rarity’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of curiosity and delight.

“When you get to a high enough level of control, haki apparently just naturally flows out of you. It just takes training to make sure it flows in a non-harmful direction.”

“Oooh!” Rarity squealed. “Now I see exactly what Rainbow was talking about! Just imagine the new styles I’ll be able to create to go with it!”

“So, was there anything else you needed to ask me?”

Rarity tapped a hoof to her chin. “You’re absolutely sure nothing odd has been going on with Mr. Luffy?”

“Nothing except his narcolepsy has gotten a little worse.” Twilight looked down to the ground and thought for a second. “He might not be used to sleeping like a pony.”

“I see,” Rarity murmured. “Thank you for the help Twilight, I hope your training goes well, maybe I’ll try it sometime too,minus getting smacked. Don’t want to ruin my coat.”

Twilight giggled again at that. “See you Rarity, hope I was helpful.” She then started the throwing machine up again and covered up her eyes.

Rarity trotted away from the tennis courts and towards her next destination. I probably could have asked Twilight... but I don’t want to start any false rumors. I need more information.

~~~

“Wooh!” Applejack huffed. She slid down in her seat and wiped the sweat off her brown. A few magenta shards also fell out of her mane. “Pinkie, ah swear if ya ever go into those mines again, Ah’m gonna hogtie you!”

Pinkie leaned forward from her own seat and shoved her face into Applejack’s. “Aw c’mon AJ, it was fun! Don’t tell me you didn’t like the mine carts?”

“Ya mean the rusted things that nearly careened us into pits every time we turned?” Applejack droned. She raised a hoof and pointed a hoof to the left of Pinkie. “Didn’t help that Luffy kept falling asleep!”

Luffy snored in response.

Applejack slammed her hooves on the table. “For Pete’s sake!”

Luffy continued snoring but Pinkie moved in closer to him. She narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down. “Hmm, he has been a bit more sleepy than usual.”

“You can tell?” Fluttershy whispered.

Pinkie twisted her neck at Fluttershy’s question. “Isn’t it obvious?” She got blank stares from her friends in response. “I thought it was plain as day. He hasn’t even been that hungry either.”

“That why he managed to eat all our dinners?” Applejack asked. Everypony save Pinkie looked down at their empty plates and grumbled.

“Well, we did ask for more,” Pinkie replied with an apologetic grin.

Luffy’s eyes suddenly flittered open. “More?”

“Ugh!” came four unified voices. Pinkie just giggled.

“Huh?” Luffy yawned, “What’s going on? Where’s the food? I was just eating a huge leg o—” He then fell back asleep.

Rarity pushed her hooves against the dinner table and got up. “I think I’ll be taking dinner in my room again.”

“Good night Rarity,” said all her friends.

“Muh-muha babati,” Luffy mumbled in his sleep.

~~~

Luna squirmed around on her bed, her face scrunched up with concentration. Her legs kicked back and forth like she was walking. “No... need to put this memory there... and the food there... hmm, where do I put myself?”

“Princess Luna!”

The voice caused Luna to shoot up from her bed liked she’d been touched by a flame. Her wild eyes went around her darkened room. “Who? Who goes there?”

“Me.” Rarity emerged from the shadows near the room’s door. Her brow was lowered as she marched over to Luna. “Forgive the intrusion Princess, but we need to talk.”

“Oh...” Luna leaned back in her bed, the anxiety melting from her face. “Forgive me Rarity, but you caught me in the midst of my nightly duties. Perhaps we could talk some other time?”

“No, I’m afraid this matter takes precedence.” Rarity leaned over Luna’s bed to meet the Princess face to face. “I need to talk to you about Mr. Luffy.”

A trickle of sweat ran down the side of Luna’s face. “S-straw Hat? W-whatever could it be?”

Rarity’s horn lit up and a book floated over to her side. It was a simple brown book that was so worn that the title had faded from its cover. All that remained was a rough outline of two ponies. “I did some digging around in the Canterlot Archives and found out some interesting things about your duties.”

“Oh, I’m always pleased when somepony takes interest in my work.”

“Including your ability to manipulate dreams.”

The room became deathly silent as Luna and Rarity stared at each other. Luna raised a trembling hoof. “We— I have a good explanation!”

Rarity clacked her hoof against the ground. “I don’t want to hear it! Princess, dreams are a pony’s most private space in the world. Guidance is one thing, but you’ve clearly been manipulating Mr. Luffy’s dreams and denying him proper sleep.”

“I know,” Luna sighed and hung her head low, trying to shade herself from Rarity’s glare. “I have not been acting as a proper ruler and have abused my power. I’m just not sure how to...”

Rarity saw the blush on Luna’s lips and took a deep breath. “Princess, did you ever consider talking to him?”

Luna backed up against her bed until her head touched the wall. She nervously shifted her legs back and forth against each other. “I... I have not properly talked to a stallion in such a manner for... many years.”

Rarity slid onto the bed and put a comforting hoof on Luna’s shoulder. “Just tell him how you feel. Perhaps talk to him in the morning? That way, you can think about what to say and Mr. Luffy can have some much needed rest.”

“Y-yes,” Luna stuttered in reply.

“Good,” Rarity said with a smile. She moved off the bed and turned to leave. When she was at the door she twisted back and deeply bowed to Luna. “I am terribly sorry for barging in like that.”

“No, you had the right of it.” Luna clutched her blankets closer to her chest. “Thank you Rarity. I’ll be sure to thank you for this in the future.”

Rarity gave Luna another bow. “You are too kind Princess. Perhaps a day at the spa? I always have wondered about you mane.”

“That does sound nice. Let us go in a few days, after I, um, talk with Straw Hat.”

“Certainly.” With that, Rarity shut the door and left the room.

Alone, Luna let go of the covers and brought them to her head. She looked up through the large clear window at her moon and stared at it for a long time.

~~~

Luffy opened his eyes when the sun got in them and raised his upper body off of the bed. He extended his hooved up into the air and let out a loud yawn. “Ahhh, I slept well!”

His stomach let out a monstrous rumbled. He jumped off the bed and grabbed his hat from where he’d left it the night before. “Shishi! Time to get some breakfast!”

However, when Luffy opened the door to his room, a pony blocked his path. He didn’t notice the red tinting her face. “Morning moon princess!”

“Oh, um, good morning Straw Hat... was your rest to your liking?”

“Yep!” Luffy exclaimed with a grin. “The past few nights I’ve been having weird dreams, but this time I slept really well! So, why are you here? Do you have more meat?”

Luna shook her head back and forth. “Not today. I actually came by to say... say...” She closed her eyes and winced like she was about to be struck. In one breath she blurted out, “We find you a most worthy and joyous companion!”

Luffy continued smiling at her. “Okay.”

“W-what?” Luna raised her head and looked at Luffy with large eyes. “Do... do you truly mean that?”

“Yeah, you’re a pretty neat pony, especially when you do that cool armor trick! You should totally join my cr—”

Luna raced forward and embraced Luffy in a giant hug. “Oh most glorious of days! We are so immensely pleased!”

“Ack!” Luffy flailed his hooves around, trying to free himself from Luna’s grip. “What are you doing?”

“Oh!” Luna stopped her hug and set Luffy down. “I apologize, I was just overcome with joy on such a momentous event. I am so glad Rarity advised me on what to do. I feel much better now.”

“Sheesh.” Luffy rubbed his sides to get rid of the soreness Luna’s embrace had bestowed upon him. “Warn me next time you do that.”

“Certainly, certainly!” Luna giddily replied. She happily skipped from hoof to hoof like she was doing and odd jig.

Luffy sighed as she watched her. “Ponies are weird. I’m getting breakfast.”

“Yes! Let us go forth and break our fast upon the castle’s delicacies!” Luna exclaimed at a volume that shook the windows a little. She then daintily made her way over to Luffy’s side. As they walked down the hallway she snuggled a little closer to him so that their sides met occasionally.

“Quit it,” Luffy complained a few feet away from the dining hall. “You’re making it hard to walk.”

Luna skittishly moved a few inches away from Luffy. “Apologies, I am... still getting used to this. This book I read last night suggested that is proper to do.”

“Whatever.” Luffy put his hoof on the door and was about to push out when a voice rang throughout the castle.

“Straw Hat!” Celestia galloped down for an adjacent hallway and slid to a halt in front of Luna and Luffy. She lit up her horn and a piece of paper flew between the three of them. “Fire’s Fist’s execution...” she huffed between gasps of air, “it’s been moved up!”

Descent! Enter Tartarus, the World's Jail!

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“Why?” Luffy slammed a hoof onto the floor, sending up bits of broken stone into the air. His nostrils fumed as he lunged forward and stuck his face into Celestia’s. “Why are they executing him sooner?”

Celestia replied by creating a block of magical aura between herself and Luffy. “Calm yourself Straw Hat. We must let cool heads prevail in this situation... we’ve seen where my rashness got us.”

Luffy’s breathing slowed and he plopped himself onto the ground. “Okay.”

The aura Celestia had created disappeared but her horn continued glowing. The letter at her side flew over to Luffy and Luna so that they could read it. “Whitebeard has made his move. The Marines are withholding the full story from me, but regardless, Whitebeard has done something to accelerate Fire Fist’s execution.”

Luffy swatted the letter away and stared straight at Celestia. “That’s why we have to save him!”

Celestia closed her eyes, sighed, and opened them again. “I agree. The time to act is now. Straw Hat, ready yourself. I know Tartarus’s security well and it will not be an easy task freeing your brother. We’ll be under constant surveillance, so I’ll need to put a good part of the guard’s focus on myself. Therefore...”

~~~

“You’re really going?” Pinkie contorted herself so that her head was upside and pointing towards Luffy’s chin. “We didn’t even get to go to Pony Joe’s!”

Luffy shrugged at Pinkie’s inconvenience. “Eh, we’ll go that after I save Ace.”

Pinkie’s head twirled back to it’s upright position. A wide grin replaced the frown on Pinkie’s face. “Oki-doki-loki!”

Fluttershy uneasily shuffled her legs and kept her eyes to the ground. “Oh... please... be careful. I... I know you can save your brother... you rock... woohoo.”

“Ah just wish we could come help,” said Applejack. She glanced back to her friends and shifted her hat down over her face. “Guess that would ruin the whole ‘sneak in’ thing.”

“I bet we could work it out!” Dash exclaimed. It’d taken some royal influence, but she’d managed to get out of the hospital in a wheelchair to see Luffy off. She winced a little when a breeze blew against her but tried to keep her face optimistic. “We’d go in, smack some guards around, and get out in no time!”

“Dash,” Twilight interrupted, “we can’t even get in without Princess Celestia to open the gate. You saw how roughed up I got from just getting to that point.” She brought her attention back to Luffy. “You’re a different story though, but I still wish we could help in some way.”

“How about you make a giant feast for me sometime?” Luffy said with a grin.

“Does food ever not cross his mind?” Rarity muttered.

“Straw Hat,” Celestia called out. Luffy and the rest of the ponies turned around to see Celestia land on the balcony they had been asked to wait on. With an air of grace, Celestia landed beside them, sending up a small gust of wind. “Are you ready?”

“Yep!” Luffy patted his stomach. “I ate a lot, so I’m good to save Ace.”

“If only you could save him with just your appetite.” Celestia raised up a hoof and pointed to her back. “Climb on, I shall transport you over to Tartarus.”

“You’re not taking the royal chariot?” asked Twilight.

Celestia swung her head back and forth. “Not for this. Nopony need see what lies beyond the gate. It will take some time to get there even at my speed though, so we must leave now.”

Luffy nodded, trotted over to Celestia, and began to clamber onto her back. When he was halfway up, a voice rang through the air. “Wait!”

Luna galloped onto the balcony, her breath slightly strained and a few drops of sweat coming down her face. She ran up to Celestia and stuck her hoof out in Luffy’s direction. At the end of her hoof dangled a black circle that glistened in the morning sun. In the middle of the fabric sat a large spherical purple jewel. “I... wanted to give... you this... for good luck!”

“Sweet! Treasure!” Luffy happily took the trinket and snugly attached it to his right foreleg. He brought his face close to it to admire the jewel in the middle.

While Luffy was doing that, Luna bent her head to left to whisper to Celestia. “You are certain you can do this alone?” She glanced up to Celestia’s mane, which still had a good deal of pink in it. “You are not yet fully recovered.”

“I am recovered enough,” Celestia whispered back. “If things go according to plan, I will have no need to fight.”

Luna said nothing for a moment and then bowed away. “Very well sister. I wish you and Straw Hat the best of luck.”

“Thank you Luna.” Celestia bent her head to the sky and unfurled her wings. She glanced back to make sure Luffy was securely on her back. When she was sure he was holding her tightly, she looked back to the sky. “To Tartarus.”

Celestia was gone in a flash. Her leap off the ground blew back everypony else’s manes and knocked Fluttershy off-balance. When they had recovered, they stared into the sky for a sign of Celestia but found none.

“There she is!” Dash jabbed a hoof at a small white speck in the eastern sky. It could have easily been confused with a star that hadn’t yet faded into the blue morning. “I gotta learn how to do that!”

~~~

The sun was high in the air when Celestia landed. Even at noon, the gate of Tartarus casted a great shadow on the land around it. To its left and right, monstrous mountains sealed off the rest of the land beyond the gate, creating a massive barrier.

Luffy stumbled off Celestia and shook his head around. His mane was completely blown back from the flight and his lips and eyes were dry. “Ugh, that wasn’t fun after the first few minutes.”

“My apologies, but it did get us here.” Celestia lit up her horn and a bottle of water appeared at Luffy’s side. “Drink tha—”

Luffy loudly slurped the contents of the bottle and swallowed them in one gulp. The bottle fell the the ground and he contently smacked his lips. “Ah, that’s better!”

A low growl then rumbled from the bushes nearby. A large black paw emerged out of the foliage followed by its owner. It was an enormous beast the towered over even Celestia. Its three heads bared sharp teeth while slobber ran down its jowls. Its middle head growled again and let loose a deafening bark.

“Cerberus!” Celestia called out. She stormed over to the giant dog and glared up at its middle head. “Down!”

All three of Cerberus’s head tilted to the left and gave Celestia a confused look. It then bent its legs and pressed its stomach to the ground. The head on the right let its tongue drape over its jaws and panted a little while its right hind leg thumped against the ground.

Celestia reached out and massaged her hoof against the right head, scratching behind its ears. “At least one of you still remembers how to behave.”

“Cool!” Luffy strode over to Cerberus and looked at the beast from different angles. The left head growled at him, the middle head stayed silent, and the right head wagged its tongue. “So is he like your pet or something?”

“Cerberi have always been native to the land around Tartarus.” Celestia moved her hoof back and scratched Cerberus’s right side. The right and middle heads gave a howl of delight. “Whenever the old guard dog passes on, I select a new one. It’s not an easy job though. Cerberi are pack animals by nature and guarding Tartarus is a lonely job, so I do my utmost to treat my selected cerberus with the utmost care.”

Celestia withdrew her hoof for Cerberus’s side and frowned. “I have not done well with this one. With all the recent troubles that have beset Equestria, I have sometimes forgotten to care for him. Even after his foray into Ponyville, I still didn’t give him the proper attention he deserved... when I return I will have to rectify that.”

“So you’re saying you’re a bad pet owner?” Luffy asked while he somehow managed to scratch the middle head’s ears.

Celestia sighed and shifted her shoulders down. “I suppose you could say that, but Cerberus is the least of our issues. As long as ponies are with me, he will not harm them. The creatures on the other side of the gate are a different story.”

Celestia then beckoned Luffy over to her. “Now that you’ve stretched, please get on me again.”

“Got it.” Luffy trotted over and clambered onto Celestia’s back.

“Now stay still for a moment.” Aura enshrouded Celestia’s horn and then flowed from it over to Luffy. A tingly feeling washed over him as the aura enveloped his body. When the aura fully covered him, it faded but the tingly feeling remained. “There, you’ll be undetectable as long as you are touching me... or until they do a magic scan, but we shall deal with that when the time comes. Remember, we will be watched, so remain silent.”

Celestia said no more words and made her way over to the looming gate. She wandered over to the left until she came to a section of the gate that was as grey and hard as the rest of it. She raised her hoof and struck the gate in six separate places. The hits echoed for a moment and were followed by the rough sound of metal grating on metal.

A small square section of the gate split in half and parted, revealing a small cubical indent. Inside the indent rested a snail-like creature. Its eyes were closed and drooped down and a grey shaggy beard covered its face. Celestia blew the dust off the old creature and picked up the receiver attached to its back with her magic. “This is Warlord Celestia. By my title as one of the Seven Warlords and regent of Equestria, I command you to open the gate.”

A hushed silence fell across the area. Behind Celestia, Cerberus raised its three heads, its ears perked up in attention. Then came a great rumbling. Cerberus ran in all directions, barking its heads off while the gate screamed open. Its hinges groaned until a small split appeared in the middle of the gate.

It was silent once more when the gate stopped moving. A new sound then filled the air. It was a soft sound, but one that made Luff bend his head. It had only been a couple of days, but the noise lit a fire in his heart.

As Celestia made her way over to the gap in the gate, a smell joined the sound. Under his invisibility, Luffy smiled. The air became moist and the sound and smell grew more powerful. Ahead of Celestia and Luffy stretched a long bridge the jutted out into the source of Luffy’s happiness. When Celestia took her first step onto the bridge, Luffy looked down. He felt like he hadn’t see the sea in a long time and the waves seemed to reach up and grab him.

Celestia quickly made her way across the bridge to its other end. The area beyond the gate was thick with fog, so it had been difficult to make out the end before, but now Luffy could clearly make out the small arch, the dock, and the galleon that made up the end of the bridge.

The gate had conjured up memories, but now the full sight of the bridge caused them to flash before Luffy’s eyes. Last time he’d been on this bridge, it was being bombarded from all sides and he couldn’t even move. He’d have had to go to Tartarus to save Robin if they hadn’t gotten her at the bridge.

Celestia trotted through the arch and down the stairs to the dock. At the foot of the stairs, a pony was waiting. His coat was grey and his mane was a light brown and cut so that only the middle part of it remained and a piece of twine kept it in a ponytail. A long sharp moustache that matched his piercing eyes drooped down over the sides of his mouth.

A large white jacket with flat blue shoulder-pads rested on his back. The jacket was long enough to drape over the rest of his body and covered him from his shoulders to his tail. However, the scabbard of a sword poked out two ends of it, lancing over the pony’s back. When Celestia was at the bottom of the stairs, he did a small bow to her. “Warlord Celestia, it is an honor to escort you to Marineford. I am Vice-Admiral Momonga of the Marines.”

Celestia returned the bow with one of her own. “I see. However, it is not to Marineford that I immediately wish to go. We shall be making a detour to Tartarus.”

“You’re referring to Impel Down, correct?” If Momonga had been surprised by the request, it didn’t show in his face. He kept his voice rough and his eyes straight at Celestia’s. “My apologies, but we are needed at Marineford as soon as possible. Whitebeard i—”

“May very well attack Tartarus itself if he wishes to,” Celestia finished. “You and I both know he has the power to do so. Since that is the case, what is the harm in having a warlord provide some temporary extra security? Do not worry about how long I wish to stay in Tartarus. I only desire to see Fire Fist for a brief moment. I want to tell him the chaos he’s brought about and let it weigh heavy on him at the gallows.”

“I see...” Momonga rubbed his chin with a hoof and rolled Celestia’s request around in his head for a moment. “Very well. My orders were merely to escort you to Marineford. As long as it does not heavily interfere with our arrival, it should be possible. Heaven willing, Whitebeard won’t show his face yet either.”

Momonga turned and led Celestia over to the pair of retractable steps that went up to the galleon. The ship itself was no wonder save for its large size. Its sails prominently displayed the sigil of the World Government. All around the ship, ponies were lazing about, all of them adorned with blue neckerchiefs and some of them with white hats that displayed the symbol of the Marines.

Momonga slammed a hoof to the deck and all the ponies came to attention. “Men! We’re casting off! Get to your positions and prepare to sail to underwater gaol, Impel Down!”

“Sir, yes sir!” they all resolutely shouted. The deck came alive as ponies ran back and forth. Ropes were unslipped or tightened, sails pulled up or down, oars placed into position, and ponies went to their stations.

Amidst the bustling yet orderly commotion, Momonga gave a small smirk at Celestia. “Truth be told, we were all getting impatient waiting for you, but it gave a chance for the greenhorns to get used to the hooves.”

Celestia blinked in surprise. “These are new recruits? I thought you had to at least be a lieutenant to get Equestria clearance.”

“They’re not fully new recruits, but they’re green with more sensitive matters like Equestria,” Momonga replied, his expression darkening slightly. “Practically every able bodied Marines has been summoned to Marineford. I’m only here because an high-level escort was requested for you. ”

More likely a guard to make sure I kept my agreement. Celestia gave Momonga a small smile at his words. “It is good to see that the Marines value my life so much. I can only hope to have such protection should war break out.”

“If it does come to that, it won’t be just your life on the line,” Momonga grimaced. “The whole world is at stake. Damn that Whitebeard.”

~~~

The ship plowed through the foggy waters at swift pace. Celestia stood at the bow of the boat looking off into the distance. Occasionally, a few of the sailors would glance in her direction but quickly went back to their work whenever she made the slightest movement. They continued whispering about her and other things while they toiled away.

When the sun began to dip into the western sky, a shadow appeared in front of the ship. It was a single black line in the sea of fog that grew and grew, becoming more and more clear. Shadow gave way to grey stone that curved around to form a circle. A few thinner towers poked out from the center of the stones.

Directly in front of the ship, the stone circle was broken by a massive grated iron gate. Through the gate, one could make out that the towers actually had a base in a thicker tower. There was also a gap of water between the main tower and the thick stone wall that formed the outer circle.

The ship pulled up to the dock that jutted out in front of the gate and laid anchor. The steps were lowered and Momonga disembarked. Celestia followed close behind. He turned back to glance at her. “I took the liberty of informing the guards that we’d be coming. Even when I told them who was with us, they were quite adamant about following procedure.”

Celestia noted the guard at the gate but kept her face a stoney neutral. “I understand. I’d have no less with my own guard. They are responsible for locking away the world’s worst criminals after all.”

“You do us too much service princess!” the guard at the gate called out. He left his post and ran up to greet them. He was larger than an average pony, but still smaller than Celestia. Save for his orange coat and his green and yellow striped nemes, he appeared to be a normal, albeit large, ram with large coiled horns under his hat. He lifted a cloven hoof and gave a salute. “Warden Hannyabal at your service!”

He stood still in salute for a moment before loudly gasping and flailing his legs around. “Ack! I meant vice-warden!”

“I was told the warden was going to meet us,” said Momonga in a gruff tone.

“He was, but then he got diarr— I mean, the warden had serious business to attend to!” Hannyabal hastily replied. He then wildly gestured his hooves over to the gate which was opened enough to allow ponies through. “Er, uh, please, let me show you inside. We just have a quick inspection set up before we can go to the lower levels.”

“Of course,” Celestia said cooly. She followed after Hannyabal while Momonga trailed behind them. They crossed over a bridge that led to the inner tower and through a great pair of wooden doors that dwarfed both of them.

They slipped through a crack in the doors and entered the prison. The smell inside was like that of a damp cave. Luffy wrinkled his nose at it while Celestia didn’t change her expression. She did take a bit of a deeper breath to fully comprehend the scent. When she understood what the smell was, she almost twitched at it. It was faint among the stone and generally dank air, but the smell of death and rot was there as well.

A pink unicorn mare with a bright blond mane partially covered by a black hat trotted over to Celestia and Hannyabal. She did a light bow and then looked up at Celestia. “Princess, if you’ll just come with me, we’ll get you examined and then you’ll be on your way.”

A mischievous smile then crept onto the mare’s face. “Searching ponies with no clothes isn’t as fun, but I have always wondered if the legendary princess I’ve heard so much about feels like any other pony.”

A sweat drop slid down Hannyabal’s face. “Domino! Watch what you say! The princess is here as a guest, so don’t get any funny ideas!”

“Me? I’d never do such a thing,” Domino coyly replied. She spun around and went over to a nearby door. “This way, your highness.”

Celestia complied and went into the room. Domino shut the door and advanced over to Celestia. Her horn lit up and ring of rock floated between her and Celestia. “By prison regulation, all non-guards with horns must have a seastone damper adhered to their heads.”

“I suppose that is one thing I’m thankful to the World Government for finding. It makes taking care of unruly unicorns so much easier.” The damper floated closer to Celestia’s horn. Just as it was about to touch, Celestia said, “I’ve never had a damper put on before, but I’m sure it wil— Eep!”

In a split-second, Celestia lit up her horn, sent out a blinding flash, and Domino collapsed with her eyes shut. There was a shuck and a surveillance den-den mushi clanked the ground, unconscious. “It’s safe Straw Hat.”

Luffy lept off Celestia’s back, returning to visibility. He took note of Domino and the den-den mushi by the wall. “How long will they be out?”

“Long enough for you to start making your descent. There is just one more thing.”

“What?”

Celestia bore her eyes down on Luffy. “Promise me that you will not make a ruckus. You must not get caught lest you arise the guard’s suspicions.”

Luffy drew a hoof across his chest, snapped his wrist around, and poked himself in the eye while saying, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“Good.” Celestia bent her head low and sighed. “This is where we part ways Straw Hat and my protection over you ends.”

“I’m off then.” Without another moment’s hesitation, Luffy galloped off to the door that Celestia hadn’t come in through and disappeared into the bowels of Impel Down.

Meanwhile, Celestia bent down and nuzzled Domino. Domino gave a soft moan. “Mhh... yeah... just a li—” Her eyes flew up and she let out a loud gasp. She scurried to her hooves, her face a deep red. “P-p-princess! I-I...”

“It is quite alright,” Celestia said with a false grin. “The fault is with me. It seems the damper had an adverse effect and caused my magic to spike. I hope neither you nor the den-den mushi were harmed.”

“N-no...” Domino’s gaze slid over to den-den mushi, which was also awake once more. Its eyes moved around the room, absorbing all the images in it. “I think it would be best that we not try the damper again.”

Celestia gave Domina a nod. “I agree. It would be catastrophic if my magic were to spike in the lower levels. I’d never be able to live with myself if my magic allowed a prisoner to escape!”

For an extra touch, Celestia loudly slammed her hoof to the ground. Domino jumped at the noise but quickly regained her posture. “Y-yes... I’ll take full responsibility if anything g-goes wrong.”

“Then shall we hurry on down to see our prisoner?”

“Yes...” Domino opened the door Luffy had already gone through and held it for Celestia. “Normally, we’d have to take the stairs, but given your status, we’ll be taking the elevator to meet the warden and then head further down.”

~~~

Luffy had already put a good distance between himself and Celestia when he began to slow himself and keep a closer watch on the walls. He peeked his head around a corner and spotted the surveillance den-den mushi that covered this section of the prison. He crept under it, keeping himself close to the walls. However, the walls gave way to iron bars and Luffy was so focused on avoiding the snail that his leg slipped right between the bars. “Ack!”

He withdrew his hoof and pressed himself against the nearby wall while the sound echoed throughout the long hall. Just when he was about ready to move again, a voice from within the cell called out to Luffy. “Y-you.”

An old withered pony shuffled out into the light. Everything about him was dusty; his coat, his mane, and even his breath seemed to be made of dust. “H-how did y-you get out?”

“Oh, I snuck in,” Luffy said with a grin.

The old pony stared at him for a moment and then plopped himself down onto the ground of his cell. He caressed his head with his hooves and rocked back and forth. “Finally lost it... I knew this place would break me.”

Luffy shrugged at the pony before nipping at his hat and pulling out a piece of burnt paper. He raised up his hoof and placed the paper on the flat of it. The paper then moved forward of its own accord. “Ace is that way.”

Luffy rushed in the direction the vivre card was pointing. He passed more cells where prisoners gaped or jeered at him until he reached a stairwell. He took care to avoid being caught on surveillance and descended to the bottom only to be met with a large locked door. “Darn. I could smash it, but that’d make a noise... maybe I can break it just a li—”

“Hurry men!” a voice cried out from the top of the stairs. Hooves hitting stone followed after the voice. “We’ve got a devil fruit user and a magic user on the loose down there! We need them contained now!”

“Can’t the blugori handle it sir?” a different voice complained.

“One more moan like that and I’ll throw you into the Crimson Hell myself!” the first voice shouted back.

“Uh-oh!” Luffy hopped off the ground and wrapped his hooves around a stone archway above the door. Below him, a fleet of guards swarmed down the stairs and gathered by the door. One of the guards in the front dug his head into his saddlebags and pulled out a ring of keys. He picked out one metal key and jabbed into into the lock on the door.

When the door was open, the pony turned to the rest of his fellow guards and barked, “I want them found and properly shackled! I also want whoever’s head that thought that we didn’t have devil fruit and magic on our hands! Now move out!”

“Yes sir!” The guards raced through the door and into the next level of Impel Down.

Luffy smiled and hopped through just as the door was closing. “Heh, I’m pretty good at moving around here. Hope there isn’t another door.”

For a while, Luffy kept to the rafters of the level. Guards were all around the door and there were more den-den mushis here than on the first floor. After turning around a few corners, Luffy grabbed a rafter and allowed himself to stretch down to the ground.

On all fours again, he looked around and made sure there were no guards or obvious snails in sight. “Guess it’s safe he—”

A bloodcurdling scream assaulted Luffy’s ears, causing him to raise his front hooves to his head. “Ow! What the hell is that?”

Suddenly, two figures exploded from out of the corner. Closest to the wall was a mare with a light blue coat, a silvery-white mane, and a horn jutting out of her head. Further from the wall was a similar looking pony with a square muzzle that ended with a large red spherical growth. The stallion’s mane was a slightly deeper blue than his coat and wasn’t parted by a horn like the mare’s.

Just as the stallion rounded the corner, and ax came out of nowhere and cleaved him horizontally in two. The mare let out another shriek. However, the stallion’s legs kept running while his body floated in the air. His head detached from what was left off his torso and leered at the mare. “Will you stop screaming! You’ll have every damn guard on us you stupid horse!”

“Trixie just wants to go home!” the mare screamed back. “Trixie has done nothing wrong!”

“Shut up!” The stallion screamed. He was close enough to Luffy now that Luffy could make out the crossbones and red paint the streaked across his eyes. He’d also now managed to reattach “If you’re here, you’re a criminal. So you better run or they’re gonna get you!”

A giant hand grasped the corner the two ponies had just rounded, cracking the stone. The beast the hand was attached to then lunged forward at the two ponies. It was a hulking figure with its head and upper torso covered in a white cloth. The cloth’s only marking was a skull and crossbones where the beast’s head should have been. The parts of its body not covered in cloth were instead covered in a deep blue fur. In its right hand it carried a massive battle-ax.

The beast threw the ax at a blinding speed and sliced the stallion in two, this time vertically. A dozen other similar beasts then joined it and gave chase to the ponies. Luffy followed the other pony’s example and ran in the opposite direction.

“Damn it!” the stallion cursed as he reassembled himself. “I was so close to getting out!”

“Huh... where have I seen that trick before?” Luffy wondered as he stared at the stallion and continued running.

“Shut up Straw Hat! I don’t have time to...” The stallion’s entire body then burst into pieces out of shock. His eyes literally popped out of his head and his jaw practically fell to the ground. “Straw Hat! Why are you here?”

“Oh, that’s right!” Luffy gave the stallion a smile. “Buggy! Took me a second to recognize you.”

“Oh great, a friend!” Trixie sarcastically yelled. “Does he get split in two and not die either?”

Buggy finished pulling himself back together, turned his head to Trixie, and snorted at her. “He is not my fri—” Another ax took his head clean off his shoulders. “Damn it!”

Level One: Forest Hell!

View Online

“Crap!” Luffy yelled. Behind him, a pack of Blugori grunted and threw their axes at Luffy’s group. Luffy jumped up and dodged one of the weapons. Another raced forward but stopped in midair, its handle encased in a light blue shimmer that quickly fade. Trixie exhaled the breath she’d been holding and darted away from the Blugori.

A third ax found its way over to Buggy and sliced him in two. He snorted and quickly reassembled himself. “Damn it! Why do they keep hitting me?”

The group rounded the corner and came face to face with another pack of Blugori. Buggy frowned and backed up a few paces. “Aw crap. I really didn’t want to fight. Straw Hat! Back me up!”

“I can’t!” Luffy slammed a hoof to the ground in defiance. “I promised not to cause a commotion!”

“You’re an even bigger idiot than the clown!” Trixie huffed. She lit up her horn, lowered her body, and braced herself for battle.

“Fine!” Luffy pouted. He jumped into the air and extended all his hooves back. “Gum-gum stampede!”

Luffy’s hooves went flying at the Blugori, striking them before they had time to raise their hands or axes in defense. Those that got struck in the head staggered around in a stupor while those hit in the body only gave small grunts.

Nearby, Buggy and Trixie were fighting off a single Blugori that was wildly hacking at them with its ax. It crashed down on Trixie, sending up a cloud of dust and fragmented stone. The Blugori sent the cloud away with a slash of its ax. There was only a deep gash mark in the ground where it had struck. It scratched its head and looked around for its prey.

“Over here!” Trixie called out, drawing the Blugori’s attention to its left. She smirked at the beast. “Guess it only takes an illusion spell to deal with you.”

“Why don’t you actually try damaging it?” Buggy sent out his limbs, leaving his torso to float in mid-air. His limbs wrapped around, connected to each other, and constrained the Blugori. “Gyahaha! Got you! Chop-chop rope! Now...”

The Blugori flailed against his restraints. It couldn’t move its arms, but its legs kicked to no avail. The kicking grew more violent when the Blugori lifted off the ground and into the air. It snarled when it was flipped upside-down.

“Aerial Tailspin Big Top!” Buggy gave the Blugori a maniacal grin as it went crashing to the ground. The impact sent dust and stone everywhere and buried the Blugori’s head in the floor. Buggy trotted over and rested a hoof atop the unmoving beast. “That’s what you get, you stupi—”

Buggy was cut into multiple pieces by the Blugori’s ax. The Blugori jumped out of the hole its impact had made and continued cutting Buggy to pieces. When it saw that its cuts were doing nothing, it twisted around and swung its ax at Trixie instead. Trixie yelped and lit up her horn as the ax came crashing down.

The ax stopped inches from Trixie’s horn. The Blugori stood motionless above her for a few moments before it toppled over on its side. Trixie lowered her eyes from where the Blugori had been looming over her and to Luffy, who had appeared between her and the beast.

Luffy wiggled his hoof around. “Geez, these guys have hard skin.”

Buggy and Trixie’s eyes went away from the single Blugori and over to the pack that had been pursuing them. All of them were crumpled and piled up on the ground. At the same time, both Buggy and Trixie shouted, “He took them all out?”

“Can you just show me the way down?” Luffy sighed.

“Are you crazy?” Buggy rushed up and stared at Luffy with a frenzied look. “No one wants to go down! Don’t you know that every level gets worse and worse? Besides, the exit is up!”

“Oh, I’ll go there after I rescue Ace,” Luffy bluntly replied.

“Eh?” Buggy shouted, sending his face popping out again. “You want to save Ace?”

Luffy tilted his head at Buggy. “Wait, how do you know Ace?”

“We shared a few drinks a while back.” Buggy jabbed a hoof at Luffy. “I’ll have you know, your brother is much less of a jerk than you! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m getting the hell out of here!”

Buggy turned around and headed to a corridor that wasn’t filled with unconscious Blugori. Trixie trotted after him. “Wait! Trixie wishes to leave this place as well!”

“Find it on your own!” Buggy snorted. “It’s your fault the guards found us anyway!”

“Please! Trixie did nothing wrong!” Trixie fell to her knees and grabbed Buggy’s legs. A few tears speckled her face. “Trixie only wanted to escape that vile dog! Instead, Trixie wound up on the other side of that gate and those rude ponies sent me here! Trixie at least deserves a trial!”

Luffy ignored Trixie and Buggy’s argument and pulled out the vivre card and held it on his hoof. It slid over to the left, so Luffy took a step in that direction. “Okay, Ace is th—”

“Luffy!” Pinkie’s voice rang out all around the prison. It had lost its bubbly tone and gained a dark dissonance that sent a shiver down Luffy’s spine. “You broke your Pinkie Promise!”

“Huh?” Luffy yelled, twisting in every direction trying to find Pinkie. “Hey, where are you?”

“I’m right here!” Pinkie shouted again, this time her voice was a bit more directed. Luffy swiveled his ears around and looked down at his leg. The trinket that was attached to it was no longer deep purple but was instead neon pink. It glimmered with a malevolent light and a few sparks shot out. “You’re in big trouble! Nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise!”

Buggy broke off from his argument with Trixie and jabbed a hoof at the shouting trinket. “What the hell is that?”

Trixie slowly trotted over to Luffy with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. “A seeing stone! How in Equestria did a pony like you get a seeing stone?”

“Oh.” Luffy held up his hoof so that Trixie and Buggy could get a better view. “So it’s like a den-den mushi?”

“I don’t care what it’s like!” Pinkie shouted. “When I find you, I’m gonna...”

The stone went black for an instant and then returned to the deep purple it’d been when Luffy had first gotten it. Luna’s voice came out of the stone. “My apologies Straw Hat. It took me a bit to get the stones working again and I was just showing everypony here how to use them when Pinkamina suddenly started screaming like a mad pony. I hope she did not inconvenience you.”

“Oh my stars!” Trixie yelped. “That’s Princess Luna!” She grabbed Buggy by the shoulders and shook him back and forth. “Who is he and how does he know the Princess?”

“How should I know?” Buggy yelled back while he was being shaken. “He’s a no-good rookie! And what’s all this about a Princess and a stone?”

Trixie stopped shaking Buggy and unceremoniously dropped him to the ground. “You fool, anypony with a brain knows Princess Luna. The stone is a different matter. They are rare and ancient things, capable of scrying across great distances. I’ve read that they’re crystallized dragon flame, but nopony really knows since one hasn’t been seen for at least eight hundred years.”

Buggy’s eyes lit up at the mention of rare. “So what you’re saying is that Straw Hat has gotten himself a valuable piece of treasure.”

Trixie’s eyes focused on the stone and misted over. “Quite valuable... with that I could get the amulet and...” A sly grin crept up Trixie’s face. “He wants to go down, right?”

“Yeah.” Buggy gave a dismissive glance at Luffy. “I knew he was stupid, but not that stupid. I’ve already faced Level Four and it probably only gets worse from there. Every level of this place is some kind of horrible torture. Count yourself lucky you only wound up on Level One.”

“Well,” Trixie replied, “I think we should help our friend down. I’m sure he’d be willing to repay us.”

Buggy scratched his chin with a hoof and grinned at Trixie. “You may be annoying, but I like what you’re saying. I’ll even be nice and split the loot with you eighty-twenty.”

“Seventy-thirty,” Trixie objected.

“Sixty-forty!” Buggy shot back. “I’m not going any lower!”

“Fine!” Trixie grunted back.

They both glared at each other for a moment before turning over in Luffy’s direction.

I’ll just ditch you and get all the loot later anyway, Buggy thought, trying his best to hide his grin.

Trixie will just ditch you and get all the bits later anyway, Trixie thought at the same time, trying to hide her grin as well.

“Fine,” Luffy sighed at the stone, which had gone pink again. “I’m sorry I broke my promise, but it was Buggy’s fault too.”

“I don’t want any excuses,” Pinkie huffed. “You’re gonna have a lot of making up to do when you get back. Plus, you better get ready to be pranked.”

The stone shifted colors again, back to it’s original deep purple. “I’m glad that matter is resolved,” Luna said. “At least Pinkamina’s outburst proved the stones are in working order. Henceforth, we shall accompany you until you and your brother are free of that hideous place.”

“Got it.” Luffy lowered his hoof. He blinked when he saw that Buggy and Trixie were at his side, they eyes focused only on the stone.

“Hey Straw Hat.” Buggy slid his arm around Luffy’s back. “I’ve been thinking, Ace really was a nice guy and it’d be a shame to see him executed. Why don’t I show you the way down?”

“Really?” Luffy smiled.

“Yeah, after all, what are friends fo—”

A blast of blue aura whizzed between Buggy and Luffy, shearing off a bit of Buggy’s mane. Buggy, Luffy, and Trixie’s attention went over to where the blast had come from and locked eyes with two unicorn guards. One of them raised a hoof and shouted, “There they are!”

“Run!” Trixie screamed before darting off in a direction opposite of the guards.

“Straw Hat!” Buggy’s torso sprang up into the air. His hooves stayed planted on the ground, chasing after the rest of his body. “Put those on your back and follow me!”

Luffy nipped into the hooves and chucked them onto his back. He chased after Buggy, who’d darted ahead over to Trixie.

“Stop panicking and listen to me!” Buggy yelled.

“Trixie is trying!” Trixie glanced back and saw that both guards and Blugori were filling the hall behind them. Her breath caught and she turned around, too scared to look back again.

“Just follow my lead and the treasure will be ours!” An ax flew forward and decapitated Buggy. “Why is it always the head?”

“So how are we getting down?” Luffy asked, having caught up with Buggy and Trixie.

“I’ll show you as soon as you give me that treasure,” Buggy replied, not even bothering to hide his wicked grin.

“Can’t this wait until after we get Ace?” Luffy tried to jiggle the stone loose from his leg, but the trinket didn’t budge. “It’s hard to get this thing off while I’m running!”

“Who care? Just give me that tre—Gwho!” Buggy slammed into a wall he hadn’t noticed with his attention on Luffy. He’d hit it with enough force to shake the stones it was made of a little and a few were cracked. A bit of blood dripped from the spot on Buggy’s head where he’d hit the wall.

“You know, if the way down was this way, we probably could have found the door. Oh well.” Luffy jumped straight at Buggy.

“Straw Hat! N—” Buggy was cut off by Luffy headbutting him straight in the gut. The wall collapsed on itself, revealing a room filled with guards, den-den mushis, and screens. Luffy, with Buggy as a charging ram, ran past them all. Despite having the wind knocked out of him, Buggy was able to glance around the room. “Wait! Stop Straw Hat!”

Luffy didn’t hear Buggy and kept charging forward. He rammed Buggy into another wall, which crumbled as well. Luffy found himself running on air and then falling. Beyond the wall was a great drop and below that lied a dark red collection of trees. “Huh? A forest in a prison?”

“I told you to stop running!” Buggy complained. He jabbed a leg out at the forest while continuing to fall. “This is the true Level One of Impel Down, Forest Hell! The trees and grass are made of glass and spikes that cut prisoners to ribbons. Their blood makes the place go red.”

“So why don’t they just call it blood hell then?” Luffy asked.

Buggy scowled and shivered midflight. “There are crimson plants that cut, but there’s also blue plants that curse. I can’t get cut here, but the other plants made my nose huge! Poisonous spiders and other nasty creatures roam the forest, chasing down any prisoner thrown in here!”

“Wow, it really does sound like hell.” A scream ran out to Luffy’s left. A pony covered in wounds was running through the deathtrap. His head scraped against the sharp foliage due to it being located below his chest; there was only a stump at his neck. Both his head and stump were covered in blue dots. Luffy turned his attention away from the prisoner and over to the rapidly approaching ground. “Uh, Buggy, what are we gonna do about the ground?”

“Hmm...” Buggy glanced down. Below, he spotted a set of hooves that had been sliced to pieces but weren’t bleeding. “My hooves are already on the ground. Grab my neck and I’ll show you the way down. It’s actually real easy to get to!”

Luffy did as Buggy said and clasped his neck. Buggy zoomed up inches from the ground while his hooves followed. Buggy’s eyes stayed on the ground, searching for any blue splotches in the sea of red. He spotted one and moved his disconnected hooves around the cursed plants. He continued to make a straight beeline through the forest.

Back at the guard station, Trixie peered at the room from behind the broken remains of the first wall Luffy had broken. The guards were scrambling around the room and a few of them looked out into the forest. Trixie’s sight was focused on the walls, which were littered with screens, snails, and pieces of paper. Where’s a darn fire escape map?

“You!” came a guard’s voice from behind Trixie. She spun around and was met with a collection of guards racing to her, half of them with their horns glowing.

Trixie sped away from the guards and barreled into the guard station. Her breath turned ragged and fresh sweat poured down her face. A glow formed around her horn and over her sides. “Come on! Come on! Like I practiced! Like I practiced!”

Trixie closed her eyes and jumped over the guards. She plummeted like a stone down into the forest. “Oh Celestia! This is it! I just wanted to be famous!”

Trixie saw the blood covered trees and screamed. The blades below got closer and closer and one was positions to stab her straight in the face. The stab never came and instead Trixie was left staring straight at the blade’s sharp point. Trixie floated frozen in the air while water dripped off her. “I... Trixie did it! Trixie made wings!”

Trixie twisted her head back with a grin. Her smile turned into a frown and her cheeks reddened. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Trixie grunted and her wings gave a stronger flap than the smaller ones they’d been using to keep Trixie aloft. Trixie fluttered forward and gave a loud sickly belch. “Ugh, hopefully Trixie will not have to endure this for long.”

Trixie belched with each flap, but she managed to fly within sight of Buggy and Luffy. “Hey! Wait!”

“Huh?” Buggy flipped his head back and saw Trixie and her odd wings. He burst out laughing. “Gyhahaha! Hey Straw Hat, take a look at that!”

Luffy twisted his head in Trixie’s direction and laughed too. “Shishishi! That is pretty funny!”

“Trixie can hear you!” Trixie shouted back.

“Whatever.” Buggy waved a limb at Trixie and then focused his eyes down again. “We’re close.”

Ahead loomed a black hole in the Cursed Forest. Around the hole was circle of stones. Buggy descended to the ground and reconnected his to his hooves at the stones. “This is it.”

“Cool.” Luffy got off Buggy’s back and onto the stones. He walked over to the hole and looked down. “Wow, it’s really deep.”

“Yep.” Buggy kicked a piece of cracked stone into the hole. The black swallowed it up. “Any prisoner can go down there to escape the forest, but only an even greater torture awaits them. Anyway...” Buggy extended a hoof out to Luffy. “That deal?”

“Oh yeah.” Luffy put a hoof on the stone and slid it down his leg. He held it up, dangling from the leg it was attached to. “Here ya go!”

“Gyahaha! Sweet!” Buggy snatched the treasure away and held it up high.

“See ya!” Luffy jumped into the hole and disappeared into the darkness.

Trixie fluttered over to Buggy and stared at the stone with gleaming eyes and a wide grin. “Oh this is a good day! We escape and we get treasure!”

“Yes...” Buggy scratched his chin with a free hoof. “We’ll escape.”

Trixie leaned forward and pushed her muzzle up to Buggy’s. Her eyes were now icy cold and pricked up the hair on Buggy’s neck. “You had better not be hoping to betray Trixie. Trixie has a great dislike for those that make fools of her.”

Buggy snorted in her face. “You must dislike a lot of people th—”

An ax swung out from the forest and once more cleaved Buggy’s head from his body. He glared over in the direction the ax had come from and was met with a Blugori with a hand grasped around a tree. It didn’t seem to mind the piercing needles the tree was comprised off and simply stared at Buggy’s floating head.

“Stupid Blugori!” Buggy shouted. “Axes don’t work on... me.”

Buggy’s sentence trailed off when he felt something tug on him. He turned his head around and watched his body tumble into the hole. Buggy’s head careened after his body. “The treasure!”

Buggy’s scream faded with the rest of him. Trixie floated over to the hole and looked down. She frowned and shrugged her shoulders. “Trixie would have wanted the treasure too, but escape is fine as well.”

Instead of an ax, a magic blast erupted out of the trees and caught Trixie’s wings. The wings disintegrated into dust instantly. Trixie blankly stared at the spot where the wings had been sticking out. She then looked down and screamed before plummeting into the darkness.

~~~

Roars, caws, croaks, and screams filled the air. Shadows prowled the corridors, baring white and red fangs that glistened under torchlight. Cells were carved into the sides of the corridors with bars made of steel. Every single bar was dented with numerous bite marks.

Inside one of the cells, a yellow-green pony raised his head. His mane was an oily black that slicked down his head, save for a small part of it held up by numerous strings to form a style that resembled a three. An unlit candle adorned his flank. “The beasts sound hungry. Maybe they’ll all eat us today.”

Level Two: Beasts in Candlelight

View Online

A few tiny beads of sweat trickled down Domino’s face. Celestia’s eyes drifted away from her and over to Hannyabal and Momonga. Momonga’s face was tinted red and the tips of his uniform were dampened with sweat. His face was still stern and unwavering and his eyes were sharply focused on the grate that separated the group from the elevator shaft.

Hannyabal was a different story. Despite having nothing on save for his hat, he was dripping with sweat. He constantly raised a hoof to his brow to keep the sweat from getting into his eyes. When Celestia’s attention went to him, he clopped his hooves together and stood at attention. “My apologies for the heat, Princess! Unfortunately, my— I mean, the Warden’s office is located on Level Four, the Blazing Hell, so it gets a little warm.”

“A little heat is no issue to me,” Celestia replied with the most innocent smile she could conjure up. Hannyabal visibly reddened a bit more and turned his attention back to the grate.

A few minutes later, the enormous chain holding up the elevator gave a rattle and the elevator came to a halt. The grate creaked open and Hannyabal and Domino stepped forward to lead the group. Celestia followed with Momonga behind her.

The room they stepped out into was minimally furnished, but still far more decorated than what would normally be found in a prison. A soft beige carpet concealed the hard stone floor and a large wooden desk was to Celestia’s right. The desk was covered in stacks and stacks of paperwork and multiple den-den mushis, three of which were ringing. Celestia blinked and turned her head over to Domino. “The Warden appears to be quite busy, but where is he?”

“The Warden has some digestive issues, so he spends ten hours a day in the bathroom and requires eight hours for sleep, plus time for meals, leaving him with four hours to do work,” Domino explained.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “He’s able to manage this entire prison with such little time?”

“He’s the warden we need when the time calls on him,” Domino replied. A flush emanated from a door at the back of the room. All eyes went over to the door as it opened.

Out of the bathroom lumbered a giant of a pony. His head barely missed scraping the ceiling, but his horns didn’t. Black fur covered his body all the way down from his hairy bush of beard to his shaggy fetlocks. Leathery wings draped his sides, partially obscuring his cutie mark, a melting purple skull with fumes rising out of it. The only pony he didn’t loom over was Celestia and he made up for that with his immense musculature. “Oh, you must be Warlord Celestia. Greetings, I’m Magellan, the warden of this prison.”

Celestia took a step forward and gave Magellan a bow with her head. “Greetings Warden. I must admit, I’m impressed you can keep order in this prison with such a constricting schedule.”

“What an honor to receive such praise.” Magellan gave a hearty laugh and then turned his attention over to the ringing den-den mushis at his desk. “Ugh, those things have been ringing for the past few minutes and it’s giving me a headache.”

Magellan let out a deep sigh and a thick purple vapor drifted out of his mouth. Domino lit her horn up and multiple gas masks flew out of her saddle bag. “Please put these on, the Warden’s breath is poisonous.”

Celestia pushed the mask away and pointed up at her horn, which was glowing. “Forgive me, I saw the vapors and shielded myself.” She glared over at Magellan. “I know about your abilities with poison, but I expected a little better control from you.”

Magellan hastily raised a hoof and flicked it back and forth. “I apologize! It was probably that poison soup I ate.”

“No, that’s why you were in the bathroom,” Hannyabal muttered. “I’ll change things when I’m the ward—”

Hannyabal collapsed to the ground. He coughed and flailed his hooves at his face to try and cover his muzzle. Domino sighed and used her magic to wrap a gas mask around Hannyabal’s face. “You’ll die before you become warden.”

“Serves you right,” Magellan said with a devious grin. His attention then went back over to Celestia. “You wished to visit Fire Fist Ace, correct?”

“Yes,” Celestia replied.

Magellan pushed past the group and over to the elevator. “Then let us be off. No sense in confining another warlord to this place.” He stopped before stepping into the elevator. “One thing, please use the gas mask Domino provided. We’ve observed some of the prisoners on Level Six acting odd around magic users.”

“Certainly.” Celestia canceled her shield spell and strapped the gas mask around her face. She made her way into the elevator along with the rest of the group. Nopony among them noticed that the warden’s office had gone quiet.

The oddity hadn’t gotten past the guard station in Level One. A pony at one of monitors slammed a hoof down hard. “Damn it! Why isn’t the Warden picking up?” He glanced over at a fresh printout with a smiling man in a straw hat on it. “If the reports are true, Straw Hat Luffy has snuck into Impel Down!”

~~~

“Ugh.” Buggy blearily opened his eyes. He was met with darkness, but his eyes slowly adjusted. A nearby torch burned and shedded some light onto the area Buggy found himself in. He shook his head around and got up. He felt his body rise, a little sore from the fall, but his head remained on the ground. He peaked down and saw that his head was still detached from his body. He grunted and floated into the air. “Er, where is it?”

It only took a few second of twisting his head around for Buggy to find his body. It had fallen a few feet away from his head. It was standing up and only had a few bumps to show for the fall. A roar stopped Buggy’s head from floating over to his body. “Great, I wound up in Level Two.” He glanced down and saw that his body still had the seeing stone. He couldn’t help but grin at that. “At least I still have Straw Hat’s treasure.”

Buggy continued floating over to his body and was just about to reconnect his head to his neck when a scream rang out above him. He glanced up and saw a blue blur falling straight at him. Trixie slammed into Buggy’s body, knocking the wind out of him.

A cloud of smoke cropped up due to Trixie’s fall. Both Trixie and Buggy coughed at the dust and the injuries they had sustained. Trixie untangled herself from Buggy’s body and dusted herself off. “Darn it! Trixie was so close to escape! Now she is even worse off than before!”

“Shut up you stupid horse!” Buggy screamed, pushing his face into Trixie. “Now be quiet! If the tales I’ve heard are true, the beasts here will swallow us up in one bite!”

“You are screaming too!” Trixie yelled back.

“You two are really loud,” Luffy complained. Trixie and Buggy paused and stared over to Luffy. He was standing right by them with a smile on his face. “Thanks for coming down here though. It’ll be easier to find Ace with three of us!”

Buggy scowled and reattached his head to his body. He rushed over to Luffy and grabbed him on the shoulders. “I don’t care Straw Hat! I have the treasure and that’s all tha— ow!”

The treasure in question had turned crimson on the edges and white in the middle. Buggy flung it off of his hoof and onto the floor. The floor blackened around the area where the stone had fallen. Luna’s voice, dark and reverberating, emerged from the stone. “This stone is Straw Hats until his brother is saved! I was content to leave it in his hooves or whoever he lent it to, but you are clearly not meant to have it!”

“I still get the stone after we get out of here!” Buggy complained.

The stone stopped burning and returned to its original color. “Yes, about that... you said this was a level filled with beasts?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know too much about...” Buggy paused and looked down one of the paths the corridor broke into. His ears perked up.

“Is something wrong?” Luna asked.

“Quiet!” Buggy hissed.

Everypony present kept silent. Slowly, a sound filled the corridor. It was soft, but the noise vibrated among the air. It was sound of tiny wings. Buggy, Trixie, and Luffy got into position to face whatever it was.

A blur darted out from a corner and rushed over to the group. It zoomed up and straight at Luffy’s head. He raised up a hoof and swatted the blur to the ground. All three ponies trotted over to the creature and looked down at it. It had a spherical body with four tiny pipe-cleaner legs sticking out of it. Four clear transparent wings were attached to its body as well. A thin line of a mouth rested below two large but dazed green eyes.

Buggy prodded the creature with a hoof. “What the hell is it?”

“A parasprite,” came a voice from the seeing stone. All three ponies looked over to it and saw that the stone had gone from deep purple to creamy yellow. Fluttershy’s voice continued, “Oh, the poor thing. It probably just wanted to eat Mr. Luffy’s hat.”

“What?” Luffy shouted. He pressed his hat further onto his head. “No way am I letting it eat my hat!”

“So are these things dangerous?” asked Buggy.

“Oh no,” Fluttershy replied. “Parasprites are bad when in large groups and they might try to eat your stuff, but they won’t actually hurt you. They’re actually really cute when they’re not causing trouble.”

“Heh,” Buggy smirked. He lifted back his leg and kicked the parasprite away. “So much for the horror of Level Two. Those are the things everyone else was scared about? What a joke!”

Luffy and Trixie remained silent and kept their eyes on Buggy’s torso. Buggy noticed the odd looks he was getting and looked back. The middle section of his body had vanished and in its place was a blue parasprite. “Huh?”

“It...” Trixie’s whole body shook while she spoke, “it ate him!”

“Eh?” Buggy looked back and forth at the parasprite, Luffy, and Trixie. “Straw Hat, is this idiot being honest? This little thing ate me?”

“Yeah.” Luff gestured over to the parasprite, which was contently floating around in the air with a large smile on its face. “Its mouth got huge and it just chomped on you.”

“Then why isn’t it big now?” Buggy jabbed hoof at the parasprite. The parasprite’s entire body distorted until it resembled a crescent moon taller than a pony than a small sphere. Its gaping maw was a black void, but within it, Luffy and Buggy could make out the missing piece of Buggy’s body for a brief second. The parasprite’s jaw closed down on Buggy’s hoof, leaving only a stump behind. “Hey! Give me back my body!”

The parasprite responded by trying to bite off another piece of Buggy. Buggy stepped back and avoided the attack, but a section of his right hind leg still disappeared. A yellow parasprite buzzed in the spot where Buggy’s leg had been.

“T-t-they’re c-c-carnivorous,” Fluttershy stuttered. “How... I can’t...”

Luffy ignored the soft cries that came out of the stone and smacked his hooves into one of the parasprites. It crashed into the ground and spit up Buggy’s body upon impact. Buggy glared at the other parasprite and grinned at it. “You should chew your food.”

A side of the parasprite stretched and the outline of a hoof appeared under its skin. It violently coughed and fell to ground. It gagged and Buggy’s missing leg popped up out of its mouth. The dismembered hoof reared back and kicked the parasprite down the corridor. It then reconnected back to Buggy’s body. “Ha! Serves you right!”

“Um... everypony?” Trixie pointed a shaking hoof down the corridor the first parasprite had come from. Buggy and Luffy looked down it and heard a buzzing. It was a noise produced by hundreds of wings. “We might have a problem.”

A swarm of parasprites of every color zoomed down a hallway and straight at the group. A few of them at the front of the swarm opened their mouths, showing off their voids.

Trixie screamed and sprinted in the opposite direction of the swarm. Luffy and Buggy followed with the parasprites nipping at their tails.

“Oi!” Luffy shouted down at the seeing stone. “Is there any way to take care of these things?”

“I-I-I don’t know!” Fluttershy squeaked back. “P-parasprites aren’t s-supposed to e-eat...”

The stone went to purple and then pink. Pinkie’s voice now came through the stone. “Sing! You gotta sing! Make music!”

“How the hell is singing going to help?” Buggy rounded a corner right before A parasprite bit down on the space he’d been in and took a chunk out of the corner’s wall.

“Just do it! It’ll calm them down!” Pinkie shouted back.

“Fine!” Trixie sucked in her breath. “Trixie can’t believe she is doing this again. Ohhh...”

“Bawkaw!”

The buzzing behind the group came to a sudden halt. Luffy looked back and saw the parasprites flying off in all directions. The corridor became deathly quiet save for the group’s breathing.

Trixie watched the last of the parasprites disappear into the nooks and crannies of Level Two. Her attention went over to Luffy and Buggy. “Trixie is confused.”

“Bawkaw!”

“What is that?” Buggy looked around and tried to pinpoint the noise, but the prison’s layout caused the sound to echo all around them.

The stone on Luffy’s leg shifted back to yellow. Fluttershy’s voice returned, small and quivering. “Run.”

“From what? A chicken?” Trixie blew up a stray strand of her mane. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a small chuckle. Piercing red eyes met her when she opened her eyes again. The red eyes were attached to a chicken. At least, its head and legs were a chicken. The rest of it was covered in rough green scales. Sharp wings protruded out of its side. It had reached Trixie’s eye level by balancing on its long serpent-like tail.

A scream caught in Trixie throat and stayed there. The tip of her muzzled turned grey, followed by the rest of her body. Trixie stood unmoving, her face twisted in terror. The chicken-beast turned its attention away from Trixie and over to Luffy and Buggy. “Bawkaw!”

“RUN!” Fluttershy yelled at the top of her voice. Luffy and Buggy didn’t hesitate and darted off away from the monster. The monster in turn flapped its wings and took the air after Buggy and Luffy. Trixie was left as a decorative statue in the otherwise bleak hall.

“What the hell is that?” Luffy shouted.

“A cockatrice! It will turn you to stone if you look at it!” Fluttershy hastily explained. Her breathing was rapid and shallow and her voice quivered with each word. “Oh, if only I was there, I could stare it down!”

“So what do we do?” Buggy frantically asked.

“I-I don’t know!” Fluttershy stuttered.

“I’ve got a plan!” Luffy skidded to a halt, closed his eyes and turned around. The cockatrice squaked again and rushed at Luffy. Luffy raised up his front right hoof and bit into it. “Gear Third!”

Buggy’s mouth dropped when Luffy’s leg swelled up. Luffy swung his giant hoof back, crashing it into a few cells, and then hurled it at the cockatrice. “Gum-Gum Giant Pistol!”

The giant hoof smashed into the cockatrice and then into a wall. The wall caved in and sent stones tumbling into the room Luffy’s attack had revealed. The inside of the room had an identical layout to guard room from Level One save for a few differences in maps and some whistles and flutes on the walls. Unconscious guards were sprawled out everywhere.

Luffy retracted his hoof and exhaled a large breath. He form deflated but he still smiled down at the seeing stone. “There, I think I got it!”

“Straw Hat!” Buggy’s head twisted over to the large hole in the wall and at Luffy. Luffy returned to his normal size while Buggy rushed over to him. “What was that? Why’d your leg get huge? Why were you small?”

Buggy’s questioning was interrupted by a loud congregation of cheers. Ponies suddenly darted out of the cells and ran up to Luffy and Buggy. The ponies grabbed Luffy and Buggy and threw them high into the air.

“You defeated the cockatrice!”

“Thank you!”

“Get the keys!

“The keys!”

“Over there!”

Buggy noticed that a good number ponies were pointing over to the guard room. He got back onto the ground and trotted over to where they were pointing. Amongst the rubble was a ring of metal keys right next to the unconscious cockatrice. A shiver went up Buggy’s spine before he disconnected one of his hooves and floated it over to the keys. He caught the keys on the edge of his hoof and flew it high above his head. More cheers greeted him.

“Our savior!” came a hundred unified shouts.

A grin spread across Buggy’s face. Maybe falling down here wasn’t so bad after all. If I can cause enough chaos here, who would notice one prisoner escaping?

“Gyhahaha!” Buggy swung the keys around and chucked them at the prisoners. “Accept this as a gift! All I ask in return is that you follow me, the Great Captain Buggy!”

The prisoners stopped shuffling the keys to each other and stared at Buggy. They all raised their hooves and yelled, “All hail Captain Buggy!”

“Oi! Does anypony know how to get down from here?” Luffy asked the prisoners.

All the prisoners paused for a second and then laughed.

“Down? I’m going up!”

“Only an idiot would go further into this hell!”

“Go die if you want! I’m getting out!”

A deafening noise resonated above the laughter. The floor and walls shook and a few stones dislodged in Luffy’s attack came loose and shattered against the ground. The roar lasted for a few second and when it was done, nopony was laughing anymore.

Instead, all the prisoners fled back to their cells and shut the doors tight behind them. Luffy tilted his head at their actions. “What’s up with them?”

“They’re afraid,” came a voice from behind Luffy. Both he and Buggy turned around and were met with a yellow-green pony. The pony smirked at them and pushed up a pair of glasses with one broken lense. “It’s been a long time, Straw Hat.”

Luffy corked his head at the pony. “Who are you?”

The pony chuckled. He lifted up a hoof and propped up his mane, revealing the three it was styled into. “I can’t blame you for not recognizing me.”

“Oh!” Luffy stomped a hoof to the ground in realization. “Now I remember! You’re San!”

“It’s Mr. 3!” yelled Mr. 3. He took a breath and slumped down. “Anyway, I do have to thank you for the keys. Shall I offer you some assistance?”

Two flames came to life utop the candles on Mr. 3 flanks. His body gained an unnatural sheen as well. He raised up a hoof and a dough grey substance dripped down his hoof onto the floor. “My skills could be quite useful.”

“Oh yeah, you can make wax.” Luffy smiled at Mr. 3. “It might get dark later so some candles would definitely help!”

“I can make more than just candles!” Mr. 3 yelled. Another roar shook the corridor. “Great, sounds like the boss is angry.”

“The boss?” asked Luffy.

Mr. 3 lowered his head and stared at the ground. His whole form shaked. “The monsters on Level Two are vicious, but they’re nothing compared to the boss. Unfortunately, it guards the stairwell, so we’ll have to sne...” Mr. 3 raised his head and noticed that only Buggy was listening. “Where is Straw Hat?”

“Oh, he ran off to that boss monster,” Buggy sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “What an idiot.”

“An idiot we can use though.” Mr. 3 slid over to Buggy gave him a sly grin. “Straw Hat is tough, right? Even he can’t beat the boss, but he’ll give it enough of a distraction.”

Buggy smirked back at Mr. 3. “I think you might be the first smart thing I’ve met in this hell. Well, don’t want to waste our distraction. Lets go after Straw Hat!”

Buggy and Mr. 3 departed the cells and headed off in the direction Luffy had gone. The other prisoners remained in their cells and looked at each other.

“Idiots.”

“No one gets past the boss.”

“They did take out the cocktrice though.”

“Doesn’t matter if they can’t take out the boss.”

Further down the corridor, Luffy twisted around corners in the direction he’d heard the roar come from. Another noise filled the air, but this time it was a high-pitched scream.

Luffy followed the scream around another corner and was met with a pile of gold. In front of him were stacks upon stacks of gold coins. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds were spread amongst the gold as well. Luffy’s attention on the treasure was broken by a gust of sweltering air. He glanced up at the dark shape that sat atop the treasure trove. “Whoa.”

Buggy and Mr. 3 chased after Luffy. They’d just caught sight of him when he rounded another corner and disappeared. They raced forward and went around the same corner and smacked right into Luffy.

Buggy rubbed his nosed and glared at Luffy. “Damnit Straw Hat! Don’t just...” Buggy’s eyes caught the glint of gold and went wide. “Treasure!”

Buggy dove at the mound and crashed into it. His hooves raked over the gold and jewels and spread them over his body. His smile went from ear to ear. “Treasure, so much treasure!”

“No!” Mr. 3 yelled. Sweat puddled at his hooves, far more than even the current heat warranted. “You fool! That’s the most basic trap in Level Two! Don’t you know? Never mess with a—”

A roar, louder than any that had come before, came from above the group. They all looked up and a jet of flame fell upon them. They all jumped out of the way of the fire, but the part of the treasure Buggy had been on was consumed in flames. Gold, jewels, and stone all melted together, leaving only a white hot lump.

In the firelight, the shadows receded just enough to show off the features of the shape that sat atop the treasure. Deep green scales, far rougher and sharper than the cocktrice’s, covered the creature’s exterior. Whether in light or darkness, its teeth, larger than a pony, shimmered. Its long form curled around the treasure trove. Smoke billowed out of its mouth and nostrils. Its slitted eyes were filled with flames as it glared down at the group.

Everypony could only stare at the beast that loomed over them. The firelight also showed that the creature’s tail was curled around a blue pony that had been silenced by the creature’s use of fire. A tiny voice came out of the yellow stone on Luffy’s leg. Fluttershy’s voice didn’t quiver like before. She only said one word, but it was on everypony’s tongue. “Dragon.”

Level Three: Bereft of Food, Water, and Love

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“Helllllllppppppp—” The rest of Trixie’s scream was swallowed up by the blast and roar of dragonfire. The dragon’s tail lashed around, sending Trixie with it. All the while, she continued screaming even though nopony could hear her.

The dragonfire slammed against the ground, scattering Luffy, Buggy, and Mr. 3. The latter two went in one direction while Luffy jumped into the air and stretched back a hind hoof. “Huh, never thought I’d fight a dragon! Gum-Gum Buck!”

The attack struck the dragon’s neck, but when Luffy’s hoof returned back to his body, wisps of smoke drifted off of it. “Darn, this guy’s skin is really hot!”

“Just keep hitting him Straw Hat!” Buggy yelled.

“While we get the hell out of here,” Mr. 3 whispered. He and Buggy raced over to the large door that led to the stairwell. In their excitement over escape, they both galloped through stacks of coins and jewels. The treasure clinked and the dragon’s eyes widened and their slits narrowed. It twisted its head away from Luffy and gnashed its fangs at the duo.

Buggy was reduced to mincemeat and Mr. 3 to bits of wax. Behind a nearby pile of treasure and stone, Mr. 3 breathed heavily and tried to still his heart. “Too close!”

“I’ll say,” Buggy’s head commented. Mr. 3 screamed seeing his new comrade’s head simply floating in mid-air. Buggy drifted down and uppercut Mr. 3 in the jaw. “Shut up! You’ll attract the...”

“Groar...” An enormous slitted pupil looked down on Mr. 3 and Buggy. Smoke coiled around them and made them cough while the eye turned them pale.

“Run!” they both screamed at the same time. The dragon’s jaws opened and clenched shut but were stopped from fully closing by a semi-solid piece of wax. The rest of Buggy’s body flew out of the dragon’s maw and reconnected with the rest of him. The dragon snorted, causing smoke to billow out of its mouth and nose. The wax melted in an instant but it gave the duo enough time to flee from the beast.

“Hey! Don’t just ignore me!” Luffy jumped up above the dragon and extended back all four of his hooves. They raced back down straight at the dragon’s head. “Gum-Gum Twin Bazooka!”

The hit pushed the dragon’s head halfway to the floor while its shock wave rippled through the dragon’s body. Its claws dug into the floor, which cracked under the pressure. Luffy landed next to one of the giant claws and grinned up at the dragon. The dragon staggered back and forth and its eyes rolled in their sockets.

A pair of blue hooves wrapped around Luffy’s neck. He looked to his left and was met with a tearful Trixie squeezing him. “I-I thought it was over! T-thank you!”

“No problem,” Luffy smiled. “You’re helping me save Ace after all.”

Trixie instantly let go of Luffy and flicked back her mane with a snap of her neck. She placed a hoof on her chest and said, “Er, um, yes... we should probably make our way to the ex—Trixie means, your brother.”

“Yep, that’s the id—” Luffy slammed his mouth shut, grabbed Trixie, and jumped out of the way of a jet of dragonfire. Above them, the dragon leered down at them and snarled. “Argh, and I thought I got it that time!”

“You just made it more mad!” Trixie complained while Luffy jumped to avoid flailing strikes from the dragon’s claws.

Nearby, Buggy and Mr. 3 avoided hits as well. Buggy didn’t so much dodge as get cut to ribbons and then reform. An unlucky strike came down and slashed Mr. 3 into pieces. The pieces fell to the ground as cold hard wax. Nearby, the real Mr. 3 smiled at his work. “Ha! I might not have Ms. Goldenweek’s colors, but the figurines are enough for a stupid beast like you!”

The dragon growled and slammed a claw down on Mr. 3, but only pieces of shattered wax remained. All around its claws, dozens of Mr. 3s popped up. Among the figurines came a voice followed by the clinking of treasure. “By the time you find me, we’ll be long gone!”

Luffy hopped over to Buggy and released his grip on Trixie. The real Mr. 3 emerged from out of the figurines and joined them. A waxy blob with treasure spilling out of it was draped on his back. “Nice job, three!”

“That’s Mr. 3!” the wax pony complained. “Now lets get out of here before it roasts all the fakes or worse!”

Above them the dragon reared its head back. A dark growl rumbled out of its mouth that shook the entire area. It leered down at the figurines along with the real ponies. “Miiiiinnnnnneeeeeee!”

“It can talk?” Luffy asked both in confusion and awe. His eyes partially turned into twinkling stars.

“Mine!” answered the dragon. It smacked its claws around and randomly struck the figurines, the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. Stones fell everywhere and the ponies had to zigzag to avoid the falling debris. “Mine! Mine! Mine!”

“This is bad!” Mr. 3 exclaimed. “We’ve got to ge—”

A giant cracking noise swallowed up the rest of Mr. 3’s complaint. Below the dragon, huge fissures opened up. The dragon gave a snort of surprise before it plummeted into darkness. The hole rapidly spread and swallowed up the other ponies too fast for them them escape it. All of them screamed as they disappeared deeper into the prison.

~~~

The sound of hooves on stone made all the prisoners turn their heads up. Hooves were the measurement of time in this place; they came at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That was if the guards weren’t in the mood to starve the prisoners for a few days. What was curious about the hooves was that lunch wasn’t very long ago. That gave the prisoners reason to stir from their beds and press their heads against their cells’ bars.

Celestia tried to keep her eyes forward, but they kept drifting over to the cells and the prisoners within. Scars, missing teeth, dark leers, and sharp grins greeted her. To see such traits on pony faces tugged at the back of her mind. Even as ponies, they still hold such evil looks.

Soon, the jeers began. Prisoners hollered at Celestia and spat at Magellan, Hannyabal, and Momonga. Celestia wasn’t sure what they would have said to Domino as she had stayed by the elevator, but it probably wouldn’t be pretty.

“The ones that don’t talk are the worst, but the ones that do are annoying,” Magellan grumbled. His eyes were on one particular cell that had a golden gleam of a hook within. He led the group past that cell and over to a nearby one. “We’re here.”

Hannyabal trotted forward and peered into the cell. Chained to one side wall was a Jimbei, First Son of the Sea and one of the Seven Warlords. His form was massive and the tales of his strength made him seem more monster than man, or pony given current circumstances. His strength wasn’t enough to break the chains the held him in the cell though. He glanced up at Hannyabal before his eyes drifted over to Magellan and Celestia.

Hannyabal’s sight likewise went away from Jimbei and over to Ace. The man had been made into a red Earth Pony by Equestria’s magic, but that didn’t take away the giant tattoo the encompassed his back: a skull and crossbones with a wicked grin and a white sickle of a mustache. He’d gained an additional mark on his flank upon entering Equestria’s domain: a grand orange and yellow flame that made it look like the rest of his body was a great bonfire and the mark was just the tip of it. Without the seastone cuffs he was enchained in, he could have very well done that.

“You have a special visitor, Ace!” Hannaybal called out. He glanced back over to the other prisoner in the cell. “Bet you’ve never met her either, Jimbei. She controls the sun here and she rules over this entire land! I present, Warlord Princess Celestia!”

A shape moved in the cell that also held the pony with the golden hook. A wispy yet guttural voice emanated from the shape. “Celestia?”

Ace stared up at Celestia with empty solemn eyes. “What do you want?”

“I have no business with you,” Celestia coldly replied. She made a point to look down her muzzle at Ace. “I just wanted to see the man who was the trigger for this war.”

“Glad to see I’m a display now,” Ace sneered.

“Princess!” Jimbei called out. His chains rattled against the stone wall and floor as he craned his neck to get a better look at Celestia. “Don’t tell me you’re actually planning to aid the government in this war? I’ve read up on Equestria and this war will only bring suffering to it, just as it will bring hardship to Fishman island!”

“Celestia,” rasped the gutteral voice again. Its owner’s throat sounded dry, like sand had been poured down it.

“What are you complaining about now?” asked the pony with the golden hook. In the darkness, his eyes rolled in annoyance. “Your kingdom, your children, your food. It’s always something with you.”

“She took it from me!” the voice hissed back. Something scraped in the darkness and the shadows shifted so that out of them emerged a hoof. It was so black it seemed a part of the darkness if not for the holes of varying size that dotted it. Three other hooves shot out to join it and their owner’s head banged against the cell’s bars. The bars couldn’t stop a long jagged horn from poking out of the cell though. “Celestia! You’ll pay! I’ll break you and make you watch as I drain every last drop of life out your kingdom! I’ll start with your student! She! Will! Scream!

The raving emboldened the other prisoners, who joined in and began jeering louder. Insult after insult was slung at Magellan, Hannyabal, and Momonga while far more lewd words were thrown at Celestia. A vein pulsed on Magellan’s head at the noise. “This is getting annoying.”

Celestia ignored the black horn for a moment and focused on the two prisoners in front of her. “So you’re Jimbei? There’s no need to be rude. I’m only doing what I can for my citizens. It appears I have other matters to deal with though...”

Celestia brought her attention over to the black horn and its owner. “You’ll never harm another one of my little ponies ever again. This is your punishment; you’ll be confined here, alone and surrounded by hatred until the end of your days.” Forgive me.

“No!” the creature in the cell snarled back. It opened up its mouth and snapped at the air with needle-like fangs. “I’ll break out and then you will suffer! Oh, my children will be hungry! They’re much less delicate when they’re hungry!”

“That’s enough!” Magellan bellowed. His skin turned purple and a thick liquid encased him. Hannyabal and Momonga scooted back and Hannyabal hid behind one of the cells. He glared at all the prisoners whose jeers had gone silent as well as the prisoner with the black horn that continued raving. “You all need to be taught a lesson. Hydra!”

The syrupy liquid covering Magellan exploded out of his back and into the air. The formless purple mass quickly condensed itself into a main portly body and three slender heads with gaping maws and forked tongues. A tail-like appendage kept the monstrosity connected to Magellan. The prisoner’s jeers had now turned into panicked screams and even the prisoner with the black horn had trotted back from the creation. All three heads reared back and then darted into three of the cells.

Anguished wails rang out from all the cells struck, but especially the one with black horned prisoner. It rolled around on the ground, both the floor and its body sizzling from the poison they were now coated in. The prisoner with the golden hook didn’t say anything, but his eyes spelled out a very clear and simple message. Fool.

“Don’t forget, you’re all on death row here!” The poison around Magellan faded and his features softened. He extended a hoof out to Ace’s cell. “Take all the time you like.”

“Oh, my business is done,” Celestia replied. She turned around and marched off to the elevator. She didn’t wait for the others. Any longer amongst the wails and her cover might slip. Even a thousand years couldn’t diminish hearing pure agony.

Back at the cells Jimbei watched Celestia disappear around a corner. The others followed, leaving him with Ace and the other prisoners once more. The screaming was disturbing, especially from the black horned prisoner, but Jimbei had heard worse things in his nightmares. He brought his attention on Ace, whose eyes had sharpened and were now filled with more emotion than Jimbei had seen since his arrival. “Ace, what did she tell you?”

Ace stayed silent and bit his lip. “She said my little brother... is here!”

~~~

Trixie’s right ear twitched, followed by her eye peeking open. Two giant rows of monstrous fangs greeted her. She yelped and jumped into the air before falling back down and rapidly scooting away from the unconscious dragon. She bumped into something and was met with Luffy looking down on her.

“Cool, you’re awake,” Luffy smiled. “I was about to shake you, but now I don’t have to.”

“Your voice only serves to annoy Trixie,” she grunted.

“Where are we anyway?” Luffy raised a hoof to his forehead and wiped the sweat that had quickly accumulated on his brow. The gesture wasn’t worth much since new sweat instantaneously replaced the old. All around them was nothing but sand and white stone towers. Cells were cut out of the towers and were the only things covered in shadow.

A wisp of smoke rose Luffy’s left. He darted over to it found a small brown steaming sphere. He picked it up and smelled it. “Takoyaki.”

“Oh!” came a sob from the stone on Luffy’s leg. “That poor parasprite!”

Luffy examined the ball, shrugged, and took a bite out of it. Fluttershy gave an eep and the stone went from yellow to blue. Dash’s voice now came through the stone. “Hey! Watch what you eat in front of her!”

“Eh, it’s not that good anyway.” Despite his complaint, Luffy still devoured the rest of the cook parasprite. “Wonder what cooked it.”

“Level Three,” Mr. 3 sighed. He appeared from behind the dragon and made his way over to Luffy. Buggy followed at his side. “The heat on this level is second only to Level Four’s. There’s barely any food or water given to the prisoners here. Plus, I’ve heard a special set of guards makes it so that mirages and other odd weather conditions afflict the prisoners.”

“Sounds like some pegasi playing tricks,” Dash muttered.

“Why not give the prisoners some illusion of hope before they die?” Before anypony could pinpoint where the voice came from, the ground beneath them moved. Huge inlaid ropes of metal sprung out of the sand and over the heads of everypony and the dragon. In a matter of seconds, they were all caught in a huge net high over the baking sands.

“The hell is this?” Buggy pushed against the net, but found he couldn’t mesh his body through it. “Don’t tell me this is seastone?”

“That’s it! Trixie has had it!” Trixie shut her eyes and gritted her teeth. Her horn sparked out, only for it to fizzle out a second later. “What? My magic!”

“Hmm, guess you can use magic after all.” All eyes went down to the voice. It’s owner was a tiny little creature composed entirely of white. His hind half was like a lion’s, with a whip-like tail that ended with was sharp white spike of hair; while his front half was like an eagle’s with a tiny beak and thick plumage that ended where his lion’s half began. Small wings draped his sides as well. His oversized floppy white hat with what appeared to be horns poking out of it and a skull adorned to the top of it completed his composite appearance. Behind his stood a squadron of guards with a mix of wings and horns. A few Blugori popped up here and there as well. “I swear, this day is a mess between misinformation and the Warden not helping. I suppose you’re all lucky on that last count. I’ll just throw you into cells. The Warden would be like to execute you outright.”

“Who are you?” Luffy demanded.

“I am Saldeath,” the griffon answered. “And you are Straw Hat Luffy. I don’t know how you got here, but you’ll never leave this prison again.”

“You’re a monkey?” Despite the cramped space in the net, Luffy managed to tilt his head. “You look more like a bird-lion... or a lion-bird.”

“I’m a griffon for your information!” Saldeath shot back. “Regardless, this little escape attempt of yours is ov—”

“Mine.” The net rustled. Trixie shrieked when the eyelid she was stuffed next to flicked open. Its slit of a pupil narrowed and the dragon roared. A jet of flame raced out of its mouth and turned the net burning red and then blazing white. “Mine! Mine!”

“Damn it!” Saldeath cursed. “The net won’t hold! Men! Get ready to take all them! Especially Straw Hat!”

True to Saldeath’s word, the net broke, sending its prisoners to the ground. The dragon’s fall kicked up a cloud of dust, but the Blugori and their axes plunged through it and straight at Luffy. The guards followed after and fell upon Luffy.

Luffy lifted up his hind legs and sent them flying at guards and Blugori alike. “Gum-Gum Buck Gatling!”

The enemies went sailing, giving Luffy a brief reprieve to look back. Only air greeted him. “Darn it, where’d they go?”

“Hurry it up, you stupid horse!” came Buggy’s voice from high above Luffy. He looked up and spotted three spots atop a massive wooden rafter that had been used to hold up the equally giant net.

“Oi, you guys! What are you doing up there?” Luffy called out.

Buggy mockingly waved a hoof and stuck out his tongue at Luffy. “Getting out here! If Ace lives, tell him I’ll buy him a drink!”

“Now go and distract them!” Mr. 3 yelled.

“Yes!” Trixie chuckled. “Trixie’s decoy plan is perfect!”

“Aw, but we just met again,” Luffy frowned. He then beamed back up at them and waved a hoof. “Well, see ya!”

All three of the prisoners on the rafter sniffled a little. Such a nice guy! A second later, they all ran off. Such a fool!

Down below, Luffy sent his hooves flying again and struck down another wave of enemies. He jumped through a gap in their ranks and hopped across the towers. The guards all grunted and gave chase.

Meanwhile, Buggy’s group darted through Level Three’s upper structures. Even this high up, there were cells upon cells, each filled with shells of former pirates. None of them moved, though a few stared at the group with hollow eyes that might as well have been empty sockets.

“Wait!” Trixie skidded to a stop at one of the cells.

“What are you doing?” Buggy demanded.

“I needed to check something.” Trixie pointed into the cell she’d stopped at. Inside were hundreds of black shells.There were shaped into a common grotesque form with a sharp point jutting out of what looked like skulls. A material similar to spiderwebs covered parts of the shells as well and a thin film shaped like wings was draped over their backs.

“We don’t have time to gawk over creepy stuff like this!” Mr. 3 complained. He opened his mouth to say more but stopped when his ears perked up and a sound pervaded the air.

“Un, deux, grah!”

~~~

Luffy’s hoof met another guard’s face. He continued his climb among a set of stairs while guards shouted behind him and flung seastone nets in his direction. The nets didn’t just fly at him like a bullet, but looped through the air and relentlessly pursued him. He rounded a corner and a claw slammed him to the ground.

“Mine!” the dragon roared.

“Crap!” Luffy pushed and slapped his hooves against the dragon’s claw to no avail.

“Stop, you beast!” somepony from above yelled.

The voice made Luffy’s heart stop for a second. His eyes darted up and found a black unicorn with an seaweed-green mane. Three swords criss-crossed across his flank. A large scar ran from his left shoulder diagonally across his belly. “Z-zoro?”

“Just kidding!” The pony masquerading as Zoro jumped off the ledge in a brilliant blaze of green flames. When the flames abated, a creature clad entirely in black chitin remained. It’s thin transparent wings buzzed through the air as it slammed into the dragon’s head with a hole-filled hoof. “Black Swan Arabesque!”

The attack sent the dragon sprawling headfirst into one of the towers. Stones smacked into its head, adding to the damage. Luffy could only say one thing in the face of watching Zoro appear out of nowhere, burst into flames, turn into a black pony thing, and kicking the dragon. “Huh?”

“Mugi-chan!” The black pony thing happily called out. It landed, twirled over to Luffy, and gave him a huge hug. Up close, Luffy could see that the creature had blue compound eyes and sharp white fangs along with a sharp black horn. “Long time no see! I know how horrible I must look right now, but it’s truly so good to see you again!”

“Wait a minute!” Luffy’s eyes went wide with realization. He pulled the creature away and looked him in the eyes. “Bon Clay?”

“Correct!” the crossdressing former-secret agent replied. “Oh and sorry for the impersonation earlier. I couldn’t resist.”

Celestia Departs! Magellan Summons his Forces!

View Online

A few minutes ago on Level Three

“You want to explain why we’re not heading for the exit?” Buggy grubbled.

Trixie gritted her teeth and glared ahead at Mr. 3. “Trixie agrees. At least on the other Level, Trixie had her cell.”

“If you’ll both shut up for a few minutes, you’ll see that I’m helping our escape.” Mr. 3 kept his head forward and marched his two collaborators through the twisting maze of Level Three while he kept his ears perked up. They all walked in a silence punctuated by an “Un, deux, grah!” from time to time. Whenever the noise was produced, Mr. 3 halted the group and swiveled his ears around before either walking on the same path he was on or going down a different corridor.

The chant grew louder and louder the further Mr. 3 went until he came upon a cell. It was identical to all the others his group had passed save for one small detail: there was movement within. Inside, a black four-legged figure twirled around and around while other similar creatures that were slumped against the walls clicked and hissed to one another. All of their blue compound eyes drooped and their fanged mouth hung low.

“Spin, spin, spin!” the creature in the middle of the cell proclaimed. True to its word, it continued to pirouette while its cellmates made noises that sounded a lot like sighs. “Come on! Get up, you guys! Oh hey! Visitors!”

The creature stopped its odd dance and rushed over to the cell’s bars. “Odd, you’re not guards, but who has time to escape these days?”

Trixie flinched back and hid herself behind Buggy. “I-it was bad enough when they weren’t moving.”

“Whatever these things are, this one is unique.” Mr. 3 brought his eyes up to the creature in the cell. “Am I correct, Mr. 2?”

“Hey, I know that voice!” Mr. 2 jabbed a hole-filled hoof through the bars’ gaps. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. 3! You got captured too? What a shame! Shall we dance? Oh wait, you got out of your cell! Oh! Maybe we can escape together and then dance!”

“What sort of odd creature have we come upon?” Buggy wondered aloud.

“Quiet!” Mr. 3 snapped before turning back to Mr. 2. He lifted up a hoof, which turned a pasty white before part of it solidified into a key and the rest back into a normal hoof. The key went into the cell’s lock and turned to a rusty whine. “As a matter of fact, we are escaping. It seems fate has decided to be funny and send Straw Hat Luffy as our savior from this pit.”

Mr. 2’s eyes went wide. He darted out of his cell and grasped Mr. 3 by his neck. “Mugi-chan is here?”

“Y-yes!” Mr. 3 answered while Mr. 2 shook him back and forth. “He kept going on about getting to Level Five for his brother or something.”

“I see.” Mr. 2 relinquished his hold of Mr. 3 and smiled. While Mr. 2 spoke, Mr. 3 produced another wax key and inserted it into the locks that bound Mr. 2’s legs. “To think that Mugi-chan would actually come here. Getting caught I can understand, but breaking in is a whole different deal!”

“A foolish deal,” Mr. 3 joked. “Who would ever willingly go further do—”

“I’m coming, Mugi-chan!” Mr. 2’s wings fanned out and he buzzed off down a corridor.

Trixie stared in the direction Mr. 2 had run off to and then leaned over to Mr. 3. “Trixie thinks you keep very bizarre friends.”

“Think of him like a business associate,” Mr. 3 sighed. “Darn, his powers could have greatly assisted us. Still, him adding to the chaos Straw Hat is causing will help. Let him do what he likes, as long as the guards care more about him than us.”

~~~

“I thought for sure that you died!” Luffy cried out to Bon Clay.

“We swans never die!” Bon proclaimed. He loosened his grip on Luffy and jumped back to inspect his hooves. “Or whatever the hell I am now.”

“Changeling,” Twilight shuddered from the stone on Luffy’s leg. “Luffy! How in Equestria could you be friends with a changeling?”

“Changeling? That what this ugly thing is?” Bon playfully wailed and flapped a hoof in Luffy’s direction. “Eh? Mugi-chan, who said that?”

“That’s none of your business!” The stone shifted from magenta to sky blue. “Luffy! Don’t trust this guy! He’s probably just imitating your friend’s voice to trick you!”

Luffy held a blank gaze down at the stone. “He did that before he became a weird bug pony though.”

A tiny trickle of tears fell down Bon’s face. “Don’t remind me! The only good thing to come of this form is it has a nice sheen! But the holes! Oh, the holes! They're absolutely hideous!”

The stone changed from blue to a pearl white with a purple tint on the edges. Rarity’s voice now came through it. “It does have a point there. I’d be appalled too if I had to work with such an encumbering form.”

“Oh?” Bon twirled his way over to Luffy and lightly tapped on the stone. “I like whoever this is. It’s been too long since I’ve had a person to wax dramatically with.”

“You have no idea, dear,” Rarity chuckled.

“Wahaha! Mugi-chan, it seems you’ve made even more great friends! Now if only I could meet them!” Something zipped past Bon’s face and bore into the ground. Both he and Luffy looked at the fresh bullet hole and then at the direction the attack had come from. A new wave of guards had appeared from around a corner and rushed at them. “We’ll save the talk for later! For now, lets get away from these guards and down to Level Five!”

“Really?” Luffy asked with a wide grin, ignoring a bullet entering his leg and ricocheting back at the guards.

“Yes!” Bon exclaimed, his breathing shallow. He serpentined through the air and the hail of gunfire that filled it, yet he still kept a grin on his face. “There’s someone I want to see down there as well!”

~~~

“What?” Magellan roared. “What the hell do you mean Straw Hat Luffy has infiltrated Impel Down?”

“W-we tried contacting you earlier, W-warden, but you w-wouldn’t pick up,” a guard stuttered. “T-the prisoners are also loose on L-level Two without the d-dragon to keep them in the cells. W-we’ve got our forces currently s-split there and on Level Three.”

Fumes bellowed out of Magellan's nostrils and mouth and down on the unfortunate guard. He collapsed to the floor with a thud. Magellan shifted his eyes over to the other staff in the room, all of them now wearing their gas masks. “Darn it. One of you get him to the medical bay. Where is Saldeath?”

“He was on Level Three, but his trap was dismantled by Straw Hat and now we’ve got reports that a changeling prisoner is aiding Straw Hat in taking down the Blugori,” a different guard answered. “Between that and the Level Two riot, he’s withdrawn and only left a token force on Level Three.”

“Mmmm, but the minotaur is still down there,” a female voice purred.

“Hmm,” Magellan grumbled. “If the reports are accurate, Straw Hat is deliberately heading down. If the minotaur should fail, Straw Hat and his accomplice will have to go through Level Four.” He raised up a hoof and slammed it into the ground with enough force to shake the floor. “Deploy the rest of our forces not handling the riot to Level Four! We’ll corner them here and I’ll execute them myself!”

~~~

Luffy’s hooves clacked against the dry and dusty stones that comprised the majority of Level Three’s floor. Ahead, Bon Clay’s wings hummed through the air as he guided Luffy through the labyrinthian Level. He rounded a corner and fell to the ground with his wings going back to his sides. Luffy galloped over and went to Bon’s side. “Hey, why’d we stop?”

Bon gestured to his sharp ears and then to the area around them. “Listen. The guards have been pursuing us for a while and now we can’t even hear their hooves.”

“Eh?” Luffy swiveled his ears around. Something close by produced a low thump sound that was akin to a thick piece of metal slowly banging against stone. “Then what’s that?”

Bon’s head darted over to where the sound had come from. “That’s too heavy for even a fully armed guard to produce.” His compound eyes shrank into his skull. “Oh no!”

The sound repeated itself, faster and louder. It now came in rapid succession, a steady tempo like a great metal gong being hit over and over. Something flashed to the duo’s left and then a shadow appeared in front of them. A large black object lashed out at Luffy and Bon and they both stepped back to avoid it as it cut through the air they’d previously occupied.

Luffy shifted his stance and prepared to fight. Ahead of him, the giant shape lumbered forward, its form partially obscured by the dust its attack had kicked up. “What is that thing? Did you see the way it moved?”

“It’s the minotaur,” Bon grimaced. “It’s one of the four jailer beasts, vicious creatures that treat prisoners like trash!”

“Hey!” the shape called out. It slashed away the dust with another swing of its weapon and stepped forward. Its cloven hooves smacked at the ground and made it slightly tremor, which was understandable given the immense height of the creature they belonged to. Its size was only increased by the massive pair of horns that sprouted out of its head and appeared sharp enough to gouge through rock. In its right hand, it held a giant club that could have been mistaken for a metal support beam save for the onyx spikes the covered it. In contrast to the rest of it, the beast’s eyes were small beady things, as black as the weapon it held. “Stone Wall resents that statement!”

Luffy’s stone went yellow. “Oh my, that sounds like Iron Will. What’s he doing there?”

“Iron Will?” Stone Wall raised an eyebrow. “How the hay does an intruder know my co—”

“Meat!” Luffy screamed. He rushed forward, his eyes completely white ovals. His mouth expanded open until it was bigger than his entire head and then clamped down Stone Wall’s left arm, who proceeded to rightfully scream bloody murder.

~~~

Wave after wave splashed against the great Marine battleship. On deck, Celestia stared out from the bow of the ship. The ship’s course was concealed by fog, but the so-called “tub” current was as sure a guide as any navigator. She remained anchored in that one spot until a splotch of darkness appeared out of the fog. Soon, a Gate of Justice loomed over the ship. So this is it.

“Experiencing trepidation?” asked Momonga. Since they’d left Impel Down, he’d patrolled the deck, always keeping one eye on Celestia. “I won’t fault you on that. Only a fool would go into battle with Whitebeard without feeling some twinge of fear.”

And you are all fools to think any shred of good can come from this. Celestia gazed up at the monolithic gates and watched as a small part formed in them. “These are turbulent times we are entering.”

“We can agree on that.” The ship passed through the gate and subsequently passed through a second one as well. The second gate was invisible to the eye but it gave Celestia a light jolt on her forehead at the base of her horn. It left the rest of the crew with a slight taste of cotton candy and chocolate milk in their mouths. The taste was overpowered by the return of a sensation they hadn’t felt since entering Equestria.

The remnants of the tub current that managed to slip through the Gate of Justice were highly useful in steering the ship while the crew regained used of the fingers and walking on two legs. Cracks and pops were heard all around the ship as sailors flexed regrown fingers and shifted around clothes that had disappeared when they entered Equestria and reappeared upon leaving it.

Momonga merely cracked his neck and bellowed out orders to the crew to resume their positions and make haste for Marineford. When things appeared in order once more, he focused back on Celestia. She alone was the only entity on the ship that still stood on four legs. “If I may ask, your Highness, when you attend your meetings, do the other Warlords simply assume you’re a Zoan user?”

Celestia gave a polite chuckle in reply. “The less anyone sees of my true form, the better. Questions like yours draw too much attention Equestria, so I choose to go as something more convenient.”

Celestia’s horn came to life and a thick golden aura spread from it across her whole body. She reared up and her form shifted and glistened like rays of sunlight. Her hind hooves extended and smoothed out while their golden casings changed to match their new form. Her tail wrapped around her legs, which were turning a pinkish hue and losing their fur, and flattened out, elongated, and bleached itself until it resembled the bottom half of a white sari dress. The fur on her front legs receded up to her shoulders, leaving only slender pink arms behind and turning gold where the fur stopped and the skin began. Her muzzle pushed into her face and turned pink as well until all that was left of it was a small yet elegant nose and a pair of light red lips. Like her muzzle, Celestia’s horn shrunk and ultimately vanished underneath her tiara. Finally, her mane fell back over wings, which stuck to her back and transformed into golden loops that attached to the dress her fur and tail had become.

The glow around Celestia ceased and she took a deep breath. Where a pony once stood there was now a young woman with blazing amethyst eyes. “Besides, a smaller form such as this is much more conductive to battle.”

For a second, Celestia dared glance back at the way she had came. Impel Down and the rest of Equestria were lost in a haze and then sealed off behind the Gate of Justice. The ship moved onward, but Celestia’s mind remained behind the Gate. Straw Hat, make it in time.

The Trap is Set! Magellan Closes In!

View Online

“Gwwwwaahhhhh!” Stone Wall roared. Luffy’s teeth sunk deeper into his left arm, inducing more screaming. He leered down at Luffy and raised his club at the same time. “You want a bite? Then how about a fight!”

The club smacked Luffy in the face, his elastic body useless against the sharp spikes that dotted the weapon. He spiralled away from Stone Wall and into a nearby wall. It heaved under his impact and a few stones fell from it and crashed to the ground.

“Hands off!” Bon Clay yelled. He launched himself into the air and spun himself into a series of rotations. They stopped when one of his hindlegs connected with Stone Wall’s face.

Stone Wall glared down at the Bon’s hoof, which was still digging into his left cheek. He snorted and grabbed Bon’s neck with his left hand and slammed him to the ground. A bit of blood pulsed out of the wound Luffy had dealt to him. Bon let out a series of raspes.

“Jet Buck!” Two hooves struck Stone Wall in the face at blurring speed. He didn’t even have time to grunt before the attack vaulted him off the ground and sent him crashing into another part of Level Three. Luffy’s hindlegs retracted and he canceled out Gear Second. He panted and looked over to Bon. “You okay?”

A series of coughs and gasps came out of Bon’s mouth. They grew less violent and soon stopped. Bon stared straight up at the ceiling and breathed. “I thought I saw a field of queens.”

“Come on,” Luffy complained. “That attack made me hungry. Plus, that guy had really tough skin, so he probably won’t be gone for long.”

“You’re right.” Bon bolted upright. A bit of the shell around his neck was cracked, but he appeared in a relatively good state otherwise. “Let’s get going to Level Four. It’ll be a snap from here.”

Bon trotted forward and Luffy followed. The stone on Luffy’s leg remained yellow and a quiet murmuring could be heard from it. He bent his head down while he continued to walk. “Oi, are you saying something?”

“I... I’m just worried about Stone Wall,” Fluttershy softly replied.

“He tried to kill me and Bon.”

“I... oh...”

The stone’s color darkened and stabilized at a deep orange. “Ah think it’s best the rest of us handle talks from here if there’s gonna be anymore fighting,” said Applejack. “From the sound of thing, ya just delivered one hay of a buck.”

“I guess, but it made me really hungry.”

“Oi, Mugi-chan!” Bon called out. It took Luffy a second to spot him since he’d moved up to the top of a stack of cells and now stood under a large arch. The air that escaped out of it was distorted and thick with smoke. “Here’s the way down!”

Luffy latched a hoof onto the edge Bon was on and rocketed himself up. He repeated the same move to reach the edge of the arch, but the flesh of his leg touched the stone as well and began to smoke. “Ouch!” He quickly retracted his singed leg and blew on it. “Hot!”

“Indeed,” Bon commented. His wings flicked out and he got down on his haunches. “It’s not called the Inferno Hell as a joke.”

“So we’ll fly down?” A smile erupted onto Luffy’s face. “That’s awesome!”

“Well...” Bon glanced back at his wings. “Thing is, I’m not too sure how long I can fly with these. I can get us inside though. Now, hop on.”

“Shoulda captured the cow,” Luffy grumbled. He got onto Bon’s back and they both zipped up to the arch. Bon landed and they both looked down. “Woah!”

Everything below was obscured in smoke. Tongues of green, blue, and other colors of fire sprouted up in various spots amongst the plume, which flew up into a massive fan that composed the ceiling. Their glow glistened against the wall in a hellish manner and their heat spiraled straight up.

Luffy wiped a profuse amount of sweat from his forehead. “It’s too hot!”

“This is nothing.” Bon shuddered in spite of the heat. “It’s even worse at the bottom with a boiling lake and guards that cause those fires.” He leaned over the edge. “Jumping down is risking more than just burns.”

“So, who are you willing to go down there for then?” Luffy asked.

A smile crept across Bon’s face. “A miracle worker.” His wings fluttered out in a dramatic show. “He’s called Iva! The Queen of the Kamabaka Queendom, the Pink Paradise of the Grand Line. Every queen looks up to him as the greatest drag queen of all!” He raised up a hind leg and brought his forelegs back to touch it. “I want to meet him! Rescue him if I can!”

“Now hold on,” said Applejack. “Ya keep saying ‘queen’... wouldn’t a ‘he’ be a...” The stone went from orange to black for a moment. It soon returned to orange, but Applejack’s voice now had a slight stutter to it. “Ah’ve... uh, ya just do what ya want.”

A shriek brought Luffy and Bon’s attentions to the right of them. At the head of a cloud of dust was Trixie in a full gallop. Mr. 3 and Buggy were close behind her and also running at full speed. Towering above them and the dust was Stone Wall. He roared and swung his club back and forth, slashing it through the air and cracking it against the ground. Trixie’s group quickly reached Luffy and Bon and the pair joined up in fleeing from Stone Wall.

“Hey!” Bon yelled in Mr. 3’s general direction. “I thought you were escaping! Why’d you lead that brute back to us?”

“We were escaping!” Mr. 3 shouted back. “The minotaur came flying out of nowhere and cut off our path!”

“Odd,” Luffy calmly commented, “I just kicked it.”

“This is your fault!” Buggy snorted. “I’ll kill you later, Straw Hat, but I’ll take this bastard out first! You remember my Buggy Ball, right?”

“No,” Luffy replied.

“It’s my trademark weapon,” Buggy mumbled. His vision then sharpened and he glared back at Stone Wall. “I made a version small enough to conceal though! I call it the Muggy Ball!’

“Enough!” Trixie screeched. “Now is not the time for showing off! Just use it!”

Buggy came to a halt and spun around. Stone Wall continued charging at him and the rest of the group, but he bent down to his front hoof and pulled out a small sphere from the frog of it. He chucked it into the air and sent it flying with a buck. It struck Stone Wall on the tip of his nose.

A wave of flame and force erupted out of the ball. The explosion knocked everypony to their knees and shook the floor around them. When the smoke cleared, Stone Wall was barely standing and burned from horn to hoof. He stumbled forward with his club trailing against the ground.

“He’s still conscious?” Buggy exclaimed.

“We’ll handle this! Right, Mugi-chan?” Bon launched into the air and zoomed at Stone Wall.

Instead of following Bon’s lead, Luffy turned to Mr. 3. “That guy’s really tough, think you make one of those candle things?”

“It’ll only last seconds in this heat!” Mr. 3 replied.

“Long enough for me!” Luffy called back.

Meanwhile, Bon zipped up high over Stone Wall and raised up a hindleg. “Time for some payback! Okama Kenpo! Winter Wonderland Jete!”

Bon’s leg cracked Stone Wall right in between his horns. The force of the hit made him drop his club and shook his balance. He was still upright though. Luffy rushed him as fast as he could with one of his forelegs encased in wax. “Gum-Gum Horseshoe!”

The attack decked Stone Wall square in the jaw. He stumbled backwards and wavered on the edge of the walkway. A blue aura materialized in the air and slammed down into the stone in front of him. There was the sharp crack of rock splitting and then the floor beneath him crumbled downward. Too beaten up to yell, he gurgled instead and disappeared into the smoke.

“Trixie did it!” Trixie happily proclaimed. She jumped up in down in victory. Another cracking noise was heard and she stopped. Fissures spread all around her and everypony else. “Oh... Trixie may have overdone it.”

“You...” Buggy started to curse. He took a step forward, but that was all it took to dislodge the rest of the floor. “You stupid horse!”

Buggy’s voice mixed in with everypony else’s in a jumble of screams. The smoke consumed them and they vanished deeper into the inferno.

~~~

“Go on! Back to the cells!” A guard hissed, sending coils of steam out from between his teeth. He lashed his tail at the prisoners in front of them. It raked across a few of their backs and left deep cuts.

One of the prisoners slammed his hooves into the ground. Before the guard could react, he bolted off. His chains clinked as he galloped and flailed at anything in his path. “I can’t take it! I’ll fry! Move!”

He raised up his hooves and brought the chains down onto the shaven head of a pony in front of him. The shaved pony spun around and headbutted the escapee right over the edge. The escapee roared in rage; there was a splash and the roar turned into a bloodcurdling scream.

The guard raced over to the shaved pony and whipped him with his tail. “No fighting!”

The shaved pony licked up some of the blood that had dribbled down from where the escapee had struck him. He silently turned around and made his way back to his cell. Blood also poured down his side where the guard had hit him, obscuring the archaic “one” character on his flank.

~~~

“Idiot!” Buggy jabbed an accusing hoof at Trixie. “You could have killed us all!”

“Trixie did not though!” she yelled back.

Trails of wax fell over both Buggy and Trixie’s muzzles. Mr. 3 picked himself up from the rubble and glared at both of them. “I should have done this from the beginning. The last thing we need is more yelling. Our little fall won’t go unnoticed by the guards, so either shut up, or I’ll shove wax down your throats and make this a solo escape!”

Buggy and Trixie nervously looked at each other and quickly bowed their heads to Mr. 3. He smiled and canceled out his power. The wax around their muzzles sloshed onto to the floor and they spat out what was left of it in their mouth.

The rubble behind the group shifted and Luffy popped out of it along with Bon. He clambered down the broken stones and raced off. “I smell something good!”

Bon buzzed after him. “Wait, Mugi-chan!”

Idiots, thought Trixie, and Mr. 3 at the same time.

“Hmm, something to eat doesn’t sound too bad,” said Buggy.

“No...” Mr. 3 glanced upwards. “We’ll eat later. For now, Buggy, can you get us out of obvious sight?”

~~~

“There he is!” a dragon guard extended his a claw out at a figure racing at him. “Capture Straw Hat Luffy!”

The other guards roared and a few shot out jets of flame. Luffy dodged the fire and sent back his forelegs. “Gah, I just want some food!”

His hooves shot and smashed the guards in various places. A few lucky shots hit guards in the face and sent them spiraling to the ground, but many more struck the guards’ bodies or arms and they merely grunted. Luffy barreled forward, tucked his limbs into his torso, and sent them flying out. “Gum Gum Fireworks!”

~~~

Buggy’s body reconnected with his hooves and Trixie slid off his back. He sighed and took a chance to look down at the boiling lake. A few walkways were visible from the spot as well. The rest was a mess of fire and smoke. He swung his head back around to Mr. 3. “C’mon! We just got through Level Three! I’m starving.”

A gurgle came from Trixie’s stomach and she blushed a little. “Trixie wouldn’t mind some refreshments either.”

“Look and listen! It’s too quiet for Level Four. Look.” Mr. 3 swept a hoof across all that they could see amidst the smoke. Columns of guards marched along the walkways, blocking them off. Nothing else moved down below. “No prisoners out and guards in organized movements. It’s unnatural. We need to stay in the shadows and check the exits. This is probably a trap.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Trixie objected. “We were going up! Why set a trap further down?”

“She has a point,” Buggy grunted.

“Limited information on our movement and placing priority on stopping Straw Hat is probably what’s going on through their minds.” Mr. 3 paused and lowered his head. A grim look crossed his face. “That means they want to end any disturbances here. If the minotaur was anything to go by, we should expect the other jailer beast to be on the loose too.”

“Worse...” he continued, his voice gaining a quiver to it, “Warden Magellan’s office is on this Level.”

“Pah,” Trixie chortled. “He’s probably just some fat bureaucrat wh—”

Mr. 3 rushed and Trixie and slammed her against the wall. She squirmed and kicked her hooves, but he kept his hold. He leaned forward and stared at her point blank. “One more word of stupidity like that and I’ll throw you in the boiling lake myself. If the Warden is moving, none of us are safe.”

~~~

Luffy finished off the last guard and raced forward once more. Something dropped down in front of him and splashed against the floor. Vapors arose from the spot where the droplet landed and the stone below dissolved into nothing. “Huh? Is that lava?

“Mugi-chan!” Bon yelled at the top of his lungs. “Run!”

“Why?” Luffy was answered with the area around him darkening. He looked up and jumped out of the way as a black shape crashed into the ground. Bat wings shot out from the shape. It raised up its horned head and leered down at Luffy with blood red eyes. “What the hell is that?”

“Scum!” Magellan bellowed.

Poison

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“Get away!” A guard yelled as he sped away from Luffy and Magellan. “The Warden is gonna fight!”

A wave of panic washed over guards and similar calls for retreat sounded throughout their ranks. Scales rubbed against one another, tails slashed through the air, and claws raked at anything in around them to allow the guards as much distance as possible from the battle. A few unfortunate ones were pushed over the edge in the stampede. Only Luffy, Bon, and Magellan remained.

“Aw, I was getting closer to the good smell,” Luffy weezed.

“Mugi-chan! We need to run!” Bon screamed at the top of his lungs. His wings went out and nervously twitched at his sides. “That’s Magellan! His venom-venom powers are unstoppable!”

“This break-in of yours...” Magellan grunted and took a step forward, causing the ground to slightly tremble. “... is sullying my reputation. You will not reach Portgaz D. Ace, but you will tell me how you got in here.”

“No way!” Luffy huffed.

“Luffy...” Twilight’s voice whispered through the stone. “This guy sounds really dangerous and with the way you’re breathing, it’s not a good idea to fight.”

“Don’t think you can escape,” Magellan bellowed. “I’ve posted the remaining jailer beasts at the Level Five stairway and guards at all the other exits. You have nowhere to run!”

Globs of poison dripped off of Magellan. They sizzled against the floor and left tiny holes in the stone. Poison continued to fall off of Magellan, but it also coated his body at the same time. It spread over his wings and enlarged them with venomous enhancements. His tail flicked up and a sheath of poison extended from it and solidified with a sharp tip at the end of it. “Manticore!”

Magellan’s improvised scorpion tail shot out at blurring speeds. Luffy barely dodged it, but part of his vest was engulfed by the attack and disintegrated instantly. The tail blazed past him and struck a few of the straggling guards. They gave a scream and then collapsed to the ground, coated in poison.

“I missed,” Magellan growled. His poison bubbled and split into three pieces. Their tips morphed and grew sinister fangs and sharp eyes. “Hydra!”

The heads zoned in on Luffy and gave chase. He glanced back and saw them looming over him. His eyes went to the boiling lake at his sides and an idea came to his head. He extended out his forelegs and grasped a large steel girder that hung above the lake. He swung under it and clenched his teeth as the flames licked at his flank.

The hydra’s heads followed. One of them got too close to the lake and silently melted into it. Luffy looped around the girder and landed on top of it. He blew on his reddened hooves and smiled when they cooled down. “Ha! I got a hea—”

An explosion from below silenced Luffy. It rocked the girder and would have sent Luffy into the lake blew had he not jumped up and onto a nearby ledge. Vapor spilled out of the blast zone and spread throughout the floor.

“Chloroball,” Magellan muttered.

“Atchoo!” Luffy sneezed. Mucus gushed from his nose and tears freely spilled from his eyes. “What is this?”

“He’s weaponized an allergen,” Twilight gasped, half in scientific amazement and half in terror. “Luffy! You need to get out of there now!”

Below, one the hydra heads lengthened itself up to Luffy’s position. It couldn’t strike him, but that was no longer its purpose. Magellan bent his legs and then shot up through his creation. “Venom Road!”

He popped up in front of Luffy, fully coated with his manticore attack. His scorpion tail lashed out and melted straight through the floor at Luffy’s hooves. Before Luffy could recover, Magellan lunged forward and jabbed at him with one of his horns. Luffy ducked to the left and the horn gouged a hole in the wall that quickly distorted and liquified due to the poison.

Luffy glared at Magellan and sent up kick up to the horn in the wall. There was a sharp crack and the horn splintered into pieces, revealing a tassel of hair underneath. “It’s fake?”

“Die!” Magellan slammed a hoof down to the ground. Poison bubbled up and it cracked and fizzled. There was a shudder and then it fell down into the lake along with Luffy.

Bon peaked his head out from behind a nearby pillar. He watched Luffy fall and kick away from the boiling lake only to skid across the burning ground. Magellan followed in pursuit and Bon couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He spread out his wings and buzzed off to another part of Level Four. His trail of tears evaporated instantly against the hot stone ground. Mugi-chan! I’m sorry!

Magellan slammed into the ground and looked down with a cold stare. Luffy writhed on the floor, coughing and sneezing. Parts of his coat were singed and the flesh beneath was red and blistered in a few areas. “Give up.”

Luffy clenched his teeth and struggled to his hooves. “I’m gonna rescue Ace!”

“Ya stubborn idiot! Run!” Applejack’s voice rang from the stone.

“I’m not gonna let them execute Ace!” Luffy ignored the stone and pressed his hooves into the ground. Steam funneled off of his body and mixed with Level Four’s smoke. He glared up at Magellan and sent his forelegs back and then forward at dizzying speeds. “Jet Bazooka!”

The air escaped out of Magellan as Luffy’s hooves pressed into his torso. He grunted from the attack and fell to his knees. Luffy’s hooves retracted back, dripping with poison and giving off a sizzling noise.

“Ahhh!” Luffy cried out in pain.

“No one... has ever been foolish enough to directly hit me. Two hooves filled with poison is enough to kill you... eventually,” Magellan huffed. The poison that cloaked his body shifted color and took on an azure tint. “You have my condolences.”

Luffy ignored Magellan’s words and sent his hooves forward once more. “Twin Jet Pistol!”

Luffy’s hooves smashed into Magellan and he gave another grunt, but the hooves didn’t retract. They went limp as did Luffy’s extended legs and fell to the ground in stringy heaps. “W-what?” Luffy weezed.

“Poison Joke,” Twilight and Magellan said at the same time.

“Inconvenient at best, but devastating in a fight,” Magellan continued. He advanced over to Luffy with slow steps. Luffy tried to lift up and retract his legs, but they only flailed against the ground like uncontrollable fire hoses. “The results are unpredictable, but for you, it seems to have neutralized your devil fruit pow—”

One of Luffy’s hind legs shot out and skimmed past Magellan’s face and into a wall. It destroyed a few stones from a pillar, but then flopped the ground, as useless as his forelegs. The new imbalance made Luffy wobble, which quickly turned into a fall. He hit the ground hard and sucked in his breath as the floor burned more of his side.

“Your vision is fading, three of your limbs are useless, and your nervous system is shutting down from the poison. It’s painful to watch such strong determination stuck in a useless body,” Magellan lamented. Luffy’s only workable leg lifted off the ground and flailed through the air unstretched but unable to hit or even get near Magellan. The poison around Magellan went back to purple and bubbled upwards to produce a single hydra head. “Time administer your punishment.”

“No!” Luna and everypony else cried out before everything went purple and then black.

Back in Canterlot, all the ponies assembled looked at the scrying stone but saw and heard nothing. Twilight jerked her head over to Luna. “What happened?”

“The stone...” Luna muttered, “... can only work as long as both its users are conscious.”

“We gotta do something then!” Applejack said in a harsh tone.

Luna stared at Applejack and took a deep breath. “There is nothing we can do. Any intrusion into Tartarus by us would jeopardize Equestria’s peace.”

“We can’t ju—” A pink hoof went over Applejack’s muzzle and silenced her.

“Princess Luna’s right,” Pinkie said in an uncharacteristically calm tone. She turned her attention to Luna and smiled. “Luffy’s super strong though. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

Luna turned her head down and thought for a moment. “I pray you’re correct.”

~~~

Luffy’s limbs were sprawled out all across the Level Four’s floor. They curled in some spots like misshapen rope bundles. His main body was also on the ground, silent save for the occasional moan that escaped from it. It was almost indistinguishable under a mass of poison. His face could still be made out though and the horrific way it was contorted in pain with a gaping mouth and listless white eyes.

“Too many poisons for an antidote,” Magellan sighed. “Twenty-four hours of suffering and then you’ll go to Hell.” He glanced away from Luffy and noticed some guards peering from behind columns and a few brave ones inching over to him. “Throw him in Level Five!”

“Ace...” Luffy sickeningly choked.

A Changeling Stands Tall! The Fire of Friendship in a Pit of Ice!

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“Idiots,” Hannyabal sighed.

“Too… tough,” Buggy groaned. Cuts and welts covered his body while an especially large bump adorned his head. Blood trickled down his mouth and onto Mr. 3, who lay below him, equally wounded.

Darn, I wanted to blame their escape on the Warden, thought Hannyabal. He turned away from Buggy and Mr. 3 and over to the guards that monitored the Level Three stairway. “Still no sign of the other escapee?”

“No, Vice-Warden,” one of the guards replied. “The Warden’s fight is making it difficult to navigate the Level.”

“Oh, boys,” a sultry voice called out. Hannyabal and the guards spun in its direction. Trixie stood at the entrance to gap between two stone blocks. Her flank was out to them and she flicked her tail back and forth to highlight it. “Over here!”

“Capture her!” Hannyabal ordered with a slightly reddened face. Trixie sped back into the gap. Hannyabal raised a hoof to get the guards moving. “Half of you come with me, the other half, remain here and guard the stairs! I’ll at least get credit for apprehending the escapees!”

Hannyabal rushed forward with his token group and disappeared into the gap.

~~~

Blades of wind slashed through the air, carrying a flurry of snow with them. They spun around and around, creating a world of white. Ceiling, floor, and walls all melted away into it save for a few patches of frozen stone that poked out amongst the snowdrifts. Icicles spanned across the ceiling with the remains of ones that had gotten too big and heavy buried in the blizzard.

Amidst the wasteland were outcroppings of gray. Like everything else there, the cold was slowly encroaching on them. Ice crept up and down their iron bars, snow constantly blew inside, and icicles gradually formed above the prisoners’ heads.

The prisoners were not free from the cold either. Ice caked their hooves, frost grew over their coats and beards if they had them, and stretching their bodies or wings sent a deluge of diamond dust to the ground. That is, if they did move. Most of them were slumped in the corners of their cells, huddled together if they were lucky to have multiple residents. One of them crunched down on a piece of bread, only for it to give a sharp crack and break apart like a fragile crystal. He gave a sigh and continued to force down the meal.

Something dropped into the light carpet of snow in one of the cells. A nearby prisoner looked down and extracted a small, jagged, black pebble from the ground. “Hmm.”

A wheezy cackle came from behind the prisoner. The one that had found the black pebble spun around. “What’s so funny about a black rock?”

“Ain’t a rock,” the cackling prisoner replied. He gestured over to the other prisoner’s ear where there was a small empty space where there should have been flesh. The area around the hole was black and inflexible. “It’s frostbite…” The other prisoner franticly raised his forelegs and rubbed it against his afflicted ear, but that only caused a few more pieces of it to fall off. The cackling prisoner sighed, “Stop panicking, at least you’re doing better than the guy next door… shame, I’da thought he’d last longer.”

A piercing sound whipped through the air. It came upon the frigid gusts that were constantly blowing and amplified them. The prisoners, whether young or old, battle-hardened or soft, all heard it and collectively shivered. More than the wind, snow, or cold itself, the sound cut deeper and harsher. No prisoner was safe from it, no matter how insulated they tried to make themselves.

~~~

“What is this?” Magellan roared. Guards were scattered all around with injuries ranging from purple bruises across their sides to sharp cuts on their heads. Hannyabal was collapsed in the middle of the display, showing off similar wounds. Magellan stormed over and lifted Hannyabal up with a hoof. “Wake up! What happened?”

Hannyabal gave a sharp fit of coughing. His eyes rolled open and swam around Level Four before they locked on Magellan. He flailed his hooves against Magellan and screamed. “Ahhhh! Please, Warden! Let me go!”

Magellan grumbled and released his hold on Hannyabal. Hannyabal quickly scurried off the ground and lowered his head. “S-sorry! We were ambushed by one of the escapees.”

“Stupid bug,” Mr. 3 muttered.

“Going off without us,” Buggy grunted.

A quick glance from Magellan shut them both up. He then turned his attention back to Hannyabal. “So, he probably went up. In that case, we’ll send most of the guards back Level Three and corner him. Surveillance says Saldeath has the Level Two riot contained. This stint of chaos is over.”

“Understood.” Hannyabal waved a hoof to his right. Amongst the guards laid Trixie, unmoving save for her barrel moving up and down. Her legs were trussed and a metallic ring rested around the tip of her horn. “We at least managed to appended this escapee. That just leaves Straw Hat and the one that got past us.”

“No,” Magellan answered. “Just the one you let escape. Straw Hat is finished. If he’s lucky, Level Five’s cold will do him in before the poison.”

“D-didn’t we want to interrogate him?”

“We lost that option the moment he laid his hooves on me. Pain from that amount of poison would have rendered anything he said pointless shouting. He just pushed it further; now he’s got a day at best before all that poison kills him.” Magellan trotted past Hannyabal and headed deeper into Level Four. “I’m going back to my office now. I expect Impel Down to be fully restored to order the next time I come out.”

“Yes, Warden!” Hannyabal replied.

Magellan snorted and disappeared amongst the smoke and fire. Hannyabal turned back to the guards; some of them were slowly getting back to their hooves or claws. “Alright, you heard him! Get to Level Three and find the escapee!” His eyes went over to the other fugitives. “Take these three to an interrogation room as well. I’ll handle them.”

Buggy, Trixie, and Mr. 3 were roughly thrown against the ground with a series of grunts. Hannyabal slammed the door after the guards left and locked it. He spun around and looked down at them.

“Thanks,” Buggy sighed.

Mr. 3 whole body shook. “I was sure Magellan would find out.”

Trixie lifted her head off the ground and smiled at Hannyabal. “Trixie thought it was excellent acting on both our parts… Trixie wishes you hadn’t objectified her body like that though.”

“Now what?” asked Mr. 3.

“You heard Magellan.” A green spark fizzled out of Hannyabal’s head. More sparks continued to fall until they formed an emerald blaze that consumed him. The flames quickly abated to reveal Bon with Hannyabal’s hat perched just above his horn. “We have to rescue Mugi-chan!”

“I think we should ask if you heard Magellan,” said Buggy. “Straw Hat’s done! Lets at least use the chaos he caused to get out of here.”

“He has a point, Mr. 2,” Mr. 3 said with a nod. “Even if you did rescue him from Level Five, he’d still succumb to the poison.”

“I don’t care.” Bon clenched his teeth and shook his head. “I abandoned Mugi-chan when I knew we couldn’t win. That’s why I swear I’ll save him now!”

“Why throw away your life on a dead man?” asked Mr. 3.

“Because he’s my friend!” Bon yelled with a ferocity that made Trixie shrink away from him. “That’s all the reason I need!”

“But it would take a miracle to save him now!” Mr. 3 argued.

Bon’s compound eyes widened and he slumped against a wall. A shaky smile emerged on his face. “That’s right, a miracle. We have a miracle worker right here, Queen Iva!”

~~~

A glacial wind spiraled up the winding staircase and caused Trixie to shiver. Condensed streams of breath emanated from Buggy’s mouth and goose bumps ran up Mr. 3’s legs when his cold iron cuffs clinked against them. Bon, once more in his Hannyabal disguise, climbed down the stairs with the rest of the group following behind him, but his eyes were glued on the clipboard clasped in one of his hooves. They scanned the same spot over and over.

“Is something wrong, Vice-Warden?” one of the guards that had accompanied them down to Level Five asked.

Bon beckoned the guard over and showed him the clipboard. Various names and numbers were typed onto multiple sheets of paper, but here and there, a few had a black line running straight through them. Bon’s hoof was right beside the crossed out name that read: Emporio Invankov. “Did we release this prisoner?”

“No, sir, we…” The guard paused and leaned closer to Bon. “You recall the incident, right?”

“The incident…” Bon widened his eyes and stomped one of his hooves against the stairs. “Oh, yes. That one! Um… what happened again?”

The guard’s eyes shifted away from Bon and over to Buggy, Trixie, and Mr. 3. “In front of them?”

“Yes,” Bon bluntly replied.

The guard sighed and explained, “Every now and then, a prisoner vanishes. We ensure they can’t use magic, fly, or even move in some cases, yet they just… disappear.”

“That… that’s a good t-trick,” Trixie chattered.

“Quiet!” one of the other guards ordered.

The group remained silent until they came to a stop at a pair of doors at the base of the stairs. Parts of it were frosted over and wisps air blew through its gaps, cutting through everypony’s coats and making them shiver. The guards remained as composed as possible, but even their hair stood up.

“We’re here,” said one of the guards. He looked up at Bon with a tight mouth. “Beware of the timberwolves and…” A harsh blast of wind slammed against the door, producing a sharp unearthly cry. Everypony shuddered at the noise and Trixie hid herself behind Bon. “…The cold, sir.”

With that, the guards went to the sides of the door and pulled against it. A torrent of cold washed over the stairwell, sending a flurry of snow into it. Bon rushed forward while the guards prodded Trixie, Buggy, and Mr. 3 into Level Five.

“Be careful!” All the guards said in unison and then used all the strength to shut the doors as quickly as possible.

Bon’s group stood with snow up to their knees and shivered. Everything was white and blurry around them, until a shape emerged out of it. The group first made out its thorn-like claws that led up to its branch of a leg. A thick trunk made up its torso, while sharp branches traced a spinal curve across its back that ended in a tail of pine needles. Like its claws, the creature’s fangs were thorny and just as sharp. In a sea of white, its eyebrows made of green leaves stood out, as did its equally green eyes that glowed with a sinister light.

“T-timberwolves,” Trixie quivered as more wolves appeared and paced closer to her and the rest of the group.

Buggy grinned at the wolves. “Heh, we solved our cold issue, a bunch of firewood just showed up.”

“T-that won’t w-work,” said Trixie, “they p-put any fire o-out instantly and t-this storm won’t let a f-flame catch.”

“Then get ready to fight!” Bon stomped a hoof into the snow and glared at the wolves. They didn’t seem to notice and continued their advancement. He glanced to his side and noticed nopony there, only six pairs of cuffs and one magical restraint ring. Three lines of track led to three silhouettes that were barely visible in the midst of the storm. “I said ‘fight’ not ‘run!’”

“Screw that!” Buggy yelled back.

“Trixie had enough Timberwolves before getting thrown in here!”

“You’re on your own!” Mr. 3 added.

Meanwhile, the wolves got closer to Bon and growled.

~~~

A pony’s scream mixed in with the wind’s wails. It was punctuated by fits of coughing and pained wheezing. In a cell the screams came from, a collection of prisoners stared down at Luffy. Globs of poison dripped off his body and melted the snow around him while fumes rose off him and kept the other prisoners as far away as they could from him.

“How come we have to watch the new guy die?” one of them complained.

Luffy shifted to his side, producing more screams. With his limbs still elongated tangles, he propped himself up on his knees. The cell’s bars loomed in front of him and caged him off from the rest of Level Five. He grunted and slammed his head into them. They clanged and a small bit of ice dislodged from the impact area, but nothing else changed. He got up again and banged his head into the bars multiple times. After the fifth time, blood started to trickle down the side of his head.

“Stop that,” a prisoner near the center of the cell bellowed. “You're a goner anyway, so die quietly and stop bothering us.”

“I’m… I’m not gonna die!” Luffy shouted. He braced himself to ram the bars again, but his knee slipped and he crashed into the ground. Lying defeated and dying, Luffy defiantly glared at out through the bars. “Not until I’ve rescued Ace!”

The piercing noise rang throughout the Level. Everypony’s ears, except for Luffy’s, perked up and the prisoners huddled a little closer to each other. The center prisoner scowled. “Shut it, before the cold comes! I don’t care who you want to rescue! Here, you only look out for yourself!”

“There’s no help coming!” the prisoner ranted, ignorant of the ice that was rapidly creeping up his legs. All around him, the other prisoners shivered and tried to brush of the ice, but it just continued to spread. “Worrying about others will only get you killed! So stop raving about rescuing someone! It makes me si—”

The end of the prisoner’s tangent was silenced by his head being encased in ice. Frozen, he still wore a scowl and his eyes were filled with an anger that harshly clashed with his predicament. The other prisoners were reaching similar states. The piercing sound was closer now, breathing down the prisoners’ necks. The air around them coalesced into ethereal equine forms. Snow glinted in certain spots to give off the illusion of eyes. The forms raised their heads and made the sound again: a ghostly whinny that shot straight into the prisoners bones and made the ice consume them even faster. The ground near Luffy froze over and the equine monstrosities galloped over him in a macabre circle.

“Mugi-chan!” Outside the cell stood Bon with a ring of keys dangling from his horn. Puncture wounds ran across his carapace and green ichor dripped out of a few of them. His breathing was labored, but he managed to limp over to the cell. “I’ve come to save you!” he huffed. “In the name of friendship!”

The Wendigos' heads bolted upright at Bon’s call and they gave another whinny. It wasn’t the one they sounded as they moved in on a target, but instead a screech. Their forms wavered and spasmed before they flashed past Bon and disappeared into the storm, leaving only the regular cold and their frozen victims behind.

“W-who are y-you?” One of the few prisoners that hadn’t been fully encased asked.

“A friend!” Bon replied. Some of the ice around the prisoner trickled down the ground, allowing him to free his forelegs at least.

~~~

Bon’s legs shook with each step, not from the cold, but from exhaustion. Initially, he’d carried Luffy on his back, but the poison scorched him and the fumes made him too dizzy to walk even more than a few steps before having to stop. Amidst the snow, his leg had caught on something. He wiped the snow away to reveal a long abandoned sled. It was splintery and rusted, but it offered more efficient transportation. He clenched its rope in his teeth and trudged on with Luffy semi-conscious in tow.

Every cell Bon passed, he poked his head in and asked about Iva. Grunts and sneers answered him most of the time. At best, he’d get a flat “no” or “that sounds familiar.” Occasionally, his inquiry would reveal a cell filled with only ice and pony-like ice sculptures, a haunting whinny seemed to echo from those cells and made Bon quickly retreat from them. As his fangs began to freeze to the rope, he reached a cell where the prisoner told him of a strange pony that sometimes appeared from a nearby collection of trees.

As Bon approached the trees, the sound of wood cracking filled the air. Timberwolves emerged from out of the blizzard. Many of them howled at Bon, but after the whinny had stalked him throughout the Level, their noise failed to even make him flinch. He crouched down and readied to fight.

The wolves pounced on him in a wave. His hooves shot out and whipped around, reducing many of the wolves to kindling. The broken pieces of wood would soon rise from the ground and reassemble into new wolves though. They growled and joined the ongoing attack on Bon.

Bon’s breath quickly turned to gasps. His movements slowed and more and more wolves sunk their fangs into his black chitin. One wolf leapt into the air and brought its jaws down on Bon’s head with a sickening crunch.

It then gave a sharp yelp as it felt something chomp into its back. It swerved its head around to see a tan pony sinking its teeth into its wooden coat. The area around the bite smoked, distorted and started to collapse in on itself. The wolf gave another sharp yelped and scurried away.

“What… do you think you’re doing to Bon?” Luffy rasped. He was barely able to stand up on his knees. Even then, his form wobbled and looked like it could topple at any second. His shaky voice and unbalanced body brought out the ferocity in his eyes all the more. They burned with such intensity that all the wolves’ ears perked up and they looked to him in silence. “Beat it!”

A sharp blast of pressure went through the area, swaying the nearby trees. All the wolves stood still for a moment and only the sound of the wind could be heard. Then, their legs fell to pieces and the rest of their bodies followed. In a short order, Bon and Luffy found themselves surrounded by a large amount of inanimate wood.

“Mugi-chan… what was…” Bon stuttered. He tried to crawl over to Luffy but he only managed to scrape his hoof against the snow before the rest of his body collapsed into it. Luffy didn’t even say anything and passed out.

In the middle of Level Five’s bleak environment, a splotch of bright orange materialized. Without the snow and wind to obscure it, a pony would have been revealed. Rather, half a pony since only half of it was orange while the other half was pure white and blended in perfectly. Thick glasses that matched its alternating color scheme adorned its face and obscured its eyes. Whatever expression it held was hidden behind the shades as it loomed over Luffy and Bon’s unconscious bodies.

Level Five Point Five? A Hive of Love?!

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“Hey, I think I saw him twitch.”

“Do we still have nerves to twitch?”

“Eh, maybe he’s different. He does have a horn.”

“Well, there were those other guys on Level Three. Maybe he just escaped.”

“Na, those guys don’t do anything unless someone tells them.”

Bon’s eyes opened to a dim light. The unfamiliar softness of a mattress pressed against his back while a pillow kept his head at an angle. Closer to his chitin, gauze and bandages covered the wounds he’d gained before passing out. As his eyes adjusted, they locked onto the source of the light: a small crack between a door and its frame. Vibrant, boisterous sound slipped through the gap too.

Bon’s gradual return to consciousness also allowed him to make out the four azure eyes that stared at him in the dark. One pair of eyes flew over to him and something clasped his shoulder. “Good, you’re up.”

“Eh?” Bon bolted up and rushed out the door.

“Hey! Wait!”

Bon’s eyes were flooded with bright artificial light and his ears were filled with the festive music that had previously been dulled by the door. Disco balls shimmered and multihued bulbs flashed through the room with a pink shade dominating all the other colors. Tables covered the rocky floor, yet only small plates rested atop them. Glasses of every shape and size hung on racks over a well-stocked bar that was lined with seats. Between the glasses were arrays of weapons ranging from minuscule knives to massive muskets. A sound stage loomed over everything else and blazed fast-paced songs.

The occupants of this space danced to the tunes, shared drinks, and raised their hole-filled legs in toasts. Some of their translucent wings fluttered to the rhythm while others just rested at their owners’ sides. Everywhere Bon looked, he saw changelings enjoying the jovial atmosphere and conversing with each other, although many had their eyes on the stage. Not a single one of them had a horn though.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Oi,” said a changeling that emerged from the same room Bon had rushed out of. “You should probably take a seat.”

“No way!” Bon shouted back. “Where’s Mugi-chan? Where is this place? Why is there good music? And drinks? Oh hell, I died, didn’t I? Forgive me, Mugi-chan!”

“Quite a talker for a half-dead man.” Bon spun around and was met with a pony that appeared bisected into white and orange. The divide started at her clover-like mane and went all the way to the tip of her tail. Even her cutie mark, a pair of scissors, was half white and half orange so that only part of it could be seen on either of her flanks. “I suppose ten hours of sleep here helped though.”

“Ten hours? But I just passed out! And who are you anyway?” Bon yelled.

“Oh, I’m Inazuma,” the mare pouted. “You could be a little nicer, you know. You’re lucky I found you and that friend of yours in the snow and took you here.”

“Mugi-chan?” Bon galloped closer to Inazuma. “Where is he?”

“Calm down.” Inazuma raised up a hoof and gestured over to the stage. It had gone dark and the curtain had closed. The music had stopped as well and a hush had fallen over the room. “He’ll explain.”

“Did you sleep well, changeling-boy?” a voice reverberated through a mike. A single spotlight was thrown onto the stage and illuminated a long porous leg that draped itself against the curtain. A fishnet stocking ran up it and snagged in a few places where the holes created sharp points. A low drumbeat began to play and slowly gain speed. “Or should I say Mr. 2?”

“You know me?” Bon asked with a wide mouth.

“Oh, I know everyone that comes here,” the leg’s owner replied in a sultry tone. Another stocking covered leg went out to the stage followed by another and another. The owner’s shape came into view. Its slender legs clashed with its black blocky body that swayed back and forth the beat. Pink glimmering wings rested at its sides. “It’s not easy…” A fanfare of trumpets played. “To get here.” The trumpets blared again. “The prisoners’ paradise.”

Changelings all across the room leaned over their tables in anticipation. The creature on the stage still had its head turned so only its puffy mane with a tiny crown atop it could be made out. The music was getting faster and faster and more rambunctious.

“Prisoners disappear, shadows pass through the cells, and the guards are a complete mess,” the creature continued, singing the words so that they matched along to the beat. “Actually, all the prisoners go here! Dead? Ha! No! Welcome!”

The music stopped and the creature slammed a hoof into the stage. Stage lights went to full power and showered the creature. It spun around as the music returned and swelled with trumpets, drums, percussion, wind, and all other sorts of instruments. Its muzzle was sharp and its eyes covered in a heavy amount of mascara. Its lipstick was so thick that it almost looked like a mustache. A small crooked horn rested above its massive eyelashes and glistened with sparkle powder. “To Level Five Point Five! The Hive of Love in Impel Down’s sea of misery! This is New Kama Land! Hee-haw!”

“N-no way,” Bon stuttered with a mix of a gapping mouth and a grin. “Y-you’re Ivankov!”

Before Iva could answer, a door on the far side of the room flew open. On the other side stood a large grizzled pegasus with a ugly scar instead of a wing on his left side. Mounted on his back was a shotgun-like weapon that was fully cocked. “Emporio Ivankov! You’ll pay for what you did to my father! You made him a crossdresser and ruined my family’s reputation! Now I’m gonna blow up this whole ‘paradise’ of yours!”

“Eh?” Iva screeched and flailed his front hooves around in a panic. “That’s a big gun! It’s dangerous! Don’t shoot it! I’ll die!” He then went onto one knee and tilted his head up. “I won’t die!”

“You got us!” the changeling audience roared in amusement.

The pegasus gritted his teeth and used his workable wing to squeeze the trigger. A cannonball-sized bullet exploded out of the gun and rushed at Iva.

“Oh?” Iva turned to the attack and batted an eye at it. A blast of pressure escaped from his face and smacked into the bullet, sending it back at its owner. “Hell Wink!”

The bullet zoomed backwards and blew up in the pegasus’s face. He fell and slammed into the ground amidst a cloud of smoke and ash. Coughing and scrambling around, disoriented by the explosion, he didn’t see Iva jump forward and leer at him.

Iva ducked her head and sent his horn straight into the pegasus’s side. A few members of the audience gasped at the display, but most watched in interest. “Emporio Estrogen,” Iva said with a malicious grin.

Iva’s horn went out the pegasus’s side as clean as it had gone it. The pegasus stumbled backwards, clenching his side. His form softened and his musculature melted away. His scar changed from harsh and striking to small and faded. His mane and tail, which had both been short and spikey, elongated and gained a bubbly sheen.

“N-no,” he moaned as his voice went up a few pitches. He squirmed on the ground and his body continued to shrink and soften. Finally, his muzzle went from sharp and square to gentle and curvy. The former stallion looked over her new form now that the changes had stopped and turned bright red. She sped out the same door she’d entered from screaming, “This is embarrassing!”

Bon gaped at the spectacle before he faced Iva. “You really are a miracle worker!”

“Ha!” Iva snorted. “Gender? A joke! Human? Pony? Changeling? It doesn’t matter here!” His wings shot out and he fluttered into the air. He raised his forelegs to the audience. “Not in our paradise!”

A wave of cheers went up in response to Iva. Bon surged to the front of the ground and banged his head to the ground. “Emporio Ivankov! I’m really happy to meet you, but right now I have a friend who needs your help!”

Iva flatly held up a hoof and the room went silent. He went to the ground and tucked his wings at his sides. “If you’re talking about the boy with the straw hat, I already know the situation.” He playfully slapped Bon’s back and ushered him to a different part of Level Five Point Five. “Come with me.”

“But how do you know?” Bon asked.

“For one, that boy begged for us to save you… not often you see a dying person so worried about someone else and second…” Iva reached up and shoved a hoof into his mane. When he extruded his hoof, Luna’s stone hung from it. “The nice ladies on the other end of this were very helpful after we cleaned it up.”

“Oh!” Bon’s eyes lit up and he craned his neck over to the stone. “This is Mugi-chan’s!”

“Hello?” Rarity’s voice called from the stone. “Is that Mr. Bon?”

“Ms. Rarity, nice to see… hear you again.” Bon peered closer at the stone and lowered his head. “Forgive me for not helping Mugi-chan.”

“After seeing what that... monster did, I can’t blame you. It sounds like you did your best to help Mr. Luffy afterwards too. I just hope he makes it.”

“He certainly is a fighter,” Iva said with a grin. “And he get around what with getting the whole pony kingdom wrapped up in this break-in. And after hearing the whole story, I’d have to be the coldest creature in the world not to help save him.”

The stone darkened in color to become lavender. “Which wouldn’t be too far from the truth if you were a real changeling queen,” said Twilight.

“I know,” Iva bemoaned and hung her head low. “Such a horrible creature if what the real ones say is true. All feasting on love but no love of their own… hard to tell with how determined they were to find their queen though.”

“I can’t believe she’s still alive,” Twilight muttered.

Bon continued to follow Iva along the path, as the music of the main room grew fainter. “That’s something I’ve been wondering. What’s with the prisoners here?”

“Hmmm…” Iva shook his head back and forth for a moment. “I’m responsible for most of it. A bit of a bonus of being here and the only good part about all these hideous holes is that I can make other changelings with a poke of my horn. I can change people when I’m normal too with my horm-horm powers, but the whole ‘feast on love thing’ is quite useful when you’re short on food. Wish we could do the whole transformation thing.”

“You can’t change?” asked Twilight. “Bon can.”

Iva squinted her eyes at the stone and shifted them over to Bon. They traced along his body and stopped at his horn. “So many mysteries."

Bon glanced up at his horn. “Yeah…you said this was Level Five Point Five, but I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well, it is a secret after all,” Iva replied. “Some devil fruit user with digging powers was nice enough to carve out this spot between Level Five and Six.”

Bon’s eyes widened. “Level Six?”

“Secret Level,” Iva casually explained. “For the worst of the worst, so bad they don’t even ‘exist’ anymore.”

A bloodcurdling scream filled the hallway. Iva and Bon stopped while Bon covered his ears.

“W-what was that?” Bon quivered.

The stone darkened further until it was almost pitch black. Luna voice came through shaky. “Straw Hat.”

“Changing people’s genders isn’t the only thing I can do though,” Iva explained. “I also heal, but there’s only so much I can do without a patients help.”

In the darkened hall, Iva gestured over to a large wooden door flanked by two torches. Two immense iron chains crossed over the door and kept it sealed. Screams, gasps, and gurgles came from behind them and sent a chill up Bon’s spine.

“It’ll take two more days, but I’m amazed Straw-boy has lasted this long already,” Iva said with a grim expression.

“He’s dying!” Bon exclaimed. He rushed over and clasped Iva’s shoulders. “You have to do something!”

Iva deftly twisted his head and slammed it into Bon, knocking him away. “I am! My treatments are called ‘miracles’ for a reason! Your friend had exposure to both poison joke and a swath of Magellan’s worst toxins! It’s a ‘miracle’ because I got his chance of survival up from zero to about two percent. So, stop yelling at me and rest. You’re not in the best condition either.”

Bon clenched his teeth as another one of Luffy’s screams filled the hall. “How long will he be like this?”

“Two days if he can last that long…” Iva’s lips turned downwards and his eyes went to the stone. “It’ll be too late to save his brother, but saving his own life is Straw boy’s priority right now.”

“After everything he went through,” Twilight murmured.

“No.” Bon stomped a hoof into the ground. “You’re right, Mugi-chan went through too much just to barely get away with his life. Until he come out of there, I’m staying right here!”

Bon affixed the stone to a leg and positioned himself in front of the door and yelled, “You can do it! You can do it!”

The stone turned yellow and Fluttershy squeaked, “You can do it.”

~~~

A faux-changeling with a bunny ears hat covering his head peaked past a wall. Bon stood in front of the door, still yelling. The bunny hat prisoner turned to another prisoner that had followed him. “He’s crazy, but the love he’s giving off could keep us fed from months.”

“Ya know…” said the other prisoner. “With him being that loud, we’ll never get to sleep. Might as well show some support, get a bit more food to eat.”

~~~

A guard rushed forward and saluted in front of a massive bathroom door. “Sir! We have a problem!”

“What now?” Magellan bellowed from his private stall.

“Level Five is…” The guard paused and nervously gulped. “Parts of it are defrosting and the storm inside has died down to nothing.”

“What?” Magellan roared.

“A-also…” the guard stuttered, “it’s t-time to get Portgaz D. Ace.

~~~

“Aug,” Chrysalis moaned.

“What now?” the pony with the golden hook snorted.

“Love,” Chrysalis croaked. She pushed her form off the floor and away from the poisonous residue Magellan had covered her in and slumped against a wall. “It’s good.”

“Idiot.”

~~~

A trail of green ichor rain down the side of Bon’s muzzle. His compound eyes were clouded, his legs shook, and his wings twitched in bizarre directions. Behind him, the entirety of Level Five Point Five had gathered to cheer. Many looked as tired as him with dry throats, cracked lips, and tired eyes. Party decorations littered the ground and instruments laid on the floor or against walls, their players too spent to use them anymore.

Their hours of cheering had been silenced by a trickled of blood that emanated from the door.

“Mugi-chan,” Bon whimpered.

“Straw Hat,” Luna whispered through the stone, her voice rough from shouting.

The door contorted outwards and the only thing that kept it in place were the chains the bound it. Something smacked against it again and again, filling the Level with its echoes.

“Food!” a voice yelled from beyond the door.

“He did it!” Everyone and everypony exclaimed at once.

Alliance

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Loud slurps, crunches, and belches echoed throughout Level Five Point Five. The majority of its population was gathered around the cavernous chamber Ivankov reserved for his “treatments.” Fanged mouths dropped, compound eyes blinked, and minds tried to make sense of the spectacle in front of them. Gender changes, impromptu dance parties, and Ivakov in general were dwarfed by the sheer amount of food shoveled into the the chamber and the insane rate empty plates flew out of it. The only reason all of the Level wasn’t gapping at the event was that some of them had to go fetch more food.

“All of our reserves...” the bunny hat changeling muttered.

Iva stood at the head of the group and closest to the cavern’s doors. Occasionally, his eyes would catch a stalky hoof emerge from the darkness and pull multiple trays of food in at the same time. Astounding, to not only recover in less than a day, but to have this much vitality immediately afterwards... miracle doesn’t even begin to describe it.

A few changelings ran back to the reserves room after some time passed, but came back with nothing. A hushed aura fell over the Level and all eyes went to the cavern. The slow clipclop of hooves against the ground filled everyone’s ears. Out of the darkness, a large shape appeared. Four spindly withered limbs supported it, despite its main body being at least ten times their size. It was oval-like in shape so that it resembled a thick balloon on the verge of popping. A small black tail and the straw hats on its flanks were visible from its back and a blockish horse head that clashed with its bloated torso was visible from its front.

“Can we call him a pony anymore?” a changeling asked.

More changelings whispered similar questions, but went quiet when the creature’s form rapidly shrank back to down a reasonable size. For all the mass its torso lost, its limbs gained muscle and healthy coloration. When its torso stopped deflating and the rest of its body was back to normal, it raised its head up and let out a hefty burp.

“All better!” Luffy exclaimed.

“Mugi-chan...” Bon set a hoof in front of him, but he placed too much weight on it and instantly fell to his side.

“Huh?” Luffy blinked at the sound of Bon’s fall and then rushed to his side. “Bon! Hey, Bon!”

“Your noble companion is merely exhausted,” Luna yawned through the stone on Bon’s limp leg. “He did not leave your side once during your struggle.”

“But ya didn’t either!” Pinkie interjected, rapidly turning the stone pink. “I mean, so did I, but I had to break out all the stops and resorted to the super-mega-ultra-su—”

The sound of rather loud snoring drifted through the stone until it went back to Luna’s deep color. “True, most of us are rather drained and will require some minor recovery time, but it was necessary to ensure your treatment was successful.” There was a pause punctuated by an airy yawn. “Straw Hat, get to your brother.”

With that, the stone lightened to violet and Twilight’s voice came through. “Such recovery time even taking into account Queen Iva’s powers is amazing... if only I could have documented it.”

“Hmm.” Luffy snatched up the stone and affixed it to right foreleg. He then faced Iva and touched his head to the ground. “Thank you, everyone! Especially Bon!”

A wave of cheers went up to Luffy’s thanks and a few streamers were launched into the air. Amidst the celebratory mood, Inazuma emerged with a square muzzle and a stout body, but his colors still bisected. A straw hat and a blue vest, in lieu of the original one Luffy had worn into Impel Down, rested on his back. “Here’s clothes and your hat. It doesn’t really matter though since you’ll still need a few days to recover.”

“I don’t have time for that!” Luffy shouted. He stretched out a hoof and clasped his hat. He extracted the tiny slip of paper from its red band and watched it scoot slightly downwards, as if pushed by a non-existent wind. “Ace is still here! I’m gonna g—”

Luffy tried to take a step while he spoke, but his knee buckled and he went down to the ground. He tried to get up, but his legs all shook and hampered his balance.

“See?” Iva pointed at Luffy’s legs. “You’re still too weak. Do what you want with your life, but as you are now, you probably won’t make it to the door.”

Luffy sighed and positioned himself on the floor so that he was at least comfortable. “Don’t you want to escape too? Bon came all this way to rescue you, ya know.”

“That’s cute,” Iva purred. “I could probably escape whenever I wished, but it’s not the right time yet. I have to wait until my comrade, Dragon, mobilizes.”

“Oh, you mean dad?” Luffy nonchalantly asked.

“Yes, once your dad gives the si—” Iva paused. His pupils shrank and his wings suddenly shot out and propelled him into a nearby wall. “Eh? Your dad?!”

~~~

Hannyabal’s ears perked up slightly.

One of the guards standing over the screens that monitored all of Impel Down looked over to him. “Is something wrong, Vice-Warden?”

“No, just getting the kinks worked out from being tied up for so long.” Hannyabal lifted a leg off the ground and swiveled it around in its socket. “Still nothing on the escapees?”

“Nothing but your bloodied headpiece,” the same guard replied. “The only advantage to having Level Five on the fritz is that no bodies could be buried in the snow, but we’re still coming up empty. It’s most likely that the timberwolves got to them.”

Hannyabal grimaced at the guard’s reply. His stomach was slightly constricted, but that may have just been from the lack of food and water during his near-day captivity. Across the screens, scenes of prisoners hardly moving in their cells played. A parasprite occasionally buzzed by the cells of Level Two, but no other sign of action was observable, save for a few screens in the lower right corner of the display.

The light coming off of those screens was dimmer than the others’. Magellan and a select group of guards moved from one screen to another. They passed by multiple cells completely darkened save for a glint here and there but kept their attention forward.

Hannyabal glanced over at the screens for just a second, but it garnered the attention of all the guards in the room. It was a rare sight for anyone to go to Level Six and even rarer to see a prisoner leave it.

~~~

“This changes everything,” Iva said in a hushed tone. A trickle of sweat dripped down his shiny carapace. He stared at Luffy and contemplated the situation. Dragon won’t stand by and let his son be mercilessly executed in front of the world. There’s also Whitebeard’s wrath to consider. That should’ve been enough to steer the government away from such action, but Straw-boy’s rescue has entangled the Pony Kingdom too. What is the government thinking?

“Straw-boy! I can’t stand by and let a comrade’s son die!” Iva proclaimed. He spread his wings and took to the air. “Everyone! We’re going to rescue Ace and break out! It’s your choice to come, but opportunities like this are rare! We’ll head for Level Six and wreak havoc on the guards!”

A resounding battle cry bubbled up among the masses. Luffy stood back up and shouted, “All right! Hang in there, Ace! I’m coming right now!”

Luffy tried to take a step forward again, but once more fell to the ground. Iva darted over and tsked. He raised his head up while keeping his eyes on Luffy. “It’s a risk after your recovery and it’ll cut down on your strength, but you need energy and speed.”

Iva swung his head down like a guillotine and buried his horn in Luffy’s side and swiftly extracted it after a few seconds. Luffy gasped for air and clutched at his side as his body convulsed and his back deformed. Muscles melted into a malleable state before they jutted out and drooped over Luffy’s sides. Bone that hadn’t existed before filled in the lumps of flesh and gave them structure while the rest of Luffy’s body slimmed down slightly and lost a few of its rougher edges. The skin that had once belonged to Luffy’s back now turned paperthin and feathers erupted out them.

Luffy instantly stood up once the transformation was complete. “Whoa.”

“I don’t think that’s a proper description,” Twilight gawked. Through the stone, she could see the edges of new wings shift at Luffy’s sides. “Nothing like that has ever even been recorded.”

“Emporio Wing and Emporio Energy,” Iva explained. “Glad I’ve had time to test the former out. Now, Straw-boy, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to fly, but your body will be much faster and aerody...”

Iva paused at the sight of Luffy balling up his new wings. He shot them out in front of him in rapid succession in a style akin to a boxer. “Awesome! I’ve got fists again!”

~~~

“Huh?” a guard yelled.

Hannyabal rushed to the guard’s side. “What?”

The guard jabbed a hoof at the screens that showed the stairway between Level Five and Six. Three figures dashed across them: a changeling queen with purple hair and pink wings, a pony perfectly divided into orange and white, and another pony that appeared to have two large spheres sticking out of his back. “Sir, I can’t believe it, but I’m certain that’s prisoners Ivankov, Inazuma, and Straw Hat Luffy!”

Hannyabal slammed a cloven hoof into the ground. “Two of them disappeared years ago and the other should be dead by now! Put Level Six on red alert, activate all the traps on the stairwell and flood it with guards! We can’t allow them to reach Fire-fist Ace!”

~~~

A part of the wall to Luffy’s right collapsed in on itself and a spike shot out of it. Luffy jumped into the air and over it only to land in a patch of blue flowers that had sprouted out of the floor.

“Straw-boy!” Iva exclaimed. “That’s poison joke!”

“Crud!” Luffy leapt out of the patch and swatted at his limbs. “I’m gonna get all weird again!”

Damn, Iva cursed as he dodged a hole that opened up in the floor. Giving Straw-boy any more injections in such rapid succession is too dangerous! I...

Luffy continued to swab his legs, but no blue dots indicative of poison joke showed up. A battle cry filled the stairwell and a platoon of guards emerged from the bottom of it. Luffy shot a clenched wing out and decked one of them in the jaw, knocking him out. It returned to Luffy with the same elasticity as it had left him. He flexed it around for a second and smiled. “I must’ve gotten lucky.”

Iva’s eyes widened, but quickly went back to the guards rushing at the trio. He let loose a flurry of kicks and jabs that left the guards at the front of the platoon immobilized on the ground and few with new appendages and genders. That wasn’t luck! Did Straw-boy gain immunity?

~~~

A pile of guards and ruined traps littered the Level Six stairwell. The great doors that were the last line of defense for the Level were wide open. Luffy, Iva, and Inazuma darted through them and into the rows upon rows of cells.

“Ace!” Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs at the sight of a cell that loomed in front of them. Inside, a set of chains rested against a wall that had smears of fresh blood on it. “He’s not there,” Luffy huffed.

A massive blue shape moved within the cell. Jinbei’s astonished face came into the light and took in the scene from outside the cell. His eyes locked onto the straw hat that dangled from the Luffy’s neck. Ace’s brother! He actually made it through all the Levels!

“Are you Straw Hat Luffy?” Jinbei bellowed.

“Uh... yeah,” Luffy replied.

“Go to the elevator!” Jinbei roared. “They just left! There’s still time!”

“There!” Inazuma pointed to an empty stone cylinder that rose up and disappeared into the ceiling. The group made a mad dash for the elevator with Luffy offering a quick thanks to Jinbei.

At the elevator, they all looked up. Something glinted above and came crashing down. Luffy missed getting impaled and crushed by a giant tablet of spikes by a hair’s breath. The trap did its secondary task of annihilating the shaft, cracking its stones and blocking off any attempts of climbing it.

The clang of metal on stone emanated from the stairwell’s direction. Iva scowled at the noise. He flew into the air and got a view of the seastone bars that barricaded the exit. To add to the situation, a thick purple vapor hissed out of destroyed shaft and began to fill the Level. “Damn! They were ready for us! Inazuma!”

“On it.” Inazuma darted over to the shaft and snapped his head back. His muzzle distorted and thinned into two razor sharp edges that met when his jaw closed. He tucked his transformed muzzle and it cut a straight line into the floor. Arch-shaped incisions appeared in the stone as Inazuma ran along it. When he completed an arch he hefted it off the ground with the ease of lifting paper and the altered stone would then affix itself to the shaft, sealing off part of the gas. Inazuma repeated this process until the shaft was entirely contained and not a whiff of gas escaped.

“Incredible,” said Twilight.

“That’s the snip-snip fruit for you,” said Iva. Inazuma lifted his head and his muzzle reverted to a normal shape with a snap of his neck. Iva’s expression darkened and his lips drew back in a deep frown. “We won’t get poisoned anymore, but Ace is on his way to Navy Headquarters and we’re still trapped here.”

Luffy stared at Ace’s cell and up to the ceiling. He lowered his eyes and took a breath.“Then we’ll go to Navy Headquarters!”

A slow clack of gold against stone entered Luffy’s ears. From a nearby cell, a deep gravely voice called out, “Still a greenhorn fool, eh, Straw Hat? Tell you what though, let me out and I’ll make a hole in the ceiling for you. Kuhaha.”

“That voice!” Luffy spun around and glared at the cell the voice was coming from. Out of its shadows emerged a pony with an orange coat and slicked back greasy mane. His tail had a similar sheen as well. A fine storm of golden sand was eternally frozen in midair across his flanks. The golden hook adhered to his left foreleg banged against the ground as he made his way to the cell’s bars. “Crocodile!”

“The things I’ve heard in the last few days,” Crocodile mused, barely acknowledging that Luffy was there. “This war is a chance for me to kill that old geezer Whitebeard and you get to rescue your brother, just when I thought the outside world had nothing to offer me.”

“No way!” Luffy scowled.

“Luffy, who is this guy?” Twilight asked.

“A jerk!” Luffy’s eyes burned holes into Crocodile, but he merely smiled while his eyes kept the same tired look to them. “He nearly destroyed my friend’s country. There’s no way I’m letting him out!”

“Alabasta holds no interest to me anymore,” Crocodile sighed.

“He could get us out,” Iva postulated.

Crocodile sucked in his breath and sharpened his eyes. “Ivankov! You’re looking worse than usual.”

“That all you have to say after all this time, Croc-boy?” Iva replied with a mischievous grin. “Given our... circumstances, be a good boy, help out Straw-boy, and don’t try anything funny. Do that and I keep my lips sealed about it.”

“Damn you,” Crocodile hissed.

“Please!” Jinbei cried out from Ace’s cell. Everyone’s attention went to him as he strained against his chains. He managed to inch a little closer to the bars and shouted with all his might. “Please take me with you! I’ve know Ace since he joined with Whitebeard! I’m only here because I was against this war! Please let me fight!”

“Okay, fish-pony,” Luffy instantly replied.

Jinbei lowered his head as much as his constraints would allow. “Thank you!”

Inazuma made his way to both cells, cutting off Jinbei’s chains first and then moving onto Crocodile’s. As he finished freeing that latter, a female voice from within the cell rasped, “Wait, wait. Take me too.”

An emaciated thing came into the light. Its black shell sagged in places as if there was nothing to hold it up. Parts of it were warped as if they were partially dissolved and gave the thing’s body a decayed look. The thing’s eyes were so sunken, it was easy to mistake its face for a skull. Clumps of its turquoise mane were missing as well, adding to its ghoulish appearance. Its legs dragged across the ground as it shambled to Luffy in spite of its confinement. “You... you’re the one.”

“Hey.” Luffy turned to Iva and pointed at the rotting creature. “That kinda looks like you.”

“It is,” Twilight sneered. “That’s what happened to the Changeling Queen.”

“Celestia’s dog!” the creature hissed. It strained against its chains, but only succeeded in slamming into the ground. Regardless, it still scraped in the direction of Twilight’s voice and bared its fangs. “I’ll drain you for what you did! You and Celestia!”

A fit of sickening coughs interrupted Chrysalis.Twilight’s voice turned to a whisper. “This is sad... even for her.”

“Just give me that love,” Chrysalis begged. She tried to squirm over ot Luffy, but her chains wouldn’t allow any further movement. “My hive... my hive... I have to feed them. You have enough! Just a taste!”

“Hmm.” Ivankov took in the scene and tapped a hoof to his large chin. He bent down until he was eye-level with Chrysalis. A few noxious vapors wafted off of her and made Iva back up a few feet. “You’re dying.”

“I just need food, imposter,” Chrysalis replied with an extra dose of venom added to the last word. Her attention went back to Luffy and her hollow eyes gained a crazed desperation. “I’ll do whatever you want! You want the red pony, right? Oh, he gave off some love too, but you...” Her tongue went out and lapped at the air. “Yessss, it pours off you.”

“Luffy, don’t trust her,” Twilight ordered. “She’ll put a spell on you and make you her slave!”

“Quiet!” Chrysalis hacked. “Fine! Fine! I’ll leave Equestria in peace, just let me save my hive! That’s all I want!”

Luffy’s mouth became an unreadable line and he marched over to Chrysalis. “If you promise not to hurt Twilight and her friends and you really just want to save your hive, I’m fine with it.”

“Luffy!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Yes!” Chrysalis sobbed. “I’ll do it! I won’t harm them or Equestria! Now...”

Chrysalis’s mouth spread open and her fangs sunk deep into Luffy’s leg. A chill ran up his body far worse than that of Level Five. It was like fire, but instead of searing pain, it spread ice through his veins. He shuddered and went to the ground.

At the same time, the vapors rising off of Chrysalis ceased and her body tightened and repaired itself. A sheen returned to the chitlin on her face and spread throughout the rest of her body. Her eyes moved back to the front of their sockets and regained a predatory gleam. When Luffy fell, she got back onto her restored hooves and unclenched her teeth. “Ahh, that was even better than the prince-to-be.”

“Straw-boy!” Iva rushed to Luffy’s side.

“I’m okay,” Luffy groaned. He staggered to his hooves, but managed to stand up with a few shivers running through his body. “That was gross.”

“Oh, I only took a small amount,” Chrysalis huffed. She reached up and stroked her now-vibrant mane. Her wings gave a small flutter, which made her show off her fangs. “Desperation is truly an amazing spice for love. It was actually hard to choose what to eat: your love for your brother or your friends. Such an interesting creature.”

“No time to critique our meals,” Iva proclaimed. Inazuma sent out his scissor-like muzzle and undid Chrysalis’s chains. “We have to hurry! It was unavoidable, but now it will be a true blitz to escape this prison!”

Riot!

View Online

A guard at the head of a fresh wave that piled into Level Six sucked in filtered air through his gas mask. Two cells at the center of the Level were empty with their gates flung open. A few miasmic vapors mixed in with the gas that had managed to seep in through the elevator shaft, some spilt blood, and four sets of bizarrely severed cuffs were the only remaining signs of occupation.

What had made the guard gasp and stare along with the rest of the platoon was a corkscrew of stone that extended all the way to a massive hole in the ceiling. A few bits of decayed stone and dust rained down on the Level while the twisting path stayed adhered to the new exit in mockery of physics.

“You idiots,” a stern voice growled.

The head guard’s fur stood up at the voice and he spun in its direction. Sharp yellow talons reached out of a nearby cell. The way they clenched the bars made it appear that their owner could easily crush the metal. In the cell’s shadows, two piercing eyes stared back at the guard and made him gulp down all the air his mask would allow. “Head Jailer Shiryu.”

“You put me down here with the trash and everything falls to pieces.” Shiryu’s form writhed in the darkness and got up so that he could press his sloped muzzle against the bars. “Jinbei, Crocodile, and whatever that thing in Crocodile’s cell was escaped along with the three that came down here. So, here’s what you’re gonna do to set this right, give Magellan my message: I’m willing to help... this chaos will end with me.”

Shiryu’s grin reflected off the guards’ eyes and they felt an ominous chill. Chained and behind bars, the former Head Jailer’s expression cut just as deep as the “clean up” he’d enforced on prisoners and even other staff members.

~~~

“Jinbei, Crocodile, and the Changeling Queen? Dammit! Magellan is still ensuring Fire-Fist Ace’s secure departure!” Hannyabal screeched. His right hoof shot out and dragged the nearest guard close to his face. “Where are they now?”

“Surveillance confirms movement on Level Five near the stairwell to Level Four, sir!” the guard hastily replied.

Hannyabal shot a hoof into his new headpiece and extracted a small denden mushi from it. “Sadie! Saldeath! Get to Level Four with your subordinates immediately!”

~~~

“I still don’t like this,” Twilight grumbled.

“Oh, hush, Twilight,” Chrysalis replied from Luffy’s side. “After I was so close with your brother, you’d think we’d have a bit more of a connection.”

“The only connection I want is my hoof in your face,” Twilight snapped.

“Girls, girls, you’re both pretty,” Iva interjected, stepping in between Luffy and Chrysalis. He bent down and eyed the stone. “Besides, I won’t let her get out of hand. My time here has let me discover a few tricks about this body that’d I’d be happy exploit.”

“You know nothing, imposter,” Chrysalis snorted. “I’m ashamed to see the hive so poorly imitated by you and your flunkies. Even the one that can actually mimic others is defective at best.”

“I thought you were a annoying before,” Crocodile grunted. His bottom half was a swirl of sand that scoured the ground it passed over and left it brittle. It also lifted up the new heavy coat he’d procured from Level Five Point Five that draped over his shoulders similar to a cape.

A mishmash of ponies, changelings, and whatever Luffy and Jinbei now counted as surged behind him. Their size easily warranted the description of “small army” and the weapons many of them hefted on their backs and clenched with their fangs solidified that aspect. Without them, the collaboration might have resembled party-goers that only Pinkie crashing after her greatest sugar-high could have conceived. Coincidentally, she was in such a state in Canterlot, thus making her dreams quite prophetic.

Jinbei’s eyes flashed over to a skull shaped clock atop the stairwell with the short hand at a slightly acute angle and the long hand pointing practically straight up. “It’s nearly ten. If the guards were telling the truth, we have until three to stop Ace’s execution!”

“That should be a enough time!” Luffy huffed.

“If only,” Jinbei replied. “As soon as Ace returned to the human world, Whitebeard gained the ability to mobilize. He won’t wait until three to strike, so the war could begin at any moment!”

“Hmmph.” Crocodile’s sand coalesced back into his lower body and he slammed his front right hoof into the door that marked the end of the stairwell. The wood it was made of groaned and warped. Cracks branched out from Crocodile’s hoof and sand drizzled through them. The fissures widened while more and more sand gathered at Crocodile’s hooves until the entire door gave way, collapsing into fragments of wood, sand, and brittle metal. A bullet ripped through the air and Crocodile’s eye and part of his muzzle dispersed into sand, rendering the shot ineffective. Despite half of his teeth currently existing as particles, a malicious grin stretched across his stitched face and aimed at the collection of guards pointing guns at him.

“This is Level Four!” a dragon guard said into a denden mushi. “The escaped prisoners have been confronted! Send everyone down here, we’ll hold them until then!”

“Try.” Crocodile blew at them in a flurry. A trail of sand jutted out of the right side of his back, resembling something between a sickle and a ghostly wing. He lunged at a swath of guards and swung the collected sand through them. A few gasped in horror as the water drained from their bodies just as it had left the door. Guards, both pony and dragon, fell to the floor shriveled husks. “Crescent Cutlass.”

A nearby guard that had survived Crocodile’s swift attack let loose a panicked cry and rushed at him with a sword clenched in his teeth. A black shape slammed into him and Chrysalis sank her fangs deep into his neck. He didn’t get to scream before his eyes rolled up into his head and his coat went from blue to faded white. She brought her bloodless fangs out and smacked her lips. She glanced over at Crocodile. “Seems I’m not the only one who can drain ponies.”

Crocodile turned away from Chrysalis and launched himself at more guards. Chrysalis went in the opposite direction. At the same time, her nose sniffed through the air. A tiny smile came to her face as she forcefully sucked the love out of another guard. A scent only she recognized had wafted into her nose; it was weak, but its source was locked into her brain. I’m coming, children, and I have breakfast.

Nearby, Luffy leapt into the air and sent his balled up wings and all four hooves down into the sea of guards below in a storm of punches and kicks. “Gum-Gum Rain!”

Jinbei tucked a hindleg deep into his chest and aimed it at a squad of guards heading his way. He shot it out just as one guard got close enough to barely dodge the attack. “Arabesque Buck!”

The lead guard stared at Jinbei’s extended hoof. A thud made him glance back to see that another guard from the squad had collapsed with blood coursing out of his mouth. An immense wave of pressure then slammed into the lead guard and the rest of the squad, spreading like a ripple until all of them were knocked out cold. Jinbei towered over them and advanced onto more guards.

“Don’t let them advance!” one of the few still-conscious guards yelled and shifted his head so that his sword was raised high.

“Let the buffet come,” said Chrysalis.

~~~

Level Two

The prisoners in one of the many cells that made up Level Two gathered around their cell’s door. A few had to hobble over due to Saldeath’s earlier containment, but curiosity beat out pain. The cell’s lock was encased in a soft blue glow that made it clank after a moment. The door was opened by the glow with a whine and the prisoners cautiously shambled out.

“What is this, some kinda trick?” one of them asked.

Trixie stepped out from around the corner, but continued to hug the walls. Solidified wax was wrapped around her body, but broken into segments to allow her mobility. A space in the impromptu armor around her face allowed her grin to get through. “Of course it is and a simple one at that. Now, shall we escape?”

Buggy and Mr. 3 loomed over the Level, safe and camouflaged within a hollow wax cube. Trixie had remained in the miniature holdout too until a few minutes ago when the Blugori and guards had vacated the Level to go who-knows-where. All three of them couldn’t help but smile at the lucky occurrence. Then again, the past day was a series of lucky occurrences avoiding patrols, surveillance, and beasts all to get back to Level Two.

Mr. 3 lightly chuckled and held up a ring of faux keys. “Lets speed up and produce some pandamonium.”

Buggy nodded, attached four sets of keys to his legs, and sent them flying out across the Level. The echo of cuffs hitting the ground and doors screeching open filled the hall.

One of the small group of token guards left to watch over the Level also heard the sounds and moved away from the stairwell. His denden mushi blazed to life and Hannyabal yelled, “What are you doing? The prisoners are getting out!”

“What?” the guard shouted.

“Guess the cover’s blown.” Buggy’s limbless body flew down and knocked the wind out of the guard. He flipped around and addressed the Level. “Alright, men! Time for some fun! Raise some hell and we might just see the light of day again!”

A roar went up throughout the level. Prisoners bolted out of their cells and brought their hooves down on the guards, set fire to anything flammable, and unleashed bedlam on the Level. Trixie stared up at Buggy and smirked. “He does know how to win a crowd.”

~~~

A set of keys jingled in the air and flopped on the ground. A shabby pony leapt at them, but froze when he saw the orange pony with the golden hook and the stitched face standing outside the cell. “C-crocodile!”

Crocodile kept his eyes on the central figure in the cell, a pony with an archaic “one” symbol on his flanks. “I need some actual subordinates if I’m going back outside. How about it, Mr. 1?”

Mr. 1 lifted up the chains on his forelegs so that they produced a distinct clink. “Sure, I was getting bored anyway.”

~~~

“Hiyaa!” Bon’s front hoof crashed down on a guard. The attack made his whole body shudder and he collapsed in a heap. Bon used the momentum from the attack and propelled himself into the air, spinning at dizzying speeds. He fell into the never-ending onslaught of guards and unleashed more attacks until they were all unconscious or clutching their wounds on the ground.

“Iva’s energy thing is really working on you,” Luffy snickered.

“Yeah! I—” A series of flashes from nearby stopped Bon. Groups of guards fell to the floor with gaping cuts across their bodies. A few dragon guards had grizzly punctures drilled straight through their thick scales.

The only thing left standing in the wake of the devastation was bald pony. His legs were disturbingly angular and jutted into the ground. Their edges had the sheen of a chef’s knife and the sharpness as well. His spine had a similar glimmer to it so that it almost resembled a fin. Completing the blade ensemble was a tail that was morphed into a scythe shape.

Bon’s eyes latched onto the bald pony’s cutie mark, which now sparkled like polished steel, and widened. “Eh, Mr. 1?”

“Mr. 2.” Mr. 1 sent out a bladed leg and clotheslined a guard that tried to get the jump on him all without batting an eye.

~~~

“Send reinforcements to Level Two!” Hannyabal’s denden mushi screamed. There was a pause before a different voice yelled through it, “No! We need more reinforcements on Level Four! An army of changelings has appeared out of nowhere!”

Sweat soaked Hannyabal’s coat. He pressed his hooves into his face and shook his head back and forth. “What do I do?”

~~~

The waves crashed against the thick stone walls of Impel Down. The sky was foggy as it always was outside of the prison. The few ships left in its dock lightly listed in the current. Nothing of the exterior spoke of the madness going on within save for the gate guards’ expressions being more drawn back and stern than normal. They were also quicker to raise their voices.

“We didn’t request reinforcements!” one of them shouted and slammed his hoof into the wooden boards of the dock for extra emphasis. “It’s strictly forbidden for any pirate to enter this pri—”

“Like I care. We’re on the same team after all, but if ya won’t step aside...” A dusty red, practically brown horn crackled with arcs of black lightning. A stream of inky substance erupted out of it and swept over all the guards. Their screams were silenced as the shadowy wave swallowed them up and the false serenity returned to the dock. “Zehahaha.”

Desire and Devotion

View Online

“Vice-Warden! Vice-Warden!” Hannyabal’s denden mushi blared. “The Warlord Blackbeard has barged in through the front gate and is maliciously attacking sta— Ahhhhh!”

The snail’s eyes closed and the machines built into its shell shut down. Hannyabal stared at it for a moment before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Foam frothed out of his mouth and it took the efforts of two guards to keep him from collapsing onto his side. In spite of the heat that emanated from Level Four, his skin had gone ice cold.

“Vice-Warden!” one of the guards supporting Hayyabal called out.

“Straw Hat Luffy on Level Four, a revived riot on Level Two, and now Blackbeard! I don’t know how to deal with this!” Hannyabal wailed. Suddenly, his form slackened and he practically bounced back up on his hooves. A placid expression was carved onto his face with his eyes glazed over and off someplace far away from the Impel Down. “Lets all go to a nice field and graze on some grass.”

“Keep it together, sir!” a guard yelled.

The denden mushi had fallen out of Hannaybal’s hooves and onto the ground in his lapse into insanity. Its eyes lifted off the stone stairs, sharp and piercing. Magellan’s voice spilled out of it and filled the stairwell. “Hannyabal? Can you hear me?”

“Warden!” Hannyabal replied with both desperation and glee. He got on his knees and nudged his face next to snail’s. “Where are you?”

On the other end of the line, Magellan looked down at a poison-coated prisoner slumped at his hooves. Fumes swirled around him and crept into every crevice it could find. It was like a thick fog and any prisoner unfortunate enough to even get a whiff of it was quickly introduced to the floor and unconsciousness. They were the lucky ones.

The ones that had directly crossed Magellan were still awake and writhing in agony. Poison completely soaked their bodies, producing an cycle of chemical burns that allowed the poison to sear more of the prisoners’ bodies.

“Cleaning up Level Two,” Magellan grunted. “With the exits sealed, any remaining rioters will either be dead or immobilized soon. As for Blackbeard’s appearance, I’ve had to make some tough decisions, but he will be neutralized. Do everything in your power to suppress Level Four’s riot until I get there.”

Hannyabal sniffled a little at Magellan’s words and then raised himself onto his hind legs while he kicked out his front ones. It was an odd gesture for a ram to make, but the energy conveyed by it spread to the rest of the guards who let up a united shout.

~~~

Two yellow talons squeezed together and produced a small jet of flame that rose up and caught on a thick cigar. The fine brown paper and the tobacco within turned red hot and the smoke they produced disappeared behind Shiryu’s fanged mouth. Not a single guard spoke as the smoke drifted out of neither his mouth nor his nostrils, but rather his eye sockets.

“Sure beats the boredom of being locked up,” he sighed. The smoke from the cigar spiraled upwards, creating loops and tracing out some spikes and swords as it made its way past Shiryu’s new jailor cap. He moved his shoulders up and down, producing the sound of a horn honking on the right and a fire alarm ringing on the left. It also helped to adjust his new coat that draped over his dark blue serpentine body. His eyes lazily went down to the denden mushi that rested in his muscular bear paw. “You’re not just gonna lock me back up again, are you, Magellan?”

“You’re on emergency parol from death row,” Magellan replied. “It goes without saying, but this is your only chance. Take care of Blackbeard.”

“Certainly.” Shiryu pressed the button atop the snail’s shell and its eyes closed and drooped. He glanced up at the smoke from the cigar that had lingered for far longer than it should have. His attention then went to the guards, who were all standing still, but a tremble escaped from a few of the fresher ones. “Now...”

The smoke-weapons shot out and came down on the guards. Some Level Six prisoners had crawled close to their cell’s bars to see a show, but hid in the shadows at the sound of the guards’ screams.

Shiryu took another puff from his cigar. He went down on all fours and plodded through his carnage. His eyes went in different directions to take in his work and he sighed. “Sorry about that, but that’s what happens when you get rusty.”

~~~

Luffy turned his head left and right while his wings continued to act as fists and pummeled wave after wave of guards. “Hey, Iva, where’d the big bug-pony go?”

“Hell Wink!” A massive blast of pressurized air escaped out of Iva’s left eye and barreled into a collection of guards. They went in all directions and those not left unconscious no longer had the strength to stand. He twisted his neck over to Luffy and then scanned as much of Level Four as its acrid smoke would allow. “Don’t tell me she ran off.”

“I knew it!” Twilight exclaimed. “This is just like last ti—”

A volley of screams interrupted Twilight. Everyone’s attention went over to the area where they came from and saw prisoners getting launched into the air like they were pillows. Once-emboldened escapees now ran in the opposite direction of whatever was tossing their comrades like rag dolls.

Through the smoke, three figures emerged. One had the shape of a horse, but a zigzag pattern of black and white across its hide made it stand out. It clenched a mace in its teeth with a spiked end that was slick with changeling ichor. The second figure was also a quadruped, but its skin was rough, grey, and thick. Two massive horns jutted out of its head and cleaved through prisoners by the dozens. The third creature was on two legs and far furrier than the other two. It munched on a hefty piece of eucalyptus and carried no weapons. Its razor sharp claws were enough to decimate anything that dared get within its range.

All three beasts galloped at the escape army at blinding speeds despite their massive sizes. It was natural that the zebra would gallop, but the rhino and the koala’s legs ended with hooves as well. In addition, they all had the flowing tails and large eyes endemic of a pony.

“What the heck are those things?” Luffy asked.

“Jailer beasts,” Iva muttered.

“Oh...” Luffy watched the beast continued to plow through anything near them. Their swings were wide and they occasionally hit nothing but the air. “They seem a bit different than that bull guy.”

“Mmmm ♡, they are,” came a sultry female voice. A light pink unicorn with a purple-pink mane which hid her eyes came into view from behind the beasts. A long whip floated next to her and she occasionally used her magic to flick it at an injured prisoner to produce a scream. “That minotaur was good for a few prisoners, but my dear little beasts are much tougher than him and get soooo much better cries out of prisoners.”

“That’s Sadie!” a faux-changeling gasped. He turned tail and vanished into the smoke of Level Four, but his voice still rang, “Everyone, get away! She’ll torture you!”

“Well, they’re gonna have to move,” Luffy declared. He brought a hoof up to his mouth and prepared to bite down on it. “It took a lot to beat the bull guy, so...”

Jinbei galloped at the beasts and drew in a hoof. “I’m not sure how good this will be on land, but...”

Crocodile appeared before the beasts as well, but said nothing. Sand swirled off his back and took the shape of a small cyclone.

“You’ll never be able to take down my jailer beasts,” Sadie pleasurably moaned. “I’m going to love it when they make you scream ♡.”

“How about you first?”

A shadow fell over the entire Level. Guards and prisoners alike paused and examined the lighting shift. A spark of green appeared in the haze above their heads and shot into a guard, covering him in a sticky substance. It muffled his cries as a changeling that was encased in the goo sunk its fangs into him and drained him.

More changelings cloaked in their protective bubbles fell from above and crashed into the guards. After the initial wave of them fell a deafening buzzing filled the air. The black smoke dispersed and revealed an entire swarm of changelings hovering over Level Four.

Chrysalis floated in the middle of it with a victorious grin across her face that revealed every one of her fangs. Her eyes went over to the jailer beasts and she swept a hoof in their direction. “You heard the pink pony, lets see how much love they have.”

In an instant, the beasts were covered head to hoof in changelings that clamped their fangs onto the them. All three resisted and managed to swat off a changeling or two, but another quickly filled its place, eager to forcefully soak up some love. The beasts’ struggles eventually died down, came to a halt, and then their limp bodies crashed to the ground.

“Noooo! Ohhh! You’ll pay for harming them!” Sadie shrieked. Her head twisted up at Chrysalis and she pulled her whip back. It shot out and wrapped around Chrysalis’s front right leg. She pulled and sent Chrysalis down to the ground with enough force to crater the rock floor. Sadie rushed over and unleashed a flurry of whip strikes and hooves onto Chrysalis. “C’mon! Scream! I want to hear i—”

A neon green beam shot out and stuck Sadie directly below her horn. Her form loosened but an expression of sheer horror was plastered to her face. Chrysalis got up and brushed off some dust Sadie’s attack had gotten on her. Her carapace was cracked in a few areas, but she didn’t appear to notice. She showed off her fangs to Sadie. “Here I thought everypony in this place was a sadist without a speck of compassion in them, but you really did care about those pets of yours. Good.”

Chrysalis drew out the words so Sadie got a full view of the inside of Chrysalis’s mouth. Her lips were drawn back to an extreme degree so that her grin had evolved into something akin to a shark’s maw. “Are you angry that my hive devoured them? Sad you couldn’t stop us?” She tilted her head back and sucked in the air. “Yes, so many emotions, but all connected to those beasts and love at their core. Such good spices.”

The glow that encased both Sadie and Chrysalis’s horn grew brighter. There was a flash of green and then Sadie hit the ground. Chrysalis trotted over and wiped her mouth. Any damage on her body had vanished and her shell gained a malevolent glow to it. “Thanks for the meal.”

“It’s the last you’ll get!” A horn thrust itself into Chrysalis’s side and sent her sprawling across Level Four. Hannyabal tucked his head down and rammed more nearby changelings. His horns had the sharpness of steel and his attacks matched the speed and ferocity of jailer beasts’, but with the finesse of a regimented soldier. Changelings that had been enjoying their first meal in some time were instantly blown away by the blitz, sent either to the ground or the boiling pool below. “This is the fortress of Hell! No one or thing shall escape!”

Luffy’s vision was drawn to Hannyabal’s proclamation, but quickly veered to the stairwell behind him. The doors everyone had fought to rush to were fully open and Hannyabal was the only thing blocking it now. “Hey, he’s not doing the best job guarding the exit.”

“Look closer, Straw Hat Luffy!” Hannyabal exclaimed. He waved a hoof back to show further up the stairwell. An impermeable wall of guards armed with bazookas as large as themselves filled the path. “A thousand of our bazooka troops are gathered here! Prisoner, pony, changeling, or monster, nothing will get past them!”

Hannyabal stepped forward so that he loomed over Luffy. He raised up his head, ready to strike. “I won’t allow you to terrorize helpless citizens! I will execute you here and now!”

“Get out of my way,” Luffy simply stated.

“No!” Hannyabal brought his horns down in a blur. They jutted straight into the rock and cracked the surface around the impact zone, but Luffy dodged and launched himself into the air. Hannyabal jumped back and avoided a punch from one of Luffy’s wings. He gritted his teeth and swung his horns low to the ground, sending up slews of sparks. Their tips caught the sparks and gained massive flames bigger than Hannyabal’s head. “Hell Wheel Inferno!”

“Hot!” Luffy said as he dodged a jab from the now-fiery horns. Hannyabal continued the assault and drew Luffy further and further back from the stairwell. Luffy smacked at the non-burning parts of Hannyabal’s horns, redirecting them so they only struck the air. “Move or I’ll clobber you! I have to get to Ace!”

Luffy leapt back far enough so that Hannyabal couldn’t attack him for a few seconds. That was enough time to for him to press his legs into the ground and send the blood rushing throughout his body. His coat went pink and he tucked his balled-up wings close to his sides. Hannyabal blinked at the change and then found himself covered in punches. They came so fast that only the outlines left by Luffy’s steam gave an inkling of the massive damage Hannyabal sustained. “Gum-Gum Jet Gatling!”

Hannyabal stumbled backwards, his face battered and discolored, with one eye shut from the swelling. The rest of his body was a mishmash of bruises and blood. One of his horns had a deep crack that ran all the way to the base of his skull. The flames on the ends of them sputtered out and Hannyabal collapsed onto the floor.

“Phew.” Luffy exhaled deeply and canceled out Gear Two. Hannyabal’s body twitched and then one of his horn grazed Luffy’s left shoulder.

“It’s... not... over!” Hannyabal wheezed.

Nearby, Chrysalis’s eyes flicked open. Her wings went out and she buzzed upright. A drone advanced over to her and bowed his head. “Your Highness, are you injuries in need of tending?”

“No,” Chrysalis seethed. Her eyes went around Level Five and locked onto Hannyabal and Luffy’s fight. The latter was absolutely annihilating the former with a barrage of kicks, punches, and headbutts, that were almost invisible to the naked eye. She vented her rage in a huff. “To think such a weakling could land an attack on me.”

“He does have stamina though,” the changeling commented. Hannyabal went down after a direct punch to his face that dislodged a few teeth. Yet, he was back to his hooves in an instant and still managed to raise his head to attack.

“Yes...” Chrysalis’s tongue ran over her fangs. “He must be very devoted to something to fight against such odds. Come, lets see how this fight goes.”

“Guwah!” A hit from both of Luffy’s wings and a hoof struck Hannyabal on his underside. He went to his knees in a fit of coughs. Luffy jumped over the barely conscious ram, but tumbled to the ground when Hannyabal’s leg wrapped around one of his own. “Wait!”

Luffy leapt out of the way of one of Hannyabal’s cracked horns. This time, Hannyabal did not pursue Luffy but remained rooted in the same spot he’d fallen. His coat was caked with blood, his headpiece in tatters, and his face now resembled an over-ripe grapefruit. His breath was shallow and labored, but he managed to raise his voice so that the fighting came to a pause and all eyes went to him.

“You’re nothing but pirates, rebels, and monsters!” he called out. “What right to do have to say you want to save your brother? Sleepless nights, instability, and untold terror would fill the hearts of law-abiding citizens if you were to escape!”

Chrysalis grinned slightly at Hannyabal’s words and lifted up her wings.

“This prison was made for scum like you, so that decent people, ponies, and creatures could live in peace!” Hannyabal’s eyes swam around at the prisoners looking at him. “If you were to get out, you’d repeat your crimes all over again!” His legs shook, but with a grunt he managed to lift himself off the ground. “I’m not going to allow that to happen!”

“He’s just like him,” Chrysalis purred with the image of a white stallion with a blue mane in her mind. She licked her fangs again. “I’m going to enjoy this.” She bent her head down to the changelings that had gathered around her. “I shall take him. His subordinates in the stairwell will probably topple when he falls. It’s a shame they’re not all like him, but you can just forcibly drain them.”

“Yes, your hi...” one of the changelings stopped mid-sentence and turned its attention to the stairwell and the guards within it. “Your Highness, the ram said a thousand, correct?”

“He did...” Chrysalis’s focus now went to the stairwell too. “It was probably a scare tactic meant to fri— How are they all vanishing?”

Back in front of Hannyabal, Luffy stared down at him. “I don’t care what you say! I’m gonna rescue Ace!”

“Nothing will get through to you!” Hannyabal wobbled and prepared to make another attack, but he paused when an ominous pressure fell upon him. A scream went up and everyone watched a flood of darkness spill down the stairwell and consume the guards.

“Enough of this justice and evil talk.” A shadow, a regular one, covered Hannyabal. He looked up just in time for a maroon hoof to smash into his face. Its owner brought down all his weight onto Hannyabal and drove him into the stone floor. “You’re not gonna find the answer no matter what world you’re in!”

“My meal!” Chrysalis hissed.

The pony got up from the knocked out Hannyabal. Black vapors like the ones that had absorbed the guards pooled off his rotund body like steam, but most noticeably from his horn and the two black wispy ovals on his flanks. A triangular hat rested atop his fizzy black mane and a set of misaligned teeth were nestled in his coarse beard.

“That voice!” Jinbei’s eyes sharpened and he slammed a hoof into the ground. “Teech! What are you doing here? Or do you prefer Blackbeard now?”

“Jinbei?” Blackbeard cackled. “Aw, sorry for laughing, guess we both look ridiculous right now. C’mon, unclench your jaw. I didn’t come for a fight... guess you were friends with Ace, but don’t get mad at me for that!”

“Blackbeard,” Luffy muttered. He strode past Hannyabal and glared up at Blackbeard. “You’re Blackbeard?”

“Huh?” Blackbeard’s eyes went to the hat that rested on the nape of Luffy’s neck. The grin that had been stuck on his face since his arrival on Level Four disturbingly widened a little. “Oh! Long time no see, Straw Hat! Ya know, it really was a surprise learning you’re Ace’s brother. Well, you should probably hurry up, he’s about to lose his head! Zehahahaha!”

Nothing Can Stop the Warden!

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“Hey, it looks like the Captain ran into Straw Hat!” a rotund purple dragon bellowed from beneath his luchador mask. He scratched at the large belt around his waist as he made his way down the recently cleared stairs. An amused gleam twinkled in his eyes from the sight of Blackbeard looming over Luffy.

A griffin with glasses that turned into a scope over his right eye and a bored expression on his face strutted next to the dragon. He shifted the abnormally large rifle across his back and sighed. “It’s fate...”

“After all that trouble Ace went through to...” An emaciated grey unicorn oddly riding atop a pale bear paused to sickly hack into the bear’s thinning coat. The bear didn’t fare much better and the cough looked like it would send the scraggly thing to its knees. “... avoid the Captain running into him.”

A pegasus adorned with a top hat and loop earrings smirked at the ghastly unicorn. His pasty-white coat in addition to his accesories gave him the appearance of an old-timely clown minus the nose. The devious upturn of his lips betrayed a more sinister aura to him. “It’s not like he needs Straw Hat’s head anymore thou—”

Blackbeard flew past his collection of crewmates and shattered part of the stone wall behind them. A steamy imprint of Luffy’s hoof marked his chest. He cried out and clasped the impact zone.

“Well...” the white pegasus mused, “that could’ve gone better.”

Luffy wasted no time and jumped into air over Blackbeard, Gear Two in full effect. He shot his hooves back in preparation to attack. “I won’t let them kill Ace!”

Blackbeard veered his head up. Lightning tinted black arked out of his horn which became encased in shadow. A constricting force pulled down on Luffy and sent him zooming into Blackbead. The horn didn’t impale him, but rather caused him to stick to Blackbeard like a magnet. The steam stopped pouring from his body and his coat regained its normal tone. “Black Vortex!”

“Wh—” A swift smack from one of Blackbeard’s forelegs silenced Luffy and sent him into the ground. There was a small crack and a splash of Luffy’s blood painted the nearby floor. He gave a yelp and clasped the injury.

“Luffy!” Twilight called out from the stone. “What happened? How are you bleeding from a non-puncture or laceration wound?”

Luffy gritted his teeth and jumped back in response. He pumped his legs and steam again emanated from his body. He pushed down and launched himself at Blackbeard, but a blue shape darted between the two of them. Jinbei’s fishtail wrapped around one of Luffy’s hind legs and dangled him upside down.

“Stop!” he commanded, tightening his grip around Luffy’s leg. “This is the man that defeated your brother! It’d be a futile effort to fight him now! There are more important things!”

“He’s right,” Blackbeard huffed. He rested a hoof against the red throbbing mark from Luffy’s attack. Yet, a disturbing grin was plastered across his face. A hiss from above directed his attention up to Chrysalis. She glared and bared her fangs at him. “And what’s your problem?”

“You knocked out a perfectly good meal.” Chrysalis wrinkled her muzzle at him. “And the stink off of you and your group is revolting.” A tinge of green appeared in her horn. “I should eliminate you before you make my hive sick.”

“Zehaha, you can try.”

Chrysalis’s horn glowed brighter, but a golden hook shot out in front of her. She gnashed her fangs at Crocodile, but he ignored her and kept his sight on Blackbeard. “As much as I’d like to see this pest gone, you’re a bigger issue. Shouldn’t you be at Navy Headquarters?”

“All part of the plan,” Blackbeard darkly chuckled. “I don’t really need t—”

A thick purple vapor started to coat the floor and drew everyone’s attention. A wave a panicked shouts went up, but the clearest ones carried a message that sent a shiver down the prisoners’ spines. “Magellan is here!”

Chaos erupted in the escape group. Everyone stampeded for the stairwell, with Blackbeard and his crew putting up no attempt to stop them.

Luffy was now on the ground with Jinbei at his side. He looked at Blackbeard. “I’m gonna rescue Ace.”

“Zehaha, I won’t say it’s impossible,” Blackbeard mused. He lifted up a hoof and stared at it. “Especially after what we went through coming here.” He marched past Luffy in the direction all the other prisoners were fleeing from. “Just wait! We’re gonna put on the best show the world has ever seen! Zehahaha!”

The stone on Luffy’s leg went pink. “I don’t think that’s the kind of show I’d like to see,” Pinkie shuddered.

Back in Canterlot, Twilight stared at Pinkie with a open mouth. “How are you awake?”

“Duh...” Pinkie reached out and gave Twilight at nuggie. “You can’t miss the big escape attempt!” She leaned closer to Twilight and the smile receded from her face. “Seriously though, that pony is bad news. Worse than anything else.”

“That magic he used definitely had an unnatural feeling to it.” Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin and then placed it on the ground. “Now’s not the time to worry about it though. The Magellan guy is the big issue.”

“You got that right,” a voice called out.

~~~

“Surveillance room! Surveillance room! Pick up!” Magellan yelled into his dendenmushi. He slammed the receiver into the snail’s shell with the wing that had held it and galloped forward while his head twisted over to a guard at his side. “Send someone up there to find why communications and video went dead!”

He shook his head back and forth at the latest development in the pandemonic day. “Nothing is going our way.”

A group of figures appeared in front of Magellan and he and his small collection of guards came to a halt. Blackbeard was in the lead and gave a laugh. “So, you’re Magellan.”

“You must be Blackbeard,” Magellan cordially responded. Poison covered his body and instantly formed a hydra head. It opened its synthetic maw and crashed down on Blackbeard and his crew. They all stood frozen for a moment, coated in poison, before Blackbeard hollered in agony and went to his knees. The rest of his crew followed and writhed on the ground.

Magellan trotted through them and the sludge that remained of his attack. The guards took a more cautious route around them to avoid the hazardous area. “I don’t have time to ask why you’re here or what you did to Shiryu,” he grunted.

The stairwell that led up to Level Three was littered with the unconscious bodies of guards and a few prisoners. The jailer beasts’ eyes were open and their muscles twitched, but they still lacked the strength to get up. Sadie had a deathly pale tone, but her torso still weakly rose and fell.

Hannyabal was the worst though. The ground around him was massively cratered and cracked. One foreleg and one hindleg were bent in unnatural positions, half of his teeth were knocked out, and both his horns were severely cracked with the tip of the left one completely gone. The blood that coated his body and pooled underneath him solidified the extent of his injuries.

“Hannyabal,” Magellan sighed, “you did well holding them as long as you did.”

He marched over to the stairwell and stopped at the foot of it. The echo of many hooves rebounded against the walls. He filled his lungs with air and sharpened his eyes at the shadows in the upper parts of the stairwell.

“Straw Hat!” he roared. Everything around Magellan reverberated at his volume. It carried all the way up near Level Three and assaulted everyone’s ears. A few prisoners looked back at where the voice was coming from, but most galloped faster. Almost all of them quivered a little. “You’re not setting one hoof outside this prison!”

The escape party busted in Level Three and Iva buzzed to the head of the group. “Everyone! Follow me! I’ll take us through the fastest path!”

“Sounds like it’s time to go for speed!” Rainbow Dash’s voice called out from the now-blue stone on Luffy’s leg.

“Huh?” Luffy continued galloping, but tilted his eyes down to the stone. “I thought you were recovering.”

“I was, but I heard... well, dreamt, that a certain princess was worried about you. Then I find out you got wings! Now’s the time to use them.”

Luffy glanced up at his balled up wings. “They have worked well as fists.”

“Fists?” Dash shouted. “Why would you... nevermind. That guy behind you sounds pretty mad, so you gotta use those wings to get out of there!”

“I don’t know how and I don’t think now is the best time!” A shadow appeared behind Luffy. He looked back to see that a massive hydra head now loomed over the Level, advancing on the prisoners and engulfing them in its poison. Luffy shot his wings out and rapidly flapped them, but only managed to push himself forward and trip over his hooves.

“No!” said Dash. “Ya gotta lift off the ground first!”

“I got a better idea!” Luffy shot out a hoof a clasped a nearby corner. He jumped off the ground and shot forward while flapping his wings. “Gum-Gum Dart!”

The technique catapulted Luffy straight to the front of the group. He zipped past Iva and smacked into the large twin doors that connected Levels Two and Three. His head got stuck in the wood, but he managed to free himself by the time the other prisoners reached him. He shook his head to stop his eyes from swimming in their sockets. “Ugh, I don’t think I’m gonna do that again.”

“But it was so awesome!” Dash squeed.

A fresh wave a screams and the appearance of the hydra ended the conversation. Luffy joined the rest of the prisoners fleeing up the stairs. The Level quickly emptied, but a few figures planted their hooves at the bottom of the stairwell.

Iva scratched his chin at the squad of changelings that remained with him and Inazuma. “You really should be going.”

The changelings said nothing and kept their compound eyes on the looming hydra. Magellan appeared from behind a corner and they all buzzed into the air. “For the Queen!”

They rushed him and deftly dodged the globs of poison coming the hydra. They fell upon his poison covered body and sunk their fangs into him. Acrid smoke arose from their mouths and any other spot where they made contact with him, but they still held on. Magellan growled and the poison around him shifted to his manticore armor, effectively coating the changelings and sending them to the ground. His attention then went to Ivankov.

“Inazuma!” Iva called out. Behind him, Inazuma turned his muzzle into a massive pair of scissors far larger than the ones he’d previously used. He gave a simple nod and extended the sharp blades out so that they cut into both sides of the stairwell. He took off, creating two massive gashes where his blades met stone. Soon, the entire structure was cut so that it resembled a giant spring. There was a small tremor and it folded in on itself just like paper.

“Buy all the time you want, Straw Hat will not escape,” said Magellan.

“Who said I was buying time?” Iva put a hoof out in front of himself and jettisoned himself at Magellan. He angled his horn and aimed it right at Magellan’s chest. “Don’t be so sure you can beat me!”

~~~

Empty cells filled Luffy’s vision. An odd silence punctuated only by the sound of hooves against the floor filled Level Two. “Where is everyone?”

“It is odd,” Jinbei commented. “I noticed a few poisoned prisoners, but they can’t be all that was on Level Two.”

A shape zoomed out from one of the darkened areas the Level and came to Luffy and Jinbei’s side. Trixie swept her mane away from her eyes and unleashed a held breath. “They aren’t.”

“Hey!” Bon spun forward and jammed his face next to Trixie’s. “How’d you get all the way back up here?”

“Luck,” Trixie huffed and tipped her nose up. “And it was only through Trixie’s good sense to know an air purification spell that anypony here survived and what do they do when Trixie was tired from using that spell for so long? Abandon her!”

“You mean like you did?” Bon said with a drawn out frown.

“We had a clash of differences! You wanted to save Straw Hat and Trixie wanted to escape!”

“All that matters is getting away,” Jinbei interjected. Trixie and Bon nodded and rushed onward to Level One.

~~~

Inazuma waited back at the now-ruined path to Level Three. He’d shooed off the other prisoners and was now alone. A sharp series of cracks drew his attention. He cautiously moved over to the noise. A clear deformation in the ground was forming, rising higher and higher. “Iva...”

A hydra head shot out and devoured Inazuma. Magellan stepped out from his newly created exit and watched Inazuma’s limp form collapse to the ground. “This has gone far enough.”

The hydra head sunk back to Magellan and disappeared into a blob of poison on his back. The blob expanded out and away from Magellan, covering every inch of the floor and walls around him. It lost its transparency and gained what appeared to be multiple sets eyes everywhere and deformed holes that resembled horrifically mutilated mouths. It surged forward, devastating everything in its wake, melting stone, iron, and anything else unfortunate to get in its path. More and more of the corrosive substance spilled into the Level with Magellan at the center of it. “Smooze Poison.”

Light At The End Of The Tunnel And The Sea Beyond!

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Level One

“Crap! Crap! Crap!” Buggy cursed. Prisoners flew in all directions around him like ragdolls. He galloped at top speed since no one could carry his hooves at the moment despite Mr. 3 running right next to him. Their course had taken a harsh one-eighty away from the final exit and back into Impel Down’s depths. “We were so close!”

“I know but...” Mr. 3 glanced back. A cloud of dust partially obscured the carnage, but allowed the upper bodies of all four Jailer Beasts to be seen. Stone Wall, clad in bandages here and there, led the vicious assault and mowed through prisoners with his club. The other Beasts were slow and their legs shook every few feet, but they nevertheless carved a swath through the prisoners and scattered their escape attempt. Mr. 3 gulped and spun his head around, only to smack into Buggy, who had in turned smacked into another pony. “Hey! Can’t you see the Jailer Beasts are co—”

Mr. 3 swallowed his words at the sight of the golden hook attached to the pony’s leg. His eyes dared to wander up and took in the line of stitches across the pony’s face that rested below freezing cold eyes. “C-crocodile!”

“What?” Buggy screeched. He scuttled away to put some distance between himself and Crocodile. “Why’s he out?”

Crocodile ignored Buggy and looked down his muzzle at Mr. 3. “What’s a piece of crap like you doing here?”

“Ah... ah...” Mr. 3 choked.

“Captain Buggy!” a prisoner called out. Buggy and Mr. 3 expelled their breaths when Crocodile turned away from them. Their mouths both dropped at the sight of all four Jailer Beasts piled atop one another and not moving. Changelings covered them, but it was easy to see a few swollen areas on their bodies where massive blunt trauma had been applied. Two figures, a tan pegasus in a straw hat and a large blue fish/pony hybrid stood over the scene. “These guys took out the Beasts like it was nothing!”

Luffy flexed his wings back to his sides and turned around to smile at Buggy and Mr. 3. “Oh, glad you guys didn’t die.”

Before the guilt could smack Buggy and Mr. 3 in the face, an actual hoof did. The blows sent them to the ground with Trixie looming over them. She raised up her front hooves and trodded over them. “This is for abandoning me!”

“Us too!” Bon flew out of nowhere and landed swift kicks to the sides of Buggy and Mr. 3’s faces that Trixie hadn’t slapped.

A rumble went through the Level. Luffy blinked and turned his head over to the entrance to Level Two. Shadows convulsed across the walls of the stairwell but quickly turned three dimensional and purple. A thick sludge exploded out of the doorway and surged through the Level. Prisoners didn’t have time to scream before the substance washed over them. Any rubble left in the way was quickly covered in the gunk and melted away into nothing. The front of it bubbled up and Magellan popped out to its head. “Straw Hat!”

“Run!” Mr. 2 screamed.

Nearby, Chrysalis and her hive took the air and buzzed at full speed, yet some drones in the back were still swallowed Magellan’s flood of poison. A few changelings at Chrysalis’s sides looked at her and them back at Magellan. She reached out with a hoof and grabbed the nearest one. “Don’t waste that love I gave you on this.”

“But he will not stop, your highness,” a changeling replied. “We must slow him.”

“No!” Chrysalis barked, but it was too late and a large chunk of the hive encased themselves in goo and launched themselves at Magellan. A few of them managed to get past the acidic slime and slammed into Magellan. He gave a grunt when the attacks hit his barrel and limbs, but it only stopped him for a few seconds. Any changelings that made it to him soon succumbed to the poison and sunk into Magellan’s attack.

“Fools!” Chrysalis hissed. She glared at the remaining changelings and lit up her horn. A spasm of pain went through them, but not enough to send them to the ground. “I’ll drain whatever is left of the love I gave you if any of you try that again! Now, retreat!”

The corrosive wall continued to gain on the escape party. Mr. 3’s breath quickly turned ragged and his speed plummeted. He spun around and planted his hooves in the ground. “Enough! I got us past your stupid poison block in Level Two, so I’ll seal you off here! Candle Wall!”

A deluge a liquid wax poured out of Mr. 3’s hooves and shot up all the way to the ceiling. Magellan’s attack sloshed against the wall, but didn’t instantly disintegrate it. Mr. 3 held his breath as Magellan himself raced over as the wax continued to climb. He closed his eyes as Magellan got within striking distance with his horns, but the attack only met a hard wall of wax. When Mr. 3 dared to open his eyes, the sight before him was of a massive block of wax that bisected Level One. He raised his forelegs to the air and shouted, “Haha! I did it! I stopped him!”

“You stopped nothing!” Magellan roared. Behind Mr. 3, the white wax distorted and sections of it putrefied. Gas hissed off of it as more and more of the haphazard structure dissolved. The toxic substance seeped through the cracks and again spilled over the floor.

Magellan’s head busted through the defense. By now, Mr. 3 had taken a good number of steps away from the wall. Magellan grunted and more wax dissolved around him, but not enough for him or his attack to fully get through. “Smooze is my most dangerous poison. Impel Down is in danger of destruction as long as I use it, but it will end this escape of yours!”

~~~

“Those bastards,” Crocodile cursed. The planks beneath his hooves swayed back and forth slightly. The foggy sea was spread out in front of him, Mr. 1, Buggy, Chrysalis, Jinbei, and a collection of the faster prisoners. It was just the sea, not a single ship listed in Impel Down’s small dock.

“No!” Buggy buried his front hooves in his face and moaned into the sky. “So close!”

Chrysalis looked at the changelings that had followed her and sunk a fang into her lips, drawing ichor. “Too far to fly on our supplies.”

Jinbei breathed in the briny air and savored the salty smell. His eyes sharpened and spotted the shadows of sails in the distance. He trotted over to the gate he’d just run out of and clasped one of its large doors with his mouth. To prisoners’ gasps and awes, he grunted and tore the door out of the stone wall, hinges and all, and then chucked it into the sea. “I’ll get the ship, but some help would be obliged.”

He jumped into the water and sunk under the floating door. Crocodile, Mr. 1, Chrysalis, and Buggy hopped on without hesitation. Jinbei positioned himself so that his lower back and head propped up the door. “That should be good.”

Suckers! Buggy thought. Anything is better than facing Magellan.

The makeshift raft and its occupants disappeared in an explosion of water that soaked everyone that had made it to the exit. When the waves generated by the burst receded, the raft was already vanishing into the nearby fog where all the shadows were.

The distinctive whiz of a cannonball cut through the air. The raft swerved the right seconds before the sea close to explode from the ball’s impact. Above the raft, the armada of ships was now in full view and so were all the weapons aimed at Jinbei’s group. Waves of cannonballs crashed down from warships, but Jinbei’s adroit movements kept the raft in one piece.

“Pests.” Chrysalis spread out her wings and flew to the nearest ship. The cannonballs stopped and screams drifted through the fog.

“Looks like that’s our ship.” Jinbei sunk below the water and the raft leveled out.

“Hey!” Buggy stomped a hoof to the wooden boards, much to Mr. 1 and Crocodile’s annoyance. “Don’t just leave us here! Those ships still have their gu—”

“Fishman Karate, Water Heart!” A torrent of water sprouted up from under the raft and launched it high into the air. Jinbei was connected to the end of it and whipped his hooves and tail through the water like it fabric at his disposal to shape. The water serpent continued along Jinbei’s itinerary and crashed into the ship Chrysalis had landed on.

Crocodile jumped away before any water could splash onto him and sent out a sand wing that mummified a group of nearby marines. Mr. 1 wasted no time either and first cut some nearby marines’ weapons and then sliced their holders. Chrysalis wasn’t in view, but two identical yellow ponies yelling for troops to attack the other one caused confusion among the crew. Buggy coughed up some sea water and shook off his coat.

Their fighting came to a halt when a spear of water shot out of the sea and pierced through part of the ship’s cabin like butter. A gaspipe or gunpowder was struck with enough friction that it fireball issued forth from the cabins and took out a good portion of them. The rest of the ship groaned from the explosion but stayed aloft.

“Hmm, we were supposed to steal that ship,” Jinbei lamented as he lowered his tail. “Best take some precautions.”

~~~

The smooze strained against a paper-thin blue barrier of magic that reinforced Mr. 3’s crumbling wall. Trixie gasped for breath and closed her eyes in concentration. Magellan rammed his head against her magic and it shuddered and flickered. Trixie’s head snapped backwards and the whole thing shattered into ethereal splitters that evaporated into nothing. The backlash sent Trixie flying next to Luffy.

Luffy bent down and hefted Trixie onto his back. Behind him, Magellan and the smooze oozed forward with nothing to impede them anymore. Mr. 3 shot his hooves down and pillars of wax popped up across the floor; anything to delay Magellan.

“This isn’t going to hold him!” he yelped. Up ahead, the dim light of day spilled in through the prison’s entrance. “The exit!”

Smooze lapped at everyone’s hooves and dragged many prisoners to their doom. Its false eyes swiveled in all directions, as if everything was a target.

“Oi!” Luffy called out to Mr. 3. “I need you to make another wall!”

“I don’t have time!” Mr. 3 replied.

“Just make the biggest thing you can!” Luffy chomped down on his hoof and blew into it. At the same time, Mr. 3 gulped and summoned as much wax as he could with Magellan just a few yards away. Luffy’s right hindleg ballooned in size and he careened it into the wax sculpture. “Gum-Gum Giant Buck!”

The wall pushed against Magellan. Gas spewed out of it and Magellan grunted under its weight. His hooves dug into the ground and the smooze’s eyes sharpened and both he and his creation drove all their power at the wall, but the effort failed and they were hurtled back a few feet.

Luffy’s form shrank and he darted away from the scene before he could admire delaying Magellan. He and the rest of the prisoners stopped when the ground in front of them rose up like dough. The bulge cracked open and Iva’s battered form along with Inazuma’s flopped onto the floor. “Iva?”

“Straw Boy? I don’t remember turning you into a ki—” Iva stopped when Luffy’s form reinflated back to its normal size. His eyes partially rolled to the back of his head “Oh, I think this day has been a bit much.”

Magellan raced at them once more and the smooze was even faster. Dash shouted through the stone, “Run, you idiot! Fly! Do something!”

“That’s it!” Luffy bit down on his hoof again, but this time, his wings expanded until they reached both sides of Level One. Luffy strained to keep them upright. “Everyone, get on! Iva, do that wink thing! Do it now!”

“Okay. Hell...” All the prisoner clasped onto Luffy’s wings as tightly as they could. Magellan coalesced the smooze so that it rolled upwards into a devastating wave. It crashed down just as Iva closed his eye. “... Wink!”

Iva, Luffy, and all the prisoners blasted off into the air and out into the sea around Impel Down. Victorious cheers and cries went up over escaping Magellan, then quickly turned into concerned mutters about the ocean below. Luffy and Iva turned white at sight of the blue stretched out before them.

“This might be bad,” said Luffy as he canceled Gear Three and shrunk again.

“Well, we still ticked off Magellan and technically escaped Impel Down,” Iva sighed. The cold water splashed against him and he, along with the prisoners, braced for the chill and the prospect of drowning. Yet, only a slight wetness no worse than a damp coat afflicted them. The sea had became a smooth rubbery substance with a blue and white polkadot coloration. An ethereal nautical sound filled the air. “Huh?”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy cooed through Luffy’s stone. “I heard that noise, but I can’t believe it.”

Fins and tails flipped through the water around the prisoners. The “sea” they’d fallen on was actually the backs of multiple, wide grinned whale sharks. They kept together like a carpet and transported the group all the way over to the ship.

“I never knew whale sharks were that friendly,” Fluttershy gushed. Luffy returned to normal size, smiled, and climbed up onto the ship the whales had carried him too. “I mean, I read they’re very nice creatures, but they’re so big... and sharks.”

“Glad they saved us though,” said Luffy. He swung his legs over the edge of the ship and planted his legs on the deck. “It was pretty nice of them.”

“Indeed.” Jinbei trotted over and looked down at the school of whales congregated below. All the prisoners had gotten off them now, but they kept their faces pointed at Jinbei. A series of high pitched squeaks came out Jinbei’s mouth and the whales responded with their own squeeks. “They have my thanks for going into such dangerous waters.”

Fluttershy gasped. “You can talk to them!”

“It is nothing Miss...” Jinbei tilted his head around and looked at Luffy. “Uh, who exactly was that?”

Luffy tapped on the now-yellow stone on his leg. “A friend, kind of a wuss though.”

“N-nice to meet you M-mr. Fishpony, sir,” Fluttershy stuttered.

“An honor.” A cannonball rushed through the air, but Jinbei kicked out a leg and it harmlessly crashed into the sea. He spun around and took hold of the ship’s wheel. “But the pleasantries can wait, we’re not out quite yet.”

“Please,” Chrysalis huffed. Her eyes went over the changelings that had made it to the ship. With a slight movement of her head, a party of them went into the air each of them zipped over to one of the nearby ships. Gunfire still surrounded the area, but the shots soon went in random directions. “They’ll be too confused over who is who to fight us.”

Crocodile raised his hook and pointed at a titanic shape: The Gates of Justice. “There’s still that.”

Buggy spewed out some water from his mouth at the sight. “Ah! We’re gonna cras—”

The groan of massive gears silenced Buggy. Above him, the Gates shuddered and the waters around them churned and clashed in a chaotic brew. In relative terms, the gap that opened up was small, but it was enough for the commandeered ship to squeeze through. Luffy’s smile widened. “That sure is lucky.”

Jinbei’s face turned down in a mirror version of Luffy’s happy expression. He reached into his mane and produced a small dendenmushi. “About that...”

~~~

Magellan watched the sea battle unfold from Impel Down’s exit. When the Gates opened his clenched his teeth and darted back into the prison and made a beeline for the control room. He barged in and was met with the sight of himself lording over the few remaining guards. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Oh dear...” said the second Magellan. His eyes went over to a screen that showed the stolen boat’s stern disappearing past the Gates. He smirked as his form was consumed in green flames, leaving a changeling in his place. “Looks like I fooled you again!”

~~~

“We have to go back and get him!” Fluttershy shouted.

“Yeah!” Luffy yelled. Already, the Gates were shrinking behind them and the tiny exit was closing.

“Don’t be a fool!” Jinbei retorted. “Someone had to stay behind and open the Gates. Your friend knew he’d be the perfect one to fool the guards and willingly sacrificed himself so that we could escape. You would invalidate his work and everything you’ve gone though?”

“But Bon’s my friend!” Luffy replied.

“Then let him know that.” Jinbei held out the dendenmushi to him. “Here, the signal won’t last long.”

“Ugh, this is sickening,” Chrysalis muttered.

Luffy gently took the receiver. “Bon? Bon, can you hear me?”

Back at Impel Down, a similar snail repeated Luffy’s question to the control room. Bon’s eyes veered away from Magellan and he sucked in his breath.

“Bon! Why’d you do it? This is just like last time!” Luffy berated. Droplets of water formed in the corner of Bon’s eyes. “Bon, the gate’s about to close! I just want to say... thank you!”

Tears fell, unstopped, out of Bon’s eyes. He bit his lip in heartbreak and sobbed a couple of times. The snail’s eyes began to close. He sniffled and shoved his face next to the snail. “Go save you brother! I know y—”

Whatever else Bon had to say was cut off when the Gates closed. Luffy set the snail down and stared at it for a second before tears spilled down his face. A few of the prisoners nearby who had heard the whole thing sniffled too. Fluttershy’s sobs could be heard from the stone. “Bon!”

Chrysalis went onto her haunches and raised and hoof to her mouth. Her chitin gained a sickening yellow sheen that concentrated around her cheeks and the tip of her horn. The few changelings that had survived through Impel Down and made it to the ship collapsed onto the deck and clutched their stomachs, all a similar color as their queen. ”No... not again.”

Crocodile’s mouth kept the same stiff expression, but his eyes briefly lit up at Chrysalis’s condition.

~~~

The tears were now gone from Bon’s face. He gave a maddened grin that showed off his fangs to Magellan. His wings shot out and he readied himself.

Magellan sent out a wing and constricted a massive amount of poison around it. It gained a blade-like edge and vicious fumes that stung Bon’s eyes even at a distance. “Any last words?”

“Satisfaction,” Bon replied.

~~~

A loud snap echoed throughout Level Four. Shiryu wrapped his serpentine form around a nearby fence that leaned over the boiling lake and took a puff from his cigar. He blew out the smoke and created some weapons and a skull with it. “You’d be dead if I hadn’t shown up, you know.”

“Zehahah!” Blackbeard cackled. “Getting you on our side really did turn out for the best. Zehahaha!”

Impel Down Escape Account

Successful Prisoner Escapes: 241

Successful Equestria Political Detainee Escapes: 23

Time Until Ace’s Execution: Four Hours

Warrior of the Dawn: Lords of War

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Turning back the clock to a day ago...

The figure at the edge of the harbor loomed over a collection of marines. Lanky was an apt description for him with his elongated limbs and extended torso. His puffy black hair was held in place by a strap that connected to an eye rest which was currently in use. The rhythmic rise and fall of his his chest confirmed the the rest’s owner was indeed asleep, yet he stood tall like a tree. The white jacket with its yellow epaulettes draped over his shoulder like a cape was the only indication that the scene wasn’t meant as a joke. The rest of the man’s devastating power was hidden away under a yellow tie and formal wear.

Celestia stood a few feet away, staring up at the sleeping man. She kept her eyes on him but directed a question to Momonga. “Is he going to awaken or are we to stand here?”

“Huh?” the sleeping man yawned. He lifted up the rest and rubbed his right eye. Once the sleep was cleared away, he realized there were people— in a loose sense of the word— in front of him. “Oh, sorry, I fell asleep waiting.”

His apology came out slowly and in a deep voice that carried his sloth on it. He extended out his right hand to Celestia. “Warlord Celestia, Admiral Aokiji.”

Celestia grasped Aokiji’s hand and gave it a shake. “An honor.”

“Well…” Aokiji mechanically spun himself around and methodically walked in the direction of the large structure that rose above the crescent bay Celestia had docked in. A massive cube-like building formed the foundation of it with the characters for “Justice” and the sigil of the marines scrawled across it. Above that, the structure got smaller with each successive level. The three topmost levels had curved, tiled roofs that crested at their corners like eternally frozen waves. “... we should be on our way. The other Warlords have already arrived.”

Aokiji’s walking pattern was akin to a lumber, yet he and Celestia made good time to the foot of Navy Headquarters. Hundreds of buildings that housed countless marines were squished around the edge of Headquarters, but none of them rose higher than the protective walls with the massive characters written across them.

The entire short journey was made in silence, not just from Celestia and Aokiji, but the entire island. Not a soul but the ones on Momonga’s ship, the marines in Aokiji’s attache, and Aokiji and Celestia themselves was seen. It left an uncomfortable feeling in Celestia’s gut.

As they entered a lit hallway at the base of the wall, Celestia chose to speak. “The tension here is palpable.”

“We are dealing with Whitebeard,” Aokiji replied. “I’d be worried if there wasn’t tension in the air.”

“It just seems unnecessary,” Celestia implored. “Why open yourselves to an attack at your headquarters? Surely a smaller execution for Fire-Fist would suffice.” And reduce casualties if Straw Hat fails.

“I suppose,” Aokiji sighed, “but Whitebeard would still unleash his wrath upon us. He’s not one to attack civilians, but inexperienced Marines would be at his mercy for the rest of his days if we didn’t face him here. It’s a pain, but our hands are tied… Blackbeard really threw us into a mess with all of this.”

“Yes…” Celestia lowered her head in thought. “He did.”

They quickly made their way through Headquarter’s multiple levels and came to a stop at a sliding door. Raucous sounds came from the other side. The change from the isolated nature caused Celestia’s ears to slightly twitch. Aokiji stepped forward and grasped the door. “The trip was probably a long one. Feel free to rest in here and have some refreshments before the briefing.”

Celestia stepped into the room, which was now even louder without the door as a shield. Aokiji didn’t follow and bowed out. Five people were seated at a long table that was stacked with plates of food.

“Sit” was a broad term to use for the way one of them was positioned. He was perched atop the back of his chair with his feet resting on top of the table. A devious grin stretched to each edge of his curved sunglasses, possibly caused by whatever he had read in the newspaper in his right hand. He gave it a slap with his left hand, which caused his pink boa to shift a little.

Two of the other people at the table sat normally, but their immense size made everything around them look like it was made for children. One had a blocky build and didn’t move an inch, while the other had a pear-shaped body. In addition, the latter had bandages wrapped around part of his head, over what appeared to be horns, and a few could be spotted underneath his black jacket and fluffy cravat. The ghastly stitches that ran from his purple hairline to below his clothes completed his ghoulish look. He shoveled food into his mouth and stood out far more than the other giant, who could have passed for a statue.

The fourth member was about half the size of the larger members, but easily the loudest of the bunch. He slobbered over his food and scarfed down whole pies like they were candy. Crumbs lodged themselves into his scraggly beard. The spectacle killed most of Celestia's appetite.

Finally, there was a normal sized individual leaning back in his chair. His feet were propped up against the table and his hands joined across his bare chest a little below a cross-shaped pendant. A large-rimmed hat obscured his piercing eyes from Celestia’s view, but the massive black sword that rested against his chair was enough of an indication of who he was. Celestia chose to pull up a seat next to him.

“Greetings, Mihawk,” she said.

Mihawk tipped up his head and met Celestia with his distinct eyes. “Celestia.”

Celestia took in the scene around her while she reached out for a cup and a kettle of tea. While she poured her drink, she said, “It appears I’m the last to arrive.”

“It’s an improvement to have someone capable of actual speech,” Mihawk replied. He eyed Blackbeard for a moment, but he was too busy using the tablecloth as a napkin to notice. “And table manners.”

“I’m assuming he’s Blackbeard.” A shiver went through Celestia and her skin prickled. She instinctively sent up a small barrier around herself which briefly lit up when something tried to intrude on her personal space.

“Interesting guy,” Doflamingo snickered, having apparently teleported from his own seat to behind Celestia. She kept her barrier up, but used her hand to shove him away. He still continued to grin. “All of this is.”

“I’d prefer if you kept to your own space, Doflamingo,” Celestia muttered. The prickliness in her skin hadn’t faded away even though there was no way for Doflamingo to touch her. “I don’t see what is so interesting about carnage of this scale. At least the marines know none of this will be pretty.”

“She’s right,” Moria grumbled. He set down his utensils and leaned across the table. An unnerving grin appeared on his lips. “War means corpses after all.”

Mihawk glared at Moria and Doflamingo. “You’re both annoying me.”

Moria clenched his jaw and retreated back to his food. Doflamingo overdramatically raised his arms to the sky and then went back to his chair while proclaiming, “Fine. Fine. I get a show no matter what.”

Blackbeard raised a tankard of ale. “Aye! Zehahaha!”

Celestia picked up her cup and took a long sip from it. The tea gave a brief moment of tranquility and was quite a smooth blend. Mihawk took note of her ability to screen out the rest of the room and poured a cup for himself.

After some time had passed, the doors opened again. In stepped a man whose jacket with tassels that reached to his elbows, the red sash across his chest, and the numerous badges and medals attached to it commanded more respect than even Aokiji’s attire. The image was slightly tarnished by the fake seagull perched atop his hat, but the sharpness of his eyes and the rigid line his lips formed above his lengthy braided beard helped balance out his look.

“Warlords,” said Sengoku. “I wish I had summoned you here under better conditions, but if that was the case, your services wouldn’t be necessary.”

Sengoku made his way to the front of the table where there was an empty seat, but chose to remain standing. “As you know, Portgas D. Ace was captured by you fellow Warlord, Blackbeard, and will face execution tomorrow afternoon. Already, Whitebeard has gathered his forces and could attack at any moment.”

He shot his hand down onto the table and the whole thing shook. “He will not stop us though. In addition to your own formidable powers, the top brass of the marines have come to Marineford and are now in a state of high alert. Right now, our consolidated strength could wipe out at least ten medium sized islands.”

“All for a single man,” Blackbeard chuckled.

“I would expect you of all people to know Whitebeard’s power,” Sengoku seethed. “You watch yourself on the battlefield Teech. I doubt Whitebeard or his men will pass you up for the crimes you’ve committed against them.”

“Crimes?” Blackbeard innocently asked. “Isn’t capturing pirates and executing them what the Marines do all the time? Eh, what am I saying, I know who to look out for.”

“Good, because most of your intel was useless too!” Sengoku produced a stack of papers and threw them at Blackbeard. Doflamingo snickered at the exchange. “Our surveillance has more information than you.” He reached down and produced five manilla folders that he slid across the table to the other Warlords. “Inside, you’ll find information on nearly every member of Whitebeard’s crew. Special attention has been given to those with Devil Fruit abilities. Our plan entailing a direct confrontation with Whitebeard is behind the profiles. However, given your status, not all of the strategy has been provided to you.”

“How are we to know if we’re not going against the plan then?” asked Celestia.

“It’s highly unlikely you could unless you purposely went against us. As you’ll see from what’s been given to you, the classified parts are more specifics than anything else. They’re withheld for no reason other than security of information which will become clear when the battle occurs.”

Hopefully, it will be nothing I’ll ever have to see, thought Celestia.

~~~

The light of dusk streamed into the Warlord’s briefing room. Sengoku left as soon as he was content with the briefing. Blackbeard was the first of the Warlords to lumber out, murmuring about finding something to drink. Moria soon followed and sunk into wherever the marines had provided him for sleep. Mihawk gave the remaining Warlords a small nod of his head and slipped away to his lodgings. Kuma squeezed through the door and silently vanished into Marineford’s inner workings. Doflamingo strutted out like he was modeling his outfit with the same grin he’d had since Celestia had arrived.

Celestia lingered a few seconds longer both to distance herself and admire the sunset. Luna would be directing Equestria’s illusionary sun downward right now. She sighed, gave the scene one last look, and left for her room.

The directions Sengoku had provided said that her room was located relatively close to the briefing room. A couple of turns down Headquarter’s winding halls and Celestia found herself at what should have been the right location. She reached out to clasp the knob in front of her, but stopped when a large gloved hand wrapped around her left shoulder.

She spun around and put up a forcefield at the same time. However, the spell failed to fling off the hand and instead pressed down hard on Celestia’s shoulder. She canceled the spell and readied a different one but paused when she saw who her assailant was.

Kuma stood over her with the same neutral expression he’d held at the meeting. His mouth opened and his voice played out of it, even though his jaw remained stationary. “Apologies if this meeting with you is informal, Princess Celestia.”

“How do you kn—”

“I’d have preferred to have done this in person,” Kuma’s voice continued, “but circumstances have pushed up my mechanization schedule, so this message has been made to fulfill that role. I don’t have time to explain everything, but I shall try my best.”

What in Equestria is going on? From the sound of things, Kuma had made the recording knowing her true identity. That raised enough questions on its own, but right now the discrepancy between Kuma’s message and the cold way he was grabbing her was the biggest puzzle.

“I’m assuming our meeting is at Marineford close to Portgas D. Ace’s execution. That is not relevant right now. My main concern lies with Straw Hat Luffy.”

Straw Hat? Celestia almost said it aloud, but there was no point asking a recording.

“I’ve scattered Straw Hat Luffy and his companions in the hopes of saving them from destruction at the marine’s hands. He should already be in your kingdom by the time of this message’s recording. I know your history with humans is touchy, but I humbly ask that you assist him in mastery of haki. If you refuse, please direct him back to Silvers Rayleigh on the Shabondy Archipelago once this war is over. Straw Hat will most likely want to go back to the Archipelago anyway.”

Kuma’s voice stopped and he shut his mouth again. He released Celestia and began to walk away.

“Wait,” Celestia called out. “You can’t expect to give me such a request and not explain things. You know far too much, even for a Warlord. I demand some sort of explanation.”

Kuma’s form vanished in response. Celestia shook her head and placed a hand to her left temple. She opened the door to her room and collapsed on the bed inside. She replayed the “conversation” and pieced it together with everything else.

Kuma purposely sent Straw Hat to Equestria, for haki training no less. That requires explicit knowledge of me and Equestria, but that shouldn’t be possible. Straw Hat was the first human to breach Equestria in decades. This whole thing is mysteries and no answers.

With a sigh, Celestia summoned her magic and put an invisible lock on the door. Between Impel Down, the briefing, and Kuma’s revelation, all her energy had been drained. She used her unnatural hands to pull herself under the bed’s covers and felt the sheets contort around her human frame. Her clothes were just an illusionary extension of her body so there was no need to remove them. She pressed her head against the pillow and drifted off to sleep amidst the unknown waters she had waded into.

~~~

The small creak of a window sent Celestia straight up. She raised her right hand and aimed it at the sound’s direction. A shadow was perched atop the windowsill, but the way it was propped up and the distinctive contours of its boa made Celestia scowl.

“Doflamingo, get out.”

“Hey, hey, I’m having trouble sleeping is all,” he chuckled.

“Perhaps you should be out drinking with Blackbeard then. The gutter is a perfect place for you.”

“Eh...” Doflamingo lept off the windowsill and fully entered Celestia’s room, but took care not to take a step further into it. “The gutter is a horrible place for things like us. Crappy view of the world from there.”

A faint golden glow swirled around Celestia’s hand. “Don’t lump me in with you. Now, don’t make me ask again. Leave.”

“Sheesh.” Doflamingo shrugged his shoulders and lept back to his original perch. “Ya know, I always was curious what Devil Fruit you ate but now I find out you’re something much more int—”

“Leave!” Celestia unleashed the magic built up in her hand and sent a blast of pressure at Doflamingo. All that was left after the attack was a busted window.

Celestia moved to the edge of the bed. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and a tremor ran through her body. Dammit, does everyone here know me?

She realized sleep would not be coming back to her, so she stared out the busted window. The sea beyond Marineford rippled with tiny waves, small enough that the sinking moon was able to reflect off of them. I should inform Luna of my findings.

A piece of parchment and an inked quill materialized from Celestia’s hands. She moved them over to the small desk provided for her and jotted down the day’s events. When it was finished, she made the quill dissipate and enwrapped the letter in her magic. “Luna…”

The letter vanished in a flash of gold. Outside, night’s darkness was beginning to give way to the grey-blue tinge of dawn. The sun wouldn’t be far behind. Celestia stood over the ruined window and stared out over the ocean.

The back of her dress ruffled and flowed outwards. The lowest parts of it attached to Celestia’s spine while the edges of it bent into their original shape of hollow bones, flesh, and feathers. When the partial transformation was complete, she took to the air and fluttered out her window.

A cool breeze blew through Marineford. Below, Celestia could see a few lights sprinkled throughout the island. They didn’t matter much to her and she rose to the top of Headquarters. Atop its highest roof, she swept down and reverted her wings back to a dress. The view was quite grand with the first rays of sunlight hitting the roof and basking it in a rosy light.

“Feels surreal, doesn’t it?” a voice asked. Celestia spun in its direction and was met with the slumped form of a bulky man. Even in the early light, his tanned skin from years at sea, scruffy beard, and the scar that circled around his left eye were easy to make out. His back was arched in a way that made it seem that some great invisible stone rested on his back.

“Vice-Admiral Garp.” Celestia’s dress shifted to cling to her frame in place of adjusting it to make siting easier. She kept some distance from Garp, but didn’t put up a forcefield. If stories were true, he was a monster on the battlefield, but his appearances at Marineford often led to Sengoku berating him. The routine occasionally had got a silent chuckle out of Celestia, not that she’d ever let it be known publicly. “I didn’t expect to see anyone else up here.”

“It’s a nice place for a nap.” A smile crossed Garp’s face. “Plus Sengoku hates me coming up here. Bahahaha!”

“You seem in high spirits.”

“Do I now?” Garp turned his sights to the sea. “I always laughed when I’d run into Roger. Some things never change. Heh, listen to an old man remember his glory days.”

“Garp, you know as well as I do that your ‘seniority’ is fleeting next to mine.”

“I suppose, Princess,” he sighed deeply. “Ya know, Sengoku let me look through some of the files on your kingdom. Thought I’d be a good envoy in emergencies threatening your land. Between you and Jinbei, it feels like we’re bringing torches to all the wrong bridges.”

“The waves from this war could rock both our kingdoms, but in different ways. We’ve taken our sides and now face this day.” If only the marines were also on his side.

“Yes… yes, we have.” Garp’s attention stayed focussed on the sea, but its intensity made it seem like he was looking beyond it. Whatever it was was far beneath the waves and unseeable to Celestia. He pushed off the roof and brushed off his white pants and jacket. “I’d best grab some breakfast. Care to come along? I hear they have bacon today!”

A previous meeting came to the forefront of Celestia’s mind. It was an infamous one in her memory from the sheer levels of Sengoku’s irritation. It was the second time Straw Hat had been brought up in conversation. The first time was a much more secretive affair heard only amongst herself, Kuma, Mihawk, Doflamingo, and Sengoku. Instead of pulverizing a Warlord, Straw Hat had pummeled an entire island.

Back then Celestia had innerly delighted at the stress Straw Hat had caused the marines. In reflection, the damage to property and lives was likely immense and the chaos is caused secretly added to her inner turmoil.

After captured images of Enies Lobby were shown, raised bounties on Straw Hat’s crew were released and spread amongst everyone in attendance. A few eyes lit up at the new numbers, but were crushed with Sengoku’s final proclamation that Garp had been sent out to deal with Straw Hat. Those once expecting to claim the bounty sighed in defeat while other officers whispered how Straw Hat was done for.

Sengoku then added one additional bit of information: Garp was likely to fail. A roar went up and a swarm of questions bombarded Sengoku, which he silenced with a call for order. Just when the climate in the room calmed down, he revealed Garp’s family tree and the room exploded. Even Celestia couldn’t help but guffaw at the fact that the living legend of the marines was a grandfather of such a notorious pirate. It felt as plausible as a hereditary tie to Discord for Celestia.

Now armed with a personal knowledge of Straw Hat, Celestia politely declined the offer. If Garp had passed even a single gene down to Straw Hat, the chance of them both having the same ravenous hunger was too much for Celestia to stand at the moment. Garp shrugged and climbed his way down while Celestia flew back to her room.

However, Celestia paused mid-flight when the rest of the meeting’s details came to her. Her eye’s widened and her gut clenched. Oh my stars, Fire Fist is also his grandson.

The sky grew brighter every second, it was looking more and more like it would be a clear day. The bay was stretched out below Celestia and ships calmly listed in it. This is madness.

~~~

Spike’s snores reverberated off the walls of Twilight’s guest room in Canterlot. He nuzzled his snout into a pillow and peacefully slumbered. A buildup of a bubbling sensation in his throat ended his dreams. He lazily raised his head and belched.

A letter flared out of his mouth and rolled across the floor. He rubbed his eyes and lumbered over to the piece of parchment. He slowly unrolled it and began to read:

Spike,

This is a very important and personal letter for Luna. Please deliver it to her immediately.-Celestia

Spike stopped reading the letter and darted out of the room. There were hundreds of doors in the castle, but Twilight had said they’d be in Luna’s room. Spike speed down the halls until they gained a gothic architecture, but kept the raised windows that currently allowed moonlight to coat the floors.

An echo of multiple voices filled Luna’s section of the castle, but they were too far away to make out clearly. Spike lifted his ears to the noise and ran off in the direction it sounded loudest from. The voices grew more clear and Spike’s hearing gravitated to Twilight’s. He came to a stop in front of two large wooden doors and pushed one of them up. “Twilight, Princess Celestia just sent me a letter and I ne—”

“You can do it, Straw Hat!” Twilight shouted into a large tan-colored stone.

“Yeah! Woohoo!” Pinkie cheered. “Show that poison who’s boss!”

“Don’t give up!” Luna’s voice rumbled.

Spike gave himself a light slap in the face and then carefully paced backward. “I’ll, uh, come back when things are normal.”

Warrior of the Dawn: Inevitability

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Before the sun fully cleared the horizon, a platoon of marines spilled into Marinford’s plaza. They swarmed around the wooden scaffold that jutted up like a mismatched peg against the rest of the rocky island. Some of them carried chairs while others climbed atop the structure and clasped and struck its joints to check its stability.

More marines spilled out from the “town” around the main building of Headquarters. They kept to regimented lines, forming intricate designs across Marineford. Some disappeared onto warships while others went to the bay’s outcroppings and manned the cannons. Still others took up various positions elsewhere, filling every tactical spot with at least one soldier.

It looked like a massive movement of white ants to Celestia. When the sun was a full orb, the warships spilled out of the bay like hornets whose nest had been disturbed. The display both held her interest and sent a chill through her. Nothing could stop this.

A glint caught her eye, but it came from her right rather than from the sun. A beam shot into her room, followed by another, and then a whole swarm of visible light. It coalesced into a stalky human form that quickly dimmed, giving it features.

The man the light had formed rubbed his chin. He bent over slightly and inspected the window Celestia had ruined. “Hopefully this will be the only damage up here.”

“You can blame Doflamingo for that, Admiral Kizaru,” said Celestia.

“I suppose.” Kizaru stood tall once more and straightened his sunglasses. “The Fleet-Admiral would like to see you in the briefing room.”

“Will Garp be there?”

“No clue.” Without a further word, Kizaru’s form burst into light and flitted away.

It’s foolish, but I must convince Garp to do something to stay the execution. Anything to get Straw Hat more time. Celestia concentrated and envisioned the briefing room in her mind. A golden aura covered her body and she vanished from her bedroom only to reappear in the briefing room.

Moria slammed on his neck to dislodge whatever he was munching on when Celestia appeared. Doflamingo cackled, Kuma remained silent, and Hawkeye sighed. Aokiji was propped up on one of his elbows near the head of the room, producing loud snores.

Kizaru’s light flew into the room and retook his form next to Aokiji. He noticed Celestia and blinked. “Oh, guess I’m not as fast as I used to be.”

A third man sat close to Aokiji and Kizaru. His body rippled with muscle that even his coat and red suit couldn’t hide. His angular cheekbones and cap helped obscure his eyes. The intense snarl on his face made Celestia think his association with dogs was quite fitting.

Celestia took a seat by Hawkeye again. “Why have we been summoned?”

“The fool has disappeared,” Hawkeye replied.

Before Celestia could make sense of Hawkeye’s statement, the room’s door was flung open. Sengoku stormed in with a dendenmushi clasped in his hand and the receiver to his mouth. It looked like its shell would crack at any moment. “Get some spare squads to the family housing then!”

Sengoku slammed down the receiver, sucked in his breath, and slowly expelled it. With a restored demeanor, he calmly made his way past the admirals to the head of the room. He pressed his hands into the table. “Sorry, an issue has come up: Blackbeard is unable to be located.”

Doflamingo cackled even more.

“He probably took your warning yesterday to heart,” Hawkeye mused. “I won’t fault a man for knowing when he’s outmatched, but only a fool enrages Whitebeard.”

“Regardless of Blackbeard’s integrity, he is still a Warlord,” Sengoku replied with a scowl. “You are all one of the main lines of defense in this operation. Jinbei’s refusal was already a blow to the plan, so I will have no more botches made today.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” said Doflamingo with his cocky grin. “If he ran, he probably wouldn’t have helped much anyway. I bet all of Whitebeard’s men know he’s a weakling and he didn’t want that to come out.”

Sengoku clenched his right hand in a fist, but didn’t reprimand Doflamingo. He spun around and made his way out but stopped at the door. “Get breakfast and be ready to report to your positions at eleven hundred hours. Portgas D. Ace will arrive soon after that and we shall prep the execution at noon.”

Celestia had no desire for food or being anywhere near Doflamingo, so as soon as Sengoku left, she teleported to the top of Headquarters. She’d held some hope that Garp might be up there again, but she found herself alone. “Darn.”

In a flash, she was at Marineford’s harbor with the waves crashing behind her. If things didn’t change in the next few hours, she’d be here again. A few marines jumped back or fell down at her sudden materialization. A small nub of pressure pressed against her forehead. I need to conserve my energy.

One figure stood out amongst the surprised marines on two counts. One was was his height that indicated giant ancestry. The other was his lack of surprise due to the horned mask with holes like a spider’s eyes covering his face. His white coat with the blue and gold epaulettes of a vice-admiral drew Celestia over to him.

“Vice-Admiral, I am looking for Garp, has he been around here?” she curtly asked.

“That’s Vice-Admiral Garp, Warlord,” the giant grunted. “And no, I haven’t seen him. Now, stop distracting us.”

The giant turned away from her and marched off to wherever his task was at. Celestia looked up at the winding staircase that led to Headquarters. Her eyes crossed over to the constantly rising sun. He has to be somewhere.

~~~

A loud chime echoed across the island, signalling half past ten. Celestia’s legs ached slightly, but it was a better alternative than flying around and making a spectacle of herself. Her rash teleportation spells had done enough damage already.

She swirled her hand through the air and coalesced some moisture into a sphere. She gulped it down and listened to the sound reverberate off the whitewashed walls around her. A few days ago, maybe even just a few hours before she’d arrived at Marineford, this section of the island had been filled with women and children simply going about their day. Celestia had come here enough times to see that, despite the location, family life still existed on Marineford. Now, the empty houses, restaurants, and shops spoke only of the danger that had caused the families to flee.

It was foolish to think he’d be here.

A tap of a boot against stone drew Celestia’s attention to her left. A gloved hand clasped the corner of a house and hauled out the rest of Akainu’s form. He swiveled his head around and growled, but stopped when he spotted Celestia. “Trying to aid in finding Blackbeard, Warlord Celestia?”

“Garp, actually,” Celestia replied in a neutral a tone as possible. “I have no interest in Blackbeard. If he’s fled, he’s fled.”

“Pirates,” Akainu spat. He clenched his right fist and the air around it distorted. “All cowards at their core.”

“I can see you’re busy… I’ll go search for Garp elsewhere.”

“Have you checked his room?” Akainu grumbled.

Celestia stood still for a moment. Her wings then shot out and she took to the sky. She unleashed some air she’d held in around Akainu. There was still a gaping hole in her temporary bedroom and she swooped in and speed out of it and down the halls of Headquarters. Stupid! Why wouldn’t he be in his room?

Her dash came to a halt at the sound of Garp’s distinct laugh and Sengoku yelling at the top of his lungs, “First Enies Lobby, then the attack on the Celestial Dragons, and now this!”

Celestia silently pressed herself to the walls that made up the room Garp and Sengoku were in. Sengoku’s voices had calmed down slightly, but there were still undertones of irritation to it. “Even ignoring Shiki’s escape twenty years ago, no one has dared break in to Impel Down!”

A booming slam made Celestia snap her head back in surprise. “Now your grandson has ruined that reputation and incited all hell there! Whitebeard is on his way here if the blackout is any indication! Do you realize the gravity of the situation we’d be in if Fire Fist was freed and Whitebeard attacked us? On top of that, Kuma clearly lied to us, not that is matters now, but between him, Jinbei, and Blackbeard, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Warlords all turned around and stabbed us in the back!”

There was a brief moment of silence that was rent apart by the sharp crack of ceramic against the floor. “Don’t just sit there and drink tea, Garp! If you weren’t the ‘Navy’s Hero,’ I’d make you answer for every single sin your family has committed!”

“Bahahaha! My life isn’t worth nearly that much!” Garp bellowed. Celestia stepped back a second before Garp crashed through the wall. She sent up an invisibility spell and stilled her breath. Garp shook off the dust accumulated from the attack, stood up, and brushed off the rest of the debris on his clothes.

Sengoku’s foot crunched over a part of the busted wall and he leaned over it. “Just get down to the scaffold.”

Sengoku stomped away and left Garp by himself— at least he thought he was— in the hallway. The latter sighed and heaved his shoulders. He gave his neck a good crack and then walked off, but not in the direction of the stairway down to the plaza. Celestia kept her spell in use and followed him until he came to a stop at a sliding door that only stood out from the rest due to the golden nameplate over it that read: Monkey D. Garp.

Garp disappeared inside, but out of privacy Celestia stood outside for a moment and canceled her spell. She knocked on the door’s wooden frame. “Vice-Admiral Garp, it’s Celestia, there is something I wish to discuss with you.”

Frantic clattering sounded from the other side of the door. Garp flung it open after a second. “Uh, now is not the best of time.”

“This is about Ace.”

“Everything about today is.” Garp pulled on the door to shut it, but Celestia countered him with both a hand and a fair amount of magic.

“I can save him.”

Garp’s hand went to Celestia’s shoulder and threw her into his room. It was darkened save for some sunlight coming off a single window. Garp slammed the door and stood with his back against it. “What you just said is tantamount to high treason. You talked about your age this morning, but saying things like that makes you sound like my grandson.”

“And you’re about to execute the other one,” Celestia shot back. “If Straw Hat’s rescue attempt at Impel Down fails, there will still be time to transport Fire Fist away before his execution.”

“Ignoring that you’ve been poking your head where it doesn’t belong, you think Ace’s sudden disappearance wouldn’t go unnoticed?” Garp huffed.

“Yes.” Celestia’s hands glowed and the light in room contorted and twisted around them. A transparent shape formed with a face that made Garp suck in his breath. Standing like a propped up manakin was Portgas D. Ace. “It’s a rough approximation, but a skillful illusion nonetheless.”

Celestia chopped one of her hands through the holograph’s neck and Ace’s head rolled to the ground at Garp’s feet. “Convincing enough?”

Grap kicked the macabre prop away and it dispersed back into light. “What of Whitebeard? Illusion or not, Ace’s death will set him into a rage against us. His ships could arrive at any moment and then the battle would start no matter what.”

“Then either you or I will get to him as fast as possible and tell him that Fire Fist is safe, but that he is dead to the world.”

Garp was about to reply when a siren wailed throughout all of Marineford. It was then replaced by Sengoku’s voice. “Portgas D. Ace has arrived at Marineford. All soldiers should be in position and be ready for an attack.”

Garp turned his attention back to Celestia. “Why do this? What do you gain from it?”

“Stability, for one,” Celestia replied. “You know as well as I do that a confrontation of this scale will pulsate throughout the world. Countless lives across the seas— civilian lives— will be in danger. Islands like Jinbei’s will be thrown into chaos should the marines win and, as much as I hate to say it, the same situation is true if Whitebeard triumphs. The entire balance that I’ve seen form in the last twenty years is going to be thrown away for a single man.”

“It’s more complex than that,” Garp interjected.

“I know that. This is personal for you.” Celestia stepped closer to Garp. Her lips trembled a little, but her eyes stayed sharp. “I can’t allow you to watch your own family be taken away from you.”

Garp blinked and grabbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. “You’re speaking from experience, aren’t you? Fine, lets say you get Ace out of here and get Whitebeard to call of his attack. What then? Will you keep Ace in your kingdom until he dies? His ties with Whitebeard are too strong for that.”

“I’ll chain him up if I have to. He’ll still live and Whitebeard will eventually die of old age in a few years. They’ll all be happy knowing everyone survived this ordeal.”

“It’s not that simple!” Garp pounded a fist into the ground and the area around it cratered. He kept a knee to the floor and ground his fist into the hole. “You think I haven’t thought of similar plans? If Ace were a normal pirate, I’d have busted him out of Impel Down myself, but Sengoku… damn him, he won’t stop until Ace is truly dead! Your treachery would eventually come out and then he’d set his sights on you and your kingdom! Look out the window! That’s what will annihilate everything you know! If Ace is to be executed, I’d rather it just be marines and pirates that die today. Now, get out.”

~~~

The bell tolled at noon no matter how much Celestia didn’t want it to. Her time travel spell had been wasted long ago on an inconsequential battle with Discord, Garp was trapped, and everyone else was either crazed to see Ace’s head roll or just get it done with and go back from whence they came.

“There’s the man of the hour,” Doflamingo cackled. His eyes, along with everyone else’s went up to the scaffold. The rattle of chains cut through the hush that fell upon Marineford and likely would have been heard even if the sounds weren’t amplified by numerous dendenmushis. Dozens of other snails were positioned around the island, taking in every angle of the event and broadcasting it to the world.

Ace may have returned to human form, but the wounds from Impel Down still covered him. His eyes had a solemn look to them that focused on nothing around him, but rather stared into the future. His chains were limply connected to the scaffold, but every inch of his body spoke of tension and strained muscles.

Sengoku stepped forward and said something to Garp that made the latter scowl and descend to where the admirals were seated at the front of the scaffold. Sengoku took up a receiver and his voice filled Marineford. “I have something to say to all that are gathered here and those watching this. The execution of this man, Portgas D. Ace, is a matter of great import!”

He’s giving a speech? thought Celestia. Please, just prattle on until Whitebeard shows up. Celestia’s heart speed up at the racing inescapability of Whitebeard’s appearance, but as long as Ace “died” in the turmoil of the battle and Whitebeard lived, some balance could be restored. She just had to wait for any opening and pray Ace’s head would stay on for the next three hours.

“Ace,” Sengoku directly addressed his captive, “who is your father?”

“What stunt is this?” Hawkeye sighed.

“Whitebeard,” Ace answered.

“Not true!” Sengoku yelled.

“It is true!” Ace shot back. With his voice amplified, it was easy to hear it crack with desperation and a twinge of rage. “Whitebeard’s my father, no one else!”

“Sheesh.” Doflamingo shrugged his shoulders while Sengoku went on about finding information about a certain island. “Talk about family problems.”

Celestia ignored him and listened intently to the speech. Garp’s words rang in her head. If Ace were a normal pirate…

By the time Sengoku had finished talking about Ace’s mother, Ace’s face had gone completely pale. Even from her location near the edge of the harbor, Celestia could clearly see his form shake. Skeptical murmurs flew all around her. Not a single marine was taking this information in silence. An ominous tingle grew in Celestia’s gut.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” Sengoku shouted at Ace and proclaimed to the world. “Your father was Gold Roger, the Pirate King!”

No maddening roars. No violent shouts. No shocked gasps. Just silence. It draped itself over Marineford and may have well covered the entire world. Ace clenched his teeth and shook his head to clear away the statement, but its impact was already felt.

In spite of his announcement, Sengoku still had more to say. Celestia clenched her hands and listened. “We’re not the only ones who knew though. Whitebeard, despite his rivalry with the Pirate King, took you, Roger’s own son, aboard his ship, so that he could raise you to be the next Pirate King!”

“No!” Ace screamed. “I want pops to be the king!”

“That’s just a delusion Whitebeard fed you,” Sengoku coldly replied. “We made sure to hunt down any tangent that remained of Roger. Do you really think you would have lived this long if Whitebeard wasn’t protecting you?”

“T-that’s…” Ace stuttered.

“But we had to stop you. Already, Whitebeard has shown you the ways of a leader. Had you not been captured, it’s undoubtable his eventual demise would bequeath you with his vast influence; the perfect springboard for a new generations of pirates for you to lead on a reign of terror! For those reasons, your execution today is necessary! Even if it means all out war with Whitebeard!”

Now the battle cry came. Swords and other weapons were raised to the air. Doflamingo laughed harder than ever and Moria scratched his chin at the news. Celestia bit her lip and drew blood. Her arms shook at her sides and parts of her hair rose up like tongues of flame.

“That… that’s the reason for all of this?” she muttered. The air around her grew hot and Hawkeye chose to wisely take a step back. Her wings blazed out to her sides with swirls of fire dancing around them. “For being born?! Enough of this madness! I should have done this from the st—”

“Look!” someone cried out. All the attention on Ace went out in the opposite direction toward the sea. Shadows blanketed the fog beyond Marineford. They surged through the water and gained definite forms. They were ships of all shapes and sizes with various and unique sails that signalled to their enemies who they were dealing with. But, atop all their masts and flapping in wind was a black flag that contained skull with a curved mustache like a sickle in front of two perpendicularly crossed bones.

“Whitebeard,” Celestia gasped. The flame around her died down and she turned her wings back into part of her dress. She scanned the fleet of pirate ships, but none of them were the size or coloration of Whitebeard’s flagship. At least, none of them matched the data Celestia had received.

“Confirm Whitebeard’s location!” Sengoku’s voice blared.

As if to answer Sengoku, four dark shapes manifested from the depths of Marineford’s bay. Everyone stared down into the ocean and watched as a swath of bubbles rose up from the shadows. Hands tightened around weapons and muscles tensed up as the shapes grew larger and larger.

Waves of water flew up as the four shapes broke the surface, revealing themselves as titanic ships. All of them were decorated with bows that had stripes running down to their keels, beedy eyes, and wide grins that lended to their surfacing resembling whales’.

One ship stood out with white coloring while the others were blue. Its size dwarfed even the other three monstrous ships. A silence, different from the one Sengoku’s revelation caused struck Marineford. It was like a pressure and the cause was a lone figure that stood atop the white ship’s masthead.

A glimmer of hope and a tremor of fear hit Celestia. He’s here.

“Gurarara…” The man’s size matched his ship’s: giant. Even Akainu’s toned physique was nothing to this man’s musculature. His lack of a shirt under his draped jacket aided in showing off his destructive power. His right hand clenched an immense bisento that was even taller than himself when he slammed it down and positioned it upright. A grin formed beneath his crescent mustache. “How long has it been, Sengoku? My beloved son had better be alright!”

“Pops!” Ace called out.

“I’m coming, Ace!” Whitebeard proclaimed. “Gurarara!”

Thief

View Online

Whitebeard jabbed the tip of his bisento into the Moby Dick and brought one arm over the other. At the sight of the gesture, the marines locked their knees and raised their arms, the Warlords readied themselves, and Celestia threw up a barrier. Whitebeard’s shot his arms out and banged his fists against the sky. Cracks erupted out of his hands and spread through the atmosphere. The air shook and rumbled while the sea below roiled from the same power. Instead of waves, hills of water formed and slammed into the bay. Even solid earth turned flexible and curved like the sea. Numerous marines lost their balance and a few that stood too close to the ocean fell into it.

The quiver spread outward and Marineford’s ground became stable once more. Celestia cautiously looked at Whitebeard, but her attention was briefly broken by Ace shouting, “Why can’t you just abandon me?”

She chose to ignore the rest of the argument and analyzed the damage Whitebeard had wrought. A few cannons had tipped over and many marines had fallen down, but no serious damage was evident. She turned over to Hawkeye. “A warning shot?”

“We’re far past that point,” Hawkeye sighed.

The ground again shook. It didn’t distort as much as previously, but its magnitude was far greater and forced Celestia to rework her footing. The rumble grew and grew until it reached a fevered pitch and then suddenly abated. In its place came a massive roar to the left and right of Marineford. Horror and awe welled up in Celestia’s eyes. “By the stars!”

The sea had traded places with parts of the sky. It came upon Marineford like a gigantic mouth about to close its jaw, intent on swallowing the island and everyone on it. Even the sun was blotted out by the biblical waves.

Celestia’s eyes darted over to Whitebeard. He’d remained in the same spot and his booming laugh joined the tidal waves’ roars to create a hellish tune.

“Does he intend to drown himself along with u—”

“Ice Age!” Aokiji shouted from above Marineford. Jets of ice flew out of his hands and latched onto the two waves. They froze in a blink of an eye, but Aokiji was not finished. He aimed at Whitebeard and sent a volley of icicle partisans at him and the Moby Dick.

Whitebeard punched in Aokiji’s direction and the latter’s attack was reduced to diamond dust by the resulting shockwave. Aokiji was caught in the blast too and his body cracked into ice chunks. They fell into the bay, but their frigid temperature spread and made the whole bay an icy field. The pirates took to the change, abandoned their paralyzed ships, and rushed towards Ace with a resounding battle cry.

Hand-to-hand combat will provide more distractions. Celestia braced herself to dive down to the ice, but paused when Hawkeye drew his sword.

“What are you doing?” asked both Celestia and Doflamingo. The latter grinned wider at the coincidence.

“I just want to measure the true distance between that man and us,” Hawkeye mused.

“Was the tidal wave not enough of an indication?” Celestia dryly replied.

Hawkeye responded with an immense slash of energy from his sword. The green wave raced across the bay, destroying stone, ice, and anything else unfortunate to get in its path. It zoomed toward Whitebeard, who stood unflinching at the newest attack.

Inches from the Moby Dick, the slash slammed into a glittering object and shot upwards like a grand flame. Green light reflected through the impassible defense and glistened across the battlefield, but the attack eventually dimmed and the slash shrank until only the shape of a bulky wide-torsoed man was left. His skin jutted up in multiple places and was honed so much that it was see-through.

Diamond Jozu… A bright flash in the sky broke Celestia’s attention away from Moby Dick. A sphere of blue and yellow light floated in the sky. Kizaru’s distinctive suit could be glimpsed along with talons, wings, and human limbs all wreathed in azure flames. Celestia noticed that many other eyes were also the spectacle, sent out her wings, and flew forward into the fray of ice field.

Whitebeard will shatter me like Aokiji if I approach him directly. I need to figure out a way to get close... A shadow fell over the arena on Celestia’s left, Jozu had picked up a good chunk of the frozen bay and hefted it at the scaffold. A heat wave struck Celestia’s back and balls of magma shattered the ice and filled the sky. Discord was more controlled than this.

A shape shot out from Celestia’s right and crashed against her barrier. It struck with enough force to send her to the ground, but not shatter the spell. She huffed and held her ground, meeting her opponent eye to eye.

“That’s a pretty powerful shield there,” said the man. His burly frame flexed its muscles and drove his twin sabers deeper against Celestia’s spell. Despite the exertion, he kept a cheery grin on under his string-like mustache. “I’m guessing you must the woman Warlord no one ever sees.”

“And you are Commander Vista.” Celestia’s hand glowed and shot a blast at Vista’s gut, but he merely grunted. “I don’t have time to deal with commanders.”

“Sorry, but Pops is a little busy with admirals right now.” Vista jumped back and then dashed at Celestia. She concentrated her shield down until it was a visible golden aura around her body. Vista’s swords sliced against it and sparks went up in the air. Even with the enhanced defense, Celestia was still driven back a few feet.

Celestia glared at Vista. The cold air swirled around her and an invisible force rippled outwards. Weapons fell onto the ice and both marines and pirates lost consciousness. Yet, Vista was still standing.

“Oh-ho, Supreme King Haki,” he said. “That’s very int—”

A golden glow encased Vista and threw him to the other side of the bay. Celestia sighed in relief, but a shadow silenced her. It loomed over the entire harbor, and while it wasn’t as tall as the tidal waves, its size still inspired fear. The monstrous horns and sharp fangs added to the creature’s demonic appearance, but it was the way he held a warship like a plaything that complete his titanic entrance. Oars Jr.’s size was mentioned in the intell, but seeing him up close made Celestia pause for a brief moment.

An explosion brought Celestia back to the fight. Cannonballs and bullets exploded and ricocheted off her shield. Fresh pirates and marines had gathered near her and fought with guns, swords, and their fists. The former took notice of her and rushed in to attack.

“While Oars takes the heavy fire, we’ll deal with you!” one of Whitebeard’s men hollered.

Celestia silently darted over to the nearest pirate and kicked out her leg. In the brief moment of impact between her foot and the pirate’s head, her leg reverted back to a hoof and exploded into the pirate’s face. He went flying back and slammed into comrade and marine alike.

A shift in the air made Celestia cough. An unnatural current rose up towards the plaza and concentrated itself around Kuma. A large paw-shaped bubble formed in front of him and quickly shrunk down until it was smaller than his actual paws. Celestia went her knees and sent up a second barrier.

The bubble floated over to Oars’s chest and exploded into a mammoth shockwave. Oars took a good portion of the blast, but the ice under him split as well and everyone close to him was sent flying back. Celestia held her ground, but a brief moment of surprise went through her when a shadow fell over her. Darn, I can’t dod— is that a hat?

The massive accessory flopped onto the ice with Celestia under it. With its raised structure and rounded design, the inside of the hat closely resembled a tent that could house a small town. Its size also ensured that those caught in it were merely thrown into darkness rather than crushed.

Celestia sent out her wings and shot a fireball upwards. It chewed through the weaving and Celestia flew out of the new hole. A booming thud more akin to a thunderclap rang in her ears. She scanned the chaotic battlefield and instantly spotted Oars’s foot yards away from the rest of his body. Oars himself had managed to cross the frozen arena with the upper half of his body clear of the bay’s stone walls. His hand stretched out to the scaffold, but came to a halt just inches away from Ace. A unsettling black spike jutted into his chest and through his back, high up into the sky.

Moria and Doflamingo’s laughs filled the air. Celestia turned away, but still heard the boom when Oars Jr. collapsed and took chunks of stone and ice with him. She breathed deeply and readied herself for casting multiple defensive spells. I just have to get a few words out.

“Where are you flying off to in such a hurry?”

Celestia slapped her wings onto her back and dropped down to the ice. Goosebumps covered her arms and legs. Doflamingo stood amidst the carnage like he was walking through a park. The pirates around him kept a careful distance, except for the bull-rim wearing one that stood above the others. He was only a few feet away from Doflamingo with mixture of rage and mortification on his face. “To stop this insanity.”

“Fuffuffuf! It’s so much fun though!” Doflamingo’s right hand twitched and the helmeted pirate’s swords came down on his comrades. The anger drained from his face and he cried out for Doflamingo to stop while he slashed more and more of his allies.

Celestia launched a spell at the puppeted pirate, but it bounced off of something and dissipated into the air. “Doflamingo! Stop this needless torture!”

“Why? He’s a pirate, I was a pirate. We’re all just here for a fight!” Doflamingo cackled. “But it’s a fight of the best! Good? Bad? Whoever wins gets to decide!”

“You’re mad.”

“Everyone here is! That’s what make it fu—” Doflamingo ceased his rant and turned his shades up to the sky. A large shape had appeared in the sky and was plummeting straight down to the battlefield. He didn’t laugh, but his grin widened at that sight. “Wonder where that came from.”

“Is that a ship?” Celestia’s eyes lit up with magic and her vision magnified the object. Sails and a hull came into view, answering one question but raising a slew of others, particularly how a marine warship had gotten so high up and how was it now crashing down. Celestia strengthened the spell and the little dots strewn around the falling boat became clear. They were a few dozen people, or things that resembled people if the giant headed afro thing in leather was any indication. Celestia’s eyes widened when she spotted a yellow vested individual with a familiar hat dangling from his neck. “Straw Hat?!”

Celestia’s heart froze at the sight of something next to him. Unlike the rest of the ship’s crew, it had an equine shape, but it was black and glimmered in the afternoon light. Her enchanted eyes dared to scan the rest of the ship and found that more of the black creatures buzzed around the ship. “He loosed the changelings?!”

“Ceeeeelllllleesssstttiiiiiaaaaaaa!” a voice roared.

A demonic figure collided into her, smashing through her barrier and carrying her far away from Doflamingo. The speed and ferocity of the attack disoriented Celestia for a moment and her eyes swam at the sudden increase in momentum. The quickly refocused and first took in the jagged horn that only her arms prevented from skewering her. A large cut had formed where the horn sawed into her right arm and both shook trying to contain the attack. Predatory eyes glared at her past the horn while fangs gnashed in excitement.

“Amusing look!” Chrysalis sneered. “You still have a repugnant smell on you though!”

“You?” Celestia screamed. She slammed her feet into the ice and kicked up shards. She huffed under the pressure of Chrysalis’s horn and reverted her legs back to their original form. More ice went flying, but her momentum slowed and eventually came to a halt. With even footing, Celestia pushed back against Chrysalis for the brief second necessary to leap back. “Straw Hat freed you?! What foul magic did you use to bewitch him?”

“Only the plight of a caring mother,” Chrysalis chuckled. She shook her head and loosened some ice that had gotten lodged in her mane. “Plus some silly promises about not harming Equestria or your foolish student.”

“His stupidity shows no bounds,” Celestia growled.

“Quite, but I intend to keep my end of the deal.” Chrysalis flashed her wings back and slammed into Celestia again. Her horn didn’t pierce Celestia’s barrier this time, but the ice beneath the two of them cracked and Celestia still required her legs retain their original form. “Once he gets done saving his brother or whatever, he’ll be mine to give to the hive! All this fools are feasts for me! Best of all, I never said anything about harming you!”

“You’re right.” Sweat trickled down Celestia’s face. She clenched her teeth and drew back her left arm. It recoiled back and exploded out as a white hoof straight into Chrysalis’s chest. She went flying backward and crashed into the ice with a red-hot hoofprint where she’d been struck. “We’re not in Equestria.”

Chrysalis got to her hooves and leered at Celestia. “You can’t… stop me with that. This will be just like last time. I have more than enough reserves to take yo—”

An invisible wave of heat and pressure pushed down on Chrysalis, silencing her. The attack drove her down, melting the ice around her, until she fell into the unfrozen sea below. In an instant, she zoomed out and fluttered over the new hole with an animalistic growl. “Damn you!”

“Since this isn’t Equestria, I have no subjects to worry about, no homes I can damage, and no reason to hold back.” Celestia’s right hand glowed golden and the light intensified until a solid object had formed. Its crossguard and pommel retained the sunny hue of Celestia magic and the latter was emblazoned with her cutie mark. The rest of the weapon glimmered pure white and had a spiral pattern etched into its blade. “I didn’t intend to truly fight, but you are deserving of no less than my full might. Chrysalis, you’ve brought disorder to my kingdom, misery to my subjects, and harmed those I consider dear. You will not be going back to prison this time.”

Celestia raised her sword to the sky and swung it down. All the ice around her melted instantly and a wave of heat rushed at Chrysalis. She buzzed to her left and lit up her horn while Celestia flew at her. A bolt of green magic arked at Celestia, but another swing of her sword dissipated the attack.

“What?” Chrysalis screamed.

Celestia’s form glowed and vanished for an instant, only to reappear right in front of Chrysalis. Her sword’s pommel smashed into Chrysalis’s head and knocked her to the ground. She leered up and cast another spell, but this one wrapped her body in jade glow. Celestia rushed down and her sword met with Chrysalis’s horn, but was stopped by Chrysalis’s magic. “Ha… ha… the prince helps me again.”

“So you stole more than love from Shining Armor,” Celestia scowled. “Yo—”

A bit of blood dribbled out of the corner of Celestia’s mouth. She slowly looked down to see that a limb was buried in the side of her torso. It was long and slender and cloaked in deteriorated black glove brimming with motheaten holes. Pale flesh could be seen underneath that connected to green flames which ended at Chrysalis’s shoulder.

“Yes, I am quite the thief,” said Chrysalis. The supernatural fire at her shoulder spread out and replaced her black shell with a similarly colored dress that was as decayed as the glove on her arm. Her barrel shifted and swelled and shrank in various spots. The flames reached her other foreleg and it shifted to match the new arm while sharp clawed fingers manifested out of where her hoof had been. She got up on her hindlegs as a tarnished and ripped gown materialized over her now hideously pale limbs. Finally the fire consumed her head, shrinking her muzzle until it was a sharp point on her face and slightly lowering her ears while keeping them pointed. Her skin went from shimmering black to sickly white. She reached up with her free hand and ripped her jagged horn out her head with a bit of ichor spilling down her face. Through the entire ghastly event, her mouth stayed wide open with her fangs clenched in a maniacal grin and her eyes like a beast set on its prey.

“I have to be smart, adapt, and survive. I find my food’s and I exploit it until they’re just empty shells.” Chrysalis’s wings fluttered behind her, merged with both her skin and clothing in a horrific mash of fabric and flesh. Her removed horn contorted and flattened until it was razor thin, save for the end that Chrysalis grasped. “And Celestia… you’ve given me plenty of weaknesses! Kikiki!”

Betrayal

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“Got anything?” asked Pinkie.

Twilight knitted her brow, straining her focus on the dull stone in front of her. It glimmered a tan color for a brief moment, but quickly returned to a dull grey hue. Twilight gasped for breath while a few drops of sweat dripped from her muzzle. “Ugh, it’s like there’s been something blocking the stone, but it feels like Celestia is near Luffy…” Twilight’s face slightly tightened. “... and the changeling queen.”

“It’s like a story you know is being told but you can’t see or hear it!” Pinkie said with a grin. She spun around and trotted over to the door. “Booorrrrinnngggg! Time for an intermission!”

She left Twilight behind and happily skipped through the halls of the castle. Bathroom, bathroom, bath—“Oof!”

In the midst of her quest, Pinkie had failed to notice that she was on a collision path with another pony. Both of them wound up in a tangle of limbs, but quickly helped each other up. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I was just looking for the little filly’s room and the castle is really big and confusing and I—”

“Quite alright,” the other pony chuckled while he dusted off his cloak with his right foreleg. “You are right about this place being big, speaking of which, would you happen to know where Princess Celestia is?”

“Oh…” Pinkie’s lips curled up in an anxious expression. “She’s a bit busy right now… but I’m a super duper friend of hers, so I can take a message!”

“Hmmm, how about…” The pony scratched at his head. “Princess Luan, was it? So hard to get the names right.”

“Sure!” Pinkie replied. “It’s Princess Luna, by the way, but everypony makes mistakes. Mind me asking what you’re here for?”

“Catching up, spreading the news, asking for favors. The usual things visitors do with royalty.”

“You’re funny! Hmmm, it’s a little weird though…” Pinkie scratched her head. “You’re the first non-guard pony I’ve seen for a while.”

~~~

“W-what the hell is this?” a man stuttered. His sentiments echoed in the murmurs and expressions of thousands of people around them. Pirates and marines clashed across massive screens in front of the crowd. That much had been expected with the execution of Portgas D. Ace, even though Whitebeard’s ferocity still caused the inhabitants of the Shabondy Archipelago to shake in fear.

The arrival of a battleship from above the war drew surprised reactions, and the hardened faces of criminals, terrorists, and pirates thought forever locked up made those watching events play out collectively gasp. Then, the black creatures were spotted. Unknown to the likes of man, their hybrid form of pony and bug brought disgust and confusion to the viewers, which quickly turned to a crippling fear when the beasts descended on the war, sinking their fangs into pirate and marine alike. All the was left of their victims were emaciated bodies with blank eyes that stared out into nothing.

“I heard Impel Down was Hell, but not literally!”

“What monster would free those things?”

“Why are they attacking both sides?”

“It’s retribution for angering Whitebeard! He’s summoned an army of demons!”

“It’s the marine’s secret weapon!”

Suddenly, the screens at the Archipelago went black and the roar of confusion, anger, and fear turned deafening. A new cry went up along with fingers pointing at a single screen. The grand battle still played out in the background, but the camera’s focus was on an individual with his back to the camera.

“Trixie cannot believe she is doing this,” said a voice from the lone screen.

“Damn it!” The man spun around, revealing his bulbous nose and facial paintings. “That was gonna be a great shot! You saw how they turned off the rest of the snails!”

“Eh?” everyone watching cried out.

~~~

“Ha!” A balding man yelled as he brought down a lengthy blade on a marine. The man took the brief pause in between fights to look back. Behind him, a pirate with a face and teeth akin to a walrus’s was approaching. “Islewan? I thought you were with your men.”

Islewan suddenly rushed Squard, opening up his mouth to show that all his teeth were now razor sharp fangs. Squard raised up his sword, but not fast enough to fully block the fangs. However, a massive fist, glowing blazing red, slammed into the imposter Islewan. First, its disguise peeled off, revealing the jet shell underneath and then the fist swallowed it up, leaving nothing behind but intense heat.

The fist pulled back, shrunk to a normal size, and returned to a normal human color. Its owner stepped forward to Squard. “Traitors everywhere today it seems.”

~~~

“Kikiki!” Chrysalis continued to cackle. She raised her blood-soaked arm up and licked the tips of her new hand. “Oh, this is more fun than just beating you in one blast!”

“Hrmph,” Celestia grunted. Her bleeding torso shifted back to a pony’s barrel for an instant and then back to human form, minus the puncture wound. “Discord liked to warm up with attacks like that. You should have saved a surprise move like that.” She pointed her sword’s tip at Chrysalis. “Example: Sunspot!”

A medium sized yellow ball that convulsed and turned brown and black in certain areas raced out of the sword at Chrysalis. She raised up her jagged blade and readied herself to parry the attack. “Ha! Yes, Celestia, the glowing ball really is a surpri—”

A great force wrenched Chrysalis’s weapon out of her hands and into the tiny ball, which was now pure white. The blade sizzled upon impact and Chrysalis choked down a gasp before she too was pulled into the ball. Her dress caught aflame where it came into contact and she let out a piercing scream.

Celestia flapped up to Chrysalis’s side in the air, but cautiously kept her distance. “The surprise was that that’s a miniature white dwarf. Did you think I would just call out my attack?”

“Rah!” Chrysalis snatched up the sphere and brought all her strength down on it. It cracked and dissipated in a blaze of heat. She coughed up some smoke and fell to the ground with her sword clattering next to her.

Celestia glided down and paced over to Chrysalis, while slowly raising her blade. “That sword is still a part of your body. I would have thought a changeling would know the risks of taking on a different appearance.”

“Yes, we do…” Chrysalis muttered. Her left hand shot up and fired a blast of magic at Celestia, sending her flying some distance away. With a fanged grin, Chrysalis attempted to get up, but shuddered and collapsed to the ground. Her arms and stomach smoked and showed off their original black forms. “I need energy.”

She breathed deeply and sucked in the residual emotions in the air, repeatedly coughing as she choked down bloodlust. Her “skin” and dress slowly crept back over her chitin, but this only made her huff in frustration. “No, I need more.”

A sniff of the air made her eyes light up. Massive anxiety emanated from the execution platform, intense camaraderie littered the battlefield, and a powerful fraternal bond came from the great ship in the middle of the icy field. Chrysalis cursed that she couldn’t devour the final emotion immediately, but was impressed by the equally strong affection standing right next to her future feast. Switching back to the visual spectrum, the source of the affection matched its emotional depth in physical size.

~~~

On the other side of the ice, Celestia found herself in a small crater with the frozen turf piled up around her. Green flames danced over her barrier and a few parts of her were sore from the impact, but she was relatively unscathed. She quickly got back to her feet and braced herself for another attack by Chrysalis.

“Enjoying the war?”

Celestia spun around with her sword ready to strike and the slimy voice. A puff of dense cigar smoke struck her in the face which she quickly dissipated with a flap of one of her wings. She sharpened her eyes at the sight of her former colleague, noting the bleeding wound on his head. “Crocodile. With Chrysalis free, I shouldn’t be surprised Straw Hat let you out too.”

“You’d be impressed at his ability to screw up plans.” Crocodile paused to inhale some more smoke from his cigar. “First Alabasta for me and now taking out Whitebeard.”

“Wait…” Celestia’s eyes veered over to the Moby Dick, where two figures prominently stood at the masthead. Her pupils shrank at the sight of a winged object flying right at Whitebeard. “Tartarus!”

She took off at blinding speeds, showering Crocodile with ice and extinguishing his cigar, much to his annoyance. Celestia left him behind and raced up to the Moby Dick’s masthead and raised her blade. Golden magic and emerald flames flew off her and Chrysalis’s blades as they crossed.

“Every time!” Chrysalis roared and pushed down harder with her sword. “You deny me my food every ti—”

A punch to the face silenced Chrysalis and sent her careening to some other part of the war. Luffy retracted his fist and shook his slightly reddened hand. “Man, she’s tough for a bug.”

“I’ll berate your idiocy later,” Celestia grumbled. Her right hand glowed and her weapon shrunk down into a tiny orb of light, which in turn gave way to a small iron key. She chucked it out Luffy, who caught it in midair. “That should get the cuffs off Fire Fist. Now, go.”

“Thanks!” Luffy gripped the edge of the boat and flung himself into the fray, leaving Celestia alone with Whitebeard.

“Gurara, glad I waited before smashing you and that other thing,” Whitebeard chuckled. “Now, what will you do?”

“Hope either your crew or Straw Hat get to Fire Fist and get out of here, but, for now…” Celestia re-summoned her claymore and casually swung it at Whitebeard, who easily dodged. “I need you to knock me off this ship.”

Whitebeard gave a hearty laugh and picked up his bisento. “Ah, if only the other Warlords were this easy to deal with! Once this is over, we’ll drink to celebrate Ace’s freedom!”

“Just hurry and hi—” Chrysalis tackled Celestia from the side, knocking her claymore out of her hands and sending both of them barreling into the heat of the fight. Marines and pirates were blown away, some were hit by Celestia’s residual magic while others were consumed by Chrysalis’s supernatural flame.

Chrysalis continued driving into Celestia’s side and grinned when the latter’s dress shifted back to fur and a sickening crack filled her ears. “Mmm, one rib down, now for the rest!”

Celestia gasped for air and focused on her magic into her torso, healing it and strengthening the shield around it. However, the glow faded from the rest of her body. Chrysalis still continued her attack and raised her sword in preparation for a vicious blow. In return, Celestia angled her hand and it turned bright red rather than golden. A titanic sphere erupted out of her palm and collided with Chrysalis’s face, tearing off most of her human disguise.

Howling in pain, Chrysalis relented her blitz on Celestia. They landed down on the ice and squared off against each other. Celestia’s right hand glimmered and her sword reappeared in it. At the same time, Chrysalis kept her grip on her blade while her other hand went to her disfigured face. Gasps for air escaped out of both their mouths.

“Ki… kiki,” Chrysalis huffed, while her face slowly reformed. “Feeling a little winded, Celestia?”

“You are in… no position to talk,” Celestia said between breaths. “Not quite so easy to use your magic here is it?”

“On the contrary...” Green flames raced over Chrysalis’s muzzle and reformed it back into a nose and pale skin. “It’s easier than ever. You keep those stupid ponies so docile they don’t know real emotion. Here? Ohhh, all the feelings here run deep.”

“This is war, I don’t expect love in high quantities here,” Celestia replied.

Chrysalis let out wave of cackles. “Why do you think my hive is in the Badlands? Do you know how rich love is when a creature is so close to death that the sight of a loved one makes them a feast? This war… this world has these human things fighting to the death for a single other human. Oh, there’s putrid emotions that leave a bad taste in my mouth, but love is at the core of almost all of it! The whole of Equestria couldn’t equal this!”

“Here I thought you were foul enough stealing romance, but now you profit off of war?” Celestia slashed her sword in front of her, sending off a wave of sunset hued sparks. “Few beings have disgusted me as much as you.”

“Go on preaching, Celestia,” Chrysalis spat. “It wo— urp!”

Chrysalis’s face reddened and she clamped a hand around her stomach Parts of her disguise flickered while she coughed. “W-what?”

“Pops!” Ace screamed, followed by multiple other pirates yelling the same thing. Chrysalis snapped her head to the execution platform and then to the Moby Dick. Her eyes widened at the sight of a massive sword jutting straight through Whitebeard’s chest. Its hilt rested in the hands of one of the pirates her drones had tried to drain.

“No!” Chrysalis screamed. “He’s spoiling foo—”

The rest of the complaint was silenced with a flurry of blows from the pommel of Celestia’s weapon and a mix of hooves and fists. The attack slowly stripped away parts of Chrysalis’s unstable form until she was back on four legs with only parts of her face and torso still looking human. Celestia whipped the flat of her blade down and sent Chrysalis’s sword skittering over the ice.

Breathing deeply, Celestia relinquished her barrier while her hands started to glow a faint pinkish hue. She raised up her sword, but a pair of fangs sunk into her right arm followed by another pair sinking into her left arm. Two more changelings flew out of the chaos and bit into her legs. Finally, a fifth divebombed her in the chest and all five pushed with all their strength and carried her off.

Chrysalis clenched her teeth and managed to summon her weapon back to her side. She tried to take a step forward, but her left foreleg’s exoskeleton gave a sharp crack and fissures streamed up it while a bit a ichor dripped from the wounds.

A familiar buzzing alerted her to three more drones that landed at her side. One stepped forward and bowed his head. “Your highness, forgive us. We tried to get here as fast as possible.”

“Good, good.” Chrysalis shot out a hoof and managed to turn it into a hand, straggling the drone’s neck. “But make sure the killing blow is mine.”

“Y-yes,” the drone choked.

“Do you require sustenance, your highness?” another drone asked while Chrysalis unclenched her hand and reconstructed her human form. Its horn glowed and small glowing pink ball materialized out of it. Picking it up, Chrysalis analyzed the wisps of other colors swirling around the edges of the sphere and frowned at the dark red and yellow hues. She glanced up and saw that Whitebeard had now brought Squard into an embrace and sighed. “I don’t know what madness took that fool, but he cost us energy and time.”

She scarfed down the energy, but upon finishing it realized shadow had fallen upon her and her drones. Looming over them was a massive figure with its eyes hidden behind thick glasses. “Target identified as changeling queen, Chrysalis. Target marked for immediate execution.”

“I was still hungry.” Chrysalis flew up in a blur and sunk her teeth into “Kuma’s” left shoulder. Her fangs only managed to poke through his black and white shirt. She jumped back an instant before Kuma’s hand came down.

“Why can’t I feel anything? Chrysalis roared. “What mockery is this?”

“Target identified as changeling queen, Chrysalis,” Kuma repeated, except the creature in front of Chrysalis wasn’t talking. The voice instead from her left, right, and behind. She spun around and was greeted with three more Kumas. She hissed at them and her drones did the same as the Kumas advanced on them.

~~~

Celestia attempted to move her limbs, but the changelings had wrapped their entire bodies around them. Restrained, she slowly felt herself getting colder and her eyelids getting heavier. She realized that they were carrying her high above the battle and felt the rush of air as they flung her back down. Ice shattered under her and she let out a gasp. Yet, the changelings still didn’t let go and the world was growing darker and darker.

“Darn…” Celestia heaved. Her eyes closed and her breathing ceased. The changelings all unclenched their jaws and buzzed their wings, but were then thrown back by a massive blast.

The changelings stumbled up from the ice, heads pounding and a feeling akin to a live wire running through their exoskeletons. Celestia glided out of the sea, enshrouded in a blinding fuchsia aura that flared up around her. Her form blurred and the changelings all felt a burn far harsher than anything flame could produce and collapsed to the ground with glowing pink dents stretched across their barrels. Celestia’s aura dimmed slightly, but still pulsated around her. “I’ll have to thank Shining and Cadence when I return.”

Plan

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A tremor ran through the ice and up Celestia’s legs. Now familiar with the shaking, she spread her wings out and launched into the sky. Sound exploded all around her— the deafening crash of massive chunks of the frozen sea shattering against both itself and Marineford’s land. A fine diamond dust fell across her skin as she watched the great tsunami walls crumble down upon the island. Below, the battlefield splintered, with pieces either smashing together or pulling apart with no regard for the men atop them.

In the center of the mess there stood a single unphased spot, the eye of the war’s hurricane. A massive figure stood at the foot of the area, his back turned to his flagship. Celestia watched Whitebeard from above, knowing that the ice beneath his feet was slowly drinking up his blood.

He’s not going to sit back anymore.

A shiver ran through Celestia’s entire frame. Feeling her own labored breath, she gave her wings a flap and retreated back to the stone entrenchments close to the execution scaffold. Four other figures stood atop the walls, all of them taking in the fight: two with giddy grins and the other two with unreadable lines for lips.

“Fufufu! This day just keeps getting better!” Doflamingo cackled as Celestia descended. Reaching into the folds of his coat, he produced a changeling carcass and threw it at Celestia’s feet. “I wonder where that came from! Any ideas?”

“Not that I’m willing to share with you,” Celestia huffed.

“They don’t seem that big of a threat.” Hawkeye strutted over to the carcass and kicked it onto its back. Staring down at it, he curled his lips into a sharp frown. “One thought imitating me would be a grand idea. Shame that’s all it could do, otherwise, this war might have held my interest a little longer.”

“How about that then?” Doflamingo raised up an arm and gestured toward the battlefield.

At the center of the melee, Whitebead stood in the shadow of the rare individual that actually dwarfed him. His opponent's body was wreathed in the marine’s white color, obscuring what he looked like save for his hands. They clasped a sword almost as tall as he was and raised it high over his head before bringing it down in a deadly swing.

Whitebeard met the blow with his bisento, sending a flurry of sparks up as metal grinding against metal. Blood spilled down his chest and dribbled down his mouth, yet the only thing that shifted was the ice beneath him, breaking under the pressure from the two weapons. It cracked further when Whitebeard whipped his bisento around, knocking back his opponent's sword before driving its tip deep into the ice. Hands now free, he shot out his arms and clasped the air itself, slamming it down as if it were another obstacle in his path to Ace.

Doflamingo’s grin widened as he twitched his fingers. “Time to hold on.”

Celestia’s knees buckled and she only managed to save herself from a fall with a quick levitation spell. Hawkeye went to one knee as part of the seabed rose up behind him and into the sky, only to sink down as quickly as it had appeared. Staring with wide eyes, Celestia saw the ocean tilt like it was composed of multiple rings that climbed up and down.

Then, the rumble returned. Staggering back to her feat, Celestia watched the ice to her left ripple and distort like jelly, followed by earth, stone, and buildings. The quake ravaged its way through the Navy’s forces, sending officers of all ranks flying. It surged forward, past the piers and into the plaza, devastating everything in it path.

A bang mightier than the greatest of thunderclaps resounded through the entire island. Whitebeard’s tremor curved around and above the execution platform, reducing the structures close by to rubble. Yet, the scaffold remained untouched, its freshly constructed wood and iron still even holding a sheen to it.

At the foot of the scaffold stood all three admirals. Celestia marveled at the display for only a moment before a second rumble hit the island. Turning her attention back to the bay, iron walls far taller than than the stone partition she currently stood upon crested out the sea, obscuring the carnage so far brought forth by the war.

“Celestia!”

The shout pulled Celestia away from the battlefield and over to the scaffold. Sengoku glared at her from atop the structure, arms crossed with his coat straining against the muscles underneath. With a single flap of her wings, Celestia departed from the Warlords and over to him.

“What the hell is going on?” he yelled. “Straw Hat’s appearance was enough of a stumbling block, but now our men are fighting each other trying to find those damn monsters of yours! I want information on how to defeat them, now!”

Celestia clenched her hands and sharpened her eyes. “Changelings are as much a scourge to me as they are to you. Don’t even think that I have any association with them! As for handling them, your own methods should work fine. If it’s their imitations you want to deal with, observation haki is the only option humans have.”

A chill fell upon Celestia’s back. Spinning around revealed that Aokiji had ascended the scaffold. Behind him, the world turned red under Akainu’s magma. Molten fists rained down upon the bay, distegating all that they touched. A great bonfire that only the dying of a ship could provide rose up, visible even over the new wall.

In place of the destruction, Celestia’s eyes focused on the shimmering figure Aokiji had brought up with him. Its lips were pulled back in a slight scowl and its eyes angular with annoyance. Icicles clung to its otherwise organic form, especially around its tail and mane, turning them into abstract art pieces.

“It wasn’t one of the bug things, so I thought it might be a hostage or something. Kinda hard to tell with all the craziness today,” Aokiji yawned. “It had the bad luck of being near a denden mushi I had to freeze.”

“Windgos are more delicate!” Celestia said through gritted teeth. Her hand glimmered and the ice surrounding the pony fell away, revealing her blue coat and silver mane. She fell to her side, racked by uncontrollable shivers. Crouching down, Celestia drew herself close to the pony. “It’s okay, you’re safe.”

“T-t-there is n-no safe,” the pony stuttered. “T-trixie j-just wants to go h-home.”

“Sshh.” Celestia extended her hands and ran them down the Trixie’s neck. They sparked for an instant before Trixie’s eyes closed and her form went limp.

Celestia spun around and leered at Sengoku. Her hand went out and jabbed at him. “How dare you lock away one of my subjects! I should ha—”

“Ace!” came a roar from the iron barrier.

Standing in the solitary gap of the partition, with only a single leg supporting him, was the great giant from before. Just as all attention and weapons locked onto him, a jet of water shot high over the wall, curling down like a flexible tube and only resembling its actual element when it splashed against the ground, its single passenger soaked to the bone and breathing heavily.

Ace’s chains rattled and grew taught. Pulling forward as far as his restraints would allow, he screamed, “Luffy!”

“Straw Hat,” Celestia muttered and turned her head away. Kizaru and Akainu loomed over Luffy, their forms aglow with heat and light. The conclusion was forgone, she didn’t need to see the rest.

“Can’t even stop a single rookie,” Sengoku spat. He turned his head to the two executioners stationed at Ace’s sides and gave them a sharp nod. “No more wasting time! Do it!”

No! Celestia’s hands shot up, aglow with magic, but a blazing heat rammed into her left arm, burning it deeply and setting parts of it aflame with a green glow. The executioner in front of her took the brunt of the blast and went flying off the scaffold, his chest cindering as he crashed into the plaza.

At the same time, Aokiji found half of himself also falling down the scaffold, ice running down the bisecting cut instead of blood. The half that remained standing glanced over to where the rest of his body should have been and was met with a razor-thin blade of sand that had extended all the way to the second executioner and incapacitated him as well.

Amidst the gathered ranks of soldiers hovered a single black form, its jagged sword scintillating with a wicked emerald light. Flapping her grotesque wings, Chrysalis frowned up at the platform. “Darn, I missed.”

Below her, a gritty cyclone swirled around Crocodile, forcing the marines nearby to keep their distance. He glared up at Chrysalis with his cold eyes, but suddenly found his head floating high above his body. Still inhaling his cigar, he sighed and splattered to the ground, reduced to sand that quickly streamed upwards and reformed his head.

“Nice partner you got there,” Doflamingo sneered. “She why you’re siding with Whitebeard now?”

Still piecing himself back together, but with his mouth fully formed again, Crocodile replied, “I’m not taking anyone’s side in this. Especially the bug’s.”

“Oh, so cold,” Chrysalis pouted, her complaint unheard as Crocodile's hook met Doflamingo's arm. Sending out her wings, she twisted her lips into maniacal grin as she zoomed over to the scaffold. Raising her blade, she raced toward Celestia, whose arm was back to equine form and still burnt in a few spot. “Now, lets continue!”

The two rulers collided and tumbled downwards. Sword clanged, gunshots echoed, and cannonballs ripped through the air once more. All around them, marines stirred from the brief interlude the iron walls had provided and raced over to the gap in the defense.

In the confusion, Chrysalis’s arm went out and clasped hold of Celestia’s neck. Celestia coughed and shot a hand up to Chrsyalis’s face, unleashing a fireball that consumed her entire head. Yet, she remained unmoving atop Celestia until the flames cleared away, revealing metalic scales running across her face. Her fingers pressed harder into Celestia’s neck.

“Ah, it was nice to have a hot meal after expending so much energy on the wretched things,” she mused, a scowl briefly crossing her face before her grin returned. “Dragons really are so much harder than ponies, especially partially.”

“E… enough!” Celestia grunted. Her eyes flared open, revealing her irises going neon pink. An aura the same color erupted off of Celestia’s body and slammed into Chrysalis, blasting her into a clash of marines and pirates, knocking them all to the ground.

All of them gave various pained huffs at the collision, but only Chrysalis let out a bloodcurdling scream. Her body spasmed and twitched, her scales flaking off like ash, revealing her black snout beneath. Ichor dripped off her right foreleg from multiple spots where its carapace was cracked. The rest of her body phased in and out of human and changeling form.

Snapping her neck with a sharp crack, she bore her fangs into a nearby pirate, but instantly moved away and clawed at both her mouth and stomach.

“No!” she screeched, grabbing her injured limb and glaring at Celestia. “You shouldn’t have that power!”

Celestia advanced closer to the Chrysalis while the pirates and marines scurried away. The aura spiraled around Celestia and concentrated around her hands. Its light glistened off the sweat atop her brow and arms.

“That’s my line,” she huffed. “You stole from Cadence and Shining Armor, I asked.”

Chrysalis scooted her limbs backwards, flailing to get away. Celestia launched forward and fell upon her, delivering a swift kick to the center of Chrysalis’s chest, reducing it back to a barrel shape of black and green. She careened over the battlefield, the war now a blur of color and sounds. A shimmering fist slammed into her stomach, its glow spreading outwards and returning more of Chrysalis back to her original form.

More blows fell upon her, each chipping away more and more at her disguise. No flames rushed over to repair the wounds. Her carapace cracked in multiple areas, turning her breathing ragged. An uppercut exploded into her chin, reverting it back to a muzzle, now slightly misaligned. The blow’s impact spread while launching her further away, tearing off the last of her human costume and causing her crooked horn to jab out of her head.

Crashing into part of the new barrier, Chrysalis’s world went black for a second. Yet, the force of the attack left just tiny curvature in the wall, only noticeable when sunlight reflected off it at an angle contrary to the rest of the steel.

Sliding down and forming a heap on the ground, Chrysalis tried to get up, ignoring the hollow feeling that screamed throughout her body, muddying her mind and slowing her limbs. She’d managed to get to her hooves when a shadow fell upon her.

“It’s over,” said Celestia. The glow around her intensified, forcing Chrysalis to lower her head. The aura solidified until is was a solid oval around Celestia, its surface vibrating against the air. Celestia gritted her teeth as sweat streaked through her mane and down her face.

Eyes widening at the sight, a dry laugh escaped from Chrysalis. “Think I haven’t noticed… love takes two ponies, Celestia. You… don’t have enough energy.”

“I do,” Celestia rasped, the glow continueing to brighten. “At least to end your madness. The blast will cause enough confusion for Fire Fist to escape and finish this war. Whitebeard’s already dying… we all get what we want, even if I won’t be awake to see it.”

“N-no,” Chrysalis stuttered. Her hooves flailed against the ground, trying to edge away from Celestia, but there was only the wall behind her. “You… you’re of great worth to humans too! The pirates! Yes, the pirates! They’ll want your head as a trophy!”

Celestia unleashed a great sigh at Chrysalis’s rant. “If that is how things go, so be it. Things will be rough in Equestria for some time, but ponies will move on. I trust them.”

The glow finally grew bright enough that Celestia was lost inside it. Hyperventilating, Chrysalis crawled forward and managed to lunge to the foot of the barrier, its edge searing the tip of her horn.

“Don’t!” she pleaded. “Don’t scatter us again! Not that! Anything but the hunger!”

The pink light dimmed down, revealing Celestia once more. Magenta wisps curled up from her limbs while her eyes glowed the same color. Reaching out, she took hold of Chrysalis and hefted her up until the two of them were eye level. The glare was still intense in Celestia’s irises, forcing Chrysalis to look down.

“Then listen closely to what I have say,” said Celestia.

~~~

Garp’s fist drove deep into the fiery feathers covering Marco’s cheek. The blow cracked his mystical beak, drawing blood. Tongues of blue flame shed off of him, surrounding himself and Garp in a shower of phoenix plumage. Garp pushed further into the supernatural blaze, his arm rippling with aged muscles.

The two opponents hovered over the great war, immobilized for one brief second. Then Marco was thrown backwards towards the rest of the battle in a cacophony of wings, talons, arms, and legs. He crashed into the ground, cratering it and knocking away all those close to him. Garp fell straight down, the stones beneath him shaking as he landed. Crossing his arms, he slammed himself down into the center chair at the base of the scaffold.

“No one or thing is getting past me!” he growled.

Atop the scaffold, Sengoku frowned at Garp. “You were supposed to stay up here.”

Staring down, he didn’t Trixie’s ears twitch at Garp’s words. Not yet fully awake, she reflexively moved her lips around. A ray of light entered the opening in her mouth and reflected against a shimmering piece of metal.

“Princess,” she murmured.

Switch

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A few minutes ago on the scaffold

Trixie slowly opened her eyes, blinked, and rubbed them. A formless void filled her vision; she failed her legs at it, trying to find something solid to catch hold of. Her hooves managed to connect to a floor, but where it started and walls— if there were any— began was lost in the darkness.

Standing up on shaking hooves, she twisted left and right, only to be met with more abyss. Gulping, she lit up her horn, covering her body in a pale luminescence, but the world was still veiled in black.

“H-hello?” she called out.

A tiny point of light far away popped into existence. It floated closer and closer, growing in size until it was a glimmering sphere larger than Trixie, who was on the “floor” once more, cowering.

“It’s okay,’ the sphere said before spinning to its left slightly. “Hmm, dream visitation is harder than it seems.” It quickly spun back to Trixie and looked down at her with what Trixie assumed was the front of it.

“Oh, my little pony,” it sighed. “I don’t know how this happened, but if we both live, you’ll have my deepest apologies. Especially now that I ask you one immense favor.”

“Tr— I j-just want to go home,” Trixie sniffled.

“Listen closely then. There are some handcuffs you must unlock. Do that and everything else will fall into place.”

“B-but if I’m getting handcuffs off doesn’t that mean I’m freeing a… prisoner?”

The orb sighed again. “Yes, but his freedom will save hundreds, even thousands of lives.”

“And then Trixie will go home?”

“Yes?”

“And Trixie will be rewarded for her deed?”

“You already deserve restitution for the nightmare you’ve been through. You have a royal agreement in that.”

“A r-royal agreement!?” A gleam came to Trixie’s eyes. “Trixie does still require bits. Yes, Trixie shall do it! She could probably take the handcuffs off without even using the key.”

“Be careful not to swallow it,” said the orb, its voice slowing fading into the void.

“Swal—” Before Trixie could finish, a metallic taste filled her mouth and something poked at the insides of her cheeks. Shaking away what was left of the dream, her eyes started to clear, revealing the cold wooden floorboards below her.

~~~

“Defend Pops’ pride!” a cry went up.

Clasping his bisento for support, Whitebeard dared to look away from the scaffold and the legions of marines that still defended it. In front of him lay an desolate space torn to shreds by his last attack. Unconscious enemies were strewn about, even though many of their weapons were still imbedded in Whitebeard’s torso. However, all of their wounds were dwarfed by the smoldering hole in the center of his chest, still hissing with steam, from a direct hit by Akainu.

Behind him stood a fraction of his men, many with labored breathing and visible injuries. At the forefront of the line that eclosed Whitebeard’s back, Jinbei kept his fists clenched and ready to strike at the marines that flanked them from all sides. All the other pirates were in similar poses, with weapons raised high and pointed at their enemies.

Black shapes darted out of the sky and through the crowd, exoskeletons crashing into any marines unfortunate enough to be in their path. Changelings filled in the space left between Whitebeard’s defenders and the marines, showing off their fangs to the latter. A few younger sailors flinched at the display.

“These things again,” Vista sighed, angeling his sword at one changeling that dared to look in Whitebeard’s direction.

Jinbei unclenched a hand and placed it over one of Vista’s. “They have been pests, but they have no choice but to save Ace.”

“You actually trust them?”

“No.” Jinbei pulled back his hand and cracked his knuckles. “But I’ll make sure they honor their agreement.”

~~~

“There,” Chrysalis heaved, a faint glimmer of green vanishing from her horn. “I’ve sent the rest of my hive to defend the old one.”

“Good,” Celestia replied, her body enshrouded in a faint glow. “Then lets get going, I don’t want to keep this mirage spell going for longer than I need to.”

Chrysalis took a small step forward, stopping to taking some breaths. Shivering, she turned her head to Celestia. “Give me something. I can barely walk, let alone fly.”

“There’s more than enough marines to take a bite out of.”

Chrysalis flashed her fangs at Celestia. “Your inexperience will be the death of both of us! Because of you, I can’t get anything from them right now.”

Chrysalis consumed herself in flames, turning her chitlin into deep blue fur. Her horn straightened out and her wings and mane lost their holes, shifting to a hue similar to that of her new coat. Huffing, she looked at Celestia, her eyes still a sickely green.

“Just think about her,” she hissed. “Or would you prefer your student?”

Celestia frowned at the display. “Change back before someone sees you.”

As Chrysalis changed back to her normal form, Celestia closed her eyes. The aura around her went from gold to pink, swirling off her like vapors. Watching the aura, Chrysalis opened her mouth and took a deep breath. Her reptilian pupils narrowed while a crack came from fresh exoskeleton growing over the broken areas of her carapace.

The glow soon faded from Celestia, leaving her and Chrysalis staring at each other. Chrysalis shifted her view down to her newly healed leg, flexing it. Grinding her teeth, she marched over to Celestia, snorting at her.

“What kind of joke was that?” she asked.

“You wanted food, didn’t y—” Celestia paused, looking over to the figure behind Chrysalis. Its massive head was bolsted by its vibrant purple afro that matched the ludicrous amounts of mascara and lipstick smeared across its face. The rest of its body, clad in tight leather, seemed disportionately small compared to the rest of it.

“Imposter,” Chrysalis growled.

“Still in a sour mood, I see,” Ivankov pouted. “And here I was just looking for a relatively safe place to drop him off.”

Hefting up an arm, Ivankov produced Luffy, dangling in his grasp. He flailed his fists against Ivankov’s, but they didn’t even leave a mark on his skin. Flopping backwards, he gasped for breath, not even able to raise his arms up anymore.

“L-let me fight,” he said.

“Fool.” Chrysalis trotted over, licking her lips. “You’re spent in everything but your love… I do need something to wash down Celestia’s bile though.”

Ivankov yanked Luffy away, Chrysalis’s fangs sinking into only air. “Ah, ah, ah. I’m here to heal him, not to have you drain what little energy he’s got left.”

“That’s another part of our agreement,” said Celestia. “If you don’t want to be directly involved, help Straw Hat.”

Spreading out her wings, Celestia took off and disappeared into the melee. Chrysalis swung her head away from where Celestia had been and back to Ivankov. Flashing her fangs, she lit up her horn.

“Give him to me.”

“That little warlord must’ve hit you pretty hard in the head if you th—”

“I’ll redirect some of his energy to healing, if that’s what he wants.”

“Yes!” Luffy yelled.

Ivankov sighed and put Luffy down on the ground. “It’ll just be a repeat of before.”

“Kikiki, fools that don’t know when to give up are always the tastiest.”

Chrysalis sank her fangs into Luffy’s arm. A spasm went through his body before he went limp again for a second. All three of them were still as the sounds of war roared around them. Luffy’s eyes then shot open as Chrysalis unclenched her teeth. Jumping to his feet, he let out a yell that echoed across the plaza.

“Now, go save your brother,” Chrysalis said with a grin. “I don’t want to keep dinner waiting.”

~~~

A marine and a pirate stared down at the empty hilts in both their hands. Their sight drifted down to the two pieces of metal on the ground, each still vibrating from the fall. Both dropped their useless swords and clenched their fists, the marine pulling an uppercut that slammed into the pirate’s stomach. Letting out a gasp of air, the pirate was still for a moment before sneering at marine and landing a hit to his face, knocking him away.

“Close call there.” The pirate brought a hand to his stomach and flinched. “At least I—”

The pirate collapsed to the ground, mouth open in a stupor. All around him, other pirates and marines fell too, only a few on each side managing to stay on their feet. Celestia barreled through the fray, snatching up any nearby pirate and giving them a slap with a glowing hand before dropping him.

A nearby marine, forcing himself over his scabbard, glared at her as she sped away. “Damn Warlord, she’ll knock us all out with tha—”

The rest of his complaint was cut off by an elongated leg crashing into his face. Luffy lept forward, stepping over the unconscious hordes, his head turned up to the scaffold. To his left, a great figure appeared and rushed forward, its hands extended out at Luffy and its mouth open wide and glowing white like hot coals.

“Straw Hat Luffy located,” the Pacifista stated as it charged its mouth canon. “Preparing t—”

A golden horseshoe bucked against the Pacifista’s iron skull, deforming it and sending out a shower of sparks. Black smoke billowed out of its mouth and it creaked backwards, falling with a thud. Celestia landed next to the mechanical behemoth, morphing her leg back to a human one before it touched the ground. Luffy opened his mouth to say something, but Celestia slashed an arm at him, catapulting him into the air but sending him closer to the execution platform.

She turned back around just as a giant battle ax clanged against her shield. Red emblazoned cloth straining against his rotund form, the ax’s owner pushed his weapon against Celestia, forcing up the ground around her feet.

“The hell are you doing?” the man asked. “You let Straw Hat get away and you destroyed a Pacifista! Actual pirates are causing less damage than you!”

“I didn’t want any of the unconscious marines to get hurt.” Celestia swatted the ax down the ground and glared at her aggressor. “What’s wrong with that?”

“You’re the reason they’re unconscious!”

~~~

“Almost there,” said Luffy.

Ahead, the plaza was filled with fire, intertwined bodies in the grasps of battle, and explosions, while all manner of munitions flew through the air, along with a few of the combatants. Giants stuck up amidst the carnage, their weapons sending pirates every direction. In a similar vein, Whitebeard loomed over his opponents, his attacks squashing all in his path. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Luffy, yards ahead of him and quickly approaching the scaffold, and leveled his bisento at him.

“Men!” he yelled, glancing back at his defenders. “Don’t bother with a dying old geezer like me! Get to Straw Hat’s side and free Ace!”

“Boss!” Vista yelled, voicing his companions’ concerns. He stared at his captain for a moment before closing his mouth and darting in Luffy’s direction, along with the rest of Whitebeard’s crew. Smiling, Whitebeard raised his bisento, pointing at both the marines still surrounding him and the changelings that buzzed at his sides.

“Gurarara, I’m undefended now.” Like lightning, Whitebeard brought the bladed tip down, carving a trench in the earth and shaking the entire island. “Lets see if any of you can take my head.”

Back near the scaffold, marines swung their blades and shot their guns at Luffy. He flipped and glided through a few attacks, countered with some punches and kicks, yet still got hit, adding a few more injuries to his already-substantial amount.

“Stop Straw Hat!” multiple cries rang out.

“Darn it!” Luffy huffed as the wall of marines around the scaffold thickened.

“Don’t be discouraged, Straw Boy!” Pouncing out of the clashing armies, Ivankov went to Luffy’s side and blinked, sending out a blast of air and clearing away a few marines. “Seems Whitebeard has put his trust in you!”

“That’s right!” came a united call.

Bounding through the marines’ ranks, a collection of the pirates went to Luffy’s sides, smashing their way through Marineford’s last lines of defense. Jinbei rushed to the head of the group, striding up next to Luffy and Ivankov. He raised up a finned hand as he sent out a rippling shockwave with another.

“We need to figure out a way up to the platform!” he yelled.

Ivankov’s hair rustled and then Inazuma popped up, arms flying outwards and extending into mighty pairs of scissors. Their edges dug into the ground, leaving precise schisms in it. As he cut, an ethereal blade raced towards the group, Hawkeye standing on the opposite end of the attack, waiting for his strike to land.

Instead of piercing flesh, the energy slice collided with a steel edge. Mr. 1 gritted his teeth under the weight of the attack, but managed to disperse it. Catching his breath, he failed to raise his arms up as Hawkeye slashed him across the chest. Before the master swordsman could advance, however, a golden hook scraped against the hilt of his sword. Crocodile blew smoke into Hawkeye’s face as he turned his right arm into sand.

“I really hate today,” he said, taking another puff of his cigar.

Meanwhile, Inazuma lifted his scissors off the ground, taking a huge tract of land with them. The “cut” ground wagged through the air like a massive tongue before bending over and falling straight towards the scaffold, landing right at its edge and locking into place.

Luffy darted up the new path. Yet, just as he reached the middle of it, a shadow fell upon the stone in front of him. Grap crashed into the stone, shaking the entire structure and cracking the area under his feat. Muscles barely contained by his uniform, he rooted his feet into the impact zone, blocking Luffy’s path.

“Move!” Luffy yelled.

“I’m not going anywhere, Luffy!” Garp bellowed. “I’ve been fighting pirates since before you were born! If you want to pass, you have to kill me first, Straw Hat Luffy! That’s the path you two have ch—”

Before he could say more, he found Luffy flying at him, far faster than before. Insectoid wings flapped across his back and propelled him into Garp. Flapping even faster, he pushed the two over to the edge until they toppled over the ruined path and spiraled into the chaos below. As they did, green flames erupted across Luffy’s body, revealing black chitlin underneath.

“Strong words,” Chrysalis cackled as they fell. “But you should’ve just hit me.”

“No!” Garp roared as Chrysalis sank her fangs into his shoulder.

“Garp!” Sengoku cried out.

A glow from the corner of his vision made him spin back around. A massive fist of flame crashed into him, sending him tumbling to the edge of the platform and knocking off his cap, revealing the thick afro underneath. With a snarl, he raised himself up and glared at the other man on the platform. “Impossible! Where the hell did you get a key?!”

Flames flickering around him and dancing across his shoulders, Ace flashed Sengoku a smile. “Magic.”

To Ashes

View Online

Running up the path to the scaffold, Ivankov glanced up at his sizeable afro. Clasping tufts of purple hair, Luffy emerged from the massive do and took a breath. His eyes went over to the execution platform as he pressed his legs against Ivankov’s head.

“Ace!” he yelled, launching forward. “I’m coming to ge—”

He stalled at the sight of Ace standing upright, flames swirling around him and flickering off his body. Curling his fingers into a fist, he launched a massive ball of flame that Sengoku deftly dodged. A veins pulsed on his head at the sight of Luffy joining Ace on the platform.

“Oh, huh...” said Luffy. “Guess you got free by yourself.”

“You think getting some shackles off guarantees your freedom!?” Sengoku snapped.

His body exploded outwards, rising higher and higher until it dwarfed even the giants’ mass. Unable to contain his new size, his uniform fell to his sides, leaving only his coat draped over his shoulders. Sunlight glistened off him as his skin gained a sheen to it brighter than the purest gold. Pulling back a colossal arm, he aimed it down at Ace and Luffy.

“I’ll execute you myself!” he roared as his fist came crashing down.

“Luffy!” Ace called out. “Move!”

“No way!” Luffy shouted before biting down on a thumb.

Luffy jumped up into the path of Sengoku’s fist as his torso swelled up to match the size of the attack. The blow slammed into him, sending a bit blood out of his mouth. Below, Ace looked up as Luffy and Sengoku’s fist bared down on him. Gritting his teeth, he summoned flames just as Luffy was about to crash into him. However, before impact occurred, Luffy slammed into a flickering blue shield.

On her knees, Trixie shook as she stared upwards, her horn sending out sparks and glowing bright. A sharp crack from below broke her concentration, the shield vanishing as the ground fell away from her. Timber splintered and metal bent and the entire platform titled to its side before the wood fully snapped and the bolts holding the steel beams together shot off like bullets.

“Men!” a vice-admiral bellowed. “Fire on them while they’re in the air!”

“Damn!” Sengoku cursed, shrinking back down to normal size and kicking himself away from the collapsing platform.

Mortars, cannons, and every manner of gun took sights on the platform. The stench of gunpowder filled the air, the weapons’ loads homing on the three falling figures. Trixie screamed and flailed around, eventually grabbing onto Luffy, easily wrapping her hooves around his shrunken form.

“Trixie can’t die this wa—”

The rest of her cry was drowned by the roar of explosions. A great ball of flame and smoke swallowed the three up. What was left of the scaffold turned into scrap in an instant, split timber and I-beams launching into the battle, which had come to a sudden halt at the sight of fire followed by Sengoku’s looming form atop the platform.

“Ace!” said Whitebeard.

“Look!” someone called out.

Smoke drifting into the air, the remains of the explosion turned brighter. As the haze cleared away, roaring flames came into sight. They spiraled around in a huge tunnel, more and more of the blaze spilling off Ace’s back. Clutching Luffy, he looked down at him and Trixie, who was now stuffed in between Luffy’s chest and arm.

“You never change, Luffy!” he said. “You never do as I tell you and you get yourself in big trouble!”

Sending out more flames, Ace channeled them down into a great pillar. Waves of fire spread across the ground, turning the stones red and white and blasting away the nearby marines. He landed in a ring of flames, followed by Luffy as he set Trixie down.

“Can you still fight?” Ace asked.

“Of course,” Luffy huffed. “Now that you’re free, I—”

A beam of light flew through the plaza and went straight through Luffy’s chest. He glanced down at the clean hole that pierced him before tumbling to the ground. Shallow guttural gasps escaped from his mouth. Amidst the fray, Kizaru lowered his extended finger.

“That’s one,” he mused.

“Luffy!” Ace cried out, grabbing his brother.

“A-Ace,” Luffy coughed.

“Dammit!” Ace twisted his head towards Trixie. “You! Help me get Luffy on your back!”

“Trixie is not a mule!” she shouted back. “And Trixie is not staying here any lo—”

“Help me now!” Ace roared, flames erupting off his back, flowing around Trixie and licking at her hooves.

“I-it might j-just be uncomfortable,” she quibbled as she got to her knees.

She gave a small whimper as Ace place Luffy on her back, a shiver running through her when something hot and wet spread over her coat. Pushing herself up, she saw marines bursting through the smoke and flames. They raced at her, swords raised high and guns clocked. An enormous fist, radiating like the sun smashed into them, blowing them away and leaving only cinders and scorched stones behind.

Retracting his arm, Ace looked back at Trixie. “Come on! We need to find one of my crew’s doctors!”

They rushed through the carnage, explosions and bullets raining down on them as the clang of steel rang through their ears.

~~~

“Unacceptable!” Sengoku growled. “How the hell could this happen?”

His hand shot down and grasped onto one of Garp’s burly arms, pulling him out of the cracked earth at the base of the ruined scaffold. His uniform was stained red on one shoulder, with two large puncture wounds and one needle-like fang tearing through the cloth. His tanned skin was slightly pale and there was glaze over his eyes. Placing a palm against his left temple, he gave his head a shake.

“Are you back with us?” asked Sengoku.

“Yeah, ju—” Garp was cut off by a Sengoku burying a fist in his stomach. Hacking, he went to his knees.

“Sorry,” said Sengoku. “Had to make sure you weren’t a changeling. You deserved it for hesitating as well.”

“Guh.” Shuffling up to his feet, Garp placed a hand over his navel. “Anyone else and they wouldn’t be getting up. Now what do we d—”

A rumble shook Garp, silencing him. He went one knee as the full force of an earthquake slammed into Marine Headquarters. Above, the entire structure cracked, the great characters of “Navy” splitting apart, the right side sloping down slightly. Across the plaza, Whitebeard brought his arm back and slammed his bisento into the ground.

“Get away from here, my sons!” he called out. “Survive and return to the New World!”

“Damn!” Sengoku cursed, his fists rattling at his sides. “Now that Ace is free, he’s going to throw everything his has left into sinking this island!”

“He’s gonna bring this whole era end,” Garp huffed. “And take us with it…”

~~~

“Hey, hey.” Mr. 3 gave Buggy another shake. “Come on, even the Den Den Mushi woke up before you.”

With a guttural snort, Buggy awoke and sat up. Before him was a lake aflame with fires and rocks the glowed red like coals. Beyond that, infernos swept across the island, the flames dancing along to the macabre song of gunfire, the clang of swords, and battle cries. Above all the madness, chunks of Marine HQ tumbled out of the damaged fortress and disappeared into the chaotic battle below. So thick was the smoke and gunpowder that it loomed over the entire island like a second sky, casting everything in a harsh red light.

Buggy limply fell backwards. “Hell again. The fresh air of life was so nice.”

“We’re not dead!” Mr. 3 delivered a slap to Buggy’s head. “Now, pull yourself together, the cameras are rolling!”

“What?!” Buggy cried.

~~~

“T-trixie needs a minute,” Trixie huffed, her limbs quaking under Luffy’s weight.

“You heard Pops!” Ace shouted back.

He looked up to the remains of the Marine HQ, debris raining down on the plaza. Whitebeard marched through the bloodshed, his arms banging against the air, decimating everything in his path. Attacks came at him from all sides, not even his might affording him absolute defense from assault. Gaining more and more injuries, Whitebeard continued on his path, leaving only ruins in his wake.

Crunching his teeth together, Ace grabbed Trixie by the scruff of his neck. “We have to go!”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Spinning around, Ace was met with Akainu advancing on him. He felt his grip shift and glanced back to see Luffy on the ground; Trixie had disappeared into the fog of dust and smoke. Summoning his flames, Ace placed himself in front of Luffy.

“So, you do know how to face a man,” said Akainu as he stepped closer, magma dripping off him and boring glowing holes in the ground. “More than I could expect with your relic of a captain.”

“You take that back,” Ace growled.

Punching out a marine, Jinbei looked around, his eyes widening at the sight of Akainu closing in. He turned to run over, but an array of swords rose up, cutting him off. “Ace! No!”

“Your father, Gold Roger, was alway blocking Whitebeard, forever marking him as a loser,” Akainu continued. “Now he’s taking his last breaths, all because of his foolish ‘sons.’ I can’t think of a greater failure.”

“Shut up!” Ace shouted, his flames growing higher. “You don’t know anything about Pops or what he’s done for me!”

“I know that Whitebeard will die a loser!” Akainu shot back, pulling back his right arm is glowed a hellish red and thick smoke pooled off of it.

“Whitebeard is the greatest pirate in the world! He created this age!” Ace screamed as he engulfed his own arm in flames. “The name of this era is ‘Whitebeard!’”

Both Akainu and Ace’s fists exploded outwards into plumes of flame and lava. They raced forward and collided in a smoldering display of heat. The lava sloshed over the fire, consuming it and adding to its own inferno. Gasping, Ace pulled his hand back, the entire arm now red and blistering.

“Rookie logia,” Akainu spat, “you thought your fire could win against my magma? Allow me to show you how powerless you really are!”

He raced to Ace’s left, pulling his arm back again. The color drained from Ace’s face as Akainu came down upon Luffy. Leaping into the attack’s path, Ace reached out his arms and wrapped them around Akainu’s, his fist hovering only inches above Luffy’s chest.

Acrid smoke billowed up from Ace’s body, his grip unbudging around Akainu’s arm. His left arm popped and hissed as the skin blackened and cracked. Still, he glared at Akainu, a gust knocking off the admiral’s cap.

“Even born with the same accursed haki as Roger,” he growled, pushing his arm forward and burning Ace further. Bits of lava dripped from his fist and fell onto Luffy, making his scream and twitch. Ace dared to look back, turning more white when Luffy stopped screaming and went limp. Planting his feet, he pushed harder against Akainu, but he just kept advancing. “Die a failure like your beloved ‘Po—”

A green blaze smashed into Akainu, knocking him away. Ace gazed at the empty space in front of him before falling down, the left half of his body still glowing from the magma. He reached out his right arm to try and spin himself around, letting out a yelp when a black hoof stomped on his hand.

Chrysalis leered down at him, labored breaths escaping out of her mouth. Ichor trickled down her forehead, past her swollen left eye and running across her lips. One of her wings bent at an odd angle with its thin membrane torn to shreds. Her reptilian pupil contracted and a maniacal grin spread across her face, revealing the gaping hole in place of one of her fangs.

“Just… made it,” she rasped, opening her mouth wide. “All that love. Give it. Now!”

She sank her fangs down, but into blue flesh rather than Ace’s. Hefting her up, Jinbei glared at her for a moment before slamming a fist into her abdomen. Her carapace rippled before countless cracks sprang up across it. Chrysalis unclenched her jaw, gasping for air. Just as she got a breath in, Jinbei delivered a swift kick to her chest, making her hack up ichor and launching her to another part of the island.

“Ace, Luffy,” Jinbei said, his voice quiet and strained. Reaching down, he picked them up, both now unconscious from their wounds. “I swear, I won’t let you die here!”

~~~

Unleashing a torrent of magma, Akainu cleared away the rubble from his crash. Getting back up on his feet, he scanned the battlefield, eyes locking on trails of black smoke rising from the bulky figure making its way to the bay. A bit of blood trickled down the side of his face. He clenched his fist, air distorting around it from the heat.

“Admiral!” a marine called out, rushing over to his side. A glare from Akainu made him turn white.

“Destroy the pirates!” he snapped. “They will not leave this island aliv—”

A shockwave blasted into Akainu, forcing him down. Hand glowing with destructive power, Whitebeard pressed his fist further down on Akainu, the stone around him cracking and jutting upwards. He said nothing, just glaring down at Akainu, his mouth hidden behind his sickle of a mustache.

Managing to twist his upper body around, Akainu faced Whitebeard. His left arm turned the color of blazing coals. Pushing with all his might, he launched upwards, shooting his incinerating hand at Whitebeard’s head. In an instant, part of his mustache turned to ash, along with a chunk of his face.

Yet, he did not even flinch. Instead, he drove his forearm into Akainu’s side, the sharp crack of his powers mixing in with the breaking of Akainu’s ribs. He remained caught on Whitebeard’s massive arm for a brief moment as the sound echoed outward. Then, the sky was rent asunder by a deafening rumble, louder than thunder, cannon fire, or even the great shattering of the tsunami Whitebeard himself had created.

All these were nothing to the great roar of the earthquake as it tore across the island. Half the plaza instantly turned to rubble, swallowing up stone and marine alike. The main walls of Marine HQ, already on the verge of destruction, showered down on the war like rain, ruble smashing what Whitebeard hadn’t. Chasms erupted across the island, plunging anyone close by into the sea. Coughing up blood, Akainu tumbled downwards into such a fissure.

Turning, Whitebeard put the giant rift to his back. In front of him, a collection of the remaining naval forces struggled back to their feet. Past the divide, the pirates stared in awe and horror at the decimation before spinning around and racing to the bay, tears in their eyes.

~~~

“Almost there!” Jinbei gasped.

Clearing over the rubble, he jumped past the docks and braced himself for the cold splash of water. Below, the sea glinted up at him, waves crested high but didn’t come down, and their frozen tips dangling above a field of ice. Amidst the frigid ocean and paralyzed ships, Aokiji looked up.

“Sorry, Jinbei,” he yawned.

“No!” Jinbei cursed before multiple shots of light torn through his chest.

Nearby, Kizaru kept his hands glowing, fingers pointed at Jinbei as he fell onto the ice below. He landed with a thud, a small bit of the ocean breaking underneath him. Ace and Luffy were sprawled out next to him, their breaths shallow and their bodies unmoving. Aokiji strutted over, summoning three ice partisans around him. He raised them up, but a quake in the frozen area made him pause.

“An aftershock?” he muttered.

His eyes widened at the sight from the edge of his frigid domain. A yellow submarine rose out of the water, a stylistic smile set in what appeared to be a ship’s wheel emblazoned on its sides. A hatch opened up on it and man with a spotted white cap and deep bags under his eyes marched out. Balancing a sheathed sword against his shoulder, he stared out across the ice at Jinbei.

“Hey!” the man yelled. “If you can still move, get Straw Hat and Fire Fist over here!”

Scraping his fingers against the ice, Jinbei grunted and pushed down. His wounds dripped onto the frozen sea, staining it red. Another set of lasers struck him in the back, sending him back to the ice. Aokiji turned his attention back to him and raised up his partisans once more, leveling that at all three injured pirates. They rattled in the air but then collapsed to the ground along with the upper half of their creator.

Falling, Aokiji stared at his lower body and the blade of sand that had cleaved through him. Sighing, he turned, meeting Crocodile’s cold glare. “You gonna do that every time we fight?”

Crocodile took a puff of his cigar as he landed on the bay. Glancing to his left, he saw a glimmer and dispersed his right arm into a wall of sand. Kizaru’s beam rammed into it, leaving a glowing hot bit of glass in place of a small amount of sand. Crocodile bit down on his cigar and traded glances with both Admirals as they advanced on him.

“You’re smarter than this, Crocodile,” said Aokiji.

“Apparently not.” Everyone still conscious tilted their heads upward. Celestia floated above them, darting down to Crocodile. “You should have stayed locked up.”

“Celestia!” Crocodile snapped. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“This.” She raised up her leg, turning it back into a hoof and shot it into Crocodile’s stomach.

The wind flew out of him as he careened backwards, smashing into a ship in a storm of debris. Spinning around, Celestia glared down at Jinbei, Luffy, and Ace.

“All of this,” she muttered, her whole body beginning to glow. “This is because of fools like you who couldn’t follow the law! Now to finish what this war began.”

She went down onto all fours, her body shifting back to equine shape. The glow faded from most of her body, but her horn grew even brighter, until Aokiji had to look away and Kizaru jumped back. Jinbei tired to lift himself off the ground, face pale and marred with confusion as his arms gave out and his collapsed to the ice again.

Gritting her teeth, Celestia unleashed a small beam, similar in size and speed to Kizaru’s at the injured group. It struck the ice below Jinbei and then exploded into a great blazing ball. It raced outwards, reducing ships to scrap, shattering the docks, and melting all the nearby ice, turning the sea into a boiling cauldron. Kizaru and Aokiji leapt away from the inferno while Celestia remained in place and let it wash over her.

Explosion rushing towards his vessel, the grasped the hatch and spun around. “Dive!”

The submarine vanished under the waves, the sphere of heat and flame growing outward until it reached the edge of bay. Its glow them dimmed and it contracted until it was about the size of a large boulder and no brighter than light bulb. A flurry of embers flecked off it, dispersing into the wind until only Celestia was left, floating amid cinders. Her wings gave small erratic flaps, barely keeping her above the water. Her hooves skimmed against the sea, soaking the grotesque black figure in her grasp.

Reaching the edge of the ice, she gasped for air as her wings limply fell to her sides. Her muzzle slammed into the frozen bay, while her body dipped into the turbulent sea. With a snort, she gave her wings one more flap, hefting herself and the body onto the ice. It slid across the frigid ocean, leaving a black stain. Aokiji walked over and looked down at the corpse. Hidden under the ashes, the faint remains of a large tattoo, its white mustache now grey and flaking, stared back at Aokiji with what was left of its skull.

“Scaaarrry,” Kizaru commented, looking over the vast damage left by Celestia’s attack.

“What about Straw Hat and Jinbei?” Aokiji asked.

“I got what was left of Fire Fist,” Celestia coughed, her body limp against the ice. “Now, I must rest.”

“Still…” Kizaru looked over to the edge of the bay. “We can’t just have a pirate ship show up out of the blue and leave. Aokiji, take Warlord Celestia back to shore. We can deal with Ace’s body later.”

“Got it, but first…” Aokiji bent down, melding his hand with the ice. It surged outward reforming over the sea and speeding to where submarine had dived. “That should slow them down.”

Kizaru took a glance at what was left of Ace and then launched into the air, sending a volley of light through the ice. His attack came to a sudden halt and he raised up an arm, blocking a set of fiery talons.

Marco glared down at Kizaru and then at the blackened figure next to Aokiji. His eyes widened at the sight of the tattoo before he ground his teeth and his flames roared upwards. Flying back, he transformed his other leg into talons and unleashed a storm of kicks and scratched mixed with trails of fire on Kizaru.

Kizaru continued blocking the attacks, a well placed strike ripping his suit’s left sleeve, leaving a gash across his flesh. He shot up a glowing white leg into Marco, sending him high into the sky. Gasping for breath, Marco swooped through the air, correcting his flight path as his whole body shifted into his bird form. He raced down, stretching out his wings in an attempt to smother Kizaru. In return, Kizaru dissipated into fractions of light, zooming behind Marco and firing off an array of beams.

“You think I’ll let you live!?” Marco roared, the holes from the Kizaru’s beams quickly filling up with fire.

“Commander Marco!” a pirate shouted down from the docks. His finger jabbed towards one of the sea walls. “Look!”

Atop the wall stood a collection of figures. Behind them loomed a great shape as tall as Marine HQ when it was still undamaged. Celestia twitched an eye up at where the pirate was pointing and her breath caught in her throat. With arms crossed, a hooved figure glared down at the war and snorted. Jagged horns rose of out his head, sharp like the fanged smile spread across his face as he breathed in the smoke and gunpowder.

“Ah, the smell of carnage and despair,” he mused, stomping one of his four cloven legs against the ground. “It has been too long.”

“Tirek,” Celestia gasped. “No…”

Color drained from multiple marines as they took in the sight.

“San Juan Wolf!”

“Avalo Pizarro!”

“Vasco Shot!”

“W-why?” one marine quivered, his eyes on the tall figure cloaked in Impel Down’s uniform. “Why is Chief Jailer Shiryu here?!”

“Those are all criminals that should have been erased!” a vice-admiral snapped. “What madman would unleash them back on the world?”

Whitebeard held his bisento in midair as the glow vanished from the tip of it. He slammed the butt of it down into the ground, fist rattling its pole. With his remaining eye, he glared up at the group atop the wall, a scowl spread across his face when he locked onto the rotund figure in the middle of them.

“Teech,” he spat.

“Zehahaha!” Blackbeard cackled, leaning on one leg and looking down at Whitebeard. “Long time no see! I’m glad I’ll get to see you die, old man!”

~~~

“Captain Law!” a crewmate yelled, spinning away from a sonar screen. “Reading say the sea is freezing above us and we’ve got projectiles inbound!”

“Then dive lower!” Law commanded.

“Seismic activity is turning the seabed into a deathtrap! We ca—” The crewmate’s mouth dropped and he pressed his face close to the screen. “Captain! The ice… it’s flowing around us! Nothing is getting within half a click of us!”

“What?” Law shouted.

“We’re picking up unknown readings at our two o'clock and keeping pace with us!” another crewman yelled.

Law scanned over the screens across the deck, his crew rushing around him in all directions. “What the hell is going on?”

Squeezing through a tiny door, a hulking man lumbered into the room and raced over to Law. “Captain! Bepo needs your assistance!”

Law grabbed Jean Bart and pushed him back from where he’d come. Racing through the narrow halls, they rounded a corner and came upon a gaggle of wounded bodies, limbs going in every direction. Jinbei gasped for breath as he tried to shift around, his injuries immobilizing him. Parts of Ace and Luffy dangled out from under him, their bodies limp and pale. Underneath all of that was a bear head, struggling under the weight of the three others.

“Bepo!” Law called out as he pushed on Jinbei. “How did they get on the ship?”

“I don’t know, Captain!” Bepo coughed. “I was just walking down the hall when…”

He paused, turning his snout up to the Jinbei and frowning. Jean joined Law and managed to roll Jimbei flat onto his back, freeing those below him. He groaned in pain, managing to twist his head in Law’s direction.

“C-can you help them?” he huffed.

“Room,” said Law.

Holding out his hand, a small circle of wind rotated beneath it. A bubble of distorted air expanded outward, phasing through everyone else. Suddenly, a group of crewmen appeared out of nowhere, hands still wrapped around where they’d held instruments. Blinking, the turned over to Law.

“Get them to the medical bay,” he ordered.

His men rushed over and gently took hold of Luffy and Ace. Taking care to move the two as little as possible, they disappeared down a corridor. Those that remained grasped Jinbei and attempted to pick him up, grunting under his weight.

Law walked away from his crew and down towards the medical bay. Pulling open the door, he entered into a scene even more hectic than his bridge. Luffy and Ace were both already on operating tables, the crewmen sticking ivs into the former’s arm. The men standing over Ace held the needles in their hands, but hesitated injecting them.

Making his way over, Law looked down and saw the source of his men’s problem. Even his stomach roiled slightly at the sight of Ace’s left arm. His right arm was horribly burnt as well, but at least it still resembled flesh. Shooting out a hand, Law ripped an iv from one of his men and poked it into one of Ace’s legs. The action garnered him a moan.

“Damn,” Law cursed, twisting to his men. “Get him out before he goes into shock!”

“W-what?” Ace coughed, barely able to form words. His vision fell to his right, eyes widening at the sight of men gathered around Luffy, jabbing needles into his arm and bringing scalpels down to his chest. A small tongue of flame rose up from his right arm, forcing the crewmen back. “S-stop.”

Scowling, Law loomed over Ace and put another needle into his leg. “Straw Hat has a collapsed lung along with severe trauma and lacerations to most of his body. Your limbs and torso are covered in third and fourth degree burns. So, let my men work, or you both die.”

Ace’s face turned white. He gasped as another needle went into his leg before his entire body slackened. Vision darkening, he stared up at Law. “Luffy… save Luffy.”

“He should be the least of your worries,” Law said, unsheathing his sword.

A thwak echoed throughout the submarine.

~~~

“Someone will find it, that day will come,” Whitebeard called out, his shaky voice growing in strength until it reverberated across Marineford. “The One Piece does exist!”

Like a wave, greater than even the tsunamis he summoned, his words crashed down upon the island. On the Shabondy Archipelago, crowds stared up at the lone screen that displayed the great war in a brief moment of silence. It shattered in a roar of gasps and shouts as reporters grasped for dropped notepads and everyone swarmed over to the closest Den Den Mushi.

From afar, hidden amidst a pile of rubble, Trixie stared at Whitebeard, her whole body covered in goosebumps and her heart racing in her chest. His words were gibberish to her, but their weight pressed down like the great quakes he caused.

Yet, what truly made her shiver was the sheer monstrosity of the man. With half his face blown off and bleeding to death, he’d still ravaged Blackbeard’s crew, swatting them down like flies. Even when Blackbeard had grabbed him and the tremors had ceased, Whitebeard was relentless and had driven his bisento deep into Blackbeard’s shoulder. He’d been so focused on squashing him that he hadn’t noticed Blackbeard’s crewmates recover and race at him.

A hail of gunfire had fallen upon Whitebeard and swords had slashed him from every direction. Yet, he hadn’t fallen. Like an immovable mountain, he’d taken all of the attacks from Blackbeard and his men and would not budge.

Now he stood, unmoving. His body had been riddled with bullets, his flesh had been cut and stabbed by all manner of blades, and his bones had been battered by cannons and mortars. Even though he had spent his final breath on the Pirate King’s Treasure, he still would not fall.

Only one thing of Whitebeard’s plummeted that day. Slipping off his shoulders, his great jacket dropped to the ground, revealing his sculpted back. A few marines sucked in their breath at the sight of Whitebeard’s bare skin. In spite of years of voyaging, countless battles, and the damage he had accumulated in just the war alone, not a single scar marred his back.

The awe-inspiring sight vanished under a black tarp, hiding both Whitebeard’s body and Blackbeard under it. While marines and pirates alike watched the scene with trepidation, Trixie slipped out of her hiding space and crept across the ground. She didn’t even make it a yard before a red clawed hand scooped her up.

Hot putrid breath blew back her mane. Eyes, smoldering like hellfire, glared at her. She couldn’t even take a breath as Tirek held her in his grasp.

“Well, this is a surprise,” he said, tightening his grip with each word. “I was hoping to find Celestia and pay her back for taking my castle and locking me up!”

His hold suddenly loosened and Trixie gasped for breath. Grinning, Tirek pulled her closer to his face until she was right next to his mouth, inches away from his fangs and brushing against his rough beard.

“P-please,” Trixie stuttered, “d-don’t… don’t….”

Tirek gave a great booming laugh more akin to roar. Ears ringing, Trixie found herself staring into eyes. His sclera were wreathed in dark flames that spilled off to the sides of his head. Trixie felt a chill looking into his pupils, great abyss far more foul than his mouth that threatened to swallow her. Yet, she could not turn away.

“Kill you? That’s the last thing I want,” he said, voice echoing like thunder. “No, you’re the rare exception to your race.”

He squeezed Trixie again, this time not enough to cause her serious pain. His grin widened.

“Yes,” he mused. “Pride on your talents, even as a… showmare. Greed to always want more cheers, more fans, more money. And, even though it glows dim, rage.”

As Tirek spoke, Trixie’s irises grew red and her pupils widened. Her muscles tensed up and her face contorted into a scowl. “They made a fool of me. Made a fool of Trixie.”

“You want to make them pay?” Tirek’s horns glowed with the same hellish aura as his eyes, the glow creeping down and wrapping around Trixie. “I will give your vengeance.”

Unleashing her, Tirek stepped back, his magic keeping Trixie floating in the air. It tightened around her as she gnashed her teeth, fangs poking out of her mouth and pupils shifting into narrow slits. Tirek’s magic turned black, wrapping Trixie in a shadowy cocoon that grew outwards until it was just slightly smaller than Tirek himself.

In a blast of blood-red light, the darkness faded away, revealing a abominable creature. Blue scales, glistening like steel, covered it from its sharp snout to its razor-like talons. Tusks with tips like swords protruded out of its face, past fangs that bit at the air. Growling and thrashing its spiked tail around, it sent a jet of flame, dark like the depths of the sea, into the air.

Tirek’s hand glowed again and a steel collar appeared in it. Bending down, he snapped it around the beast’s neck and gave it a tug. “All I ask is that you be my steed.”

Nearby, the tarp came down, revealing Whitebeard’s body still standing with Blackbeard at his side, mad grin plastered across his face. A few marines gathered their courage and advanced on him with their weapons raised.

“Zehahaha!” he bellowed before shooting his hand down.

Shadows, thick like fog, emanated from his right hand, staining the ground around him black. Before the marines could fire or swing their blades, they were swallowed up by the abyss.

“That’s my Dark-Dark Fruit powers!” Blackbeard proclaimed. He twisted his torso right and flexed his left arm, achieving a stance that made a pit form in everyone’s stomach. “And this…”

In a blur, he slammed his left fist against the air, fissures spreading across the sky from where he’d struck it. The rumble returned to the island, like a devil arising from the deepest pit, filling everyone’s heart with terror. The earthquake exploded out from Blackbeard, demolishing the left half of the remaining parts of Marine Headquarters. His laugh filled the island, christening the advent of a nightmare the likes of which the world had never known.

“Today, my era begins!” he proclaimed, cackling the entire time. “And to start, I’m gonna sink Marineford!”

“Wahaha!” Tirek joined the group, his beast hissing at Blackbeard. “I love it! Oh, if on—”

A massive shockwave, on par with Whitebeard’s slammed into Blackbeard’s crew. Scowling, Sengoku thrust out his other enormous golden hand, unleashing another great blast that cleaved through stone and made Blackbeard and all his men cough up blood. They hurtled backwards under the force of the attack, barely managing to get back to their feet once they’d landed.

At the edge of the island, with spray from the rolling bay washing over them, Aokiji and Celestia looked on, the latter’s eyes wide with fear.

“Admiral,” she huffed. “Tirek, you have to defeat him… while he’s weak.”

“Well…” Aokiji replied, “looks like whoever that is is fighting against the Fleet Admiral and Garp. That’s a death sentence, even for me.”

“Then I have to go.” Celestia dug her hooves down and pushed, only getting up an inch before falling back to the ground. She put one foreleg in front of the other, dragging herself forward. A faint pink glow appeared on her body for a moment before vanishing again and she collapsed.

Aokiji bent down to grab her, but stopped at the click of a rifle. Shifting his view to the left, he was met with a muzzle pointed right at him.

Holding the rifle was a grizzled man, his hair grey like the smoke that drifted off his cigarette. “We’ll be taking that Warlord from you.”

Aokiji gave a deep sigh. “I’ll get in big trouble if I just hand a Warlord over to an Emperor’s crew.”

~~~

“Zehahaha!” Blackbeard yelled as his shockwave met Sengoku’s in midair, the combined attacks titling the entire island and the seabed around it. “No one can stop me! I will destroy everything! I will swallow everything!”

The harsh scrape of metal against stone drew his attention away from the destruction he caused. Out of the chaos, a small group marched through the battlefield, marine and pirate alike stepping out of their path. In spite of the carnage around them, one of the men moving forward took a big bite out of a leg of meat. Another with a scar like a crescent running down his face let a monkey pull at his mouth. They and the other members all made the marines gulp and the pirates stare in awe and confusion.

None more so than the man at the head of the group. His black cape fluttered in the wind, occasionally flapping back enough to reveal an empty space in place of a left arm. His eyes glared at Blackbeard, the left one twitching around the three diagonal scars that ran across it.

“Shanks!” said Sengoku. “How the hell is he here?”

“I’ve come to put an end to this war!” Shanks declared, red hair flowing in the air. “Enough blood has been spilt by both sides, but if you still want a fight…” He swung his sword down, sending up sparks against the ground. “Come on! We’ll fight you!”

~~~

Ace’s eyes shot open, he sprung up, only for intense pain to flare up in his side. He shot out his right arm to grasp at it, but only felt at stump press against his chest. Looking down, he was met with a red hoof.

“Hello?” he called out, room spinning around him as he stared up at the ceiling.

Silence greeted him, making his heart race. Gaining more and more consciousness, memory flooded back into him. He remembered the yelling, the battle, and the fear as Akainu had raced towards Luffy. Not able to take it anymore, he rolled to his side, tumbling over the bedside and taking the linen sheets with him.

He gave a sharp gasp from the landing, biting back a cry. He pushed up with his hooves but slammed down onto his left side. This time, he did scream, fresh blood staining the bandages wrapped across his torso. Blinded by pain, he stumbled forward, continually banging his left side into the ground.

The click of a door unlocking entered his ears. Something purple rushed over to him and frantically tapped against the ground.

“Princess! Princess!” it called out. “He’s conscious, but it looks like he fell out of bed! He needs help!”

Ace suddenly found himself lifting off the ground. A sharp stab of heat hit his side, quickly replaced by a cooling sensation that spread across his body. Sight refocusing, he looked up to see that a golden aura surrounded him and kept him a few inches off the ground.

At his side was a purple pony, her mane a deep indigo with a twin stripe of magenta and lavender running through it. Her large eyes looked back at him, slowly gravitating over to his left side. Her muzzle turned a shade lighter.

“Twilight, you’ve done enough, leave us.”

Breaking away from Twilight, Ace looked over at the voice’s source. Celestia stood at the room’s door, moving aside to let Twilight pass. Twilight paused for a moment, eyes sweeping over the bandages that wrapped around various parts of Celestia’s body. With a bow, she left, disappearing down the hallway outside. Once she and Ace were the only two in the room, Celestia closed the door and locked it. She kept Ace floating in the air, but pulled him a little closer.

“What’s going on?” Ace asked. “Why am I here? Where’s Luffy?!”

“Calm yourself. You’ve already reopened one set of wounds,” Celestia sighed. “I don’t wish to constantly keep healing while I’m still recovering.”

“I don’t care!” Ace yelled, a few flames streaking across his body.They instantly vanished and Ace grabbed at his throat.

Celestia sighed again before dissipating the aura around Ace’s head. He gasped for air before glaring at her.

“You take me to wherever this is and now try to kill me?” he coughed.

“I can’t stop you from burning up your own oxygen,” Celestia replied. “And since you won’t listen until I tell you, Straw Hat is in stable condition. I’d hoped he would awaken first, but it seems whatever trials he went through rescuing you have drained him of everything but sleep.”

Muscles loosening, Ace slumped against Celestia’s spell, the aura bending to match his relieved posture. He sniffled as tears flowed out of his eyes and dripped onto the floor. “Thank goodness. Thank goodness!”

“You can also thank the ‘doctor’ who saved your life as well,” said Celestia. “He was adamant about staying here until at least you were awake.”

The memory of the man with the spotted cap looming over him came back to Ace. “Him. Good, I want to thank him for everything. Without him, Luffy and Jinbei might not have made it… Jinbei is okay too, right?”

“Yes, he’s actually just outside and has waited there since he woke up.”

“Great!” Ace said, daring to smile. “Well, lets tell him then.”

Celestia frowned, lowering her head to the ground. “He can come see you, after we’re done talking and if you’re cooperative. For one, you won’t be leaving that bed again without assistance.”

“I felt a little woozy when I first got up but that’s…” Ace trailed off, noticing that Celestia was staring in the same spot Twilight had focussed on.

His eyes wandered downward. Row after row of bandages wrapped around his shoulder and continued all the way down to his hips, but there was nothing further to his side. Trembling, he extended a hoof out and brushed through the empty air where a limb should have been. Lips trembling, he looked over to Celestia.

“I’m sorry,” she said with her head low, “when my sister managed to reach you, it was far too late to save your arm.”

Ace shifted backward and stared up at the ceiling, eyes dulled. The room was silent for a long time before Ace spoke again. “Pops… what about Pops?”

“That can come later,” Celestia answered, her face tensing up. “Whatever happened, nothing you do will change it now.”

“What?” Ace yelled, flames billowing up around him again. “Just tell me what happened!”

“No…” Celestia trotted over to Ace and placed a hoof on him, smothering some of his flames and pulling him close so that they were eye-to-eye. “I will not burden you with things that don’t matter to you anymore.”

“Of course it matters to me! They’re my family!”

“I know.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a breath. “They shed enough tears to prove that.”

“W-what?” Ace repeated, voice shaking.

“Your arm is not the only price you’ve paid for your life,” said Celestia, her tone heavy and somber. “Portgaz D. Ace is dead. It will take some time to adjust, but a life in Equestria, free of the hatred that cursed your very blood, is far more preferable to execution at the hands of the World Government. I promise, until the end of your days, you will be safe here, my little pony.”

The Paramount War Ends! Ripples Across the World!

View Online

A Few Hours After the Paramount War’s Conclusion

Celestia slowly opened her eyes, raising a hoof to shield them from the sunlight that trailed through a small rounded window. She gasped and sat up, catching her breath when her head exploded, sending her tumbling down onto the bed she’d awoken on. She remained still for a moment, steading her breathing while the ache at the base of her horn faded away. Her attention went down to the queasy feeling in her stomach. Placing a hoof over it, she brushed against bandages rather than fur and snorted, realizing the nauseous sensation was a rare but familiar one.

“Apologies for the slipshod first aid.”

Twisting over to the voice’s direction, Celestia lit up her horn, basking the dim cabin in a pale golden glow. The ache in her head returned and grew until she was forced to shut off her spell. Huffing, she glared in her caretaker’s direction, his red hair still illuminated with candlelight.

“Shanks,” Celestia grumbled. “I should have recognized your men.”

“Ah, don’t be so hard on yourself,” he chuckled. “It sounds like you’ve been quite busy lately.”

“Where are we?”

“My ship, a few leagues away from the tub current.”

Celestia slowly rose up, sheets falling off her. “What game are you playing? Am I your captive now?”

Shanks slapped his right knee and gave a hearty laugh. “Is that what the World Government thinks I’m up to now?”

Shanks stopped laughing and a silence pervaded the room. The creak of the ship echoed through his and Celestia’s ears. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth again.

“You know more about this war than anyone, and I want discuss what’s going to happen now… and thank you for saving Luffy.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “The last anyone saw of Straw Hat was my attack swallowing hi—”

A scabbard bumped against the floor. Shank’s gripped his sword’s hilt and pulled it out just enough for light to glimmer off the steal. Sliding it back into its sheath, he stared at Celestia, no hint of a smile remaining.

“You wouldn’t be here if you’d really done that.” Setting his sword down, he grinned. “But it sounds like you really saved his skin. Still rushing into danger without thinking… he must’ve formed a good crew to get this far at least.”

Shanks turned to look out the tiny window, his eyes glazed over and distant.

“What do you want?” Celestia asked, snapping him back.

“Well, I get the feeling you already had a plan in mind, so you’re free to do whatever you want once you can move again. However…”

Standing up, Shanks made his way over to the door, cracked it open, and poked his head out. With his lone arm, he gestured for someone else to come in and then fully opened the door. With red eyes and a slight slump to his back, Marco walked into the room. Shanks slid back in as well and twisted the lock, sealing the cabin off from the outside world.

“I want a pact made before any of us speaks.” Shanks glanced over at Celestia. “What we say here will not leave this room. Marco, you understand that?”

“Yes,” Marco murmured. He lifted his head up and stared at Celestia with listless eyes. “Ace, did you kill him?”

“No,” Celestia said after a moment.

Marco’s legs gave out and he went to his knees. Tears streamed down his face and stained the wood at his feet. Sobbing, he raised up a hand and pushed back his hair. Celestia and Shanks waited in silence until he could speak again.

“Is he still alive?” he managed to choke out.

“I can’t say,” Celestia replied. “All I did was ensure his escape from Marineford. He’d already been horribly injured by the time I got him out.”

“He’s in good hands…” Shanks paused. “Er, hooves.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. She raced out of bed and pinned shanks to the wall, even as the room spun around her.

“What have you done?” she growled.

“Well, I did ask your sister, so it was her own ch—”

“You brought Luna into this?” Celestia yelled, pushing down harder on Shanks. “Do you know what she’s gone through? What you dragged her into?”

Marco rose off the ground and clasped Celestia’s hooves, managing to wrest her off Shanks. He flung her back onto the bed while Shanks slid to the ground, gasping for air. All three of them caught their breaths with Celestia glaring at the two pirates.

“That’s not even getting into how you got to her in the first place,” Celestia huffed.

“Don’t worry,” Shanks rasped, “I’ve already ticked off the captain by going there. He made us all swear to never reveal anything about it.”

“Captain?” Celestia blinked. She knitted her eyebrows and frowned. “Darn, is there anything Roger didn’t lay his hands on?”

“They do say he obtained everything the world had to offer,” Shanks chuckled.

Shaking her head, Celestia sighed. “If Luna is with them, then I’m certain they will live.”

A smile came to Marco’s face, along with a few more tears. It receded when he saw Celestia staring at him, lips draw into a tight line. Wiping his eyes, he looked back at her, a chill raising the hairs on his neck.

“Maybe it would have been better if you’d thought I’d killed Fire Fist.” Celestia took a deep breath. “Because that’s what you’re going to tell the rest of your crew.”

“What?” Marco gasped.

“Or tell them it was Kizaru. You seemed to think it was him anyway.” Celestia raised off the bed and trotted over to Marco. “Either way, this is the end of Portgaz D. Ace.”

Marco slammed a foot to the ground, fists shaking at his sides. “A goodbye… can’t we say that?”

“No,” Celestia replied, her voice like ice. “Today was the day Ace died. His time in this world is done. Mourn him if you wish, but do not seek him.”

Marco banged a fist against a wall, leaving a hole in it. He spun away from Celestia and looked off into the dark corners of the room.

“We…” He paused, voice cracking. “We had his things ready. The other men will think it strange if we don’t decorate his grave, but can you at least give him one thing?”

“Only one, and nothing more,” Celestia sighed.

“Thank you,” Marco whispered. He turned around and shambled over to the door, stopping to look at Shanks. “Sorry, Red Hair, I can’t stay anymore. I… I need to tell the men.”

Shanks silently unlocked the door and held it open. Marco shuffled out, sunlight falling on the wet stains he left on the ground. Watching him go, Celestia saw that all the remaining Whitebeard Pirates were crowded around the ship’s deck. In the middle of them was a massive black shroud spread over a figure that took up a good part of the floor.

As the door closed, Celestia saw Marco’s lips move. The other pirates all stared at him, pupils shrinking into tiny dots. Some gnashed their teeth, others raised weapons, and a few even came to blows with each other. Most of them fell to their knees and wept.

~~~

On An Island A Day After The War

The glowing end of a cigar ground against the black ink of a newspaper. The embers smoked before catching fire, incinerating the headline: Whitebeard Dead! Flames spreading, Crocodile dropped the special report, letting it burn a bit before stomping into into ash. Reaching into his jacket, he produced a fresh cigar and stuck it in his mouth. He clicked open a lighter, flicking it a few times, trying to get it to spark. The flame failed to catch before a green tendril touched the tip of the cigar, lighting it with an emerald glow.

Crocodile stared down at the cigar and then glared to his left. Chrysalis frowned at his cold gaze. Sighing, she fell back and rested her bandaged head against a stone wall.

“I take it you didn’t like the news?” she mused. “Having our faces shown across the world will be an issue.”

“Then you’ll be happy to know that neither of us was mentioned.” Crocodile sucked in some smoke and blew it in Chrysalis’s direction, clouding her vision.

Clearing the air with a hoof, she raised an eyebrow. “My hive feasts on them and they don’t even feel the need to warn their citizens of us? No wonder this town was so unprepared. Celestia is less foolish than this ‘World Government’ of yours.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to your little revenge plot?” Crocodile growled.

A changeling drone buzzed down and bowed to Chrysalis, hacking up a tiny pink sphere. Giving it a nod, she floated it up to her mouth and chomped down on it. In an instant, it shriveled up and disappeared. A small grin spread across her lip, revealing a full set of fangs.

“It’s been dealt with,” she said, giving her neck a crack. “Besides, your offer sounds so much more appealing.”

She sat up and strutted over to Crocodile. Batting her eyes at him, she leaned close as her magic swirled around her, consuming her form and replacing it with her human disguise. He scowled at her and raised his hook, raking the tip across her cheek.

“The last woman to work for me at least only wore the ridiculous outfits,” he growled, pressing his hook in and drawing blood. Chrysalis yelped, but Crocodile just pulled her close so they were eye to eye. “She ended up stabbed through the chest and left to die.”

A shudder ran through Chrysalis, followed by a mischievous grin. Her tongue went out and lapped up some of the blood as she backed away. “Not a speck of love in you for anything but power.”

Crossing her arms, she looked out down the street, he grin spreading. Smoke rose up from numerous homes, a few having already collapsed into cinders. The only places not touched by the inferno were covered in a sticky turquoise substance. A few hands and feet stuck out of the grotesque entrapments, while pale unconscious heads dotted them. Changelings buzzed through the remains of the town, drones sometimes stopping at a villager with a healthier complexion and sinking their fangs into them, turning them white like the rest.

Basking in the hellish glow, Chrysalis danced through the destruction. Crocodile continued smoking on his cigar, eyes on the shore and the sea beyond. He glanced over to Mr. 1 leaning on a partially crumbled wall and looking the same direction, neither paying attention as Chrysalis reveled in her conquest.

~~~

Celestia sat on her throne, the only sound in the room the steady inhale and exhale of her own breath. Her gaze remained locked on the item floating in front of her. A click from the door at the other end of the Royal Hall jolted her away from it. In a flash, the item vanished and she slipped back into her throne, correcting her posture.

A guard rushed to the head of the room, armor echoing against the walls and stained glass. He stopped at the stairs leading up to Celestia and Luna’s thrones, throwing himself into a bow.

“Your highness,” he said, catching his breath, “a Code Black has gone out. Citizens have already been told to stay inside, but the Unicorn Regiment is having difficulty initiating a barrier spell.”

Chrysalis can’t have already recovered. Rising off her throne, Celestia trotted down the stepped, bidding the guard to rise. “What’s the cause?”

“Approximately fifteen minutes ago, a pegasi patrol intercepted a drone. They tried to capture it unharmed, but…” The guard paused for a moment. “It apparently ‘cracked like glass’ is how the patrol put it. We’ve got first aid being supplied to it right now.”

“Then let’s not waste anymore time,” Celestia replied, opening the doors with her magic “Where are we keeping it?”

The guard sped in front of Celestia and led her down the halls. “Interrogation Room C, with two unicorns supplying barriers and two other guards with the medic for security.”

Twisting through the halls, they eventually descended below ground, passing a pair a guards. Torchlight illuminated the dark path, shadows dancing off cell walls. Eventually, they came to a stop at a part of the dungeons that was brighter than the rest, lit with the glow of magic. Guards stood at the sides of a large window, enchanted so that Celestia could look in but the occupants inside couldn’t see outside.

The changeling rested atop an iron table, its hooves cuffed to the sides and a restraining bolt capped onto its horn. Its chest rose and fell in tiny intervals, highlighting the thin membrane stretched over its exoskeleton. A unicorn guard loomed over it, horn aglow as an aura swept over parts of the changeling, concentrating on a swath of its back where the chitin was cracked and dripping ichor onto the table.

With a nod to the guards, Celestia entered the room. The changeling looked over to her and it let out a weak buzzing noise. Suddenly, its eyes grew bright and shifted from blue to green. In place of buzzing, Chrysalis’s voice came out of its mouth.

“Celestia, a shame you’re still breathing,” she said. “But I suppose having you dead would hinder our deal a bit. This drone will provide you with directions to the hive, do with them what you will.”

Celestia opened her mouth to ask a question, but the changeling’s eyes flicked back to blue and its head flopped against the table. All the guards present looked up at her, waiting for her to speak. With a sigh, a pink aura rose up around her body and drifted over to the changeling. Its breaths became less erratic and its body appeared to loosen up.

“When it wakes up again, remove the bolt and contact me.” She spun around and marched over to the door, pausing to turn around. “You can lift the Code Black as well. I’ll need the Court ready for an emergency session.”

~~~

Luna sat with her back against a wall, eyes glued to the bed in the middle of the room. A light-brown pony hovered over the bed, glowing horn tilting his spotted hat back. A variety of instruments floated around him, occasionally jerking either closer or farther away from him. His attention was rooted on Luffy, mainly the stained bandages on his chest and the breathing apparatus around his mouth. In addition, a variety of needles jutted out of his legs, connecting to multiple iv bags.

Taking a breath, the pony backed away, slamming the tools into a nearby tray filled with disinfectant. Rubbing an eye, he trotted over to Luna. She looked up to him with a frown.

“Straw Hat, how is he?” she asked.

“He’s healing,” the pony replied, “but slowly. The treatments he received up until this point were just to keep him going, not truly heal him. From the sound of things, he was already spent before he even got to the war.”

“And his dreams are an unsorted mess,” Luna sighed, pushing herself off the ground. “I just wish we could use some of the higher level healing spells on him.”

With another sigh, she lit up her horn, opening up the room’s door. The pony at Luffy’s side trotted through, followed by Luna. Before leaving, she gave one last glance back at the bed and then gently shut the door. Turning around, she caught up with the other pony, sending out a spell to catch him when he tripped over his hooves.

“You take to magic well, but it seems trotting is still a problem.”

“It won’t matter,” the pony replied, “I’ll be gone as soon as Straw Hat and Fire Fist are up.”

He put a hoof forward, but was unable to move. Glancing back, he saw that his torso was still wrapped in Luna’s spell.

“Sir Law, you still haven’t answered my question of why you did this.” Luna pulled him a little closer. “You’re a rival to Straw Hat. Wouldn’t it have been easier to stay away from the war?”

“Maybe,” Law said with a devious grin. “Although, I could ask why a diarch of a kingdom no one should know about is so concerned with pirate.”

Before Luna could shoot back an answer, a blur of pink confetti exploded around them. Pinkie bounded out of the storm of paper, fake wings strapped to her back and a bow attached to a foreleg.

“That’s because Luna has a special so—”

Pinkie found herself silenced by a bisecting cut running down her middle. Going cross eyed, the two halves of her fell to the floor. Both sides frowned for a moment before grinning.

“Oooh, Mr. Dr. Law, are we gonna play the puzzle game again?” the two halves of her mouth asked in unison. “Bet I can get a record this time!”

“I…” Law shuddered and spun around. “I’m going for a walk.”

Pinkie jumped onto his shoulder, already unsplit save for the tip of her nose. With a wiggle of her face, her muzzle welded back together, making her smile wider. “Oooh, so we’re playing hide and seek then?”

“Room!” Law yelled.

Law vanished and Pinkie fell to the ground. Giggling, she jumped back up and looked over at Luna. “Aw, I think he’s shy.”

~~~

“Gah!” Blackbeard screamed.

Tirek’s beast sank its fangs into his arm, blood spilling onto the ground. It sizzled and turned to smoke instantly, mixing in with the roaring infernos that raged across the entire island. Blackbeard slammed a fist into the beast’s head, unclenching its jaw and dropping it the ground. Shaking his arm, he glared over at Tirek.

“Keep your damn pet on a leash or find a new one!”

“Oh, I intend to.” Tirek’s hand glowed and his beast floated over him. Stroking its head, it gave a small hiss, coughing up a puff of smoke. “You did say you wanted a place to test your powers out without the World Government noticing, right?”

“Zehahaha! Where did you have in mind?”

“Home.” A fanged grin spread across Tirek’s face. “I need to say hello to my old man.”

Set Adrift: Changing History II

View Online

Robin’s eyes flashed open and she lifted her upper torso off of the soft confines of linen sheets and goose down pillows, allowing the embroidered covers to slip down her purple coat. She shifted her hind legs over to the side of the bed, but her right one knocked into the wooden frame, reverting it back to hole-filled limb, black like onyx. Robin took a breath, a ring of green fire appearing around her leg where the purple fur ended and slowly crept downward, replacing the chitin with the soft coat of pony.

With a sigh, she hefted herself off the bed, avoided banging any more limbs, and trotted over to the small desk in the corner of the room next to a set of closed drapes the color of a ripe pomegranate’s rind. She pushed one to its side and looked out at Ponyville.

The deep blue hue of night still reigned in the west, heralding the sinking of the moon below the horizon. To the east, the sky was filling with pink, orange, and red, signaling the rise of the triumphant sun, its first rays stretching through Ponyville and touching a few houses with its light. Robin backed away into the shadows of the bedroom, but parted the drapes to allow the morning light in.

Taking a seat at the miniscule desk, she pulled a hefty grey tome that sat by two other thick books as well as a stack of newspapers and flipped to slightly past the halfway point. She pulled out a motheaten strip of fabric and began reading, an occasional mutter slipping out of her mouth.

“665 C.E. Rasior Exploration Team disappears in The Wastes… 667, Second Griffon War of the Dusk Age begins…” She went silent, eyes scanning the text before flipping forward a few pages. “783 C.E. Zebra Caravans… no trails found…”

By the time the sun had fully cleared the horizon, Robin had switched from the grey tome to the newspapers. One issue was spread across the desk, its yellowed pages fully covering the wooden surface, bending at odd angles over sets of coloring books and misshapen crayons and curling over the edges. Her eyes looked over the rough map resting in the center of the right page that was dotted with various numbers, focusing on an area near the bottom-left corner colored with reds and oranges.

A knock at the door drew her away from the old weather report. Scooting out of the chair, Robin placed the newspapers and books into a faded saddlebag with a dull star mark on it, slung it over her back, and made her way over to the door. She twisted it open, allowing Rarity to enter.

“Good morning, dear,” Rarity said before coughing lightly into a frilly handkerchief. “Excuse me. I do hope I’m not coming down with that cold that seems to be going around.” She glanced down at the full saddlebags and then at Robin. “And how is your research recovery going?”

“I’m getting bits and pieces,” Robin replied, “but the information is hard to come by through public sources.”

“It’s absolutely dreadful,” Rarity pouted. “Research, identification, and even your bits; all gone. I’d be inclined to give that changeling a good smack if I ever came across it.”

“I think everypony would be better off never seeing it again.”

“We’re in agreement there.” Rarity spun around and held open the door with her magic. “Anyway, breakfast is ready. I thought since everyone is feeling a little under the weather, we’d try this blend Twilight got from Zecora. Her herbal teas can clear your head faster than Rainbow Dash clears the sky… when she does her job.”

~~~

Robin trotted up the dirt path, strongly considering veering over to the side and grazing on some grass. It was a vestige of pioneer times, but the worst it could garner would be a few odd stares and hopefully alleve the rancid burning sensation that assaulted her tongue. Water, fruit salad, and scones at Rarity’s had done nothing to rid Robin of the tea’s putrid taste. The walk up to Sweet Apple Acres had diminished the flavor from a nauseous inferno to a smoldering blight, but only added to the true problem.

Robin’s stomach gave a tiny growl. She continued on her path, momentarily thinking back to leaving once Rarity had started talking about her sister. Focusing back on present, Robin passed through the weathered gate and up to the farmhouse.

She closed her eyes and breathed. Pointed ears and eyes with overlapping ovals and reptilian pupils sprouted up across the farm. Sweeping through Sweet Apple Acres, Robin neither heard nor saw anything other than a lone white rabbit sneaking a carrot out through a nearby fence. The mischievous pest dropped its stolen food and sped off when a black hoof erupted out of the ground, blocking its escape.

Carrot thief dealt with, Robin turned her attention to the inside of the farmhouse. The ears and eyes vanished from outside and Robin’s view shifted to a humble kitchen stocked to the brim with every manner of apple dish imaginable. Her attention went to the four ponies gathered around the table in the center of the room.

“Wooh,” Applejack sighed, removing her hat and wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead, “talk about a rough morning.”

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac.

“I could’ve helped,” Apple Bloom sniffled.

“Your brother and sister can handle it.” Granny Smith took a sip from her mug and poked at Apple Bloom’s. “Now drink all your cider and then get back up to bed.”

“But I’m not even that sick,” Apple Bloom complained before she let out a deafening sneeze.

Granny Smith frowned at her. “Apples never get sick unless it’s one of the meaner bugs out there. I’m just glad that young miss from, uh…”

“Ohayra,” Applejack finished. “Think it’s somewhere near Trottingham.”

“Right, right,” Granny Smith muttered. “Best unicorn I ever met, wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got a little Apple blood in her.”

As the Apple family spoke, Robin stood outside, feeling her stomach fill up. She stared down at the ground throughout the whole process, a frown stretched across her face. After today, I should have enough to get to Canterlot.

After finishing her “meal” and fighting the urge not to dry heave, Robin knocked on the door. Applejack opened it with a smile that stuck out against her frayed mane and darkened eyes.

“Morning, Ms. Robin. Sorry for the mess in here, we were just finishing up breakfast. I’d offer some leftovers, but I think we all might be catching whatever it is that’s going around.”

“Thank you anyway for the offer,” Robin replied.

“Least we can do with everything you’ve been through and all the help you’ve given us these past few days.” Applejack trotted outside and down to the fields. “Speaking of which, there’s a problem today that I could really use a unicorn’s help on.”

Robin set her bags on the porch and followed after Applejack as the pair wound their way away from the farmhouse and over to one of Sweet Apple Acres many barns. Paint flicked off the wooden boards from the one Applejack had led Robin to. The doors gave a shrill whine when she pushed them open, revealing the dusty interior, dark save for the brief bit of sunlight that got in. A light buzz could be heard from up above.

“Apple bees,” Applejack explained. “They’re a great help in pollinating the orchard and their honey is some of the best around, but they pack one heck of a sting. This barn is in pretty bad shape and we were hoping to tear it down soon, but we need to move the bees out first.”

“I see,” said Robin, even though darkness was all the greeted her additional eye atop the farm’s roof. “So you need me to levitate it down then?”

“If it isn’t too much trouble.”

The doors creaked again, drawing both ponies’ attention. Big Mac lumbered in, balancing a steaming container on his back. Twisting around, he clasped its handle and placed it on the ground. With snort, he gave Applejack and Robin a nod and then disappeared off to another section of the farm.

“I can stay and smoke up the nest in case they get a nasty,” Applejack offered.

Robin lightly shook her head. “I think I’ll be fine on my own. Just close the door on the way out, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I hear ya, don’t want any bees getting free and making a mess. Just be careful, okay?”

With that, Applejack slipped out of the barn, rusty hinges whining as she shut the door. After a brief moment in darkness, Robin lit up her horn, bathing the dirt floor in a sickly green glow. Taking a deep breath, the aura around her horn narrowed down to a translucent beam that cut through the shadows and up to the ceiling.

Cobwebs and rotting wood dotted the top of the barn. Robin’s magic tracked across the decayed architecture, a solitary eye accompanying it as it moved around until it reached a corner of the barn.

The beehive poked out of the wood like a large gray lump. Its occupants buzzed around it, zooming in and out of countless holes. Turning her neck a few degrees to the right, Robin brought her horn’s light right onto the corner. The bees still flew around at the same leisurely pace.

Robin took a breath, the aura around her horn glowing brighter until it was practically neon. Above, the bees began storming out of their hive and swarmed forward to attack, but their assault was cut short when they bumped into a solid wall of magic. Robin pulled her head back, the wood around the hive shaking at the same time, but the nest still remained rooted to the roof. The bees were now swarming in full force, their sheer numbers pushing against Robin’s spell.

She shut her eyes and summoned four hooves around the hive. Clasping the barrier she’d erected, they tugged and pushed, the boards connected to them groaning and splintering. With a great crack, the hive dislodged from one of the barn’s walls and started to tumble down. With labored breath, Robin sent out a net of limbs that caught the hive when gravity removed it from the other wall.

She gave a small huff when the full weight of the hive pressed against her limbs in addition to maintaining the barrier. Yet, neither her devil fruit powers nor her spell wavered as she replaced legs with ones that were closer to the ground, slowly bringing the hive to the floor.

Beads of sweat dotted Robin’s face and muzzle by the time the hive was only a few feet above the ground. The bees still angrily flew against the barrier but to no avail. With a sigh, Robin dispersed her leg-net in a flourish of thin petals that vanished almost instantly. She glanced back at the still-smoking container at her side and enveloped it in her magic, floating it over to the hive.

The shrill creak of the door opening forced her to relinquish her hold on the smoke machine; it gave a clank when it hit the ground. Twisting her head around, Robin was met with Apple Bloom staring back at her with wide eyes and a shaking legs. She shouted something, but it was lost in the roar of the swarm, now freed from its temporary prison.

Jumping back, Robin sent up a green barrier, but not before a few bees flew past and planted their stingers in her leg. Despite wincing, she didn’t relent in her spell. At the same time, two hooves rose from the ground and flung Apple Bloom out of the barn. Robin turned her back to her spell and galloped outside, slamming the door shut with the help of some additional legs as her spell crumbled.

The buzzing was muffled but still filled her ears as she caught her breath outside. Glancing down, she was met with splotches of her legs reduced to their changeling form. They didn’t hurt, but they weren’t turning back to pony fur either.

A sniffle drew Robin away from her injuries. Apple Bloom sat on the ground, her tears dampening the earth beneath her, coat dusty and ruffled from getting shoved backwards. Her head was turned down and her whole body shook.

“I-I’m sorry!” she sobbed. “I just thought… my cutie mark a-and…”

A hoof went to her face, silencing her. Robin peered over Apple Bloom’s body, but found no stingers. A bit of her legs were scraped up, but nothing some antiseptic and some bandages couldn’t clean up.

“It’s fine,” said Robin. “Now, go back inside and tell you sister that I got stung, so I had to run off to the hospital.”

“B-but…”

“Now.”

Apple Bloom hiccuped, picked herself up, and shuffled towards the farmhouse. Robin turned in the opposite direction and raced into the orchard. She quickly galloped off the beaten path and slipped into the thick mesh of the apple trees.

Sitting down under the shadow of one, Robin assessed the state her legs were in. Furrowing her brow, she managed to summon up her flames around the edges of the exposed areas of her disguise. Yet, parts of her legs still remained black and hole-filled, her magic refusing to cross over them.

I need to get some bandages.

She squelched the supernatural fire and wound her way through the orchard, eyes on the ground, watching for errant roots. The soil soon turned slick and loose beneath her, hooves sinking into mud and forcing her closer to the trees.

A rustle drew her attention up. Scanning the branches, Robin saw a few of them shifting around to her right. The sight of blue feathers made her frown deepen and she lunged dove a nearby puddle of mud, obscuring her legs.

Rainbow Dash knocked away a few branches and floated down next to Robin. She wiped away some sweat from her unkempt mane and huffed while staying aloft. The saddlebags at her sides were soaked where they touched her coat.

“Hey,” she said, voice dry and shallow. “What are you doing out here?”

“Some work for Applejack, bu—” Robin was cut off by an inordinate amount of hacking from Dash. Her wings stopped flapping and she landed, coughing into a hoof. She gave her chest a thump and finally quieted herself, offering Robin a sheepish grin. “... but I scraped myself up a little so I was heading to get some bandages for them.”

“Well, aren’t you lucky then?” A smile spread across Dash’s face as she turned around and pulled a roll of gauze and a bottle of disinfectant out of her saddlebag. “Just stopped by the hospital since Fluttershy was getting worried about this dumb cough. Told her it’s just a cold and the doctor said the same thing. No biggie though, I’ve got sick days to spend.”

“Thank you.” Robin took the first aid with her magic, frowning at Rainbow Dash staring at her with an undiminished grin. “Would you mind not looking while I clean up, they were some pretty nasty scrapes.”

“Why do you think I buy stuff like that in the first place?” Dash replied. “Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of hospital stays, so anything you’ve got can’t be too bad.”

“Please?” Robin asked. “It’s a personal thing.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah.” Dash spun around and walked a few paces away, pulling out a tissue from her bags and sneezing into it.

Robin moved out of the mud and onto more solid ground. Her horn lit up and encased her legs in an aura, scraping off the mud from them and revealing dirtied fur and still-exposed chitin. Sprinkling some disinfectant on the gauze for show, she wrapped the fabric around the undisguised parts of her legs, faking a small gasp at the touch of the disinfectant.

“Okay.” Robin floated the first aid back over to Dash, tapping her on the shoulder with the gauze. “Thank you very much.”

“No problem.” Shoving the items back into her bags, Dash flashed Robin a smile. “Sooooo… whatcha gonna do now?”

“I suppose I should go back and tell Ms. Applejack that I’m fine now.”

“Hey, why don’t I join you?” Dash coughed into her hoof again.

“I think it’d be wiser to return home and get some rest.” Robin marched past Dash, making her way over to the path. She frowned when Dash followed her. “Unless you have a pressing matter with the Apples.”

“It’s… kinda important?” Dash said with a weak grin. Under Robin’s stare, she lowered her head and sighed. “Okay, so I want to hear some archeology stories and maybe get some applesauce from AJ.”

“Hmmm, I suppose a small story would be okay while we walk,” Robin lamented. “The time I found a correlation between the native fauna and flora of the Zebra drylands and the Griffin colonies was quite a discovery.”

“Yeah?” Dash’s eyes widened and Robin tried to keep her face straight as she felt her stomach fill up again. “So what? You found out some ancient conspiracy? A link to legendary treasure? Both?”

“That the nutrient composition in their soils was nearly identical,” Robin said with a smile. “Given the great distance between the two locations, such an occurrence in rare, even taking migrations into account.”

Dash’s wings drooped down, followed by her lips. “Dirt? That was your big discovery? It’s always that, rocks, or plants with you. C’mon, there’s got to be more than that.”

“Sorry,” Robin replied, “but all archeology isn’t like a Daring Do book. There isn’t always hidden gold or a mad lunatic trying to take over the world.”

“There is when you tell Spike stories,” Dash grumbled.

Robin stopped and twisted around to look straight at Dash. “Spike is a child, I can take liberties in the truth with what I tell him. You, Ms. Dash, are an adult and I expect you to have a more grounded sense of reality than what a few fictional stories say.”

“I…” Dash went silent for a moment, frown pulling back into scowl. Her wings shot out and she lifted into the air, glaring down at Robin. “You know what? I don’t think I need applesauce anymore. Have fun with your dirt!”

Dash sped off and disappeared over the trees, letting out a cough that echoed in Robin’s ears. Alone now, she sighed and trotted onward.

That should keep her away.

~~~

Robin trotted down the same road she’d taken up to Sweet Apple Acres. A quarter-bushel of apples shuffled around the bag on her right side and a few bits clinked against the books in the left one. She considered dumping the apples off to the side of the road, sickened by the feeling in her gut and knowing she wouldn’t be eating them. She eventually decided it would be better to give them to Rarity.

Apple Bloom had disappeared into her room when Robin had returned to the farm, but Applejack had rushed over as soon as she’d spotted Robin and pulled her into a hug, thanking her repeatedly for keeping Apple Bloom from getting hurt. The entire incident had made Robin want to punch her stomach.

The event played over and over in Robin’s head as she made her way through town. Ponies glanced at her occasionally and a few mares pushed their children away from the street. Passing the train station, she stole a brief glance at the pair of guards stationed next to the ticket booth. She turned away and breathed in the morning air.

The sudden appearance a pink poofy mane invading her vision made her pause for a moment. With a wide grin, Pinkie danced around Robin, somehow summoning an accordion to accompany her lyrical voice. “Robin, you look so glum, but that’s dumb ‘cause it’s such a beautiful day out!”

“In high spirits as always?” Robin asked, resuming her trot.

“You bet!” Pinkie chirped, pulling herself closer and eyeing Robin. “You still look a little sad though, but Twilight says you’re already getting back some of your research.”

“Yes,” Robin lied. “I think I’ve gotten to the point where I can move on to another library. It also seems like whatever danger that changeling creature posed has passed.”

“And I’m super relieved about that too!” Pinkie reached and wiped imaginary sweat off her brow. “I really wish we could have found it so we could get your stuff back though.” Pinkie paused and let her lips turn down for a brief second. “It’s sad to hear that you’re gonna go. Oh! We can have a party tonight!”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea with that bug going around.”

“Hmmm.” Pinkie tapped at her chin. “Guess you’ve got a point there. Ah well, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to make you a super special goodbye treat!”

Pinkie let out a giggle and then sped off down a street. Robin couldn’t help but crack a brief smile at the energetic pony. Her lips returned to a neutral line as she focused back on the large tree that loomed in front of her.

Robin walked up to the library and twisted the knob, entering into the main room. Silence greeted her; a few books were out of their shelves and rested upon that tables. Trekking through the empty room, Robin hefted her bags onto a desk near the staircase that had a large box almost as tall as a pony next to it.

She was floating the first book into the return bin when one of the stairs creaked. Looking up, she was met with Spike rubbing his red and puffy snout with a claw.

“Morning, Robin,” he mumbled. “Sorry, Twilight’s out. Said something about going to Zecora’s for some herbs.” He paused to suck back a glob of snot that threatened to spill out of his nose. “Sorry about that too. We’ve both got whatever’s going around.”

“Then you should stay in bed,” Robin cautioned.

“Geez.” Spike descended the final step and looked up at her with narrowed eyes. “You’re sure you’re not Twilight’s long lost sister?”

“I find that highly unlikely,” Robin chuckled.

“Sooo…” He moved a little closer to her. “How is Rarity’s? The best, right? You’re super lucky Twilight let you stay there.”

“Ms. Rarity has been very accommodating.” A false smile came to Robin’s face. “I’m sure staying here would have been fine too, if a bit cramped.”

Spike smiled back at her, but suddenly twisted and pulled his head back and sneezed out a jet of flame, consuming a nearby stool.

“Princess Celestia isn’t gonna like that,” he sighed looking over the scorched area left by his flames. “I think you’re right, better grab the food Twilight left and go back to bed.”

Spike lumbered away to the kitchen and returned a few seconds later with a bowl of soup in his grasp. He shoved a full spoon into his mouth, undeterred by the steam that poured off the liquid or the bubbles that rose from the bowl. He paused at the sound of the front door opening; with a sniffle, he turned towards the entrance.

“Twilight,” he coughed. “You’re back.”

Much like Spike, Twilight’s nose was rubbed raw and stuffed up with mucus. Sweat trailed down her face and dampened her mane, matting it to her coat in the few places where it didn’t flick up. Her shadowed bloodshot eyes snapped away from Spike and over to Robin.

“Robin, what are you doing here?” she croaked. “I thought you’d be at Applejack’s.”

“We finished early today.” Robin pointed a hoof at the return bin. “So I thought I’d bring back the books I borrowed. I won’t be needing them anymore.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly and she moved closer to Robin. “What do you mean?”

“As wonderful as your library is, I can’t locate some of the texts I was using,” Robin explained, eyes following Twilight as she drew closer. “I believe the Canterlot Collection will be more fitting to my needs.”

“Canterlot?” Twilight came to a halt, pupils shrinking to pinpricks. She shot up a hoof and waved it back and forth. “Oh, no, no, no. You definitely don’t want to go there. The, uh, library system has some really bad bureaucratic issues. Takes forever to find a book and the due dates are just abysmal.”

“My past visits have never yielded any difficulties like that,” Robin lied.

“Yes,” Twilight countered, “but you had your library card then.”

“My work isn’t anything that requires security clearance, so getting a new card shouldn’t take long. ”

“But… I…” Twilight scrunched up her face and stomped a hoof. She twisted her head over to Spike. “Spike, hurry up to bed. You can eat your soup there.”

Spike’s face blanched at little under Twilight’s glare. With a gulp, he climbed up the stairs and disappeared into the bedroom. With only Robin left, Twilight turned her attention back to her, shallow breaths escaping out of her mouth.

“Robin, why don’t you head to Manehatten or Trottingham instead?” she huffed. “They’re way less busy than Canterlot. I’ve even heard the Historical Wing at Trottingham’s library is even better than Canterlot’s.”

“Canterlot is less than a day away,” Robin replied. “I want to restore my research as fast as possible and I—”

“Stop it!” Twilight snapped. She placed a hoof to a temple and shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment and then glaring back at Robin. “Just stop it. The research, the books, helping out. I… I don’t understand it. Why are you doing this?”

“Twilight…” Robin took a step forward, but retreated when Twilight’s horn started to glow. “Calm down. I’m worried the cold is getting to your head.”

“No!” Twilight rasped. Gritting her teeth, she sank her head low, aura fading from her horn. “Robin, please, can’t you see that I’m trying t—”

A knock at the door jolted Twilight’s head up. She looked back and forth between Robin and the door before turning her whole body to the entrance. “That’s probably for me.”

A chill went through Robin. Like the stares she’d gotten since her arrival in Ponyville, a feeling seared into her memory was rising up. She’d lost track of how many times a knock at the door had shattered the small amount of safety she had secured in her numerous jobs. Heart thumping in her chest, she summoned a single eye to outside the library, just above the entrance.

Two armored guards stood outside, white coats shining along with their golden uniforms. Sharp eyes and tight lips marred their faces, their features highlighted by the small glow emanating from their horns. They stood with their legs bent, ready to assume any manner of position the situation called for.

Focusing back on the inside of the library, Robin slowly took a step back as Twilight advanced closer and closer to the door. With a cold sweat breaking out, she spun around and broke into a full gallop as Twilight opened the door. The sound of hooves clattering against the ground filled her ears as something whizzed past her head and exploded against a wall, sending sparks and burt wood everywhere.

“Wait!” Twilight shouted.

“Move aside,” a gruff voice ordered. “We’re not to let it escape.”

Whatever else was said, Robin didn’t hear. Her senses zoned in on the area immediately in front of her. She tightly turned around a corner and careened through the kitchen, darting towards the door. She flung it open with her magic and rushed outside.

Only to slam straight into a pony’s chest and fall to the ground. Vision spinning, she managed to see that a white stallion, bereft of his uniform’s helmet, allowing his long blue mane to flow behind him, was looking at her with a flame roaring in his eyes. His horn lit up and instantly grew bright enough to be blinding.

“Not this time,” he growled.

Then the world went black.

~~~

A feeling akin to a warm iron pressing into her side forced Robin to open her eyes. She began to sit up, but paused when a clink echoed through her ears. Looking down, she saw that all four of her black limbs were chained to worn stone that also made up the walls around her. She reached up and placed a hoof on her forehead, feeling an angular metal bolt around the base of her jagged horn as she tried to push back the nausea building in her throat.

This feeling… sea prison stone?

Her pondering was stilled as she looked around the room, noting how well lit it was for a prison. A pale white glow illuminated the walls, creeping through the cell’s bars. At its source was a looming figure, the same immaculate color as the magic that glimmered around the cell. Her prismatic mane flowed in the windless dungeon, but never covering up her tight frown or sharp ruby eyes.

“You’ve caused paranoia and panic in my kingdom, feasted off my subjects, and harmed my student and her friends,” she said, voice cutting through the air like a winter wind. “You are going to answer my questions or I will sentence you right now and leave nothing but ash.”

“Princess Celestia.” Robin gulped and bowed her head. “Please. Forgive my intrusion into your land. I did not wish to come here or cause harm to anypony.”

“But you did,” Celestia replied, tone still as frigid as the coldest ice. “You lied and ingratiated yourself with some of the most powerful ponies in the kingdom. You expect me to believe this is an accident? A coincidence?” Celestia’s horn grew bright and a heat swept across the cell. “Now, answer my questions.” Celestia dimmed her magic and snorted. “First, I want your name.”

“Robin.”

“Not that false name. Your real real name. Something like Pupa or Arachne, I presume.”

“My name is Robin.”

“Very well then.” Celestia began to trot around the outside of the cell, never taking her eyes off of Robin. “I imagine you thought yourself clever then? Using your real name while going under the guise of a false pony. It certainly eliminated any factual gaps that would have cropped up had you imitated an actual pony. Not that it would have helped you if you’d crossed one of the patrols.”

“You were cautious there as well, I suppose.” Celestia came to a halt and floated up a collection of letters. “You underestimated my student though. She was rightfully curious about a strange archeologist pony that showed up the same day as a changeling, so she looked up anything she could find on you. Yet, there was nothing.”

One letter flew through the bars and smacked Robin in the face. Bending down, she picked it up.

“I know you can’t help being philiavores, but it’s these sick games you play with your victims that truly disgusts me,” Celestia spat. “That’s one of her later ones. The first ones were what I expected out of her if this situation ever happened, but the last few I could barely stand to read.”

Looking down, Robin scanned the letter.

Princess,

Robin still avoids close proximity with ponies as much as possible. I have felt a little weaker whenever she’s come by, but she leaves as soon as she returns books and gets new ones for her “research.” I still haven’t found any publications by her and no schools or archeology teams list her as a member, despite the information she’s given me on her supposed group.

Outside of enamoring Spike with the stories he has begged her to tell, none of her actions fit with a changeling’s. She’s earnestly worked for Applejack to earn back some bits, been a gracious guest to Rarity, and has put up with my accusations and investigation since she arrived.

Zecora has finally finished a tonic Zebras have used to both counteract love drainage and root out changelings. I’ve given some to Rarity, saying it’ll help her feel better. If Robin has any and reacts like Zecora said, I’ll be sending you a letter tomorrow morning.

Princess, I don’t know what to do if she is a changeling. If she’d just been a cruel monster like at the wedding it’d be different.

There was more after that, but it had all been either scratched out or torn off. Putting the letter down, Robin was met with Celestia looking at her, her face still tight and sharp, but her eyes had softened slightly.

“Was it not enough that you treated her like a meal?” Celestia asked.

“I treated Twilight and her friends amicably,” Robin replied. “As she said, despite being an easy food source, I avoided her and the others as much as I could. I would have left them even sooner if it hadn’t been for one massive block.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

“You.” Robin raised a chained hoof and jabbed it at Celestia. “A thousand years of stable rule, yet your chronicled history is dotted with discrepancies and oddities, especially your ‘Night Age.’ Even your own past has been spun off into the stuff of legends. Such alteration to history is rare in all but the darkest aspects of government.”

“I’d guard your tongue,” Celestia cautioned, “and get to whatever point you are making.”

“Aside from my primary goal, I tried to pull up all I could on changelings,” Robin continued. “Newspapers from near the Wastes, records of vanished exploration teams, and tales of ‘dead’ ponies returning from that area were the best I could scrape up. Yet, the deeper I dug, the more holes started appearing in the region’s history, just like the rest of this land.”

“Why would a changeling need to know about its homeland?”

“To find a way to control what I ate.” Robin stared down at her stomach. “Every day, I tried as hard as possible to not feed on anypony, but your blacklisting of history drew out my stay for far longer than it should have.”

“Enough,” Celestia ordered, voice deep and echoing across the dungeon. “I will not have you of all things tell me how to run my country. You’ve been prying into dangerous realms, areas treacherous for even ponies to venture into. What is this ‘primary goal’ you mentioned?”

“To leave this land.”

A silence filled the dungeon. Celestia blinked and shook her head. Her horn grew bright again and pulled the cell door open. She trotted over to Robin and pulled her face up so that the two of them were eye-to-eye.

“Who are you?” Celestia asked.

“Robin.” Keeping her vision straight, she glared at Celestia. “Nico Robin.”

Celestia recoiled her hoof and backed away. Her eyes went wide for a moment but then narrowed. “That moniker of yours is truly fitting right now.”

Robin turned her head down and gave a small snort. “So, you are aware of the outside world.”

“I keep myself informed on any issue that could bring harm to my subjects,” said Celestia as she began to pace around the cell and once more came to a halt in front of Robin. “Now, I want to know how you got here and where the rest of your crew is.”

“One of the Warlords, Kuma, sent me. For what purpose, I can’t say,” Robin answered before bending her head down. “If you don’t know about the rest of my crew and they haven’t caused a ruckus, then I’m the only one here.”

“Well, this changes things,” Celestia mused. “Seems the barrier is still in place. It’s unfortunate that you wound up in such a form, but it will make things easier for Twilight when I explain how I banished you.”

Robin bowed her head down. “Thank you. That’s all I wanted from the st—”

“I didn’t say you’d actually be leaving.” Celestia trotted over to the cell’s door and slammed it shut. “I cannot allow you to leave Equestria now that you know about it. Even if I did, there’s only the Calm Belt and Sea Kings for leagues and leagues. You’d never make it back to wherever your ship was. I will think of a more suitable sentence for you now, but you had best get used to your hooves.”

“Why?” Robin called out as Celestia started walking away. “So I can live in ignorance like everypony else? You act like you’re letting me go, but I’ll still be a prisoner. How would Twilight feel knowing you’re a hypocrite on the very values you told her to hold de—”

A blast of fire slammed into Robin’s chest, knocking the wind out of her. She fell to the ground, chitin glowing red and smoking. Outside the cell, Celestia scowled at her, horn dimming down until the room was in near darkness.

“What I do, I do for the good of my little ponies,” Celestia hissed. “You humans would never understand that. I will give you some time to think over your next words. When next we meet, I can either free you and give you information on changelings, or you can remain in that cell until the end of your days.”

~~~

Celestia trotted out of the dungeons and into the afternoon light of the palace. Leaving the dank corridors behind, she trotted through the open halls and up spiraling staircases until she came to a grand pair of oak doors with two guards stationed outside. They gave her a salute as she opened one of the doors, pushing it with the smallest amount of force, so as to not wake the room’s inhabitant.

Quietly making her way in, Celestia slid over to the bed, eyes tracing the way the covers outlined Luna’s sleeping form. Only her blue head, with its swirling mane playing against the pillows, poked out from the sheets, her eyes peacefully shut while soft snores escaped her mouth.

Gently grasping the covers with her magic, Celestia pulled them back so that she could gaze down at Luna’s upper chest. A dark circle, forever seared into her flesh and enclosed by four triangles, making it appear like a deformed foot, stared back at Celestia. Breathing deeply, she pulled the covers back over the mark and bent her head close to Luna’s.

~~~

“I still don’t believe it,” Twilight sighed.

Shining Armor brushed a hoof against his sister’s back. He leaned back into the guest room’s sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Below him, Twilight kept her sight locked on the couch’s fibers.

“We both saw,” Shining said after a moment. “Twily, I can’t tell you many times I’ve cursed myself for the wedding. At least this time, I was able to do something before you really got hurt.”

“That’s just it though.” Twilight turned her head to look at Shining. “Robin was nothing like the other queen. She didn’t kidnap anypony and actually acted nice to all of us.”

“A ploy,” Shining replied, lips turning down. He let out a deep sigh. “I still remember the first few days, you know. Cadance kept to herself a little more, but I assumed it was her being nervous about the wedding. It was too late for me by the time that thing showed its true colors. I never want anypony else to go through that, especially you.”

“But we both now know Robin didn’t do anything like that.” Twilight raked a hoof through her mane. “She lied about who she was, but she couldn’t make up her archeological knowledge; only a real researcher could be knowledgeable like her.”

Shining gave Twilight a pat on the back and then got off the couch. He extended a hoof to help her up, but she pushed it away and slid off on her own. She kept her head low with a distant look in her eyes.

“Twily…” Shining reached out and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Why don’t you go talk with your friends now? They should all be done with their examinations.”

~~~

“Darling,” Rarity called out as Twilight entered the large common room.

In an instant, Twilight found herself wrapped in her friends’ hooves. “Guh, can’t breath.”

They quickly backed off, a few congested sniffles resonating amongst the group. Rarity trotted back to her seat and fell upon it with a sigh. Applejack and Fluttershy silently sat down while Dash sank into her chair, crossing her hooves. Instead of bouncing, Pinkie slowly trotted back to the room’s couch, scratching her mane and tapping on the smooth upholstery. Taking the hint, Twilight weakly smiled at Pinkie and joined her.

“So…” Twilight said, breaking the stale silence that had filled the room. “How did everypony’s examinations go?”

“Probably the same as yours,” Applejack replied, shifting her hat around. “Not a lick of brainwashing spells on any of us.”

“I… I’m just glad everything else will clear up soon,” Fluttershy murmured.

“Count yourself lucky,” Dash grumbled. “You didn’t have to put up with that thing’s lies.”

“That thing saved my sister,” Applejack muttered.

Dash sat up and glared at Applejack. “You’re actually gonna defend her? She could have taken her off to her hive for all you know!”

“I do know!” Applejack shot back. “But she didn’t, and she didn’t do a whole lot of other things either. Way I see, she could have just as easily gotten you.”

“You think a stupid bug could take me?” Dash jumped off the couch and marched over to Applejack. “You sure she didn’t pull some spe—”

A pink hoof shot into Dash’s mouth and pushed her away from Applejack. Pinkie stood in between the two of them, face scrunched up and staring at the ground.

“Stop it,” she whimpered. “I don’t want anymore fighting. Things are already bad enough.”

Dash took a breath and floated back to her seat.

“Pinkie.” Twilight got off the couch and put a hoof around her friend. “What do you mean things are bad enough already?”

“Because,” Pinkie sighed, “I know Robin would have never done anything bad to us unless she had no choice.”

“What?” Dash shouted, but quickly closed her mouth when Twilight glared at her.

Twilight turned her attention back to Pinkie. “Pinkie, we’re all confused by this, but what makes you sure Robin didn’t want to hurt us?”

Pinkie blew her nose into a tissue before speaking again so that her voice was clear. “I made her Pinkie promise that she wasn’t an evil monster that wanted to hurt ponies.”

A collective gasp went up. All six ponies traded looks with each other, Rarity holding a hoof to her horn, Fluttershy shaking her head back and forth, Dash slumping deeper into her seat, and Applejack removing her hat. Twilight used a hoof to shut her jaw.

“That… that’s not possible,” said Applejack, her voice little more than a whisper, yet it carried across the room.

“I know.” Pinkie flopped onto the ground and buried her face in her hooves.

“Hmmm, she seems to have some really bad luck,” a voice pouted.

Everypony’s attention went over to one the room’s window. Perched on the small nook below it was a slender pegasus. A poofy hat with a pair of goggles akin to the Wonderbolts’ rested over her light brown mane that just touched the tips of the frilly shirt that extended to her hips, concealing part of a cutie mark that looked like a webbed claw, but its digits were rounded rather than sharp. With a soft smile, she floated down from the open window and looked at all the bewildered ponies with round eyes that seemed to be in a constant state of amazement.

Twilight stepped forward, placing herself between her friends and the pegasus. “How did you get in here?”

The pegasus pointed up and chuckled. “The window. You’re smarter than that, Ms. Sparkle.”

Narrowing her eyes, Twilight lit up the tip of her horn. “I meant how you got past the guards.”

“Oh yeah, piece of cake.” The pegasus raised up a hoof, stared at it for a moment, and lowered it with a blush on her face. “Woops.”

“Well…” Applejack stole a glance at Pinkie, who was staring at the pegasus with the same flummoxed expression as the rest of them. Turning her attention back to the odd guest, she walked closer to her. “You might have gotten past the guards, but whatever you’re up to, we’re gonna be a bit tougher to get buy.”

The pegasus jumped back an inch and waved a hoof through the air. “Wait, wait, wait. I think this has all just been a really bad mix up. Listen, I can explain everything about Robin, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone else, not even the Princess.”

~~~

Robin sat up at the sound of hooves on stone. A green light appeared from down the hall and grew brighter while the clopping resonated louder. She picked herself off the ground as a sharp curved horn appeared around the corner, green glow illuminating a square black muzzle and reflecting off blue compound eyes. Glancing down, Robin’s pupils contracted at the sight of holes running up to a faded jacket that hid the rest of the changeling’s exoskeleton.

“Nico Robin,” he mused with a toothy grin. “This really was the last place we ever expected to find you.”

“And who would you be?”

“A Revolutionary.”

The changeling’s smile widened as he reached into his jacket’s pocket and produced a ring of keys. He put one into the cell’s door, pushed it open, and then went to Robin’s side, placing another key into the first of her chains. As he worked, Robin stared at him with her mouth slightly agape.

“The Revolutionaries?” Robin gasped. “How?”

“Oh, we have our ways,” the Revolutionary chuckled as he undid the final lock around Robin’s legs and moved up to the bolt around her horn. “Plus, Equestria’s isolated nature makes it a prime front for our activities. We’re virtually invisible to the World Government here, so it was quite a surprise when when we heard about you showing up out of the blue. Although, a changeling appearing in the middle of Equestria would draw anyone’s attention.”

The bolt slipped off Robin’s horn and rattled against the ground. Standing up, she flexed her newly freed limbs. “So, now what?”

“Now we head back to Baltigo.” The Revolutionary moved over to the cell’s door and held it open. “Our leader has wanted to speak with you for a while now. Plus, things are gonna be a little hairy here when the Princess finds out you’ve disappeared. She’s pretty scary when she’s mad.”

“Baltigo…” Robin turned her head down. “I’m sorry, but I can only go as far as the Grand Line. I need to get back to my crew.”

“Thought you’d say that.” The Revolutionary flashed her another grin. His horn grew bright and a newspaper with burnt edges appeared out of the air and floated over to Robin. Reaching out, she took hold of it, eyes widening at the picture of a familiar young man with a straw hat held at his chest plastered across the front page. Her eyes moved slightly to the right and locked onto the unfamiliar characters scribbled across his right arm.

“Straw Hat Luffy,” the Revolutionary mused, his smile shrinking down to a warm grin. “He really is one reckless pirate, but it looks like he’s actually done something pretty clever this time.”

Robin folded up the newspaper and floated it back over to the Revolutionary, who took it with his own magic and made it vanish the same way he’d summoned it. “So, still want to head back to the Shabondy Archipelago?”

Robin trotted over to the door and gave the Revolutionary a shake of the head. “No, Baltigo is where I should go for now. Please, lead the way.”

She held out a hoof to let the Revolutionary move ahead, but he stood in place and chuckled. His horn started to grow brighter and a ring of flames rose up around them. “You might wanna brace yourself. The first teleport can take a bit out of you.”

In an emerald flash, the two disappeared, leaving only an empty cell and smoke behind. A second later, Robin fell into a patch of grass, head spinning and smoke rising from a few parts of her. With a huff, she steadied herself up, placing a hoof on a temple to try and hold back the dizziness that was making her vision swim.

“That’s one of the few things I always miss about this place,” said the Revolutionary.

As her sight refocused, Robin realized she was standing in the shadow of something. Twisting her head, she was met with a carriage looming behind her, its red coloring blending in with the setting sun.

“It would be nice,” a pegasus hitched to the front of the carriage mused, flashing Robin a grin. “Wow, so you’re Nico Robin. Nice to meet ya, I’m Koala!”

“A pleasure,” Robin replied with a similar grin before making her way over to the carriage.

However, the changeling Revolutionary held up a hoof, making Robin stop. “I think they’d like a few words first.”

Spinning around, Robin was met with the Mane Six staring back at her. Their eyes traced over her reflective exoskeleton, past the translucent wings on her back, and came to a stop at her jagged horn. With a sigh, she bowed head. “I did want to leave you an apology.”

“For what?” asked Applejack. “Way these fellas explain it, you didn’t have much of a choice. Plus, I owe you for helping Apple Bloom.”

“That still doesn’t excuse what I did,” Robin replied, clutching at her stomach. “Or what I’m doing right now.”

“It’s only for a little,” Twilight coughed. “Which is really a shame, there’s so many questions I want to ask, so many things I want to know…” She glanced over to the carriage. “But I suppose that will have to wait. For now though…”

Twilight’s horn glowed and a book popped into the air. Its cover was faded and motheaten at the edges and the sheer volume of it made Twilight sweat under its weight. Robin took hold of it and smiled reading the title.

“A Complete History of Equestria,” Twilight said with a grin. “It’s a little difficult to procure and the Princess probably won’t be happy with me, but after everything I’ve heard, this is the best way I can think of to say goodbye.”

“Thank you.” Robin bowed her head, but quickly shot it up and looked over to Rainbow Dash, who avoided her gaze. Setting the book down, she made her way over to her. “I owe you a personal apology.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dash sighed, lowering her head. “You were doing it for my own good and I acted like a jerk too.”

“Well...” A mischievous grin spread across Robin’s face. “For now, lets just say that it’s not silly to believe in a few fictional stories, they often have a kernel of truth. Although, aside from names, nothing was a lie about what I told Spike.”

“Really?” Dash pulled herself closer, giddy smile erupting across her face. “You really did find an ancient city in the sky? And you did fight a pony made of lightning? Oh, what about the part where you got captured a—”

Robin put a hoof up to quiet Dash. “All true and you can ask Spike or Twilight about them anytime you want.”

Dash smooshed her hooves into her cheeks. “So awesome!”

She suddenly pulled them back and coughed into one of them. Robin gave her head a shake and began walking over to the carriage, placing the hefty book on her back. The changeling Revolutionary held open a door for her.

“I think that’s my signal to go,” she said, taking the step up to the cabin. “Thank you all again for putting up with me. I hope to meet again someday... my friends.”

“And we’ll have a big party!” Pinkie shouted, sending up a shower of confetti with her party cannon.

♦ ♦ ♦

3D2Y

“Fire!” a marine captain commanded.

The naval warship leveled its canons at the lion-headed boat that was just beginning to sink into the sea, despite no visible damage but displaying a shimmering texture that was slowly expanding outward, forming a massive bubble. The fuses on the canons ran out and their volley went careening toward the pirate ship.

Robin, along with the rest of her crew, paused their escape for a moment to marvel at their captain. A second ago, he’d leapt up to block another round of cannonballs, but was now covered head-to-toe in cream pies. His tongue shot out and slurped up their remains.

“That was weird,” Luffy chuckled, patting his stomach.

A smile spread across Robin’s face.

“What the hell?!” the marine captain roared.

“Captain!” A sailor ran up from below the deck and rushed over to the captain. “All our munitions… they’ve turned into junk!”

“Hey!” The sailor suddenly found his vision filled with pink and then white as a pie splattered his face. He stumbled backward and wiped off some of the mess, reaching for his gun and firing it. A spray of water came out and landed on a pink pony’s poofy mane, bouncing off it like it was made of rubber. “They’re not junk! They’re jokes!”

The marine captain unsheathed his sword and brought it down on the pony, only for it turn into a balloon that flew off into the sea. “What the hell are you doing here, ‘Gift Horse?’”

“Sending a friend off,” Pinkie said with a smile.

She ducked just as a warship next to the one she was on exploded in a multicolored blast. A piece of timber launched off the wrecked ship and slammed into the marine captain and a few sailors, sending them into the ocean.

“Wow, Dashy,” Pinkie exclaimed, looking up at the shadow flapping above her, “you haven’t done that since Peipon.”

“Hasn’t been a big enough target,” Dash replied. “Hey, you think the rest of you can handle the other ships? I’ll go deliver our message.”

“Yep-a-rooney!” said Pinkie before pulling up her party pistol and unleashing a giant blast of water out of its tiny muzzle, knocking back a squad of marines advancing on her.

“Great!” Dash took off and sped over to the rapidly descending Thousand Sunny.

“That was awesome!” Luffy screamed with stars in his eyes as he watched the remains of the rainbow explosion dissipate into the air.

“It’s gotta be if I’m gonna do it!” All eyes on the Sunny went up to Dash as she floated down to the ship’s deck. Flicking back her mane, she made her way over to Robin. Reaching out, she pulled her into a hug. “Nice to do this without feeling sick. Looks like a can’t stay long, but when you get back, boy, have I got some stories for you this time! Can’t wait to compare treasures!”

Without a further word, Dash launched off the ship, sending out a massive rainbow aura. Robin stared up at the display with a smile. Her attention was brought back down to the ship by Luffy clasping her shoulders.

“Robin!” he shouted. “Was that a talking rainbow horse?! That’s so cool! How does it poop?”

“Idiot!” Usopp and Nami both yelled, slamming their fists into Luffy’s head.

To the New World!

Author's Notes:

Wow, first Set Adrift Story is finished and man was it a long story, but these are essentially one shots. Writing for Robin was definitely interesting since she's easily the most subdued of the Straw Hats. Her story is probably also the one that has the most reactions rather than actions since it's her changeling status that drives most of the plot. Honestly, I imagine if it weren't for that, she could have been off Equestria in no time, no matter where it is. Her history has shaped her so that escape and avoiding detection are some of her strongest skills.

Speaking of which, I get the feeling a few people might be angry at my portrayal of Celestia. Yeah, she's pretty nasty in this, but she does truly believe it's for Equestria's best interests and does feel regret about the horrible things she has to do.

Set Adrift: Lost in the Woods II

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Zoro’s hooves echoed against the stone floor and reverberated off of the ancient corridor. Each step kicked up a small cloud of dust that trailed behind him, slowly settling down once more to the thick coat of debris that blanketed the ground. A glowing ball of light that surrounded what appeared to be some sort of meat floated close to Zoro’s mouth, steam escaping when he took a bite out of it.

Turning around a corner, the hall’s darkness gave way to a small garden nestled amongst the weathered walls that climbed high up into the blue sky. To the east, the sun poked up over the ruin’s ramparts, bathing the courtyard in the morning light. Marble legs, horns, wings, and bodies were strewn across the unkempt grass, moss dotting most of them like battle wounds.

Zoro trotted over to a large bust of a unicorn with only its top half sticking out of the ground, and reclined against it. He opened his mouth to take another bite of his meal when a cry drew his attention to the area above the hall he’d just left.

Along the ruin’s main tower, multiple platforms jutted out of the sides. Some hosted gargoyles, some held nothing but dust, and the one right over the exit held Trixie. Even from the ground, Zoro could see her shaking.

“T-trixie wants to get down!” she whimpered.

“Tch,” Zoro sighed.

In a swift motion, he clasped one of his swords in between his teeth, slashed upwards, and resheathed it. A silence pervaded the courtyard for a moment before the platform gave a groan, rock grinding against rock. Trixie’s eyes widened as the structure rumbled and sank an inch. She darted over to the tower and scrambled to grasp the wall, but the platform gave out beneath her before she could get a proper hold. She screamed as she tumbled down, but her cry was swallowed up by the great crash of the stone hitting the ground and sending up a large cloud of debris.

Hacking, Trixie slowly slid off the stone and rolled over the shattered rocks and came to a stop on the grass. Coat dirty, body pulled into the fetal position, and shaking, she rocked back and forth. Zoro took a step forward, but one of his hooves crunched and squished against the remains of his meal.

“Darn it.” He kicked the meat away, its roasted wings catching the wind and extending out as it rolled across the grass. Zoro drew close to Trixie and tapped her with the same hoof, now sticky and matted with dust. “Oi, I’m getting tired of having to get you out of messes.”

Trixie sharpened her eyes and shot off the ground, pressing her face close to Zoro’s. “You think Trixie wants this? You think she likes being stuck in this ancient castle that still has all the stupid traps working?! All Trixie wanted was to get a banner down to use as sheets, but no! She instead ends up on a—”

Zoro spun around and trotted over to the courtyard’s exit.

“Where in Tartarus do you think you’re going?” Trixie yelled.

“You made me drop breakfast,” Zoro snorted. “Now I’ve got to figure my way out of here again and go get some food.”

Trixie scowled and rushed over to Zoro. He continued walking into the ruins even when she was inches away from him. With a huff, she clasped the sash around his neck. She froze when the damp fabric smushed against her hooves, a few drops of deep red liquid streaming down her leg. Close up, she could now see that scratches and deep puncture wounds lined Zoro’s body.

“Y-you...” she stuttered, hooves sliding down and leaving a crimson stain on the ground. “You’ve been fighting again.”

“Yeah, well, this forest isn’t exactly friendly,” Zoro grumbled. “Can’t even get some apples without a bunch of pests taking them from you.” He took a step forward, but Trixie rushed in front of him. “Move.”

Trixie shook her head. “You need bandages.”

“Oh, no.” Zoro moved back. “The horse thing is bad enough. You’re not turning me into a mummy again! Besides, what do you care?”

“Trixie would rather deal with you than anything else here.”

~~~

The sun was fully over the ruin’s walls when Zoro stepped out into the small patch of open land at the front of them. The forest encroached on the ancient building from its sides with vines, moss, and branches creeping over the weathered walls. Yet, the area that led from the old structure to the rickety bridge was littered only with weeds and some blue flowers that kept to the shadier spots.

Scratching at the thick padding of gauze around his neck, Zoro snorted. Trixie followed behind him, a few bruises running up her body. They slowly walked over to the bridge, but Trixie didn’t continue onto it.

“Come on,” said Zoro, “now I need to get breakfast and lunch.”

“Wasn’t it enough that you acted like a foal when I tried to clean you up and then you got us lost just getting to the front of the castle?”

“I’m telling you, the halls move!” Zoro replied. “If you wanna stay here, fine, but I’ll just be getting food for myself then.”

“Trixie…” She lowered her head. “Trixie could always find those carrots again.”

“Or you could wind up on another ledge.” Zoro moved ahead on the bridge. “Pretty lucky those weren’t poisoned. Either way, I’m going to look for food and maybe find a way out.”

Zoro trotted further across the old bridge, its creaks mixing in with the distant call of birds and the rustling of trees. Trixie turned her head to the ground, a spider the size of her hoof pausing its walk through the forest to look up at her with its eight beedy eyes. A shiver ran through her and she gave chase after Zoro, undeterred by the bridge swaying back and forth with each step she took.

~~~

Trixie and Zoro stared up at the tree that loomed in front of them. Its bark twisted in jagged patterns all the way to the tips of its branches. From its trunk to its limbs, the tree had an angular look to it that made it and the loose “orchard” behind it all stick out from the disorganized nature of the rest of the forest. A few crows flew overhead, squawking down at the pair, but never resting on the trees’ branches or filching one of the multiple grey fruits that hung from it.

Past the canopy of pointy leaves, the sky was heavy with clouds, the morning light gone save for a small blue patch off on the horizon. A rumble from afar yet closer than the sunlight accompanied the low hum that permeated the “orchard.” Trixie licked her lips and pressed a hoof to her stomach, pushing down parts of her now-frizzy coat.

“Are we going to just stand here gawking all day?” she complained. “Trixie wants to get food before it rains!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zoro grumbled, making his way over the frontmost tree. “Lets see… horses…”

Furrowing his brow, he spun around and planted his forehooves into the ground. His swords clinked against each other, unleashing a few tiny blue sparks. He took a deep breath, quickly tucked in his hindlegs, and sent them flying back into the tree’s trunk.

A coil of electricity shot down from the tree’s branches and blasted Zoro backwards. He flew into the dirt and twitched as the lightning coursed through him, searing his sash and singeing his fur. Trixie rushed over, but kept a safe distance until the sparks stopped popping off of him.

The forest was silent for a moment before Zoro let out a grunt. Scraping against the ground, he wobbled to his hooves, ashes and scorched bits of cloth falling off him. He glared at the tree, electricity still pulsing around it, and unsheathed one of his swords.

“Wait!” Trixie yelped. “Don’t do anythi—”

Zoro slashed through the air, a razor-like beam launching out of his sword and careening into the tree. Lightning arced out of it like a great storm, the tendrils flying into anything unfortunate enough to be nearby. Trixie jumped back when a bolt landed inches from her hooves while Zoro remained motionless, watching the miniaturized storm while the tree’s wood cracked and splintered. It hit the ground with the great crash of thunder, unleashing one final strike so massive that Trixie was forced to shield her eyes as it climbed into the heavens.

The thunderclap’s echo was instantly swallowed by a harsh downpour of rain. With a swipe, Zoro flicked the water of his sword and sent it back into its sheath. He turned his head and looked at Trixie, who had fallen to the ground and gathered herself into a ball.

“Oi, you can stop cowering now,” he huffed.

Spinning around, he trotted over to the felled tree, fresh stump crackling with energy. Its fruit was scattered across the ground, a few grey orbs still attached to the branches. Zoro pulled out a scabbard and poked one of them. When nothing happened, he put his sword back and bent his head down, catching the fruit in his teeth. Instantly, volts coursed through his body, sending his coat straight up and causing smoke to billow out of his mouth. Shocked once more, he fell to the ground paralyzed.

Picking herself off the ground, Trixie inched over to Zoro, slick earth squelching against her hooves. His torso slowly rose and fell and he let out a deep sigh.

“I hate lightning,” he grumbled.

“Trixie is going to have to carry you, isn’t sh—”

A giant bolt of lightning came down on a nearby tree, followed by a deafening blow of thunder. Smaller tendrils of electricity poured down from the dark clouds, sending rings of plasma through the trees’ trunks. Then, just as suddenly as the storm had begun, the rain stopped, the clouds faded away, and a rainbow appeared across the sky.

Trixie’s eyes widened when the trees’ fruit glowed with the same energy that ran through the rest of the “orchard” and a stripe of red appeared on them like the juiciest of apples, followed by a plethora of other colors until the fruits matched the rainbow in the sky. Then, a prismatic light shot off of one fruit and latched onto another, and from there to another fruit. The majestic display continued until the entire forest was filled with color and the glow filled the entire sky.

Pushing off the ground, Zoro stared up at the fruits, squinting his eyes to assure that they had changed from a round shape to a square one. “I hate this forest too.”

“But these are Zap Apples!” Trixie called out, a grin appearing on her face. “Trixie’s stars! If we can figure a way out of here, we can sell them. Trixie could even get a new cart!”

“I’d rather just eat them now,” said Zoro, glancing up at one of the trees’ branches. “Or do they still shock you?”

“Ha! Who would want to eat that?”

Trixie lit up her horn and gave one of the apples a tug, sending it down to her face. She bit down on it and chewed, only for her mane to stand straight up. Zoro grinned wickedly at her.

“S-shut up!” A blush appeared on Trixie’s face. “So they’re a little more potent raw. Trixie has faced worse with joy buzzers!”

“At least it’s edible now,” Zoro sighed

He lit up his horn and he brought an apple up to his face. He sunk his teeth in, a shock running through his mouth like he’d touched a wool sweater, but it was accompanied by a sweet savory taste. The flavor seemed to shift as he chewed on it, changing from the crispness of apples to the juiciness of oranges to the soft texture of melon and proceeded to transform its taste until he swallowed.

“Maybe I’ll take some of these back with me,” Zoro chuckled. “My captain could probably eat a whole forest of them.”

“What?” Trixie huffed, tearing more fruit from their branches. “Is you captain made of lightning or something?”

“Rubber,” Zoro replied. “Did beat a guy made of electricity though. That count?”

The apples fell out of Trixie’s grasp and splashed into the muddy earth. She gave her head a shake and went back to recollecting them.

“Your friends are all madponies,” she muttered.

~~~

With two sacks Trixie had seemingly produced out of thin air now full of zap apples and balanced on their backs, she and Zoro trotted back through the forest. The highest undamaged spires of the ruins crested above the canopy, guiding the two ponies to their camp. Trixie marched at the head of duo to ensure that the ruins continued to serve that purpose.

“Hmmm,” Zoro said, “maybe we could ferment a few of these.”

Trixie momentarily slowed down to look back at him with a raised eyebrow. “You know how to make cider?”

“No,” Zoro sighed, “that idiot cook could probably do it though.”

“And is he insane like you?” Trixie quipped.

“Just an idiot. Can’t even make us food if there’s a girl around.”

“Oh.” A small grin came to Trixie’s face. “And why’s that?”

“He’ll always be serving them the best food and then give us the scraps… of course, my captain will eat all of that.”

“Sounds like your friend knows how to actually treat a mare,” Trixie mused. “Why couldn’t he have come here instead?”

“I wish he ha—”

Trixie slammed a hoof into Zoro’s chest, forcing some apples to tumble out of his sack and into the patch of blue flowers in front of them. He glared at Trixie but a hiss from the ground drew his eyes back to the apples. One started sending out electricity again, another swelled in size until it was a big as Trixie and many of them stayed the same, save for blue dots afflicting their rinds like all the other fruits until they exploded. Bits of apple flesh rained down on Trixie and Zoro, the latter gawking at the display while the former shook her head.

“Darn,” Trixie sighed.

“‘Darn?’” Zoro tilted his head at her. “That’s all you have to say after seeing fruit turn giant or explode? Haven’t you been freaked out by everything else in this forest?”

“Yes, well…” Trixie turned her eyes to the ground, staring at the blue flowers blocking their path. “Trixie has experience with this plant. It causes all sorts of unspeakable things to happen to anything that touches it.”

“Oh, and what did it do to you?”

Trixie’s face turned bright red. “Trixie does not wish to discuss it. Just be thankful we haven’t seen any pinecones.”

“So how exactly is it you know nothing else about this forest except this flower?”

“When Trixie was afflicted,” she sighed, “a kind zebra gave me the medicine required to alleviate my symptoms.”

“And this zebra…” Zoro paused a moment and shook his head. “This zebra knows all about this forest?”

“It seemed that way, she even had a tiny hu—”

“Then why didn’t we find her first?” Zoro yelled, causing a few birds up above to flee from the trees.

Zoro opened his mouth to say more, but a rustle from nearby silenced him. A glow washed over two of his sword’s hilts. A large paw with claws like onyx appeared out of a bush. With a snarl, the beast’s head pushed through the foliage with a mane like a great fire that spilled out from its face. It bared its multitude of fangs at Trixie and Zoro, the former having backed into cowering.

Stalking closer to the two of them, the rest of of the creature came into view. Leathery wings pressed close to its sides, their sharp curves highlighting portions of the beast’s massive frame. A bulbous tail protruded from its back and ended with a stinger that glistened in the afternoon light. It restlessly swung back and forth through the air while its owner growled at Zoro and Trixie.

Two of Zoro’s swords slid out out of their scabbards and floated by his head, pointed straight at the manticore. Keeping his eyes on the beast, he bent down and chomped on the hilt of the final sword, biting down hard to keep the black blade in his grasp.

“Go,” he ordered Trixie.

“B-but…” Trixie inched a step back, drawing the manticore’s attention.

Its wings shot out and it careened through the air, opening its jaws to bite down on Trixie. Cold steel met its fangs instead, Zoro grunting as the aura around his blades flickered a little trying to hold back the attack. Dirt rose up around his hooves as he was forced back.

“Get out of here!” he yelled.

Trixie took off, a few apples falling from her sack. The manticore growled at Zoro, hot breath matting his mane to his head. It jabbed its stinger down, Zoro jumping out the way and the sharp tip burying itself into the ground. Around the impact zone, the grass turned brown and flaked off into the air and a foul stench rose up from the earth, accompanying a purple haze that spilled from the stinger.

“Sorry.” Zoro positioned his swords to the side of his head again. “We’re not on the menu today.”

The manticore leapt up once more, this time keeping its wings folded. It raised its right claw above its head, letting its weight and gravity handle the rest. Crashing down on Zoro, its paw pressed against Kitetsu, the dull end of the blade pressing up against Shusui’s sharp side. Both of them shook furiously as blood dripped down the former’s metal.

A second paw came out from Zoro’s right. With all his power spent on keeping the manticore’s claws from tearing off his face, Zoro didn’t have time to shift Wado down to block and the blow slammed into his side, ripping off parts of his bandages and leaving three red gashes across his torso.

He flew off the ground, swords losing their glow and clattering to the earth. A tree ended his journey, the wood shattering from the impact followed by the trunk snapping and crashing to the ground. Hacking from the blow, Zoro struggled to his hooves, Shusui a few inches in front of him now. He shambled forward at the same time the manticore bounded towards him.

Gotta get my sword!

The manticore raced at him and raised its stinger to strike the fatal blow. A howl of pain forced it to an abrupt stop and its paws became tangled in the undergrowth. It barreled across the ground, rolling a hair’s breadth away from Zoro and tumbling off into the forest. Its sharp yelp filled his ears, but quickly grew quieter.

Huffing, he stared across the decimated area. Trixie was also gasping for air, Wado enveloped in an azure glow by her side. In front of her, the manticore’s tail twitched around, stinger occasionally striking the dirty and killing all plant life nearby.

“Thanks,” Zoro huffed.

“Tri— I’m glad it wasn’t cur—” Trixie cut herself off, eyes widening at Zoro.

“What?” Zoro took a step forward, feeling the undergrowth brush against his legs. It sent a chill up them and through his whole body. Glancing down, he saw that he was surrounded by blue flowers. “Crap.”

~~~

It was raining again. Trixie slogged through the mud, legs half-buried in the muck and belly uniformly stained. Zoro rested on her back, taking slow shallow breaths that passed by shimmering lips dotted with azure spots. His legs and horn had a similar complexions; unlike the rest of his body, they were spotless and free of any blemishes. Rain beaded off them and dripped to the ground rather than soaking his fur. Other than that, he was caked with mud like Trixie with the addition of the area around his gashes being a rusty color that seeped down and mixed into Trixie’s coat.

Trixie’s hoof caught on a branch and the two went tumbling forward. Silt splurted out of the ground and further dirtied them. Trixie pounded against the mush and groaned. Zoro just lied on the ground glaring at Trixie.

“What?” she shouted. “Isn’t it enough that I’ve been carrying your sorry flank to wherever that Celestia-forsaken zebra is?!”

“Behind you,” Zoro croaked.

A slosh spun Trixie around. Jagged rocks rose up out of the bog. Two of them glowed like lava and glared at Trixie. Stones outlined the behemoth's form from its elongated muzzle to its craggy tail. The creature shifted and opened up its mouth, revealing set upon set of sculpted fangs that glistened like marble.

Trixie sucked in her breath and snatched Zoro back onto her back and held him there with her magic. Behind her, trees snapped and dirt flew everywhere. A reptilian hiss filled Trixie’s ears, quickening her pace to a mad dash.

A spot of darkness appeared to her right and she darted towards it. She wedged herself and Zoro into the small opening but the monster’s teeth snagged Trixie and pulled her back for a brief moment before its fangs rent her tail, shearing away her hair and leaving only a small tuft. Spitting it out, it eyed the two of them from the cave, hot breath filling the cavern with a dusty stench. It gave one final hiss and then backed away, slinking into the depths of the forest.

Trixie’s gasps and Zoro’s small breaths echoed across the cave’s walls. They didn’t move for some time, the drip of rain on stone ringing in their ears. Eventually, Trixie managed to get up on shaky hooves and glanced up at the mouth of the cave. In the heat of adrenaline, she hadn’t noticed that it loomed a few feet over her head even if it was level to the ground outside. The rocks around it were smooth and slick with water.

Looking the opposite direction, Trixie saw that the cave went back some way, its inner workings shrouded in darkness. A flash of lightning pushed back the shadows, revealing a glimmer from deep within. Trixie gulped and shifted Zoro onto her back again.

“Shouldn’t we be getting out of the cave?” he huffed.

“Not if that thing is out there… Trixie can’t get out anyway and you can barely move.”

Trixie sparked up her horn, bathing the cave in a soft light. The deeper in they went, the higher up the ceiling grew. The walls ballooned out to the sides, making Trixie’s spell seem like a tiny beacon.

“Taking bets that there’s something even worse in here,” Zoro sighed.

“S-shut up,” Trixie chattered. “We don’t k-kno—”

She stopped when her hoof clinked against something. Her body seized up and she slowly brought her eyes to the ground. In her spell’s light, a goblet reflected a distorted image of herself and Zoro. Gritting her teeth, she sung a leg at it and sent it into the darkness, its metal ringing across the cave.

“Stupid cave! Stupid monsters! Stupid!” Trixie screamed.

She heaved herself forward and went to her knees. Zoro slid off her back, aided by his oily limbs and sat in silence while Trixie cried into the ground. She wailed and beat her hooves against the stone, her horn’s glow rapidly shifting from a raging aura to a tiny flicker. Soon, it completely sputtered out, and only Trixie’s sobs remained in the dark.

“Oi,” Zoro called out. “We can either sit here crying or we can figure a way out.”

“There is no way out!” Trixie rasped.

A rumble from nearby silenced Trixie. A glow formed in the darkness, red and hellish, illuminating the piles upon piles of treasure that littered the back of the cave. The light also showed off the figure that rested atop them.

Serpentine eyes danced with flames. Scales like emerald scintillated in the blaze’s light whenever it fumed out of a mouth that could devour a pony in one bite. Most of the goliath’s body was steeped in the cave’s shadows, but the glitter of metal around it and the way its fire fell on it gave enough sense of its size to still Trixie and Zoro’s hearts.

A massive claw slammed against the floor, shaking the entire cavern. Another claw came down, loosening some stalactites and sending them crashing to the ground. The great beast twisted its body towards Zoro and Trixie and snaked its head down towards them, filling their vision with its enormous fangs and burning eyes. Acrid smoke flew out of its mouth and coated both of them in ash.

“Ponies,” the dragon growled, its voice booming throughout the cave. “Come to take my hoard again? Come to disturb my sleep?”

“Run,” Zoro ordered.

Trixie wasn’t listening. Her whole body was frozen and her eyes locked on the glow coming from the dragon’s throat.

“Hey!” Zoro yelled, glaring up at the dragon, his vision starting to blur as the ground grew slick under him from his wounds. “Yeah, you! You can keep your crappy treasure! We don’t want it!”

“Lies!” the dragon roared, smoke spewing out of its nostrils. “You will no—”

Its jaw closed but smoke still poured out of its nostrils. Its eyes glowed in the dark, rooted on the space behind Zoro. The flapping of wings entered the cave. Tiny tiny dots of gold floated in the air, piercing through the darkness to glare at the dragon.

“You,” the dragon snorted. “I have not encroached on your home. Why do you come here?”

“To deal with the commotion these two have been causing,” an icy voice replied. “I think my method is preferable to burning them though.”

“Wait...” Zoro gasped, vision quickly fading and limbs going numb. “W-what are y—”

~~~

Something soft pressed against Zoro’s body. His eyes flicked open, only to be filled with a brown blanket. He winced pulling a hoof up to grab them, but paused and stared at his leg. Gone were the azure dots that had afflicted it before. Pressing his lips together, he realized they too were no longer slick from the blue flowers’ poison. A glance down showed that fresh gauze covered his body, no longer wound up in tight rolls around his injuries but in patterned strips that had a turquoise tint to them and felt cool against his skin.

He reached up and pulled back the covers, light from a fire forcing him to blink as his eyes re-adjusted. When he could fully see, he found himself in a dome-like room with shelves upon shelves of bottles, jugs, and containers reaching up to the smoke-hole in ceiling. Atop the fire in the center of the room sat a boiling cauldron with green bubbles floating out of it and up through the roof.

A zebra stood over the concoction with a spoon in her mouth. She seemed to be humming a deep chant, occasionally pausing to bring her spoon down into the mix and give it a stir, temporarily turning a vibrant orange. As if sensing eyes on her, she set the spoon down after one last swirl and turned towards Zoro.

“Long and harsh your sleep has been, it is good to see you awake again,” she said, drawing close to Zoro.

“That’s good and all,” said Zoro, “but last I checked we were about to be a dragon’s lunch. Where’s the stagepony?”

“Sleeping in the room adjacent.” The zebra flashed him a small grin. “She seems to have gotten a lot less complacent.”

“Wait…” Zoro placed a hoof to his head, recalling the last few conscious events. “How did we get here anyway?”

“Mostly through your little friend carrying you once I got her to actually move,” a voice called out.

A wide brimmed black hat with a blood-red underside entered into the room first. The sight of it coupled with the voice sent a chill down Zoro’s spine. With yellow talons and and black paws scraping against the earthen floor, the hat’s owner marched into the room, piercing golden eyes locked on Zoro.

A small cross necklace swung and ruffled the white plumage around his neck. Upon his back a titanic sword, its jeweled hilt starting where his feathers turned to fur and extending out to run parallel with his curved beak and pointed mustache. The sword’s jet blade stretched the entirety of the rest his body, running past his sharp wings while its tip hung over tail that looked just as sharp, even if it was only hair.

“A dragon’s den,” the griffon lamented. “Was it not enough that your little light show attracted every denizen in the forest?”

“Hawkeye,” Zoro said, his muscles stiffening and a hoof instinctively grasping for the swords at his neck, even though they weren’t there. “What is this?”

“An overly elaborate joke on Kuma’s part, it seems.” The shadows grew deepened around his face. “Or perhaps some last-minute scheme of his for your crew.”

Zoro’s heart thumped loudly in his chest. “What are talking about?”

“I suppose you have been out of the loop.” Hawkeye reached back and pulled a newspaper from off of his back, throwing it at Zoro’s lap.

The headline widened his eyes. At first, he didn’t read the article and instead shot his attention down to the bandaged figure in the center of the paper. A straw hat was clasped at the young man’s chest and a small collection of flowers rested at his feet. Behind him, countless marines had their swords and guns raised at him, but were held at bay by a bulky blue creature with aspects of both human and fish and a weathered man in a cloak as white as his hair.

“Luffy...” Zoro muttered.

“Either your captain’s tenacity or stupidity make yours look small in comparison,” Hawkeye quipped.

Zoro didn’t reply to the backhanded comment and instead continued looking over the paper. The headline story continued on for multiple pages, many of them filled with various scenes of destruction or with wanted posters displaying increased bounties and new terrifying facts. His lips contorted and he gritted his teeth reading some of the account, but eventually he flipped back to the front page.

“I assume that after all of this, you want to go back to your crew still,” said Hawkeye. “You’re welcome to try and follow me back to port, but the path is even more perilous than the dangers you have already faced in the forest. I’d say you could stay here too, but we both know that’s not going to happen.”

“You’re right.” Zoro lowered his head but kept his eyes glaring up at Mihawk. “That’s why I want you to train me.”

“You would beg an enemy for instructions?” Mihawk scrunched up his face and scowled at Zoro. “Have you lost all pride?”

“I want to get stronger!” Zoro shouted.

“Pathetic.” Hawkeye began to turn away. “You can’t even call yourself a swordsman in your current state.”

He fully spun around and took a step over to the exit, but stopped when the tip of a black sword poked at his feathers. Floating in the air, it drifted alongside two other swords, all of them encased in a rippling green aura. With a raised brow, Hawkeye looked back to Zoro. Aura roared off of his horn as he bared his teeth.

“I am always a swordsman,” he huffed, moving out of the bed onto the floor. He went to his knees and prostrated himself in front of Hawkeye, summoning his swords back into their scabbards and over to his side. “But I know I’ll never reach my goal the way I am now. That’s why I’m asking you teach me what you know!”

“Why?” Hawkeye asked, raising his voice.

“To surpass you!” Zoro yelled.

A silence filled the room for a moment. Zecora quietly slipped out, leaving the two alone. They stared each other down for a moment before Hawkeye’s scowl was broken by a small grin. A chuckle escaped from his beak and he erupted into a fit of laughter.

“You want me to teach you so you can one day take my head?” he said between laughs. “Out of all the things in this land, you’re easily the strangest!”

He let out a few more chuckles before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure.

“In our duel,” he continued, “I thought your prized pride over all else, but I see now there is something even more valuable than that. Perhaps I was wrong about you living here, shameless fools like you are plentiful and even heroes in this land.”

He spun around once more and made an uninhibited march to the door. He glanced back to look at Zoro with his distinct eyes, sending a few goosebumps up Zoro’s legs.

“When you are healed, return to the castle,” he said. “There, your instruction shall begin.”

♦♦♦

3D2Y

The lights in the tent dimmed and the crowd sucked in their breath. Everyone, from grown men to little children, had wide smiles on their faces as they stared forward at a darkened stage. Suddenly, a huge plume of azure smoke exploded outwards. It trailed through the wide air, reignited the lights in a spectrum of color while changing shapes that ranged from a serpentine dragon to a raging bull. Finally, the smoke collapsed down, gaining speed and momentum as it transformed into a galloping mare of mist that slammed back onto the stage, sending out a great blast of air that knocked back a few people in the front.

Rising out of the smoke as it coalesced down into a star-strewn cape, a blue skinned woman grabbed the brim of her hat and flung it across her chest, bowing as the audience erupted in a great cheer. With a smirk, she raised herself up, extending her arms out to the crowd.

“Trixie! Trixie!” they chanted.

“Quite a grand audience today!” she said, voice resonating across the tent even without a microphone. “Trixie was concerned with Soul King playing here as well, but what can one do? Magic waits for no one, especially not today.”

A few hoots went up at her words.

“Trixie does not call herself psychic, but on this day, a great foreboding rose up with her.” She raised up a hand, light shimmered off it as a blue glow swirled upward, twisting into a large straw hat even bigger than Trixie’s. “No doubt you’ve heard the rumors? That Straw Hat Luffy, foulest of pirates, has returned to his very island, seeking out the worst of the worst to join his vile crew.”

The audience grew silent at this. Trixie squashed her hand down to a fist, dissipating the illusionary straw hat. Golden rays seeped out between her gloved fingers; in a flash, a shower of fiery flower petals exploded out of them and rained down on the crowd, making them cheer once more.

“But even the coldest of creatures can’t resist Trixie’s spells!”

Under the fan’s roars, she marched back a few paces so that she was dead center on the stage. Reaching into her cloak, she produced a pair of thick handcuffs and floated them high into the air so that everyone could see. More applause and shouts filled her ears.

“Trixie sees you are familiar with these.”

She brought the cuffs down, opened up one manacle, and clasped it around her left arm. At the same time, she summoned a ball of flame that rotated around her wrist, gaining speed until it resembled a comically oversized bracelet. It suddenly broke away from her and launched up to the peak of the tent, unleashing a multihued firework.

“It’s so easy to pull of trickery in this world with devil fruits users everywhere you look,” she sighed. “Trixie assures you that all you see, hear, and feel at her shows is the purest of all the mystic arts. Now, do we have any devil fruit users in the house today?”

A shadow leapt out of the crowd and bounded onto the stage. In the light, the creature’s scales scintillated a sickly green hue. Its slitted eyes scanned over Trixie with a lascivious gleam that sent goosebumps up her arms. It stuck out a forked tongue in her direction, churning her stomach.

“Soka the Viper,” said Trixie. “Shouldn’t you be in one of the lower numbered groves?”

“Sisisi!” Soka shot out his tongue, showing off his gaping mouth and fangs to the audience. “In a second, but this show sounded like a fun way to kick of my reign in the New World!”

“Really?” Trixie droned.

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing his chin and leering at Trixie. “But putting seastone cuffs on in a really big risk for a guy like me. So, how ‘bout we make this interesting? I know your whole routine of putting the cuffs on some fool and then easily slipping out while the other person has to wait while you tease them with a key, but I bet I can get out faster than you.”

“And what do you get if you win?”

“You,” Soka hissed, “and all of your profits! Sisisi! Imagine all the treasure I could steal with an escape artist like you on my crew?”

“Don’t do it!”

“It’s a trick!”

“He’ll cheat!”

Jeers like this and other similar calls for Soka to step down rang throughout the crowd. Trixie raised up a hand and they all fell silent.

“A pirate’s life is even more dangerous than all the traps Trixie frees herself from here,” she proclaimed. “You’re asking a lot out of Trixie, so she’ll do the same to you. Lose and she collects your bounty.”

A gasp went through the crowd. Soka stared blankly at her for a second before laughing again. He shot out an arm in her direction.

“Not like that part’s a secret either, you stupid bounty hunter!” He rattled his hand at her. “Now, come on! Let’s see who the real escape artist is!”

“Very well.” With a smile on her face, Trixie marched over to Soka, playfully swinging the cuff around her wrist. At arm’s length away from him, she looked into his reptilian eyes. “You do realize all your powers go away when I put this on you, correct?”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” Soka inched a hand toward his belt. “That’s why a hostage is much easier to deal with!”

A dagger flashed out of his pocket and her curved it down at Trixie while audience members screamed. Trixie remained rooted to the stage, her eyes wide and her body shaking. Cackling like a madman, Soka shot his blade down, aiming for her shoulder. It cleaved straight through her, sending a now-translucent arm into air that quickly dissipated into nothing.

Lunging forward, Soka stumbled and crashed to the ground, his dagger skidding across the stage. He pushed against the floor to get back up, but paused when something cold affixed itself to his hand. With a quaking breath, he looked down to see that the seastone cuff was wrapped around his wrist.

He gasped, his scales reverting to pale flesh while his fangs shrank in size. Wobbling to his feet while trying to breath, he managed to glare at Trixie standing over him with a triumphant smirk on her face.

“A shame, Trixie really would have liked to see how you would have escaped.” She raced forward and slammed a glowing fist into Soka’s stomach. A shower of sparks and miniature fireworks erupted out of his back while smoke spewed from his mouth. With a wheeze, he crumpled to the ground. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Trixie took a few bows under a hail of confetti and even a few flowers.

“Thank you, thank you,” she said once the cheers died down a bit. “Trixie will be having the marines handle him after this. Lets have another round of applause for Soka the Viper! It’s pirates like him, even if their egos far outweigh their bounties, that make this show possible.”

A wave of laughter went up through the tent. It quickly ended when Trixie floated Soka offstage and resumed her stance at the center of the stage. She once more reached behind her back.

“Now that we’ve gotten formalities out of the way, Trixie will no—”

The tarp to her right distorted and tore apart. A multitude of unconscious marine soldiers tumbled in, a variety of wounds marking their bodies. The crowd gasped at the sight and a few even fainted when a man in a flowing red vest and a straw hat swung onto the stage via an elongated limb.

“Oh, maybe we can lose them if we hide in this crowd,” he called to outside with a wide grin.

Parts of the crowd were now fleeing out of the tent at the sight of two other figures stepped onto the stage. One was dressed in a fine-looking three piece suit that clashed with his disheveled head of blond hair that extend over his right eye practically down to his coarse goatee. The other was garbed in a deep green robe a few shades darker than his hair and held in place with a red sash. Three swords justed out of the fabric, making Trixie scowl at their owner.

“You!” She stomped over to him and got right up to his face. “Trixie was hoping to just give a nice goodbye since she planned for her show to be here, but you came along and scared off everyone! Tri—”

She paused, noting that the blond was drifting close to her with glazed over eyes and a wide mouth.

“A real woman,” he mused, taking a deep whiff of Trixie’s scent while a bit of blood dribbled out of his nose.

“Beast!” Trixie smacked a hand against his face, leaving a hoof mark rather than a palm print. Zoro gave a hearty laugh at that.

“Serves you right, pervert cook,” he chuckled while Sanji picked himself up. “Besides…”

In a flash, he sent out a sword, swinging it through Trixie’s body and turning it into smoke. It faded away, revealing a quivering pony and a rent hat.

“Did you really become this bad?” he said with a wicked grin.

“You bastard!” Sanji screamed, rushing over and grabbing the collar of Zoro’s robe. “Turning innocent girls into livestock! What sort of demon have you turned into?!”

“I don’t need to hear that coming from you, number seven.”

“No one cares about tha—”

A bullet zooming in between Zoro and Sanji cut the latter off. They both spun around and darted towards the tents exit, grabbing Luffy and dragging him away.

“After them!” a marine ordered, troops storming after them.

However, when they pulled the triggers on their guns only flowers and signs with the word “bang” scrawled on them. They glared over at Trixie, who flashed them a mischievous smile, her human illusion back in place.

“Sorceress Trixie,” the leading marine growled, “stand aside or you’ll be charged with aiding pirates.”

“Very well.” Trixie threw her glowing hands down and sighed. “But my show had already begun and there’s no way to stop it now.”

“What are you talking about?” the marine barked.

His nostrils flared up, taking in the too-familiar scent of gunpowder wafting up from below the stage. Curls of multi-colored smoke rose up between the floorboards. A few more cautious marines took a step back.

Trixie jumped backward and floated into the air, her whole body aglow now. Her form rippled and shifted, a muzzle pushing out from her nose, her gloved hands turning back to hooves, and her clothes melding into blue fur until she had returned to her pony form. Some marines raised their weapons at her.

“The most important rule of any performance,” she said once her transformation was complete. The magic around concentrated onto her back and expanded outwards to form sweeping gossamer wings. Below, smoke was making some of the marines cough, some were abandoning their positions. “Always go out with a bang.”

“Retreat!” the marine leader screamed. “She’s going t—”

A great explosion of color swallowed up the rest of his order. Pieces of the tent flew off in all directions while a great rainbow cloud climbed upwards, passing the massive mangrove trees and spreading out over multiple groves. The boom resounded in Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy’s ears.

“Oh, awesome!” Luffy cried out, twisting his head to look back at the grand explosion. He flashed Zoro a smile. “Was that who you trained with? Did you learn awesome tricks like that? Can you juggle your swords now?”

“Pay attention to getting back to the ship,” Zoro sighed.

He glanced back, watching a blue dot zoom off from the blast with his one eye. He grinned a little.

Stupid horse.

Up above, Trixie hovered in the air, her mane and coat wild now from the grand finale. She smiled watching the three pirates from afar grow smaller.

Gruff idiot.

To the New World!

Set Adrift: Chopper's Stuggles and Twilight's Inquiries

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It was cold, so cold that it stung. Chopper stared upwards, a pale moon looming over him. It twisted the branches above into dark shadows. He twitched an arm, but the exertion sent him into darkness. It was still night when he regained consciousness and still cold. The smell of burnt fur and scorched flesh assaulted his nose. He managed to glance at his arm and watched bits of fur flake off like ash. Unconsciousness took him again.

The sound of something hitting the ground awoke him. There was a gasp, more of the same thing rebounding against the dirt, and a sharp tug. Darkness began to take Chopper again, but just before he fell into oblivion, a slight warmth replaced the cold.

~~~

“Racoon dog… shorts…” There was a series of coughs. “... and horns. Oh, this is already making me feel better.”

With his hearing slowly returning, Chopper opened his eyes. Wooden walls filled to the brim with miniature houses and hovels stood in place of trees. Moving his eyes down, he saw that his body rested on a plush white bed that blended in with the bandages covering most of his body.

“Oh look,” someone wheezed. “My roommate is up.”

The voice sent goosebumps up Chopper’s arms. He looked in its direction and was met with a large shimmering pink bubble. Two sickly eyes stared back at him from within the sphere, sunken deeply into the sockets of a serpentine creature with various animal limbs sticking out of him and two distinctly different horns jabbing out of his head. The only uniform part about the bizarre thing was the sweat soaking his pale body.

“Discord, be nice,” said a new voice.

Chopper’s attention went over to the left side of the room. Hovering in the air was a winged horse the same complexion as the cooling yellow walls of the house. Her pink mane swayed back and forth, moving along to the small flaps of her wings. A platter rested in her hooves with two steaming bowls of what looked like soup, a glass with some hot liquid in it, and a cup filled with a milkshake-like mixture.

“Discord” extended out a bear claw while the pegasus slid one of the bowls and the glass through a thick tube that ran through to the center of the bubble. The two items pressed against the shimmering membrane for a brief moment and then popped out they other side. Discord took them, sighed, and raised a quivering spoonful of soup up to his elongated snout. The spoon slurped into his mouth like it was made of water while the soup splashed onto Discord’s yellowed coat.

“Oh dear,” the pegasus muttered. “Maybe a straw would be better?”

“No, no, hold on a moment,” Discord said, waving his paw.

He raised up an eagle claw and furrowed his brow while bringing two of the talons together. With a cough, he managed to snap them and a ludicrously long black and white striped straw appeared over his soup, looping and curling in all directions, spiraling around Discord’s head and arms and eventually ending near his mouth. He inched his snout forward to clasp the straw, but eyes suddenly appeared on the end and it split apart and bit him on the lip. With a scowl, he snapped his fingers again, dispersing the snake-straw into a puff of smoke. He let out a phlegmy cough and fell back on his bed.

With a tired look, he glanced over at Fluttershy. “If you have the little bendy ones. Oh, and those funny little umbrellas.”

“I’ll get them right after I check on our new patient.”

The pegasus hovered back from the quarantine bubble and over to Chopper’s bed. With a smile, she set the tray of food down on a small stand and peered down at Chopper.

“Hey there, little guy,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I’m so happy you’re up. We were starting to get worried. Does anything still hurt?”

Chopper turned his head down and flexed a few muscles. Everything carried a bit of a sting to it, but it was nowhere near to making him pass out. Remembering his last conscious moments, he reevaluated the bandages covering his body and the sensation of his skin beneath them.

“Not enough to be critical,” he said, eyes still on his injuries.

It hurt a little more to grab the blankets. He moved to get them off, but a yellow hoof stopped him. The pegasus gave him a small shake of the head.

“Well, I’m really glad you can talk…” The pegasus’s smile widened to an uncomfortable length. “But Doctor Fluttershy says you need a few more days of rest.”

“A few more days?” Chopper stared down at the bandages again. “But burns of this magnitude should take weeks. How long was I out?”

“Just…” Fluttershy backed up a bit at the volume of the question. “Just a few days. I mean, I asked Twilight for help since it was an emergency and I haven’t dealt with burns that much and I… I’m sorry, I’m just talking about me. You’re the patient. Everything feels fine? Bandages not too tight? Not feeling itchy anywhere?”

“No,” Chopper replied. “You said you were a doctor, right? What sort of medicine can heal someone this fast?”

“Well, Zecora showed me a lot of herbal remedies that really help.” A small blush crept onto Fluttershy’s face. “Oh, but I’m not a real doctor. I just try and help my animal friends as much as I can. It was really hard with you though since I didn’t know that much about racoon dogs.”

“I’m not a racoon dog.” Chopper pointed a cloven hoof to his horns. “I’m a reindeer, se—”

He paused when he felt the empty space in between his horns. His eyes widened as he tapped a hoof against his head. A bit of sweat formed along his forehead.

“My hat,” he said. “Where’s my hat?”

“I’m sorry.” Fluttershy lowered her head. “If I’d known you were going to get up, I would have gotten it from Rarity.”

“It’s fine?” Chopper asked, some of the tension leaving his face.

“Yes, it was in pretty bad shape when I found you, but luckily Rarity was able to fix it up… after she stopped fainting looking at it.”

“Thank you,” Chopper sniffled. “It’s really important.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help.” Fluttershy pushed the tray of food a little closer to the bed. “Now, why don’t you eat up while I go get Discord his things?” She pressed her face a little closer to his. “Oh, and then when you’re done, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to hear about reindeers. I’ve never seen one before and none of the books said they could talk. This is just so exciting!”

She backed away and coughed into her hoof while straightening out her face. “I’ll, uh, be right back.”

She floated out of the room, leaving Chopper with Discord. He reached out a hoof and grabbed the drink first, the cooling sensation of it feeling incredibly relieving on his throat. Setting the cup down, he moved to get the soup, but a small chuckle stopped him. He glanced up to see Discord looking at him with a smirk.

“My, my, aren’t you a strange pet,” Discord mused before hacking into his bear paw.

“I’m not a pet,” Chopper said, feeling goosebumps on his arms again.

“Really?”

Discord reached behind his back and pulled out a small scrap of paper. Chopper’s own silly face with his tongue wagging out as he eyed at tuft of cotton candy stared back at Chopper. Discord chuckled and summoned a pair of oversized glasses to his face.

“This cold must be making me delirious then since it clearly says ‘pet’ and that you’re worth fifty berris. Not that that matters much here. I do like the whole ‘cotton candy lover’ thing though.”

“I’m worth more than fifty berris.” Chopper bowed his head and groaned. “I’m a real pirate, I swear.”

“Oh, are you now?” Discord’s grin widened. “My, Fluttershy seems to have a thing with associating with all sorts of rogues.” He hefted his shoulders. “Now, if only all of you were here, then I could really have some fun.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Oh, so many things. From one purveyor of chaos to another, your little crew has my compliments. Just thinking about all the stunts your captain pulled at Marineford makes me feel better. Maybe I’ll disguise some of the news as a bedtime story for Fluttershy to tell me.”

“Wait.” Chopper’s pupils shrank a little. “That’s the headquarters of the Navy. Luffy couldn’t have gone there alone.”

“Oh, but he did,” Discord chucked. “Hmmm, I suppose a bunch of the most heinous and vile criminals aiding him doesn’t count as ‘alone’ though.”

Discord wiped away a tear from his eye, only for the drop of water to turn into a red throbbing welt on his bear paw. His melancholic look dissolved into a scowl for a brief moment while he grabbed a bottle and dowsed the new affliction in a pink syrupy substance. He then sank back down to his bed, propping himself on the various multihued and abstract pillows.

“It really does me proud to see that people like your captain still exist to cause so much disorder,” Discord continued before he pulled out a stack of newspapers. “That’s not even getting into the really juicy stuff.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A bit of sweat trickled down Chopper’s face. He tried to push off the bed, but the stinging sensation multiplied, making his vision swim. With a huff, he gently lowered himself back down onto the pillows.

“Is Luffy still okay?” he asked after catching his breath. “What about the rest of my crew?”

“Ah-ah-ah.” Discord wagged a finger at him. “That’d be spoiling on the fun.”

He crumpled the newspapers inward, turning them into large paper birds that swirled around his head before dive bombing his ears and disappearing into them. He scrunched up his face and let out a few deep coughs.

“Chaos and colds do not mix well,” he grumbled before a toothy grin returned to his face. “Now, I can’t just tell you everything that happened all at once. You’d probably do some big ‘That’s impossible!’ deal and worry Fluttershy. Besides, I think we can both help each other out. You probably want to get back to your friends and I want to get better. So how about we make a deal?”

“What sort of deal?”

“Nothing much, just helping me get back on my feet.” Discord glanced down at his hindlegs. “Er, claw and hoof. Oh, and keep quiet about your whole pirate thing. There are some ponies that think you’re a bad influence. For now though, we both need to rest, even if it’s a complete bore.”

~~~

Fluttershy came back a little later, awaking Chopper from his nap. She lightly flapped into the room, hovering just over the floorboards. Dangling from one of her foreleg was a bag filled with colorful straws bent in various directions and tiny drink umbrellas. In the other was a second bag, this one sealed and almost as big as Chopper. Yet, despite the weight, Fluttershy only appeared to be breathing a little heavily.

She hefted the second bag down next to a door and reached around to the saddlebags on her back. A purple glow surrounded them and caused her to pause. Encased in the same lavender aura, a key flew out of the bag and into the door’s keyhole.

“Here, let me get that.”

A new pony trotted into the room, her horn glistening the same color as the key and the bags. Like Fluttershy, she also had wings on her back, but chose to walk instead. Chopper watched with wide eyes as the key withdrew itself from the door and slid back into Fluttershy’s possession.

“Thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy murmured. “You didn’t have too.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Twilight replied.

Her head then twisted over to Chopper, a wide smile spreading across her face. Galloping over, she stopped at the foot of the bed, but craned her neck to get a little closer to him. Chopper glanced down under her gaze, draping the covers over his shoulder while exposing the rest of his body.

“Fascinating,” Twilight remarked. “A homogenous mixture of deer and primate characteristics. You wouldn’t happen to be an undiscovered species of racoon dog, would you?”

“I’m not a racoon dog!” Chopper pulled the covers tighter over his shoulder. “I’m a reindeer.”

“Twilight…” Fluttershy moved over to the bed. “I told you, he doesn’t like being called that.”

“I…” Twilight paused and shook her head. She inhaled deeply and extended out a hoof to Chopper. “Sorry about that. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m glad to see that the burn heal spell worked as well as it did.”

“Right…” Chopper looked up at Twilight. “Wait, when you say ‘spell’ was that also the thing you horn was doing?”

“Yes, again, very pleased that it worked successfully. I was a tiny bit worried you might turn into a giant callus.” Twilight let out a strained chuckle. “Anyway, I wanted to check in on you. There’s so many questions I have… provided that’s okay with Fluttershy.”

“A little time with others is good medicine too.” Fluttershy scooped up the now-empty utensils by Chopper’s bed. “It really helped me and Rainbow Dash become friends.”

Balancing the bowl and cup on her back, she trotted out of the room. Twilight and Chopper watched her leave and both jumped at a loud cacophony that sounded like a cat being squeezed through a sink disposal. They both stared at Discord, still fast asleep, the horrific noise clawing out of his mouth and slipping past the massive snot bubble that dangled from his nose. Twilight shot him a glare and the chaotic snoring came to an end.

“What exactly is he?” Chopper asked. “I mean, unicorns and pegasi are a bit odd, but he doesn’t even look like something actually alive.”

“I sometimes wonder,” Twilight grumbled before bringing her head closer to Chopper’s. “He’s a draconequus, so he’s a hodgepodge of all sorts of creatures with all their powers. At least he’s sick for now, so he can’t cause too much trouble. Just be careful, if you’re lucky, he’ll just try to play some mean tricks on you.”

“Hmmm.” Chopper gazed at Discord for a moment, the snot bubble growing or shrinking with his breaths. “I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway, these spells you’ve mentioned… is there any way to replicate them without a horn?”

Twilight blinked. “What makes you ask that?”

“To heal someone with my degree of injury in just a few days is incredible. If I could learn skills like that, maybe…” Chopper trailed off and lowered his head. “Maybe I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Twilight frowned a little. “I don’t quite follow.”

“It’s a really long story.” Chopper looked up and offered Twilight a small grin. “It’ll be okay. As soon as I’m better, I’ll be on my way.”

“Well, hopefully I can learn more about your species before then.” Twilight flashed him a smile. “Perhaps in exchange for a small zoological study, I could give you some medicine books and introduce you to a zebra friend of mine.”

“Zebra?”

“Yes. Actually, Fluttershy and I got some help from her in taking care of you and Discord. I’m still amazed that she can make potions with no aftertaste, even I can’t manage that.” Twilight stared at Chopper with a gleam in her eyes. “So, you’re a kind of reindeer, yet all the books I’ve seen have listed your taxonomic family as quadrupedal. That’s quite a distinction.”

“I did walk on all four hooves, but then I ate the Huma—” Chopper paused at the sight of Discord miming behind Twilight. He pulled a talon across his lips turning them into a sealed zipper. “A, uh, special fruit.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “A fruit? I don’t quite follow. You’re saying a fruit is responsible for you being bipedal?”

“Maybe it’d be easier if I showed you.”

Chopper took a deep breath and shifted his body around. His horns elongated and his limbs stretched out while the fur on his chest up to head thickened. It stung a little as his torso grew out along the bed, going from a rotund shape to a streamlined form slightly slimmer than Twilight’s build.

“Oh my stars!” Twilight exclaimed, drawing her head closer to Chopper. “A non-magical transformation ability. How wonderful! You have to tell me how it works!”

“I, uh, did.” Chopper looked over Twilight’s shoulder to see Discord bobbing his head up and down, his snout somehow compressing down enough to sink into a tiny glass of water. “It’s a devil fruit.”

Discord gave a small chuckle. Twilight spun around and was met with him peacefully sleeping. She turned her attention back to Chopper.

“Devil Fruit.” She pursed her lips. “Sounds like something out of the Everfree, but it appears you’ve had its… abilities for a while. So, it can shift you between a natural reindeer form and that other shape?”

“Yeah.” Chopper looked down at his elongated legs. “Actually, there’s something I need to check.”

Taking a breath, he shifted his body again. The fur and his chest thinned and lightened in color to match the rest of his coat while hair on his head lengthened into a brown cropped mane that hid his shrinking antlers as they receded into his skull. The fur of his tail grew out enough for it to swish back in forth. There were four small pops when his hooves rounded out and keratin filled the cloven gaps in them. Finally, a section of his flanks gained a pinkish hue where a half-filled beaker and some cherry blossom’s appeared.

“Incredible,” Twilight gasped. “It even gives you a cutie mark.”

“A what?” Chopper glanced down at his flanks. “This thing?”

“Looks like we’ll need to compare some notes.” Her horn lit up and a stack of blank papers coupled with some writing materials popped into existence and floated over to the stand by Chopper’s bed. “I can write for both of us if it’s too difficult.”

~~~

The sun was beginning to set by the Twilight got off the stool she’d hauled over to the bedside. Both her and Chopper’s jaws were sore and each of them had bundles of filled pages at their sides. Sketches of pony and reindeer anatomy dotted them alongside rough pictures of fruit and vials of medicine. Twilight lifted them up into the air and divided them into two halves, floating the larger stack onto her back and leaving the other one besides Chopper.

“This has all be very informative,” she said with a smile. “We could really make some amazing scientific breakthroughs with everything you’ve told me.”

“I can say the same,” Chopper replied before taking a sip of the medicinal juice Fluttershy had brought in a few minutes ago. “All the plants and cures you listed could be indispensable for future doctors.”

“Well, I’ll let you rest now.”

Twilight turned and trotted over to Discord’s quarantine bubble. Fluttershy sat next to it, one of her hooves extended into the tube and giving the congested draconequus a back rub.

“I think I’ve spent enough time here, and Spike’s probably getting tired of working the library alone. You’re okay?”

“Oh, definitely,” Fluttershy replied. “Having everyone awake makes taking care of them so much easier.”

“Okay then.” Twilight trotted over to the door and opened it, briefly glancing back at the room. “Thank you all for everything. Chopper, I hope your recovery goes well.” She furrowed her brow. “You too, Discord.”

~~~

The walk back to the library breezed by Twilight, aided by the skip in her step. A giddy grin was plastered across her face. The thought of corroborating all the new notes she’d gained today with the research she’d gathered back at the library made her wings twitch upwards with each step. Eliminating debunked hypothesis, correcting earlier observations, and getting closer to a complete paper filled her with energy. That wasn’t even getting into what she could now say about the physical evidence.

Twilight skidded to a stop, banging her head into the library’s door. She rubbed it and let out a groan.

“Twilight?” Spike opened up the door. “Was the weird monkey-dog thing that disappointing? Was it just one of Discord’s tricks?”

“No.” Twilight swung her head low and shuffled inside.“He was very informative, quite smart but a little excitable. Kind of reminds me of a certain assistant I know.”

“Aw, come on, Twilight” Spike bowed his head to try and hide the blush on his face. “So, what was with the melodrama earlier?”

Twilight marched over to a table to the side of the main room. It was covered in notes, sketches, beakers, and all other manner of scientific instruments. Many depicted Chopper and highlighted various aspects of his anatomy while others contained long lists of chemical equations. In the center of all the research, resting in a petri dish, was an orange sphere about the size of a golfball.

“This.” Twilight pointed at the ball. “I was so caught up in just talking with him, that I forgot to even ask about it.”

“Couldn’t you just ask tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Twilight fidgeted a little starting at the ball. “But I want to know now! There’s so many ingredients in it that I don’t even recognize. We’ve only got two left and I haven’t seen it have any effect on control groups at all.”

“Why don’t you just try it then?”

“Spike.” Twilight shot him a look. “You can’t just eat something and hope for the best. Remember what happened when Apple Bloom tried that?”

Spike chuckled a little, but stopped when Twilight glared at him. He hefted up his shoulders and sighed. Turning away, he walked over to the stairs and began ascending them.

“I still don’t think it could be that bad,” he said at the top of the stairs. “Especially given some of our past experiments.”

He slipped off to the bedroom, leaving Twilight alone. She looked back at the tiny sphere and then down at the ground. A massive star was still burned into ground, albeit a bit faded. Staring at it sent a chill down her spine. She gave her head a shake and turned her attention to the rest of the library. She smiled seeing the neat shelves, clean desks, and only a small stack of books that needed to be reordered.

Just as she took a step over to the return stack, the front door burst open. A shower of confetti and streamers paved Pinkie Pie’s entrance as she waddled in. On her back rested a large bag, filled to the brim with Celestia-knows-what. Despite the hefty size and the sweat on her brow, Pinkie wore a smile on her face. Taking a few more steps into the library, she bounced the bag off her back and it landed on the ground next to her with a squeak rather than a thud.

“Pinkie!” Twilight leapt over to her. “Glad to see you’re back. How was your trip? Your parents were well?”

“Rock solid!” Pinkie said, giving the bag a smack to produce a drum beat. “It was a really great time, but…” A loud growl erupted from Pinkie’s stomach. She blushed and placed a hoof over it. “I’m a bit hungry.”

“Well, Spike’s usually the one that cooks, but I ca—”

Twilight stopped, watching Pinkie’s eyes widen and hone in on a something behind her. A bit of drool dripped down her face and she bent her knees, ready to pounce. Twilight dared to glance back and realized her work desk was right behind her.

“Jawbreaker!” Pinkie yelled and dove for the desk.

“Pinkie, no!”

A bolt of magic raced out of Twilight’s horn and covered Pinkie just as she brought her teeth down on the sphere. The crunch echoed across the room. With a paling face, Twilight rushed over to Pinkie while keeping her held in place with a spell.

“Pinkie! That was research!” she moaned. “I don’t even know what that could do to you!”

“But you made it…” Pinkie looked down to avoid Twilight’s glare. “Right?”

“Guh!” Twilight placed a hoof against her head. “It’s too long of a story to explain now.”

“Would it help if I said you should make it less chalky?” Pinkie flashed Twilight a sheepish grin.

Twilight hefted her shoulders and sighed, planting her eyes on the ground. The magic around Pinkie dispersed and she fell the ground. Picking herself up, she slowly moved over to Twilight and reached out a hoof to her.

“I’m super duper sorry, Twilight. I’ll be sure to make it up to you. Free muffins from Sugarcube Corner for week. That sound okay?”

“It’s fine.” Twilight lifted her head up. “I’ve got a few more samples an—”

Twilight’s jaw slackened. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Concerned, Pinkie shifted her head to the side, loosening a curl from her puffy mane. She glanced up and was met with strands of shimmering yellow hair.

“Huh?”

“Pinkie!” Twilight yelped. “Oh my stars! I need to take notes! Tell me everything you’re feeling right now!”

“Uh…” Pinkie brought a hoof up to her now-blond mane, but jumped back when it pink fur was overtaken by white. “A little bitty worried.”

She let out a small cry and lept into the air. With her whole body rapidly turning white, she rushed over to shelf and started rubbing her back against it. Twilight followed after her.

“Pinkie, what’s wrong?”

“Itchy!” She drove her back against shelf, moving like a blur until she came to a sudden stop and fell to the ground with a sigh. “Ah, that’s much better.”

Twilight stared in silence. Jutting out of Pinkie’s back were two fully formed pegasus wings, their feathers slightly ruffled by the impromptu use of the bookshelf as a backscratcher.

“My back still feels kinda weird though, like I’ve got extra legs or…” One wings drifted forward and into Pinkie’s view. A massive smile spread across her face and she jumped up, hovering in the air for a brief moment before crashing down. “Wings! I got wings! How weird is that!?”

Twilight gave her head a shake and trotted over to Pinkie. “It’s up there with the other non-Discord moments. Full pony type shift and coloration change… does anything else feel different?”

“Well…” Pinkie screwed her vision for a moment, sticking out her tongue. “It feels really nice being so light after carrying all that stuff. I’m probably gonna be super tired though, what with all the neat sciencey tests we’ll have to do. Snuggling up in under the fuzzy covers is gonna be grea—”

The rest of Pinkie’s speech was drowned about by her fur exploding outwards and turning pink once more along with her mane. Twilight tried to leap out of the way, but the fur surged forward and swallowed her up, eventually stopping when it took over a few feet of space. The only signs the massive ball of hair had once been a pony were the four sets of hooves on the ground and Pinkie’s face, which poked out of the fluff. She glanced up and saw that Twilight’s head also stuck out and stared down at her with a mixture of confusion and slight annoyance.

“Wow!” she giggled. “Who needs a bed when you’re this fluffy?”

Mechanical Brother of Mine II: The Blazing Beast of the North

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Shaking the snow off his body, Franky descended into the cave’s darkness. When the light from outside fully faded, he groped around until his head banged into something hard and metallic. He gave a grunt and then ran a hoof across the barrier.

“The hell? Is this a door?”

He pressed against it and it slowly opened with a deep groan. Franky moved through the gap and into the shielded space. He felt dust swirl up around his hooves and invade his nose. The scent of metal, oil, and wood transported him back to Water 7 for a brief moment. Lights flicked on and dashed away Franky’s memories, replacing them with a world of steel. Even under a veil of dust, spots of workbenches still held a sheen. Sketches layered the room like wallpaper— complex drawings with margins black with notes. Franky honed in on the ones with schematics that resembled guns and other weaponry. Other sketches depicted all manner of pony: winged, horned, or none at all.

Franky shut the door and advanced over to the schematics. His gaze swam around the room, drinking up the pictures, the scattered tools, and the half-finished inventions that littered the workbenches. He came to a stop in front of one particular schematic that depicted a pony with neither wings nor a horn. Sheets of metal ran up its legs and a thick visor covered its eyes. A metallic horn was marked with arrows connecting it to the pony’s forehead while translucent wings framed with silvery cables were diagrammed to its back.

“Well, whaddayaknow? Looks like I found a long lost cousin.” Franky turned his head away from the schematics. “Now if only there was someone actually here.”

He trotted along, passing more blueprints, pausing here and there to study ones that caught his eye. Finally, he came to a full stop in front of a massive button that jutted out of a wall. A horse’s skull with crossbones running through it was emblazoned on the button’s dusty surface. Franky stared at it for a moment before reaching towards it.

“Huh, this a pirate base or something?”

~~~

“Mmmm.” Twilight set her cup down and smiled at Cadence. “I was a little sceptical at first, but quartz tea is quite good.”

Cadence took a sip of her drink. “I felt the same way, but the crystal ponies really know their food well.”

She and Twilight reclined in their seats, each having a bit of their tea and refiling their cups when they ran out. Above, the Crystal Empire’s dome refracted sunlight into dazzling beams that arced across the entire kingdom. Twilight took in the sight and enjoyed the warm breeze that swirled through the streets, passing over the glassy table she and Cadence were sitting at.

“It’s always such a nice day like this,” Cadence sighed. Twilight snapped her head back and frowned a little. Cadence let out a small chuckle. “That’s why I’m glad you could visit.”

“It was the least I could do. Plus, no pony-eating monster worms this time.”

They both laughed at that. Twilight then set her cup down and sat upright, looking straight at Cadence.

“This also ties into some research I’ve been doing.”

“Oh?” Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Anything I could help with?”

“For now, just having access to the empire’s library is enough, but I may need some additional hooves later.” A smile spread across Twilight’s face. “It’s complex, but the basic hypothesis I’ve formed is that the crystal ponies are actually an offshoot of earth ponies from the pre-classical era. I have a rough paper trail going off of Starswirl’s writings, but I’m hoping to find more concrete evidence here.”

“Sounds like you’ve already put quite a plan together.” Cadence tapped a hoof to her chin. “What do you need help with though? I mean, the library is big, but nothing for a study monster like you.”

“Cadence…” Twilight blushed a little. “Books aren’t the only thing I need. Finding archaeological evidence is my primary goal up here. There’s probably a few relics within the Empire itself, but locating migratory routes outside is what I’m really interested in.”

“Outside?” Cadence’s eyes widened a bit. “Twilight, the area past the barrier is incredibly harsh, even without the threat of Sombra. Remember, the Crystal Heart was in place before he came to power.”

“I’m sure a barrier spell and some extra security can handle whatever is out there.”

“I don’t know, Twilight.” Cadence shook her head. “How about you start looking inside the Empire first while I run this by Shining?”

Twilight groaned and flopped onto the table. She opened her mouth to complained, but stopped when the table rattled under her. The teacups fell over and shattered against the ground. Nearby, other patrons of the restaurant had their tables crack and plates shift around. Twilight felt herself vibrate a little as a dull rumble filled her ears. Then, just as suddenly as the quake had started, the shaking stopped and waiters rushed out to replace broken materials.

“What in Equestria was that?” asked Twilight.

“An icequake,” said Cadence. “Another reason I’m not too keen on this exploration idea. They’re not regular or that strong, but they can cause chasms to open up.”

“Cadence…” Twilight raised up a hoof and pointed towards the barrier. “I don’t think that was because of ice.”

Cadence joined the other restaurant guests and the ponies on the streets in staring upwards. Past shimmering blue illusion of a clear sky was a blurry black trail smoke. Whispers filled the air around Twilight and Cadence and both exchanged a quick look before getting out of their seats.

“The Guard will need me at the castle,” said Cadence. She unfurled her wings and took to the air. “Flying is the fastest way.”

“Right.” Twilight spread her wings as well and followed after Cadence.

~~~

“Cadence, Twilight!” Shining Armor called out upon seeing them land on the throne room’s balcony. He rushed over to them, but was blocked by a guard galloping past him. All around the himself, ponies rushed in and out of the throne room. Shining sighed and drew closer before clasping the Cadence and Twilight on the shoulders. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Safe?” Twilight’s forehead creased. “Shining, what’s going on?”

“The entire palace is a mess,” he explained. “I’m trying to get the Guard in order, the rest of the staff are doing their best to stay calm, and we’ve got civilians everywhere panicking. We’re trying to tell them Sombra isn’t back, but the news isn’t spreading fast enough.”

“So what—” Twilight stepped aside to dodge an incoming bureaucrat. “—what exactly happened?”

“We’re still not sure.” Shining turned and beckoned them down a hallway. He spoke as they moved along. “The patrol teams reported no suspicious sightings or irregular magical levels, but then a mountain range exploded. Half of the teams are deaf from the blast and we’ve even got some who went temporarily blind from it. If there barrier hadn’t been here…”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “It just looked smoke from inside the shield.”

“I know.” Shining led them up a stairwell and out onto a balcony. “But if something like that were to happen any closer to the empire, we could be in trouble.”

Shining trotted over to the balcony’s edge and looked out at the empire. Directly below, guards darted across the castle. A platoon of them stood around its walls as a secondary blockade against the waves of civilians clamoring at the gates. Past that, ponies rushed through the streets and into their homes with a few guards sticking out amidst the crowds in their plated mail.

“As soon as we calm the civilians down, I’m going to lead a squad to investigate the explosion’s origin site.”

“Then I’m going as well,” said Twilight. “Who knows what sort of historical significance ha—”

“No.” Shining stomped his hoof to the ground. “Twilight, we have to investigate this as a threat, not some archeological dig. Please, just stay here. If it turns out to be safe, then you can come.”

~~~

Twisted metal and fragmented rock remained where there had once been a mountain. Fires blazed across the swath of destruction, but only the larger ones continued to roar in the midst of the perpetual blizzard of the north. Snow whipped around, smothering the smaller flames while feeding the numerous plumes of thick smoke that rose up into the sky, creating a black veil over the mountain range. The large fires that still raged sent embers and ash into the clouds, turning the snow a sickly grey that fell to the ground and turned into a slurry of broken lab equipment and crushed rock.

Amidst the destruction, a pile of scrap shifted around and fell to the sides as a blackened hoof rose out of it and pushed away more scrap. A loud gasp came from the pile as smoke poured out of the hole the hoof had created.

“Okay,” Franky said from within the pile. “That was definitely not a pirate symbol.”

A bit of snow fell through the hole up above and Franky lifted a hoof to block the entrance.

“Shoot! Now I’m gonna be cold again!” The sound of a shod hoof hitting the ground sent out a metallic clang the was lost to the howling winds and the roaring flames around Franky. The sound reached Franky though and he struck the ground once more.

“Hmm, that sounds hollow. Maybe something survived the blast.” A flurry buffeted the pile, sending a flow of snow down a hole. Franky grinned and advanced over to the hole. “Maybe something warm.”

~~~

The dirtied snow crunched un Shining’s hooves. Behind tinted lens, his eyes scanned over the desolate landscape. The world turned white in the distance, blurring the view of the countless mountains that surrounded the empire. It was all grey around Shining and the small band of guards that trailed by him, all of them looking at the ashen snow and the bits of rock that cropped up out of it.

Unfrozen sections of rock stuck out of the mountain range like blotches on paper. Some spots were just tiny dots in the snow, but others were the size of a stallion. Twisted pieces of iron and steel rested in the center of these large gaps, their mangled forms unnatural amidst the frigid lands. Smoke still hissed off the biggest slabs of metal, mingling into the blizzard’s snow and staining it grey.

More smoke rose up ahead of the group and the faint glow of fire could be seen below that. Shining slowly climbed towards the blaze’s source, he and the guards winding past the metals that littered the mountainside. Cresting the slope, he raised up a hoof, signaling the guards to come to a halt.

The iron and steel scattered behind them was nothing compared to the ravaged sight in front of them. Scrap was piled high in the unnaturally flat gap between mountain peaks. Sizzling fires dotted the destruction, scorching the scrap and what remained of a metallic floor. Shining arced his hoof forward before taking a step closer to the decimated area. The guards followed after him, all of their eyes scanning the area.

“Be at the ready for combat,” Shining said. “Search the area and collect anything that looks suspicious.”

The group split up into pairs of two and fanned out. Shining kept walking forward with his horn now faintly glowing. He kicked away a dented iron beam in front of him. Both he and the guard at his side kept their heads straight out in front of them, but their eyes constantly moved across the destruction.

“Tell me,” he said to the guard, “did Sombra heavily utilize metallurgy?”

“No,” the guard answered, his face twisted with grimace. “He was actually highly against it since he saw it as a way to oppose his magic.” He paused and swiveled his head around the area and tapped a hoof to the steel floor. “Even if he hadn’t, our blacksmiths couldn’t have made something of this size and quality with our raw materials.”

“That’s what’s bothering me.” Shining lifted up a long bar of steel and squinted at it. “This smithing doesn’t match modern Equestrian architecture either. I’m not seeing rust anywhere either, this cou—”

A loud yelp to the Shining’s left forced him to drop the bar. He and the guard galloped at full speed over to where they’d heard the sound. Arriving at it source, they found one guard heaving another out of a smoking hole in the floor. Shining rushed over and helped pull the guard out with one last push of magic. The rescued guard breathed deeply on the ground before collecting himself and standing up with a lowered head.

“Sorry, Captain,” he said. “I couldn’t react before the floor gave way.”

“Darn.” Shining frowned and sent a bright beacon up from his horn and into the air. “I should’ve considered the structural instability. We’ll have to have some pegasi sent up. We can’t use the wing spell with the heat around here. For now, take back what evidence we have. ”

He and the three guards slowly backed away from the hole. Treading cautiously over the ground, the started going back the way they came. As the walked, something clanged behind them. All of their heads shot up and they looked back to see the hole had widened and now a rigid piece of the floor dangled over the gap. Shining shook his head and marched on.

~~~

“Incredible,” Twilight remarked, running a hoof over small slab of steel. “If the damage to the area was really like you described, it’s unbelievable that this metal is in such a state. To melt or deform would be normal, but to break apart like this is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“I was worried you’d say that,” Shining sighed. “If it’s not familiar to you, then it’s probably not familiar to anypony.”

Twilight lifted her face away from the evidence that was spread across the table and moved close to Shining Armor. “You have to take me over there.”

Shining furrowed his brow at her. “No, not until we can safely map out the area. Who knows how deep whatever was there goes. We have to wait until we have pegasi that can fully explore it without risk of injury.”

Twilight bowed her head to the ground and turned around. “I’ll write to Celestia on what you’ve found then. I just hope whatever is left up there isn’t completely ruined by the snow.”

~~~

Twilight’s hooves crunched under the snow. It glistened from the light of her horn and the sliver of moon high in the sky. In silence, Twilight snuck across the mountain, her scarf and mane blowing the howling winds. Soon, the smell of burnt metal and ash filled her nose and the snow became soiled and grey. Twilight paused to look over the destruction and shivered.

“Gotta investigate while the evidence is still fresh,” she said before unfurling her wings.

Twilight took a deep breath and jumped up into the air. Hovering just a few inches above the ground, she drifted into the epicenter of the area. She swiveled her head left and right, taking in the piles of scrap, the ashen remains of wooden supports, and the scorched ground that still shimmered in a few spots.

Hmmm, maybe I can get a better idea of what this was if I get a little more altitude. Twilight looked up and flapped her wings a few times. Now a sufficient distance from the ground she could see that the structure’s ground plan at least had worked around the mountain range. Its edges curved around the surrounding rocks, allowing the natural formations to act as a shield against the snow. Its almost like somepony combined diamond dog and dragon architecture with this weird metal.

Something glinted down below, forcing Twilight to blink. Recovering from the glare. she looked down and saw a sheet of scrap wavering over a tiny chasm in the floor. Her eyes widened as a sound rose up from the gap: the bang of a hammer.

Twilight gulped and fluttered down to the ground. When her hooves touched the floor, the hammering came to a halt. With only the wind howling now, Twilight stepped forward, her horn lightly aglow. She stopped a few feet away from the gap and stared at the sheet that partially cover it. Nails haphazardly stuck out of, but the thing that made her eye widened was that corners of the sheet were welded to the rest of the floor.

Something is definitely here she thought. Bending her head close to the hole, she asked, “Hello, is anypony th—”

A sharp crack from below silenced Twilight. Before she could react, the ground shattered and she fell. Her wings shot out, but the left one slammed into the remains of the floor and she went into a spiral. She flapped her right wing in a panic and managed to slow her descent so that she only bumped into the ground rather than slam into it. With a groan, she staggered to her hooves and winced when she tried to bring her wing back to her side. It twitched and stung but refused to fold. Her breath fogged up in front of her as she looked up at the hole in the ceiling.

“Okay, nothing too bad.” Her horn grew brighter. “I can just teleport an—”

“Idiot!” A deep voice roared. “I just fixed the hole!”

Twilight gasped at the sight of glowing blue eyes glaring at her in the darkness. A steel horn poked out into the light, followed by a charred hoof crept out the shadows. It was connected to a leg that looked as if were made of multiple steel tubes latched to one another. The creature it belonged to stepped into the dim glow of Twilight’s magic, revealing a face with the all its teeth and the spherical shape of its eyes showing. The rest, save for a piece of steel that coated what remained of its muzzle, was burned to a black crisp. The monstrosity advanced towards Twilight, its blue hair swaying back and forth like a supernatural flame, but she bent her knees and lit her horn up. A blinding flash filled the area, forcing the creature to stumble and grope at the air. Twilight gritted her teeth and sent out another blast of magic, this time unleashing a wave of lavender aura that threw itself over the creature and wrapped it up. It struggled and caused the spell to shudder, but it managed to hold and the creature gave a dejected sigh.

“Guh, this week is definitely not super.”

“Good. You can talk,” Twilight huffed, sweat running down her face. “This’ll make things easier.”

“Let me go, you stupid pony!” the monster grunted. “Isn’t it bad enough you broke the ceiling? Seriously, I’m freezing my butt off now because of you!”

“Well, maybe I can get you to a warmer location if you answer my questions,” Twilight said with a small grin.

“Fine.” The monster gave a harsh snort. “Don’t think I’ll be much help though.”

Twilight’s grin widened. “Having something living is a real help! Now, first I need to know if you’re dangerous or have any more of whatever you used to blow up the top half of this structure.”

“I don’t know. Look, I didn’t mean to blow it up, especially since it burned off most of my fur. I just wanted someplace warm to stay until this damn blizzard blew over.”

“Wait…” Twilight’s eyes widened and her spell suddenly dissipated. The monster fell the ground and let out a groan. Twilight rushed over and helped it up. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, I thought you were a monster. I didn’t know you were a pony! It’s a miracle you’re still alive! We need to get you treatment now!”

“Hold it, hold it.” The pony pushed Twilight away and sighed again. “Look, it doesn’t hurt too bad and I’m really getting tired of all this pony business. I just want to get a better look at this lab before I head back to my friends… maybe get some soda along the way.”

“But you… I… your skin is gone for Celestia’s sake!” Twilight shouted.

“About that…” the pony raised a hoof and pointed into the darkness. Far off into it, there was a faint glow. “This place might have some stuff to deal with that, but there’s no food left and not a drop of cola. That cold isn’t helping much either.”

“Hmm…” Twilight tapped at her chin. “Maybe we can work out a deal. You show me around this place and I’ll bring you stuff up here.” She glanced to the side. “Taking you to the empire might have some issues. The ponies are a bit suspicious of shadowy figures that come out of chasms in the earth.”

“Again, lucky me.” The pony turned, shivered, and then walked toward the dim glow. “Well, come on, we can at least get a little warm.”

Twilight followed after him. She watched each step he took, observing the way the metal coils, springs, and pistons moved in place of muscles on his legs, stomach, and back. Even his tail was steel: a bulky angular piece of metal that swayed back and forth along with his step.

“What exactly are you anyway?” Twilight asked. “I said pony earlier, but your body… you look more like a machine.”

“I am.” He turned around and smiled at her. His lack of lips made Twilight shudder. “Name’s Franky. Long story short, I’m what ya get when your body’s mincemeat and all you’ve got are some scrap ships to salvage from. Uhahaha! Was good enough to survive that explosion though!”

Twilight’s face scrunched up and one of her eyes twitched. She shook her head as she passed through a door and into lit room. She blinked under the fluorescent light. Half of the room was filled with workbenches and boxes stuffed with what looked like rolled up sheets of paper. The other half was lined with bookshelves and a tiny fireplace with a massive bearskin rug stretched in front of it. A few comfy looking chairs surrounded the fireplace as well, but the rug made Twilight shiver a little with eyes that seemed to look directly at her. The door closing behind her made her jump a little.

Franky sighed and slumped into one of the chairs. “Little jumpy? I don’t blame ya, there’s some pretty crazy stuff here.”

“What exactly is all this anyway?” Twilight looked around the room again. “It reminds me of a lab, but none of the architecture matches anything I’ve ever seen.” She paused and stared at a blueprint pinned to the wall that depicted a pony’s leg next to a something that also looked like a leg, but the knee was reversed and it ended with some sort of paw rather than a hoof. “It’s like finding a part of history that doesn’t exist.”

“History?” Franky let out a raspy chuckle. “No, no. This is the future.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Future?”

“Yeah, surprise to me too, but hey that’s why secret labs are secret.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I get the feeling telling you all at once will make you think I really am a deranged monster, but the gist is a guy from where I come from carved himself out a nice little research spot where no one could bother him.”

“I don’t like the sound of this. What exactly was this pony building here?”

“You’ve got some good intuition, Miss…”

“Twilight.”

“Right.” Franky pointed a hoof at one of the boxes filled with schematics. “Half of those are weapons neither of us could possibly dream of.”

Twilight gulped. “And the other half?”

“Nothing short of miracles… at least by today’s standards.” Franky shot Twilight another grin. “I’ve seen some technology around this country and the stuff here could revolutionize all of it. Plus, it could help me with my own stuff.”

Twilight bent her head forward a little. “What exactly do you want anyway?”

Franky tilted back and looked up at the ceiling. “Well, at first I just wanted to get back to my friends, but I need to patch myself up now.”

Franky brought his front hooves together and stared down at them. For a moment, the only sound was the crackling of firewood. He sighed deeply and reached into the chair’s folds to produce a crisp newspaper.

“Despite how much distance there is, this place still gets news printed to it. You shoulda seen the stack by the snail.” Franky draped the paper of one of his hooves and held it out to Twilight so that she could see the bipedal creature on the front page. It was practically covered in bandages save for the red vest. Its right claw-like appendage held a straw hat over its chest as if the creature were giving its condolences to something. “This changed everything. This guy here is my captain.”

Twilight’s eye twitched again.

“Okay, so you think I’m crazy. Whatever. Point is, I need to shape up before I meet him again, so I’m gonna stay up here, but it’d be a real help to get some supplies sent up.”

Twilight took a few deep breaths and collected herself before looking back at Franky. “You’re right, I do think you’re crazy. But it sounds like you only want to get back home, so I can allow it on a few conditions.”

Franky leaned forward. “Such as?”

“For one…” Twilight’s horn lit up and the rug floated off the ground and draped itself over Franky, obscuring his burnt visage. “Please keep that on, I can’t focus with you looking like some ghoul out a horror novel. Second, you have to promise me that none of these weapons ever become public. Technology this advanced could tear Equestria apart.”

Franky’s eyes sharpened from underneath the rug. “Deal. I know just how much trouble this stuff could cause in the wrong hands… er, hooves.”

Twilight glanced over to the wall of blueprints again. “Some of it could really help though. This wasn’t exactly the archeological find I was looking for, but i—”

“Twilight!”

The door flew to the room flew off its hinges and went flying towards Franky. He jumped up and dodged it at the last second before tumbling to the ground. In the meantime, Shining Armor burst into the room, his horn radiating with magic. He huffed in between scowling and glared at Twilight as he marched over to her.

“I told you not to go! Thank Equestria Cadence had enough sense to say good night to yo—”

“Gwwwa!” Franky roared.

The edges of the rug had fallen into the fireplace when Franky had dodged the door. The flame now covered entire back of the rug. Franky darted around the room trying to get the burning skin off, but it was entangled on his legs. Shining aimed his horn while Twilight screamed at him to calm down, but he still fired a shot, only for it to miss and start ricocheting off the walls, adding to the pandemonium. Suddenly, Franky darted forward, blinded by the flames threatening to consuming him and rammed straight into Shining.

The two became tangled in a flaming ball of limbs with Franky’s blackened face pressed close to Shining’s so the later got a full view of the horrific damage he had suffered.

“Gah! Someone get some water! I’m on fire! Ahhhh!”

One of Franky’s hoof’s flailed to his right just as Shining was about to fire another shot in defense. It struck Shining square in the muzzle and his body went limp. Franky tumbled off him and burst outside of the room, still ablaze and howling like something straight out of Tartarus. Outside, the small squad of guards Shining had brought with him laid eyes on the monster and immediately fell back, none of them even wishing to get near it. Meanwhile, Twilight went over to Shining’s side while trying her best to put out the flames, all while Franky’s screams filled the air.

The Legend of the Blazing Beast of the North would later become a renowned campfire story throughout Equestria… Luna petitioned to have it banned due to all the nightmares it caused.

♦♦♦

3D2Y

A lone ship sat anchored in one of the many small waterways that crisscrossed between massive striped mangrove trees the rose high into the sky. Bubbles rose up all around the ship, their reflections dancing across its lion masthead and the shiny coating that covered its hull and sails. A woman in a sari dress and long raven hair stepped up to a ledge near the ship and smiled at it.

“Sunny,” said Robin. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

One of Sunny’s door’s creaked open and out stepped a hulking figure. He wore a familiar hawaiian shirt, but it was now at least three times larger to accommodate his orb-like shoulders and square forearms. In place of curvy pompadour, Franky now displayed a shaved head despite retaining predominant sideburns. At the sight of Robin, he grinned and flexed his arms together, forming a star on his combined forearms. The action also lifted up his shirt, revealing twin tattoos a crossed hammer and wrench on both his legs.

“Well,” Franky called out, “our archaeologist extraordinaire, Robin!”

Franky held his pose atop one of the ship’s rails in a moment of silence. A small hand touched him on the side and he turned around to look at the young woman behind her. She barely made it up to his waist in height.

“I think a simple hello could have worked,” she said while scratching at the back of her lavender hair.

“Hmmm,” Robin mused. “Franky, are we going to be getting a new crew member?”

Franky let out a loud round of laughter before giving the girl a pat on the back with his enormous hand. “Quite the opposite! Twilight here might be a rival of ours someday. Ya shoulda seen the ship she and her friends made! Honestly makes me a little jealous they got the hang of shipbuilding so fast.”

Twilight blushed a little. “Applejack is the one who really knows how to build it and Rarity is the only one that could make it look nice. I can only crunch the numbers to make sure everything goes in the right spot.”

“You should give yourself more credit,” said Robin, a smile appearing on her face. “A ship takes all its crew to work right.”

“From the stories I’ve heard, it sounds that way.” Twilight turned and looked up at Franky as her head and back began to glow. “Well, thank you again for the tour. I’m going to go check up on everypony now. It sounds as if things might get a little crazy, so be on guard.”

There was a flash as translucent wings sprouted out of Twilight’s back and she jumped into the air. She waved as she floated up and away from the Sunny while Franky and Robin waved back.

“We’ll see you in the New World someday!” Twilight called out. “Don’t think Rainbow Dash doesn’t want the One Piece! You’d better get a good head start!”

“Ha!” Franky said. “She and the rest of your little crew just try to keep up with the new and improved Sunny!”

To the New World!

Awaken! The Night Age And The Forbidden Spell!

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Canterlot

A Short Time After Celestia’s Return from the War

Six futon-like squares and one wheeled bed were arranged in a circle. Above them, the deep red haze of dusk poured in through a massive glass onto the ponies gathered in the room. All of them had full cups of tea in front of them, but nopony took a sip. Six pairs of eyes looked to Celestia as she raised her cup off its saucer and took a sip. It clanged when she set it down and echoed throughout the room.

“What I am about to tell is possibly the most sensitive information in Equestria,” she said.

“The Night Age,” Twilight muttered. “Three centuries with barely a paper left of documentation.”

“Two hundred years of history lost when the Everfree overtook the old castle. At least, that’s what everypony believes.” Celestia looked over the ponies around her, settling on Twilight. “The other two hundred years a collection of well-devised folklore, iconic figures, and the occasional battle.”

“And all of it’s false?” Pinkie gasped. “Even Cherry Berry?!”

Celestia shook her head. “No, he and many others from the true Night Age were given spot in the annuls of history… just not in proper chronological order. I’d have a monuments for the generations that lived through the century following Luna’s banishment for all they went though, but a memory wipe was the kindest thing I could offer them.”

Fluttershy shivered. “I-it was really that bad?”

“Worse than anypony of this age could possibly imagine.” Celestia features darkened a bit. “Discord’s reign was miserable, but life was able to function… Tirek was a different story.”

“But Discord turned all of Equestria upside down,” said Applejack, a thin sheen of sweat now covering her forehead. “What could this Tirek have done?”

“Turn everything he saw to ash.” Celestia’s left foreleg shivered a little and she placed her other leg over it to keep it still. “I should have realized it sooner, but when Luna and I faced Discord, there should have been a third party working against us.”

Twilight grimaced. “Tirek waited until all three of you were weak or imprisoned to strike?”

“In a sense, but at the time, the third force was one much older than either myself or Discord,” Celestia continued as a chill went down everypony’s spines. “Discord’s rule created untold misery, but there should have been unbridled hatred as well. It should have been a buffet for the Windigos, but they instead stayed far away from Equestria, giving Discord free rule over the land.”

Twilight look to her friends, all of their faces showing signs of confusion. She looked back to Celestia. “What did Discord do?”

“He created an even greater monster,” Celestia said, her eyes glued to the floor. “A creature born of such malice that even Windigos would be overwhelmed. At first, it was just bundle of accumulated hatred, something to keep the Windigos at bay, but that changed when Discord was defeated. It became a walking plague that corrupted all it didn’t devour. I’d been too distracted with ‘nationalizing’ pirates to notice the threat until it was far too late. Towns vanished overnight and Tirek’s army grew with each day. It was Discord all over again, but now we had a death toll on our hooves.”

Fluttershy shuddered and a few tears fell down her cheeks. Rarity slid off her seat and moved closer to Fluttershy, wrapping a hoof around her. Celestia paused for a moment while Fluttershy wiped away her tears. Everypony else’s faces had gone grim but they were bent forward, listening for Celestia’s next words.

“Tirek’s anger was also his downfall though. He was enamored with destruction and thought little of the future. When I finally managed to gather a strong enough force to challenge him and push him into a corner, he flew into a rage that I can only compare to a natural disaster. An entire piece of Equestria was forever scarred by the battle, but where Tirek wasted his power on destroying all in his path, I kept my magic concentrated and reserved. He had already halfway defeated himself by the time I unleashed the Elements on him.”

“Ha! Shows what happens when you mess with Equestria!” Dash flashed everypony a grin, but it quickly faded when nopony else smiled.

“I only wish I could have shared in your joy, Rainbow Dash.” Celestia shook her head. “But Equestria had suffered far too much for me to take any pride in my victory. My old castle was in ruins, untold numbers of ponies were homeless, and, as I came to realize, a single pony was not fit to wield all the Elements.”

Some sweat ran down Twilight’s face. “Meaning?”

“Meaning three things. One was that I could not seal Tirek in the same manner as Discord, only severely weaken him and then physically chain him to the lowest pits of Tartarus, even deeper than Impel Down.” Celestia glared down at her teacup. “The second was that I could only cleanse a number of ponies. Those left corrupted fled to Equestria’s darkest corners and became the monsters that haunt us to this day.” Celestia bowed her head. “The third effect you have already seen: a complete severance between the Elements and their wielder with the Elements going completely inert until new wielders could be found.”

Celestia turned her eyes up to the glass dome, watching the last bit of light fade from the sky.

“The physical toll kept me bedridden for the next decade,” she continued. “A nearly perpetual winter, days barely long enough to allow plants to grow, and a nation without its sovereign. Those ten years took ninety to recover, and it still feels as if we have never gotten back to the peace that existed before Discord.”

Celestia floated her teacup to her lips and took a sip. Everypony else shared looks with each other, frowns and shadows framing their faces.

“Um…” Fluttershy raised up a hoof. “W-won’t we know if T-tirek’s coming this time though?”

Celestia sighed deeply, her muscles loosening up a bit. “Yes, surprise will be on our side this time. Tirek is unaware that the Elements are active again and the Guard will be on high alert at all the borders.”

“There’s more though, isn’t there?” Twilight asked.

“I fear Tirek will not be alone.”

A golden globe appeared in the middle of the ponies, but quickly grew limbs and head while keeping a rotund shape. A man with a scraggly beard and disportionate features glared out at the ponies. A mist-like substance rose up off of his right hand while he left glowed bright as if he were channeling magic.

“He has allied himself with a man called Blackbeard,” Celestia said. “He is the one who perpetrated the war, all so that he could steal Whitebeard’s abilities. His power over darkness alone was fearsome, but now he can sink entire islands into the sea with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. If he were to come to Equestria now, we would have no hope of defeating him.”

Everypony was about to gasp when Celestia raised up a hoof, silencing them. Rising from her seat, she marched into the middle of the arrangement, dispersing Blackbeard’s visage into the air. She eyed all of them with a fiery look in her eyes.

“That is why you will begin training. We must be ready to fight when the time of battle arrives.” Celestia lowered her head a little. “I am sorry to ask this of you.”

Twilight got up a reached out, hesitating for a moment before putting a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder. “We can do it, Princess. Right, girls?”

Applejack tilted her hat back. “Eeyup!”

“Bring it,” Dash said with a smirk.

“We have surprise!” Pinkie had somehow produced her party cannon and sent out a spray of confetti with it. “I love having surprise!”

“Well…” Rarity got up and curled a hoof around her mane. “I’d rather not get into this whole fray business.” She stomped her hoof down on the ground. “But I’m not letting anypony or thing hurt Equestria. Even if I have to get dirty!”

All eyes now turned to Fluttershy. She had remained seated and was shaking a little with her mane covering up her eyes. Applejack moved over to her and knelt down, laying a hoof on her shoulder.

“Sugarcube,” she said softly, “I know this is gonna be tough for you, but we’ll help you through it.”

“I…” Fluttershy murmured.

Applejack blinked and leaned an ear a littler closer to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, I’m worried about all this too, but we’ve faces some pretty scary stuff before.”

“No,” Fluttershy replied, keeping her voice low. “I’ll…”

Rarity came over and put a hoof around Fluttershy as well. “Really, dear, it’ll be okay. It might get a little messy, bu—”

“I said I’ll do it!” Fluttershy yelled, rising up from her seat with a determined glare. It quickly faded away and she hid her face behind her mane again. “I mean… I just don’t want Tirek or this Blackbeard person to hurt anypony even if I have to…” She gulped. “Fight.”

“It seems we’ll need to work on that one’s spirit a bit.”

All heads turned to the room’s doors. Luna stood by them with a stern look on her face. She moved across the room, hooves echoing against the stone floor. Advancing on Fluttershy, she reached out a hoof to keep her from shying away. Her body trembled a bit under Luna’s touch.

“You fear what is to come yet have faced dragons?” Luna tilted her head to the others. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “It’ll be hard for some of you, but you will learn.”

Dash raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to be teaching us?”

Celestia moved over to Luna’s side. “Luna is well versed in haki training from her interactions with people.”

“Maybe a bit too well,” Luna said under her breath.

Celestia’s ears perked up, but she decided to ignore Luna’s mutterings. “I leave the five of them to you, sister.”

“Wait.” Rarity waved a hoof at Celestia. “You said five? Who’s not going then?”

Celestia lifted her eyes over to Twilight. “You’ve always been my student, and it is now time for one more lesson.”

“I understand,” Twilight said with a nod. She then turned to her friends. “I know you all can do it as well. Good luck!”

“Well, then, you had all best rest now and enjoy the comforts of the castle.” Luna looked over her new disciples with a grin that sent a shiver down their spines. “My training will make basic necessities seems like luxuries.”

“Um…” A few beads of sweat slid down Rarity’s face. “Will we be traveling?”

“Indeed.” Luna furrowed her brow. “And you will be learning to listen to the wild, so you’ll need to immerse yourself in nature. That means no luggage.”

“B-but my beautification regim—”

A quick slap on the back silenced Rarity. With a twitching eye, she turned to glare at Applejack.
“Aw, don’t be getting all upset. I’ve been camping enough in the woods with my family to know my way around.”

“So, some training camp in the woods, eh?” Dash smirked at Luna. “Bet I can handle it even from this dumb bed.”

Fluttershy showed the tiniest of smiles. “A-and I know where animals are and what plants are safe eat.”

“Training Camp Party!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“It is good to see your enthusiasm.” Luna’s grin widened a little. You’ll need all that energy if you hope to survive.

The five ponies then made their way to the door, with Pinkie and Applejack helping push Dash out. Fluttershy trailled behind them, but a blue aura tugged on her tail, holding her back. Luna went over to her side and started down at her. Fluttershy shivered again.

“W-was there something else, P-princess?”

“Yes.” Luna’s horn lit up. “You’re starting early.”

“Wait, where are w—” Fluttershy vanished along with Luna.

It was just Twilight and Celestia in the room now. However, they too instantly teleported away in a flash and reappeared in a familiar hall. Stained glass lined the upper halves of the walls, depicting the various trials Equestria had gone through in its history. At the head of the room was a door with a massive lock in its center. There were scorch marks and bits of rubble still left over from the previous fight here and there.

“Good idea, Princess,” said Twilight. “Luna must’ve forgotten, but having the Elements on us at all times is a smart precaution.”

“No, Twilight, that’s not why we’re here.” Celestia took a deep breath and lit up her horn. A thick tome suddenly popped up in front of her face, its aged scent strong enough for Twilight to smell it. A collection of frayed and faded silk stars rested above a whirlpool-like illustration on the cover.

Twilight’s eyes widened at the sight of the book. “Princess is that…”

“Starswirl’s personal spellbook.” Celestia kept the book floating beside her head as she walked up the steps to the vault. Her magic inserted itself into the lock and the thick door opened up. “I’d hoped to give it to you in a year or two when you were more settled in and its effects would be less dangerous, but now you must learn all there is in this book and master the Elements.”

Twilight stared up jeweled box that sat atop a lone stone pedestal. “You always told me stories about the book, how it held some of the most powerful spells in all of Equestria, some as strong as the Elements themselves.”

“But I never told you of the one that combined both.”

The chest’s lid opened up and the Element of magic flew up and over to Twilight. At the same time, Celestia floated the book over to Twilight, flipping it open to one of the last page. Twilight’s eyes grew wider as she scanned over the notes, her breathing speeding up as well.

“Twilight, now is a pressing time for all of us, and it is with you that I entrust this grave task, but you must rise to meet it. I couldn’t tell your friends the risk I’m putting them in with this, but I know if anypony can do it, it is you.”

“B-but, Princess… I can’t just…”

“You can.” Celestia grasped one of Twilight’s legs with a force that made her wince a little. “Twilight, you will master this spell and gain a power the dwarfs even my own!”

Fluttershy Trembles! Training Commences!

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One moment Fluttershy was going to the door, the next Luna was in front of her with her horn ablaze. Everything went white for a few seconds while Fluttershy felt a hot wind swirl around her. It was hot beneath her hooves as well. She shifted a hoof around and felt fine particles of sand move against it.

Her vision soon cleared to reveal a sprawling desert that stretched to a horizon rimmed with grey mountaintops. The sky lacked a single cloud. Its only adornment was a blazing sun that distorted the air near the ground.

Luna’s deep blue coat sharply contrasted with the fiery sands she stood on. Fluttershy whipped her head back and forth between taking in the environment and staring at Luna.

“W-where are we?” she asked.

“I believe sister said this is Buffalo land now,” Luna said. “It doesn’t really matter much, it’s such a barren place that no one really cares who controls it. Even a unicorn skilled in survival magic wouldn’t last more than a few days out here.”

Fluttershy gazed out across the sand, but the only disturbances she could spot were a few outcroppings of rocks. She breathed in deeply and felt the hot wind swirl around her, ruffling a few of her feathers.

“It’s so quiet,” she said after a moment.

A small smile came to Luna’s face. “I wanted to make sure there would be no interruptions.”

“I know, but for there to not even be tiny creatures…” Fluttershy stared out into the desert again. “It’s a little scary.”

“Your natural Observation Haki is truly skillful.” Luna turned to Fluttershy. “But while it is good to see your abilities in that area are already starting to bloom, that is not what we are here for.”

Fluttershy twitched a little from Luna’s tone. “S-so what are we here for?”

“That ability you call the ‘Stare.’ I want you to show it to me.”

“What?” Fluttershy squeaked. “Y-you want me to use the Stare on you?”

Luna shook her head. “Not immediately if it makes you nervous, but I need to see it so that I can understand what your level of control is. So, if you would.”

Luna took a step back. The hot wind continued to blow around them and it was silent for a moment. Beads of sweat formed on Fluttershy’s brow while she stared down at the ground. Luna waited for a minute just watching Fluttershy sweat before she lightly coughed. Fluttershy jumped a little.

“Forgive me if I’m breaking your concentration,” Luna said. “But I’ve heard your ability is slightly faster than this.”

“It… it is,” Fluttershy mumbled. “I… I just can’t turn use it out of the blue like this.”

Luna knitted her brow. “Hmm, I see. So you need some kind of catalyst. Fear not, I know some dragon hordes we ca—”

“No!” Fluttershy yelped. She paled and hid behind her mane again. “I… I mean, that’s a little extreme. I’m fine here! No need for d-dragons!”

“Well, I don’t want us standing here just sweating all day.” Luna’s eyes sharpened a little. “Don’t think taking you here for a personal lesson was an act of kindness. It is only to ensure that other ponies aren’t hurt should we actually get somewhere in our training. Now, I suggest you demonstrate your Haki or I’ll have to get creative.”

Despite the heat, goosebumps ran up Fluttershy’s legs. “O-okay. Um, I usually only use the Stare when one of my animals is misbehaving, so may—”

“Say no more.” Luna started to cast a spell. “I’m familiar with some unruly pets that have become nightmares for their owners.”

“Wait!” Fluttershy cried out.

The glow around Luna’s horn dimmed and she let out a snort. “You have ten seconds to explain.”

“I just think sending a pet into the middle of the desert would be a bit too much of a shock. M-maybe we could use a stand-in first?”

“Fine.”

Luna’s horn flashed and a small stone statue thudded into the sand. The fall buried a good chunk of it, but its harsh scowl and long ears still poked above the dunes. Fluttershy slowly stepped over to the statue and brushed away some of the sand. Bending her head down, she stared at it and then looked up to Luna.

“Is… is this Angel?”

“An approximation,” Luna replied. She tapped on one of the statue’s ears. “Now, he has raided your pantry and upset your other pets. Come at him!”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and stared down at the statue. Her lip quivered a little. “A-angel, that was very rude and y—”

Luna slapped a hoof across Fluttershy’s cheek. “He’s not listening to you! Show him who his owner is!”

“I-I…”

Luna slapped Fluttershy’s other cheek. “You have the power to stop him at any time. Use it! Put him in his p—”

“Shut up!” Fluttershy roared.

Her eyes sharpened and gained a sheen to them while her wings unfolded and stuck straight up. The sand directly in front of her rippled slightly as if a concentrated gust had blown over it. Luna’s hoof twitched and she pulled it back and blinked. With the Stare in full effect, Fluttershy crouched down so that she was eye level with the statue.

“You do not get to make a mess and disturb everyone else!” she screamed. “How many times do I have to tell you? If you do this one more time, I… I…”

The sheen vanished from Fluttershy’s eyes and she sunk into the sand. Luna stood silent for a moment before blinking. A smile came to her face and she laid a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“Well done. To make even a single limb of mine react without even targeting it is quite impressive. We’ll need to work on your range though so that i—”

Luna stopped at the sound of sobbing. She arched an eyebrow and bent her head down to see that Fluttershy was crying into the sand.

“What is the matter?” Luna asked. “That was a most wonderful demonstration.”

“I h-hate doing that,” Fluttershy hiccupped. “Every time, I… I just wish I could’ve done something else.”

Luna wrapped her hoof a little tighter around Fluttershy. “Sometimes force is all creatures will listen to.”

“B-but I just feel so angry when I do it.” Fluttershy curled her forelegs closer to her chest and let out a loud sob. “B-but I… I have to do it.”

“No, you don’t.”

Luna moved her leg around and brought it to Fluttershy’s face. She pushed back her mane and stared straight into her reddened eyes. Tears continued to flow down her face, but Luna didn’t look away.

“Heed my words,” said Luna. “Your skills are raw now and only come forth at times of anger and desperation. This training will fix that. Do not think I aim to make you some mad berserker. King’s Haki is the sword that only a chosen few may wield, and your movements will be controlled, precise, and calm. You just need to have the will to master your power, and I know you do.”

Fluttershy sniffled and managed to meet Luna eye-to-eye. A few more tears tumbled down her cheeks, but she managed to summon the smallest of smiles. “T-thanks.”

“A teacher must always encourage their student.” Luna backed away and flashed Fluttershy a grin. “That is what sister has said at least.”

Fluttershy’s smile grew a little and she nodded.

“Well, as I was saying,” Luna said. “The intensity of your Haki is quite astounding for somepony untrained. Your problem seems to be with range. Even at the earliest stages, King’s Haki tends to manifest outward in all directions of the user. Skilled and weathered masters can direct it, but that control is incredibly rare.”

“Um… okay?” Fluttershy whispered.

“Perhaps a demonstration would be best.” Luna got up and trotted a few feet away from Fluttershy. “Collect yourself, I am willing to wait. When you are ready, I want you to fly a good distance away, then land, and concentrate.”

“Concentrate on what?”

“Focusing on me would probably be best. Your spirit must be ready to withstand my assault though. If you given an inch, expect the hot sand to greet you when you awaken.”

“O-okay.”

After a few minutes of deep breaths and wiping her eyes, Fluttershy got up and jumped a few feet off the ground. She slowly glided over the sands, pausing every couple of yard to turn her head back and look at Luna. Whenever she did, Luna would raise her hoof and signal for Fluttershy to keep going. This continued until Fluttershy could barely see Luna’s leg. She hovered above the ground for a moment just be sure Luna didn’t want her to go further. She landed once she was sure Luna was remaining still, even if the distortions caused by the heat made it hard for Fluttershy to fully make her out.

Fluttershy dug her hooves into the sand and waited. Her eyes were glued onto the Luna’s distorted shape and she dared not break her concentration on it. With nothing around her, Fluttershy could only listen to her heartbeat thrum in her ears.

The heat distortions around Luna suddenly vanished. Even from afar, Fluttershy could clearly see her right down to the individual jewels that decorated her shoes. However, Fluttershy’s focus was locked solely on Luna’s eyes. They had gone from a deep turquoise hue similar to Fluttershy’s to a shocking shade while her pupils had lengthened into slits.

Luna felt the temperature drop a bit while the pressure of her Haki expanded outward to its maximum range. She blinked, returning her eyes to normal while the temperature began to return to its previous heat. The wind had temporarily ceased around her, leaving it quiet enough for her to hear the sand crunch underneath her hooves.

She lept off the ground and into the air. One flap of her wings was enough to clear the distance between her and Fluttershy. She landed a few feet away from Fluttershy, causing a bit of sand to kick up. She smiled at Fluttershy, who was still standing with her eyes wide open.

“You may have been at the edge of my range, but it is to your credit that you’re still awake.” Luna walked over and patted Fluttershy on the back. “So, what say you to that?”

Fluttershy remained silent. Luna’s pat had been enough to tilt her rigid form. She crashed to the ground, sending up more sand, but remained in the same stance with her legs locked in place and the rest of her body frozen. Only her jaw managed to move the tiniest amount, and she stuttered, “S-scary.”

Luna stared down at Fluttershy’s paralyzed body and then tapped her chin. “Well, you maintained conscious, so we’ll consider that a takeaway of today.”

“Y-yay,” Fluttershy said before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she passed out.

Luna felt the wind blowing against her once more. She inhaled the dry air and gazed up at the blazing sun.

“Let us return to the castle. The sand is no place to sleep.” Her eyes went down to Fluttershy as they began to glow. “And perhaps we shall see what encumbers you.”

Survive! Luna's Plan and Ace's Struggle!

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Luna looked over the five ponies in front of her. Three stood with their eyes forward, although Pinkie Pie was struggling a bit trying to stay still. Rarity had her head to the ground, allowing a few drops of sweat to collect on the tip of her muzzle and drop to the floor. Only Dash remained seated in her wheelchair, covered in less bandages than before but still showing little of her coat.

“Just to be sure,” Luna said as she paced in front of the group. “You are all who you say you are, correct?”

“Yep, yep!” Pinkie chirped. “Ooh, or maybe Traffy switched one of us in secret as a part of some master plan to take down a shadowy organization led by a ravishing yet evil mastermind!”

Applejack glanced over at Rarity. “I knew you shouldn’t have lent her those hoity-toity stories.”

“I…” Rarity paused to catch her breath. “I thought she could use some… culture.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You feeling okay? You’re sweating worse than a pig.”

“I am not!” Rarity gasped. “I’m feeling just…”

Luna’s shadow fell over her. She looked up and was met with Luna staring straight at her.

“Fine,” Rarity squeaked.

“I can understand if you are nervous.” Luna lit up her horn. “Perhaps I can lessen your burden a little.”

Rarity’s back flashed and saddlebags and a suitcase stuffed to their brims appeared. Rarity’s pupils shrank and she took a step back, sending the suitcase clattering to the ground. The fall was enough to spring it open and send hats, boots, bug spray, and a hair curler flying in all directions. Everypony else in the room eyed Rarity, save for Applejack, who had to struggle with removing a wool sweater from her head.

“I… I just wanted to bring the necessities,” Rarity said while trying to avoid lingering eye contact with anypony.

She bit her lip when nopony said anything. Sweat poured down her face while Luna continued to glare down at her. Rarity shuddered and then threw herself at Luna’s hooves.

“At least let me take the curler!” she sobbed. “My mane is too delicate!”

“Your mane will be the least of your concerns.” Luna levitated Rarity’s belongings over to her side and dispelled them in a burst of light. “So I suggest you steel yourself.”

Rarity felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked up to see Applejack standing beside her. The cowpony reached down and helped her up.

“There’s plenty of natural repellents in the wild,” said Applejack. “I’m sure we can find you some.”

Pinkie bounced over and pulled Applejack and Rarity into a hug. “Ooh and super delicious wild berries too!”

A smirk came to Luna’s face. “You can try. However, I warn you, once you are comfortable with your surroundings, then your real training can begin. Now, let us be off!”

Luna’s horn lit up and the aura around it started spreading outward. The group drew closer to her as the magic veil domed above them and drooped down to the ground. At the same time, the glow right around Luna’s horn grew brighter. Just as the magic touched the floor, its light turned blinding. Everypony’s ears popped before a force like a great wind blew around them and they felt the soft carpet vanish from under their hooves.

~~~

Ace stared up at the green leg that connected back to his red shoulder. He revolved its hoof in a slow circle, watching the foreign limb respond to signals from his brain. A knock at the door broke him away from his gazing. Sitting up, he glared forward, as if to perceive whoever was on the other side of the door.

“Jinbei, I’m not in the mood to talk,” he said. His neck still stung a bit from the chop Jinbei had hit him with yesterday. “I’m going to get out of here anyway, whether you help or not.”

“You’ll have a hard time getting past shield spells though.”

Ace’s eyes narrowed as the door opened and a white stallion limped into the room. Bandages covered him from head to hoof, partially obscuring the blue and magenta shield on his flanks. He managed to make it inside after a few more limps.

“I’ll be in a bit of trouble if my wife or Twily finds out about this, but I thought you and I should talk,” he said.

Ace raised an eyebrow at the stallion. “And why is that?”

“It gets boring just sitting around recovering,” the stallion replied before closing the door. “Beside, we can swap older brother stories. Mind if I have a seat?”

~~~

Rarity landed onto damp dirt with a thump. She shook her head to clear away the spots she was seeing, only to poke herself on some branches. Gaining her bearings, she stood up and saw that she was near some bushes in the middle of a forest. The canopy above her head was so thick that only a few thin beams of light made their way through, throwing the area into a permanent dusk.

Before she had time to take in more of her surroundings, a bush next to her rustled. She jumped up and braced herself against a nearby tree. However, she relaxed when a stetson hat emerged from behind the bush, followed by Applejack’s head.

“Applejack, you nearly scared me half to death,” Rarity said as she walked over to her.

Applejack shook her head. Up close, Rarity could see there was a green tint to her cheeks. “I don’t think teleportation suits me well.”

Rarity took a step back. “Oh, please don’t get sick.”

“It’ll be fine.” Applejack lifted her head and gazed at the surroundings. “Huh, lots of trees like the ones around Ponyville. Princess? Mind telling us where we are?”

Silence greeted Applejack.

“Princess Luna?” Rarity called out. She waited for a reply as a drop of sweat ran down her face. “Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie? Rainbow Dash?”

“Now, I’m sure they’re around somewhere,” said Applejack.

Rarity turned to her with shrunken pupils. “Or Princess Luna’s spell might’ve misfired. What if they’re all at the right spot while we’re stuck who knows where?”

Sweat was now dripping down Rarity’s face. Her chest quickly rose and fell and her eyes darted all over the forest. Applejack marched over to her and clasped her hard on the shoulder.

“Breath, girl,” she said. “Panicking will just get you hurt out here.”

“I would follow her advice,” Luna’s voice suddenly rang out. It seemed to come from all directions, its volume causing the branches around Rarity and Applejack to quiver. “You will need it in these first few days.”

“But what exactly are we doing?” Rarity asked.

“Surviving,” Luna replied. “Master the basic skills to live here and then we can actually talk about Haki. You’ll have to use your own abilities for now if you wish to avoid become some predator’s meal. The Everfree’s denizens can be quite vicious.”

“T-the Everfree?” Rarity yelped.

“What about everypony else?” Applejack asked.

“They are in another part of the forest, no doubt asking the same questions you are,” said Luna. “I’ll explain things to them as soon as I am done with you. Speaking of which, you can find a cave nearby, but I know not what it contains, save for the sound of flowing water. Other than that, I wish you the best of luck and shall be watching your progress.”

“Wait!” Rarity cried out, but only got the fading echo of her own voice in return. She grimaced and kicked a nearby pile of leaves before letting out a groan that reverberated up into the treetops.

~~~

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said between gasping for breath. She paced back and forth, causing a small cloud of dust to swirl around her. “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.”

Pinkie placed a hoof above her brow and swiveled her head around. “Hmm, I don’t see any deer.”

Fluttershy grabbed a hold of Pinkie, her whole body shaking. “P-pinkie! This is serious! W-we’re in the middle of the Everfree w-with all kinds of monsters and other horrible things!”

Pinkie grinned back at Fluttershy. “Don’t worry about a thing, Fluttershy! Princess Luna just wants us to camp out here for a bit. It’ll be super fun! We can even make smores!”

Pinkie somehow produced a bag of marshmallows and then plopped one into her mouth. “Mmm! Want one?”

Fluttershy blinked and took a deep breath. She let go of Pinkie and relaxed her muscles. Sitting on her hind legs, she managed to smile and reached out to take a marshmallow. “I… I guess you’re right. Princess Luna said she’d be watching, so she’ll help out, right?”

“Of course!” Pinkie stuffed another marshmallow into her mouth. “Princess Luna wouldn’t let us get hurt.”

A rustle from a nearby bush drew Pinkie and Fluttershy’s attention. Both of them paled as a manticore stuck its hulking body out of the foliage and closer to them. It snorted in their direction, sending up a small gust of leaves and dirt. Fluttershy remained paralyzed on the ground while Pinkie managed to raise up her bag of marshmallows.

“W-want one?” she asked with a quivering grin.

The manticore responded with a roar that rang throughout the forest.

~~~

Luna stood on the edge of a plateau that looked out into the sea of trees that extended in all directions. Far off to her left, a flock of birds erupted from the forest, circled in the air for a few moments, and then descended back into the shadows.

“Are we just gonna be staring at the forest all day?” came a voice from behind her.

Luna turned around to see Rainbow Dash looking at her with hooves crossed across her chest.

“Everypony else is out there, right?” she asked. “I should be helping them. I’m used to roughing it in the woods.”

“Reopening your wounds would be disadvantageous to your training,” Luna said.

Dash blew up a tuft of her mane that had fallen in front of her face. “So I’m just going to be sitting here? Why’d you bring me along then?”

“Because you’ll be watching everypony else just as I am,” Luna said.

Dash raised an eyebrow. “You mean use some sort of tracking spell? Sorry, Princess, but I don’t exactly have a horn.”

Luna chuckled. “You misunderstand. I’m using neither magic nor my eyes to keep watch on everypony.”

Dash narrowed her eyes. “Uh, what?”

“Even in this vast forest, I can feel where all your friends are.” Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Rarity and Applejack are making their way to a small hill five miles from here, probably on Applejack’s suggestion. Fluttershy and Pinkamena are running for their lives from a mantico—”

Dash jumped out of her wheelchair and grabbed onto Luna. “Well don’t just stand here! We’ve gotta help them!”

“No.” Luna pushed Dash off of her and onto the ground. Dash let out a small yelp, but Luna just marched over to her and bent her head down to Dash’s face. “Pinkamena already possesses enough Observation Haki to discover a safe path and Fluttershy could easily incapacitate most of this forest’s threats in an instant.”

“But…”

“My stance is firm.” Luna lit up her horn and surrounded Dash in her aura. Dash floated into her chair where Luna kept her spell active, anchoring Dash to it. “As for you, you’ll be learning to concentrate and feel the energy around you. In return, I will insure that your recovery is hastened.”

Dash opened her mouth to say something, but slunk back into her chair after a moment. She glared down at the ground and furrowed her brow. “You’d better promise nopony gets hurt.”

“I am confident in your friends’ abilities.” Luna took a seat beside Dash. “Now, let us begin with some basic breathing techniques.”

~~~

Shining Armor let out a small chuckle. “So, right in the face?”

“Yeah,” Ace said, trying to contain his own laughter. “Thought he’d be showing off some ‘super awesome amazing new’ technique, but his fist just bounced off the ground and into himself.”

“Trust me I’ve been there,” said Shining. “Every time Twily came home from the Academy, she’d show off her new spells, managed to light both of our manes on fire a few times.”

“At least Luffy never managed to turn Dadan into a plant.”

Both Shining and Ace let out a round of laughter at that. A few seconds later, their injuries acted up, forcing them to stop. They eventually regained their breath and grinned at each other.

“Siblings…” Shining lightly shook his head. “They do some silly things.”

Ace’s smile dimmed a little. “It’s a good thing they’ve got others to watch out for them.”

“I know.” The smile vanished from Shining’s face. “The worst times for Twily were when she was alone.”

“At least she didn’t stumble into a war.”

“She could’ve stopped one though if I’d just listened to her.” Shining took a deep breath. “But we were able to move past it. I’m sure your brother will too.”

“He will. Once he wakes up, I’m sure he’ll act like nothing happened and help me bust out of here.” Ace smiled and flexed his right foreleg. “I’m gonna smack him for being stupid first though.”

Shining furrowed his brow. “You know Celestia is adamant about what she said, and I’m inclined to side with her.”

“Well, I only took orders from Pops.” Ace crossed his right hoof over his chest. “I’m getting back to the sea and my crew, one way or another.”

“Okay, okay. I can see this is going nowhere.”

Hefting his shoulders, Shining got up from his seat and limped over to the door. He pulled it open, but didn’t leave. Instead, he turned his head back to Ace.

“Just something to think about though,” he said. “What will you do if your brother asks you to stay?”

Ace’s pupils shrunk. His face grew red and pulled back into a scowl. “Luffy would never want me held prisoner somewhere! Look at what he did just to set me free! Would your sister wish that on you?”

“I can’t say,” Shining replied. “She’d do everything in her power to protect me though and I’d do the same.”

With that Shining closed the door, leaving Ace alone. In the silence, Ace remained taught. It was only after some time that he allowed his muscles to relax and he fell back on his bed.

The Roc's Talons! A Blind Monster?

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“Twitchy Tail!” Pinkie screamed.

Both she and Fluttershy ducked as the manticore ripped its claws through the air above them.

“P-please Mr. M-manticore!” Fluttershy yelled. “W-we’re not tasty at all!”

A roar responded to her.

“Runny Nose!” Pinkie coughed.

Both ponies jumped off the ground, their hooves just barely clearing a thick root hidden in the foliage. The manticore tore through it like it was tissue paper and continued after them.

“Itchy left hoof!” Pinkie shouted.

Fluttershy veered to the right while Pinkie veered to the left. Both of them managed to avoid the thick tree that had popped up along the path, but the manticore wasn’t so lucky. A deep krunk echoed through the forest when the manticore smacked into tree. A shower of dust and leaves coated Fluttershy and Pinkie along with most of the surrounding area but they kept running.

It was only when they reached a wide river that they came to a halt. Fluttershy took a deep breath and hefted Pinkie up into the air. Pinkie’s hind hooves skimmed the water as they crossed river before they collapsed on the other side. Both of them laid there for some time, just catching their breaths and staring up at the sky.

“That… wasn’t fun,” Pinkie said between gasps.

“N-no,” Fluttershy replied.

After a little more time resting there, Fluttershy managed to pick herself up and wobbled over to the river. She plunged her head into it and gulped down some water. When she drew her head back up, she saw that Pinkie had joined her and was sipping up some of the water through a twisty straw.

“Ah!” Pinkie said after a few more gulps. “I really needed that!”

“T-thanks, Pinkie,” said Fluttershy. “That c-could have been bad.”

“No problem!” Pinkie draped one leg over Fluttershy’s back and flashed her a smile. “Just glad my Pinkie-Sense and your wings got us to safety.”

Before Fluttershy could say anything, Pinkie yawned deeply into her other hoof, somehow managing to stay balanced on just her hind legs.

“All those doozies wore me out a bit though,” she said, smacking her lips. “I think I might need a nap soon.”

Fluttershy’s pupils shrank a little. “N-nap? I-in the Everfree? Oh my, Princess Luna didn’t say anything about sleeping here. I… I’m sure we can get good at Haki before then, right?”

“Might be a good idea to find a safe place first.” Pinkie yawned again. “Sooner rather than later.”

Fluttershy’s eyes darted away from Pinkie and took in the surroundings. Clouds, far blacker than anything a pegasus could create filled the eastern horizon while mountains obscured the western view. To the north were plateaus covered in fog, but with the sun already curving towards the mountains, it would be dark before reaching them.

Fluttershy turned to the south. The forest went all the way to the horizon with only the river’s path providing a break in the sea of trees. She locked onto the wooden behemoths that speared through the canopy, their massive branches shading large swathes of the smaller trees below.

A great shadow emerged from one of the titanic trees and flew high into the air. It hovered for a moment and spread its wings wide, allowing the sun to glisten off its wings and claws before it launched itself over to the mountains.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy murmured.

~~~

The pitter-patter of water on rock echoed out of the cave’s mouth and into Rarity and Applejack’s ears. The entrance was a gaping maw that swallowed up all the sunlight after only a few feet, leaving the cave’s inner structure in complete darkness. The thick smell of wet rock and mold assaulted Rarity’s nose while Applejack took a big whiff of the scent.

“It smells absolutely dreadful!” said Rarity. “And with all the darkness we’re sure to trip on something and get mud everywhere.”

Applejack kept staring straight into the cave while her ears shifted back and forth. “I hope mud is the only thing we have to worry about. If the Princess said this was a part of training, I’m betting any advice she gives ain’t gonna be free.”

“You think she’d deceive us?” Rarity gasped.

“If it’s a part of this training, yes.” Applejack tapped a hoof to her chin. “I just don’t get why we couldn’t do some drills or something. Anypony can do that… no offense, Rarity.”

“Just a little taken,” Rarity sighed. “Well… I suppose we could at least stock up on water.”

“Might even be some fish in there too.”

Rarity’s face gained a shade of green. “Y-you’re not honestly expecting to eat meat are you?”

“Granny told me stories how the old settlers used to eat it. She even kept a few recipes.” Applejack shifted her back, hitching up the pile of branches she’d collected on the way to the cave. “Everfree can be tricky with what you can and can’t eat when it comes to plants. Now enough standing here talking. Let’s light up and head in before something finds us.”

“O-okay,” Rarity murmured as she cast a spell.

One of the branches flew off of Applejack’s back and over to Rarity’s side while another floated over to Applejack’s face. She bit into one end of it while a spark ignited the other end. A similar flame sprouted out of Rarity’s branch. Applejack nodded and took a step forward. Rarity watched Applejack advance into the darkness, gulped, and followed after her.

The cave’s shadows quickly engulfed the both of them, leaving only the small area around their torches illuminated. Every couple of steps, Applejack would come to a stop and swivel her head around, her torch throwing a bit a light on the surroundings. Both ponies felt a chill go through them one time when a sweep of Applejack’s fire revealed that she was on the edge of a massive chasm.

The further they ventured into the cave, the hotter it got. The torches’ flames danced off of the cave’s slick walls. Occasionally, a hoof would splash into a muddy puddle. All the while, the sound of running water grew louder.

Rarity’s face scrunched up when she noticed that a part of her mane had flecked away from the rest of her hair.

“Oohhh,” she muttered, “this humidity is destroying all the measures I took to keep my mane okay. Now I’m going to look like some dis—”

A harsh glare from Applejack silenced her.

They continued without a word for a bit with more sudden drops popping up here and there. A startled bat or a camouflaged spider would sometimes cause Rarity to jump, her hooves echoing against the rock or sending up a splash of water. Applejack would just slowly back away whenever she encountered one of the cave’s denizens. Even she couldn’t keep completely silent though, and the sound of her hooves would resonate against the walls from time to time.

Eventually, they rounded a corner and were met with the smell of fresh air. A shaft of light shimmered down from further within the cave. That light refracted off of what looked like a stream of water falling down into the cave. Rarity sighed a little seeing it.

“Finally,” she said. “I was beginning to think there might not be any water at all.”

She looked over to the opening again, but paused when she spotted a few crabs clambering across a nearby wall. Under her gaze, they came to a stop, but unlike the earlier creatures she had stumbled upon, they did not look back at her. Their lack of eyes ensured that. Rarity shuddered staring at the blind crabs and turned her attention back to Applejack, who was steadily moving over to the light.

The cavern housing the hole in the ceiling had a slight tilt to it so that the water pooled on one side of it and flowed off into other parts of the cave. The light shining down from above helped show that the cave branched off into multiple routes, some of which were filled with water while the others led only into more darkness.

Rarity and Applejack drew close to the tiny waterfall. A few hardy plants and an abundance of mushrooms surrounded the water. Deep blue flowers also dotted the water’s path. Applejack carefully moved to an part of the lake bereft of any foliage save for some brownish-green moss and set her torch down.

“Well, we can at least rest here for a bit.”

“And get something to drink.” Rarity made her way over to the water and scooped up some of it with her magic. Her aura grew brighter for a moment before fading, leaving the water a shade clearer than it had been. The orb Rarity had formed it into split into two and a half floated over to Applejack. “There, all nice and purified with a hint of lemon added.”

“Didn’t know you knew those kinds of spells,” Applejack said before gulping down the water.

Rarity was in the middle of drinking of her own water, so she didn’t immediately reply. After a grateful sigh upon finishing, she turned to Applejack and started walking over to her. “Well, I never thought I’d use them for this, but when I accidentally mix dyes, they’re life sa— Eep!”

Rarity yelped as one of her hooves slid out from underneath her. The stone she had stepped on sprung out from under her hooves and careened over the lake and smacked into the wall. The strike echoed across the cave as Rarity fell on her side.

Applejack sprung over to Rarity’s side, but almost as soon as she did, she screeched to a halt. Rarity didn’t noticed and gave pained groan.

“Ow, ow, ow!” She wobbled back to her hooves. Her breath caught in throat at the sight of her coat bespeckled with mud and moss. “I was at least hoping to make it through one day— one day without getting my coat ruined!”

She turned to Applejack, who was still rooted in the same spot. The pale cave light highlighted the bit of color that had drained from her face.

“Well,” said Rarity, “glad to see you know how bad this is. Mud is enough of a pain with a full spa available. I know, I know, Applejack, it could’ve been much worse. Could you imagine having a sprained hoof on top of a ruined coat. I really would die then.”

“Rarity.” Applejack pointed to where Rarity had fallen. “It is much worse.”

Rarity gazed down at a crushed Poison Joke flower surrounded by crumpled petals. Her face paled and her eyes widened while her breath quickened

“Now don’t panic, Rarity. There’s nopony here to notice and your reaction isn’t that bad.”

“But…”

“It’ll be fine!” Applejack smacked a hoof down, sending up a tiny splash of water. “For Celestia’s sake, at least you could actually function! I might as well have been a bug!”

“Applejack!” Rarity screeched. “I don’t care! Look behind you!”

“What no—”

Applejack froze. Across the lake, a part of the wall had flaked away from the rest of it. What had initially appeared as a rough craggy surface had pressed down into a fat cylinder of jagged scales. The snake-like body filled nearly all the opposite side of the lake, but its true size was hidden by the shadows and the water. Every couple of seconds, its body expanded when it took a breath and then contracted back down.

“W-what is i—” Rarity was silenced by Applejack nearly smashing a hoof into her mouth.

“Close your eyes,” said Applejack. “Now.”

Rarity nodded and followed the order. The uneven crash of the waterfall filled the room. Applejack tried to keep her breathing low, but it kept coming out as small gasps. She felt every bead of sweat on her face as her eyes searched the dim cavern, but she dared not linger on one area for too long.

Some sweat stung her eyes and forced her to blink. On the other side of the lake, the creature’s body had vanished without a sound. She strained her ears and eyes but could see nothing but rock and shadow and hear nothing but the water and her own shaky breaths. She didn’t even notice her hoof was still firmly over Rarity’s mouth or the quiver running through her friend’s body.

Hiss!

Rarity suddenly flew away from Applejack and screamed. The sudden shift in balance sent Applejack to the floor, but she instantly jumped back up. She glimpsed scales rise up to the hole in the roof and then darkness filled the cavern. Something brushed against Applejack’s legs and she stomped on it. There was another hiss and a hot rancid breath blasted Applejack in the face. Instinctively, she spun around and reared up her hind legs.

Sparks rocketed out the darkness to her left, revealing Rarity dangling upside-down with her horn shooting out blazing pieces of magic. A massive tail was wrapped around one of her legs and holding her high in the air. She screamed again when the tail unclenched and she went to the ground.

Applejack had already sent her legs out by the time Rarity unleashed her spell. The few seconds of illumination allowed her to glimpse massive fangs and clouded golden eyes. At the last moment, she veered her legs up away from the gaping maw and struck the monster on its nose. A sharp snap rang through the cavern and Applejack felt something warm drip onto her leg.

The creature’s body spasmed and slammed on the ground, allowing light to fill the cavern again. Applejack jumped over its twitching body and over to Rarity. Just as she reached her, the creature shook its head and licked its fangs with a slobbering forked tongue. Applejack hoisted Rarity up with a single hoof and pulled her forward.

“Run!” she screamed.

Applejack went into a full gallop while Rarity raced to keep up. They sped into one of the cavern’s many exits and darkness once more surrounded them. Hisses and the scrapes of scales against stone echoed behind them. At some point, Applejack let go of Rarity, but the two continued to race forward all while the creature’s sounds rang in their ears.

The duo accumulated a share of scrapes and bumps racing through the caves, but the creature’s sounds eventually grew fainter. Just as Applejack caught a whiff of fresh air, she slammed into Rarity. The two of them went into a tumble, but Applejack managed to push Rarity off and the two untangled onto the ground.

“What the hay are you doing Rarity?” Applejack called out as she whipped her head around trying to find where Rarity had landed.

“I was…” Rarity paused to gulp down some air. “Just getting some air.”

“We can worry about that after we get out of these caves!” Applejack swiped at the air to find Rarity, but, feeling nothing, gave a huff. “That basilisk could be right on our tails and we’d never even see it down here!”

“Applejack…” Despite gasping for air, Rarity’s voice was little more than a whisper. “What does a basilisk do to its prey?”

“Nasty critter. Looking them in the eyes can do all sorts of things to you,” Applejack said as she waved a hoof in front of her, trying to find either Rarity or a wall.. “Darn it, Rarity! Where the hay are you? I know we’re just a bit away from the exit. You can feel the breeze, right?”

“I… I can feel more than that.” Rarity reached out a hoof and gently grasped one of Applejack’s forelegs. “Basilisks… do you know how long they can effect a pony?”

“Consarn it, Rarity! I can tell you all about them when one isn’t trying to eat us! We just need to get out of the cave!”

“Applejack! We’ve been out ever since you bumped into me!”

With a few tears rolling down her face Rarity stared straight at Applejack’s eyes. Both of their pupils and irises had become glassy and white. Rarity’s murky image reflected off of them as did a bit of the trees around them and the sun that was steadily sinking to the west. Taking a deep breath, Rarity tightened her hold on Applejack.

“Now I need you to tell me how to fix this.”

~~~

The sky was a deep red with purple overtaking the eastern horizon as Fluttershy lifted Pinkie up over the trees. They climbed parallel to one of the titanic pine trees they had spotted from afar. Up close, they could see that just its branches alone could have passed for regular sized trees. Its actual trunk was its own ecosystem within the forest. Animals of all shapes and sizes skittered around its bark and scurried in and out of hovels they had dug into it. When she had scouted the tree, Fluttershy had taken so long staring at all the animals living on it that she’d found Pinkie asleep by the time she’d flown back down to the ground.

To her right, one of the giant birds she had spied from earlier returned to its nest atop one of the massive pines. In its talons were boulders of varying shapes and sizes, but they all glittered with raw gems and metals. Three barely feathered heads popped up from the nest and cawed at the adult bird and the cargo it towed. As soon as the boulders were laid down in the nest, the chicks pecked at it, loosening a few pieces of it, which they eagerly gulped down.

A cry from the adult bird caused the chicks to freeze. They watched in silence as the adult brought its shimmering beak down on one of the smaller boulders in three precise locations. The boulder split into rocks about half Fluttershy’s size which the adult bird then took into its mouth and crunched down on them. The chicks began cawing again as the adult shifted over to them and bent its head down to theirs, allowing them to gulp down the slurry that came out of its mouth.

Fluttershy watched the feeding session as she continued to climb up to one of the higher branches. A glance down sent a chill through her and she tightened her hold on Pinkie.

“A-almost there,” she huffed.

With a few more flaps of her wings, she managed to make it onto a branch and gently set Pinkie down near its base. The branch alone was wide and its leaves, even though they were only “thin” needles were numerous enough and clumped together so that falling off would be highly unlikely.

Fluttershy collapsed beside Pinkie and took in the view. In the fading light, the forest below seemed all the more treacherous. At least before when she’d gone into the Everfree, Fluttershy had been with everypony else, but now it was just her and Pinkie.

She could feel her heart speeding up thinking about all the monsters and other dangers lurking down below or even in the tree, but she took a breath and held it in. Twilight had told her about this trick on the way to the Shining Armor’s wedding. Thinking back to the party after everything had been cleared up that day, Fluttershy exhaled and let the day’s toll wash over her.

As her eyes grew heavy, she looked back over to the bird’s nest again. All the chicks had been fed and the adult bird was now breaking up the biggest of the boulders and eating it for itself. Despite the bird’s size, watching it act like any one of her own birds made Fluttershy smile as she drifted off to sleep.

~~~

A massive gust of wind startled Fluttershy out of her slumber. She nearly let out a shriek but clamped a hoof over her mouth at the sight of one of the giant birds perched on the branch. In the pale moonlight, most of its body was a great shadow, but its beak and talons now glowed with a prismatic light. There was a moment of silence before the the bird corked its head down at Fluttershy and Pinkie.

Fluttershy inched up against the treetrunk, trying to stay as still as possible while moving one of her legs over to Pinkie. The bird continued to swivel its head at them as Fluttershy desperately tried to reach Pinkie.

“Pinkie, P-pinkie!” she whispered before looking to the bird. “M-ms. bird, w-we’re not r-rocks. We d-don’t taste good.”

The bird brought its head forward. Fluttershy felt her heart in her mouth as the bird nudged Pinkie with its razor sharp beak.

“Muuu,” Pinkie muttered. “Be ready in a minute.”

The bird brought its beak up and this time gave Pinkie a light peck near her neck. Fluttershy couldn’t control her breathing anymore and started gasping for air as the bird nudged Pinkie again.

“S-stop,” said Fluttershy. “P-please stop!”

The bird didn’t notice her pleas and instead brought its beak up again. This time, its strike had the same speed Fluttershy had seen it use on the boulders from before. Time seemed to slow down as Fluttershy’s eyes sharpened and gained an animalistic gleem.

“I said, st—”

Crack.

The bird pulled its head back and gave a shriek that rattled the upper branches of the tree. A series of cracks spiderwebbed across a small portion of its beak. Fluttershy’s eyes widened and lost their gleam as they went from the bird over to Pinkie.

Pinkie’s eyes were still shut but her mane had gone completely straight. What drew Fluttershy’s attention more than that though was that Pinkie had somehow extended a leg up and smashed it into the bird’s beak. The leg had a similar sheen to the bird’s beak as well, only it was completely smooth and a singular pink color while the bird’s beak was angular and multi-colored like cut gem.

“Rock candy,” Pinkie muttered as her leg lost its sheen and flopped back down. Her tongue ran over her lips and her mane suddenly poofed back up again as well.

A screech made Fluttershy turn back to the bird. It shot its wings out and sent up a gale that was like a miniature hurricane. Fluttershy clasped some bark while extending a wing over Pinkie. The wind tore across the branch, sending a storm of wood, and pine needles flying all around Fluttershy. She closed her eyes from all the dust, but opened them again when the wind suddenly shifted.

The bird raced at them with its talons full extended and ready to come down on them. Fluttershy gritted her teeth and puffed up her chest.

“Stop!” she screamed.

Blasting off of the branch, she zoomed up to the bird’s face. The full brunt of the Stare reflected off the bird’s eyes. Its wings clenched up against its sides and it fell back onto the branch. Fluttershy landed on its beak but continued to glare down at it.

“We don’t have any food for you!” she said. “Now you go back to your nest and leave us alone!”

The bird wasted no time and spread its wings out as Fluttershy jumped off its nose and landed on the branch. She watched with her glare never faltering as the bird flew back to one of the many nests around the tree. It was only when it was settled down and bringing a claw to its damaged beak that Fluttershy relaxed her Stare and rushed to Pinkie’s side.

“Pinkie! Pinkie!” she said as she shook Pinkie lightly.

“Huh? Wuh?” Pinkie rubbed one of her eyes while half-opening the other one. “Fluttershy? Is it breakfast?”

“Oh thank goodness you’re okay!” Fluttershy pulled Pinkie into a hug so tight that she fully woke up and started looking around.

“What happened? Did you have a bad dream?”

“Oh it was awful, Pinkie!” A few tears formed in the corners of Fluttershy’s eyes. “One of the birds came over and it… it…”

Pinkie patted Fluttershy on the back. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine now… that does explain a bit of my dream though. It was a doozy!”

“H-huh?”

“Oh! I’ll tell you about. It’s so silly that you’ll have to smile by the end of it.” Pinkie got out of Fluttershy’s hug and sat down opposite of her. She extended a hoof and arced it over her head as she spoke.

“So there I was, back at home with my sisters. I was having a really fun time making a rock candy mountain. Usually we only make enough for small necklaces like this!”

Pinkie reached up to her neck and pulled off a circular set of colorful transparent rocks. Pinkie’s eyes widened and a frown momentarily marred her face at the sight of two chipped and cracked stones on the necklace.”

“Aww,” she sighed, “I brought this for good luck! Now I’ll have to make my next one extra special!”

“Pinkie,” Fluttershy said. “What else happened in the dream though? The bird… it pecked you, but then your mane… and your leg. You… you cracked its beak.”

“It was after my rock candy!” Pinkie gasped. She then brought a hoof to her chin and nodded. “Hmmm, the explains a lot though. See, in the dream, one of the rock candy boulders started moving on its own, but I really wanted to make it the right size and shape, so gave it a good smack! I’m just surprised I still got it in me. I haven’t rock farmed in years!”

“Oh… okay then.” Fluttershy stared down at the branch. “W-well, why don’t you get back to sleep now then?”

“Uh-uh!” Pinkie shook her head back and forth. “Too awake now. I can do some midnight party planning while you get some sleep!”

“B-but.”

“No buts!” Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy and laid her down.

Fluttershy suddenly found a pillow pressing up against her head while Pinkie pulled some quilted covered over her.

“Now you get some sleep and when I get tired I’ll wake you up, okay?” Pinkie smiled at Fluttershy and excitedly tapped her hooves up and down. “Oh, this is super great I get to test out my party survival skills!”

A flood of words started to pour out of Pinkie’s mouth, but they all started to mesh together. Fluttershy’s eyes were heavy and her throat hurt a bit from screaming. Before sleep fully overwhelmed her, she thought back to the bird and hoped its beak would recover.

A Midnight Raid? Ace Makes A Run for It!

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A misty breeze caused Ace to slightly shiver, ending his afternoon nap. He slowly lifted his head up and yawned, stretching his forelegs over his head. His eyes sprung open and his jumped to his hooves upon feeling grass and dirt beneath him in place of his bed.

A vibrant mist surrounded him, tinting his vision with a spectrum of colors. He turned his head toward the slush of running water. His eyes widened at the sound’s and the mist’s source.

Liquid rainbows flowed down from the clouds above and collected in ponds all around Ace. As his eyes adjusted more to the mist, he saw that buildings were placed around him as well. Despite the fantastical setting, Ace tensed up, his eyes scanning through the fog and his ears pointing straight up.

A silhouette appeared to Ace’s right and he spun in its direction. He crouched down as it drew near.

“Still a little on edge, I see.”

Celestia appeared through the fog as is parted away from her. Ace remained crouched and glared straight at her.

“I thought some fresh air would do you good.” She glanced down at Ace’s mismatched left leg. “Perhaps get used to walking on that.”

“I can get used to it when it’s an arm,” Ace growled. “Why drag me out to wherever this is anyway?”

“‘Wherever this is’ happens to be one of the Equestria’s top locations and training ground for the Equestria Games.” Celestia’s horn glowed and two rough prismatic balls floated to her side. She took a small bite out of one of them and shivered a little. “Personally, I could come here just for the Veneightian Rainbow Ice… I can never make them as good as the vendors. Care for one?”

The second ice ball floated over to Ace. He glared at it then back at Celestia, remaining rooted in his spot. “I don’t know what you’re trying, but it’s not going to work. I’m getting out of here and getting back to my crew.”

Celestia’s smile vanished and she sighed. “Even if you were to run to the ends of Equestria, where would you go? Could you clear the Calm Belt alone? Survive long enough to make it to another island? How would you even find your own crew on the vast seas? You have no vivre cards and you won’t find any log poses here. Even if you could teleport, it would only get you to the Calm Belt at best.”

“I don’t care!” Ace sprung up and pulled back his right foreleg. “You shouldn’t have given me so many escape routes. Fire Fist!”

Ace shot his leg out only to feel the air shift a little in front of him. Not even a flicker of flame came off his leg.

“I thought you might try something like that,” Celestia sighed. Her horn glowed and Ace felt something tug at his left hindleg. Looking down, he saw that a thick anklet was wrapped around it. “That’s just a small insurance so you don’t accidentally hurt other ponies in one your ‘escape attempts.’”

Ace put his leg down but continued to glare at Celestia. “Why don’t you just drop the act and throw me in a cell?”

“Because, as far as I’m concerned, right now, you have a clean slate. I don’t care what crimes you committed as a pirate or how many escape attempts you make, as long as you don’t hurt anypony else in the process.”

Ace stared at Celestia for a moment before stomping his hooves. “If you’re gonna do that much then why not just let me go back to my crew? What does it matter to you?!”

“I put this whole land at risk for your and Straw Hat’s survival.” Celestia’s eyes sharpened to match Ace’s glare. “I owed him that much. Now one of the greatest evils I’ve ever faced is out for revenge and could be upon us any day now. I do not need the addition of the World Government marching in a selling this country off bit by bit to its Nobles and its military all because I aided the escape of one lone pirate.”

“How would the World Government know? You said they think I’m dead, so let them continue to think that.”

Celestia shook her head. “What will they think when a man with the exact same abilities suddenly appears on the exact same crew Portgas D. Ace served on?”

“I’ll figure it out!” Ace shouted. “Pops will he—”

“And what if Whitebeard isn’t there?”

A hush fell upon the clearing, leaving only the sound of the rainbow streams. A shadow fell over Ace’s face, but the intensity in his eyes seemed to multiply.

“Pops will be there,” Ace said through gritted teeth.

“Even ignoring the War, for how long?” Celestia said, trying hard to hide that she had tensed up. “Would you keep trying to make him King, despite neither him nor any other pirate getting any closer to the One Piece for the past twenty years? What do you do if he dies before that? What will yo—”

“Pops won’t die, not till he’s King!” Ace suddenly went to a gallop straight at Celestia. He jumped into the air and then shot down at her with his right hoof extended towards Celestia’s face. “Don’t take Whitebeard’s name lightly! He will be Ki—”

The sleep spell hit Ace before his hoof got within a foot of Celestia. A levitation spell arrested his momentum and ensured he didn’t fall like a rock to the ground and a teleportation spell sent him back to his room at the Castle.

Alone now, Celestia looked up to the streams as they spilled down from the clouds. “Darn and it sounded like he was making progress with Shining Armor.” She let out a deep sigh. “I’ll try and figure something out to do with him later.”

~~~

The moon shined high over Canterlot. The night patrol of pegasi guards flew methodically around the castle, eyes scanning the grounds for any disturbances. The few repair ponies on graveyard shift laid down new stone in the damaged tower, occasionally cracking a joke with each other. Other than them, the castle was bereft of voices.

Ace shot up from his bed, nostrils flared and eyes darting around. His vision was quickly obscured by a piece of paper that smacked into his face. He flailed at it and scraped that paper off, but rather than falling onto the bed, it remained in the air, a faint glow coming off it as it straightened itself out. As it did, its smudged and crumpled writing became legible once again.

Fire Fist,

My apologies this afternoon did not go as smoothly as I hoped. Sleep spells have a tendency to make one a little peckish, so this letter is also enchanted to serve as a map to the kitchen. You are free to take whatever you wish from there as well as explore the castle at your discretion. Some guards may stop you from going to certain restricted areas though.

-Celestia

Ace glared at the letter and imagined it bursting into flames. The cold touch of the Sea Prism Stone anklet was the only thing keeping the vision from become a reality. A loud grumble from his stomach broke his attention and he sighed.

“Damn it.”

Ace slid out of the bed and silently made his way over to the door. He snorted at the paper when it flew ahead of him and came to a rest to the right of his head. Poking out into the hall, he took a look around, finding the hall empty, save for one long figure. Jinbei sat fast asleep across the hall, his hulking body pressed up against a pillar that stood in a row with others in the middle of the hall.

Ace snuck past Jinbei and followed the letter as it continued to float ahead of him. At the same time, he moved closer to the shadows created by the pillars and the flames that decorated them. There were pairs of guards here and there down the hall, standing in front of doors of varying sizes. At the sight of Ace, they would straighten a little and adjust their spears.

The map eventually led him to a rather large door. The letter floated in front of it, but as Ace got closer, it pushed itself through the crack and disappeared within. Ace pressed up against the door and gave a grunt as he pushed it. With a creak that echoed down the hall, it opened enough to allow Ace to slip in.

For a moment the room was dark, but fires quickly sparked up a few feet overhead, illuminating the area. There were rows upon rows of glistening prep stations, all equipped with countless cooking utensils, storage devices, and stoves. One wall was filled with ovens of varying size and type while the opposite wall was decorated with an equal amount of fridges. Far across the room from where Ace stood, on the third wall, were a multitude of doors, also coming in different sizes and shapes.

Another grumble brought Ace’s eyes over to the fridges and he marched over to them. He reached out to the handle of one of the fridges, but the space between it and the actual fridge was too small for his hoof to loop through. With a snort, he put his hoof down and reached out with his mouth, clasped the handle, and pulled.

The fridge lurched open, putting Ace off-balance. He haphazardly scuttled backward, limbs flying in all directions until gravity won out and sent Ace crashing down onto his left side. Pain flared up along his side while his vision blurred. A vision of boiling magma flashed before Ace and cause his body to spasm and then lock up.

The heat slowly faded to a dull throb. Ace remained on the floor taking slow breaths and feeling the sweat that now covered him cool. Inhaling deeply, he pushed hard with his legs while bracing himself against a nearby prep station. The pain in his side grew a little stronger, but he managed to wobble back to his hooves.

A look at his side revealed that the bandages covering it were still white, but that did little to alleviate the rhythmic jolts coming from it and all up Ace’s left foreleg.

Damn, he thought, I need some ice now t—

A bag of ice a little bigger than Ace’s hoof then rose up in front of his face. Purple claws pressed up against the bottom of it and shook a little from the cold. Ace turned his eyes away from the bag and down toward the scaly creature holding it up. Aside from the green spines, it reminded him gecko he’d rode for a bit in Alabasta, albeit much smaller.

“Uh, thought you might need this,” it said.

“Thanks.” Ace took the ice bag, precariously balanced it on his right hoof and pressed it against his left side. “This’ll make carrying food back a little harder.”

“Oh, I can help you out with that.”

Ace raised an eyebrow at the creature. “Are you a servant or something?”

“Oh no. I’m Spike.” Spike waved his arms around, before suddenly clasping its chin and gaining a pensive look in its eyes. “Well, I mean, I do help Twilight out, but that’s as an assistant… hmm, is that type of servant or is a servant a kind of assistant? Oh, I’ll just ask Twilight when sh—”

“Okay, okay,” Ace sighed. He gave his head a shake. “You’re an assistant or whatever.”

“Sounds like somepony’s having some hunger anger,” Spike said with a chuckle. He then turned and opened up the fridge and peered inside, grabbing a variety of various foods. “Happens to me all the time. Actually came down here since I wanted a midnight snack. You got any preferences?”

“Whatever looks good, meat if they have that.”

“Huh.” Spike paused his search and looked back at Ace. “Twilight and Princess Celestia said they had some guests that were a little odd staying at the Castle, but didn’t expect that… then again there was that stretchy meat eating pony monster a few days ago.”

Ace cracked a small grin. “That was probably my little brother, being reckless as always.”

Spike’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Twilight didn’t explain that. So wait, does that mean you’re a super cool pirate too?”

Ace’s grin widened. “You bet. I’m part of the best crew on the Grand Line.”

“Oh cool!” Spike pulled out of the fridge with a plate stacked high with various vegetables and cheeses. “You gotta tell me about it! Twilight’s been too busy with something involving Princess Celestia to really explain everything and everypony else is off somewhere else with Princess Luna apparently. Honestly, been a little boring around, especially since Twilight’s wanted to keep me in our room most of the day.”

Spike tilted his head so that he could look past the food up at Ace. “This gonna be enough for you?”

“Eh, it’s a start.” Ace shrugged.

“Geez, sounds like you can eat on Pinkie’s level,” said Spike. “Where are you gonna eat this anyway?”

“Well, probably can’t take it back to my room without waking up Jinbei, and I’m not in the mood to deal with him again.” Ace glanced over at the series of doors that line one of the walls. “What do you recommend?”

“The guest room has plenty of space. Plus, Twilight will probably be with Princess Celestia all night again, so she won’t mind.” A sly grin appeared on Spike’s face. “But there’s one condition?”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

“At least two stories!” Spike said with a smile.

~~~

“... and that’s how Pops managed to avoid an avoid an all out war with another Emperor,” Ace concluded.

Spike’s head was propped up on his arms and there were bags under his eyes, but his attention had stayed on Ace throughout the entire story and the one previous to that, barring a short break to get some more food. By now, the moon was far to the west, with only a few hours left until dawn. Despite this, Ace was wide awake and with a smile on his face.

“I didn’t think pirates could have so many crazy powers,” Spike yawned, the late hours hitting him now that the stories were over. “I mean, your phoenix friend I can kinda understand since Princess Celestia has a pet phoenix, but a lot of your crew sounds like something out of comic book.”

“This coming from a dragon that lives in a land of magical horses,” Ace said with a laugh.

“Not as crazy as a pony that can turn into fire.” Spike’s eyes narrowed a little. “I still don’t fully buy that. Even Twilight can only turn her mane into fire for a few seconds and that takes a lot out of her. Nopony can make their whole body fire though.”

Ace raised up his hindleg, showing off the anklet. “If this stupid thing weren’t on here, I’d show you.”

Spike stared at the restraint. “Can’t help you on that. Even if I could breath fire hot enough to melt an anti-magic bolt, it’d be way too hot to get near a pony… or anything flammable really.”

“Oh well,” Ace sighed and leaned back. “I’ll figure a way out of it and get back to my ship eventually.”

“You really wanna see you dad again, don’t you?” Spike asked, his tone softening a little. “Guess Luffy wants to get back as soon as he’s better too, right?”

“Yeah, but he’s got his own ship and crew to get back too.”

Spike tilted his head. “Wait, your dad doesn’t mind him having his own crew and wanting to try and be the Pirate King?”

Ace laughed loudly and waved a hoof back and forth. “Ah, I should’ve explained. Luffy and I aren’t related by blood, but we grew up together. Plus, Luffy’s a good brother with a great crew to keep him in check, but Pops has spent years working to become the King. Luffy won’t be able to close that gap for a while.”

“Okay. I think I get it.” Spike nodded a few times. “It’s kinda like what I have with Twilight. Know it may sound kinda weird, but I’m definitely glad to have her as family, even if I never met my real parents. All the dragons I’ve met so far weren’t that nice.”

Ace tensed up a little. “Yeah, people said a whole lot of things about Pops too. That he was a monster, that his crew were demons just for being his sons.”

“Um…” Spike blinked and felt an urge to scootch back a bit. “That sounds a little rough. I mean yeah, you’re pirates, but that’d kinda be like saying I was bad even as an egg.”

“Yeah, yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Ace said in a somber tone. He lurched upward and started moving over to the door. “Well it’s late and we’d best get some sleep.”

Spike opened his mouth in a wide yawn and covered it with a claw. “I think that’s a good plan. Oh! One last thing.”

“Yes?” Ace asked as he pulled open the door.

“Can you tell me some more stories tomorrow?” A tiny glimmer pushed through the haze of sleepiness in Spike’s eyes. “Like when your dad fought the old Pirate King? I mean, I know that was before you were born, but you heard stories, right?”

“Yeah, I did,” Ace said while facing the door. “I’ll tell you some more stories tomorrow, Spike, just not about Roger.”

“Um, okay, goo—”

Before Spike could finish, Ace left the room and shut the door behind himself. Spike stared at the door for a moment, scratched his head, and then shrugged. Picking himself up off the ground, he slouched over to his bedroom. Curling up under his covers, he blew out the lone candle that illuminated the bedroom. As he drifted off to sleep, he envisioned a clash between Whitebeard and Gold Roger with a young Ace watching at the sidelines.

Yet, in the back of Spike’s mind, aside from Ace being there when he shouldn’t have been born, something felt off about the picture. The thought didn’t last long though and was lost amongst his dreams.

Running Errands in Canterlot? A Chance to Escape?

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Ace’s stomach grumbled and he stirred from his sleep. A nudge at his side forced open his eyes. Ace stared up at Jinbei and snorted at him.

“What?”

“Your dragon friend wanted to see if you were awake yet and wanted to get breakfast.” Jinbei let out a sigh. “I know how your sleep cycle can be, so I sent him off, but it seems you’ll be awake for breakfast after all.”

“Well, if they’re giving food might as well take it.” Ace slipped off the bed and stretched out. He winced from the previous night’s fall, but managed to stay balanced. He saw Jinbei had stepped closer and met the action with a harsh frown.

Outside of Ace’s room, sunlight mixed with the stained glass windows lit up the halls in vibrant shades. Like the previous night, there were guards here and there, but they remained rooted at their posts rather than approach Ace and Jinbei. The two walked in silence for a bit with Ace occasionally glaring at Jinbei.

“I’ve been checking on Luffy,” Jinbei finally said. Ace tensed up and his eyes widened. “His injuries are recovering, but it’ll still take a bit for him to wake up.”

“That’s good to hear… I guess,” Ace grumbled as he lowered his head. “He should’ve just stayed with his crew.”

Jinbei turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “That’s right, we’ve been quarrelling so much I haven’t had time to explain the entirety of the situation…” Jinbei scratch his head with a hoof. “Though I suppose I don’t know everything either. Oh well, I’ll tell you what I know at least…”

~~~

“... and that’s how he got to Impel Down?” Ace asked while Jinbei pushed open one of the large double doors that led to the dining hall.

“Yes,” Jinbei grunted. “That brother of yours is truly a grand fool, but a determined one.”

“But what about the guards? Or Magellan? I know Luffy isn’t strong enough t—”

“Hey Ace!” Spike called out from a table near the right side of the hall.

Jinbei smiled and waved. “Good morning, young dragon.” He then turned back to Ace. “We can talk more after breakfast.”

Ace and Jinbei walked over to the table and took their seats. Ace grinned slightly seeing another pony at the table as well.

Shining Armor sat opposite of Spike with a large stack of pancakes in front of him that he was busy chowing down on. Spike was doing the same, although his stack had various gems poking out through the piping hot cakes.

Almost as soon as Ace and Jinbei sat down, a server appeared by the table and asked, “Sirs? What would you care for?”

“The pancakes, please,” said Jinbei. “And a side of seaweed soup if you have it.”

A sweatdrop appeared on the server’s face. “That’s normally reserved for lunch but I can check.”

“As many pancakes and fruit as you can fit on a plate,” said Ace. “Some bacon too.”

“Eh….” The server’s eyes skewed upward. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that dish, sir. I’m sure we have the ingredients for it though if you could just tell us the recipe.”

“Huh?” Ace raised an eyebrow. “Ingredients? It’s bacon. What? Do you not have pi—”

Shining Armor leaned over and jabbed an apple into Ace’s mouth. With a nervous chuckle, he turned to the server. “Uh, sorry about that, you know how foreigners can be. Don’t worry about the bacon stuff and just bring everything else, okay?”

“Of course, Captain Armor.” The server gave a small bow and then zipped off through a nearby door.

As soon as the server was gone, Ace spat out the apple and gasped for air. He glared up at Shining when he was recovered. “The hell’s wrong with you?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Shining said. “Guess nopony gave you the whole explanation about meat here.” He glanced over at Jinbei. “Mr. Jinbei, you might want to get ready to catch him if his reaction is anything like his brother’s… at least that’s what Twily told me.”

“Wait what?” Ace swung his head back between Shining and Jinbei. “What’s he talking about? What’s this got to do with Luffy?”

Jinbei scratched his chin. “Well, you see, Ace…”

~~~

“Ah, that was good.” Ace leaned back in in chair and patted his stuffed stomach.

Shining glanced at the stack of plates in front of Ace and then at Ace himself. “You seem to have taken that whole lack of eating other animals better than your brother.”

“Oh, no, that still sucks,” Ace said with a few shakes of his right hoof. “But no meat is a small price to pay while I recover.”

The main doors to the dining hall opened wide and Celestia stepped inside. As she drew near the table everyone was at, the slight bags under her eyes became noticeable. Yet, she still wore a smile on her face, even with the glare Ace gave her.

“Your recovery does appear to be going well,” Celestia said. “I do have a good indicator of it.”

A tiny scrap of paper floated upward so that it hovered between Ace and Celestia. Smoke swirled around one corner of it that was charred to ashes. A closer look over a few seconds revealed that the smoke was condensing bit by bit, restoring the burnt part of the paper. Ace’s eyes widened for a moment staring at it before sharpening again.

“That’s Luffy’s,” he snarled.

“And I intend to give it back to him as soon as he awakens,” Celestia replied. The paper then floated a little closer to Ace. “You may hold onto it too, if you wish. It was yours to begin with, after all.”

Ace swiped the piece of paper out of the air and shoved it behind his right ear. A hush fell upon the dining hall. Shining, Spike, and Jinbei all traded looks for a moment before Jinbei clasped Ace on the back.

“Well isn’t it good that you’re beginning to feel better!” Jinbei exclaimed before letting out a hearty laugh. “You know, that’s actually my first time seeing a vivre card restore itself. Isn’t that lucky?”

Ace glared up at Jinbei, but froze when he realized that Jinbei’s hold had shifted and tightened so that it was around his neck. With a sigh, he relaxed and sunk into his chair. “I suppose anything is better than Impel Down.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” said Celestia. She then turned her head towards Spike. “Anyway, aside from dropping that off for Fire Fist, I have a request for you, Spike.” A scroll materialized at Celestia’s side and then flew over to Spike and unfurled itself in front of his face. “There are a few items I’m in need of to help Twilight with her lessons.”

Spike scanned over the document, pausing here and there to reread a line or go over it with a claw. After reading through it a few times, he stared up at Celestia. “Um, are you sure you want me to get all this? I mean, alone it’s not all that heavy, but I’d need a cart or something, especially since this stuff is scattered all around Canterlot.”

“I understand completely, Spike.” Celestia’s eyes went over the whole group. “That’s why I’d like everypony here to help if they can. Your injuries are all healing well and it will be good to get some fresh air outside the castle.”

“Hmm…” Shining peared over Spike’s shoulder at the list. He read over it twice and then looked up to Celestia. “I suppose with a cart this wouldn’t be too much, might take us a bit to haul it all back to the castle in our current states though.”

“Oh, take all the time you need,” said Celestia. “I won’t be using them until tomorrow so I’m sure three stallions and one loyal dragon can manage it in that time.”

Ace raised an eyebrow. “Three?”

Everyone else in the room room turned their heads toward Ace. Ace’s eyes widened before he burst out laughing.

“Ahhaha—ow…” Ace gasped and clutched his left side. With his breathing a little more labored now, he said, “Heh, what? I need to do community service alongside imprisonment?”

“Well, the others could manage if you’re that unwilling to help them,” Celestia sighed. “I’d still like for you to accompany everyone else though. Getting some fresh air daily will speed up your recovery.”

“And what if I just feel like staying right here?” Ace crossed her forelegs and sunk into his chair.

Jinbei glared at him and snorted.

~~~

Ace tepidly rubbed the large lump on the side of his head while his slunked alongside Jinbei out into the castle’s courtyard. Spike stared up at him as they walked past the cultivated shrubbery that filled the courtyard. Shining Armor kept silent and focused his eyes forward while helping Jinbei pull the cart they were both hitched to. When they made a left turn though, Spike broke the silence.

“Wouldn’t it be faster to go through the main entrance?”

“With the way things have been recently, there’s been a near-constant crowd out there,” said Shining. “Most of the reports for the Guard have just been dealing with keeping all the ponies out there calm. Anypony coming out that way is bound to get noticed, let alone two unfamiliar ponies escorted by an injured Captain of the Guard and Twilight Sparkle’s Assistant.”

“Got me there.” Spike scratched at the spines atop his head. “What about the Statue Garden then? It’s definitely faster than going by the waterfall.”

“After the incident with Discord, Celestia isn’t taking any chances, at least not until things calm down a bit.”

“Okay.” Spike shuddered. “Maybe a few extra minutes is worth it to not unleash Discord.”

Ace listened to Shining and Spike prattle on about which way the group would be leaving. His eyes had been on the ground until he had seen Spike shudder. He then turned his head toward Jinbei.

“So what’s this they’re babbling about?”

“Some ancient foe sealed away, I believe,” Jinbei explained. “He’d even attempted to break free and enter the war.”

“Maybe he could have helped out,” Ace snorted.

Spike jumped up to Ace’s face and waved his claws and shook his head back and forth. “No, no, no. You do not want Discord anywhere near you, your friends, or really anything at all related to you. He’s the worst possible thing you could find in Equestria.”

“Right… and the second worse thing in Equestria?”

“Probably an angry dragon,” Spike said. He saw Ace about to break out laughing and blushed. “An adult dragon! An adult dragon!”

~~~

The Canterlot Streets brimmed with ponies. Many were just making their daily commutes and others were fixed to a single spot from which they sold their wares. The group’s cart was just one of dozens pushing through the crowds. Although, more than a few heads turned at the sight of Shining Armor or Jinbei.

Spike now sat atop the cart. Gazing over the crowd, he pointed a claw towards a nearby intersection. “So just take a right up here.”

“I think we’re good on finding the armory surplus store, Spike,” Shining chuckled.

“Taking a prisoner to the place with all the weapons seems smart,” Ace quipped.

Jinbei gave him a glare. “You’d probably just wind up hurting yourself. Besides, Ace, this is a good chance for you to meet some of the locals. Think of all the food they’ve got to try too.”

“I’ll think about food later.”

“Probably for the best,” said Shining. “Let’s focus on getting at least the first half of the list done before dealing with food again.”

The group soon came upon a large warehouse style building. Stained glass insignias lined the walls. At the front of the building stood a massive steel door flanked by two guards. Spotting Shining Armor, they drew a salute and lit up the horns.

“Good morning, sir,” the said in unison over the groan of the door cracking open enough to allow the group in.

Sunlight provided an ample amount of illumination for the insides of the storehouse. The left side of the warehouse broke up into aisles of bulk rations, medical supplies, and other items the royal guard made a bit too much of. On the right was cage that partially obscured the contents within. Enough light got through to glint off of something metallic though.

“Hmm, now the training dummies should be…” Shining muttered to himself as the group drew near to a gap in the cage that sealed off half of the store.

A lone pony sat in the gap with a few cards spread out in front of him on a wooden counter. With his muzzle pointing at the cards, his hat obscured his face.

“Morning,” said Shining. “I’m picking some dummies today for training purposes up at the castle.”

“I think you’ve already got enough of those.”

The pony raised his head revealing his white coat and mime-like complexion. Ace suddenly flew forward and jumped through the gap. He grasped the pony and throttled him to the ground.

“Where is he?” Ace roared.

“Guh,” Laffitte choked. “Even with that sea prism stone, you’re still quite a monster.”

“Ace!” Jinbei rushed forward, smashing through the counter. “What the hell are you doing?”

Ace pressed his hooves down a little harder around Laffitte’s neck. “He’s with Blackbea—”

A bulky leg slammed into Ace’s neck and chest. The force of the lariat lifted him off the ground before its user slammed Ace onto the ground.

Laffitte struggled to his hooves, giving a few coughs as he rubbed his neck. “Thanks, Burgess.”

“Wihahaha! No problem!” Burgess bellowed. He then lowered his masked face towards Ace he he struggled underneath him. “Well, Ace, you’re looking a whole lot better. Glad to see the war didn’t take the wind out of you!”

He leared back at Jinbei. “You too, Jinbei. It’s been a while since I got a good fight out of a Fishman.”

Jinbei unhitched himself and took a few steps forward. His tail whipped against the ground cracking the floor. “I don’t know how you got here, but I will not allow you to drag this land into whatever scheme you’ve concocted.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” said Shining. “I get the feeling breaking into a supply store is the least of your crimes.”

Shining then glanced back at Spike, who was still perched atop the cart, his head darting back and forth. Shining’s flat tone got him focused.

“Spike, I need you to get back to the castle as fast as you can. Send a letter to everypony if you can as well.”

“But what abou—”

“Go!” Shining shouted as his horn grew bright. “We can handle these guys.”

“Oh, can you?”

A hoof streaming with a black misty aura reached out and touched Shining’s horn. The magic around it flicked and then was snuffed out by the shadowy substance. Shining paled and shuddered before quickly jumping back. He was still shaking even as the color returned to his face and he tightened his jaw.

“Zehahaha.” Blackbeard grinned at Shining’s display, showing off his crooked teeth. “I’m just here for Ace, but if you wanna try me, I do need a little practice.”

The Most Dangerous Situation! Get to the Elements!

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“Are you sure it was okay to send Ace out into the city?” Twilight asked.

Celestia kept her eyes forward as the two of them walked down the hallway. “It’s important that Fire Fist learn about Equestrian culture and get used to things here.”

“What if he doesn’t take it well and gets into a fight or something?”

“Trust me, Twilight, I’ve taken the proper precautions to make sure that Fire Fist won’t harm himself or others. It may take a bit of time, but I’m sure he’ll eventually get used to things here.”

Twilight turned her head toward Celestia, lowered it to the ground, and then raised it again. Her walk slowed and her lips quivered a little.

“I… I’m not sure about that,” she said in a low voice.

Celestia came to a stop. “What?”

“I-I mean that of course anypony could culturally assimilate, especially given Equestria’s longstanding history of stable trade and diplomacy with other races like gryphons, zebras, mules, an—” Twilight slapped herself on the face and took a few deep breaths. “I’m saying that I don’t think Ace will be happy until he sees his crew again.”

Celestia hefted her shoulders and sighed. “Twilight, the risk is just too great. You don’t know the kind of fervor and cruelty the World Government has for anything related to the Pirate King. If Fire Fist were to return to his crew, the Government would inevitably find him again and destroy them. That’s not even mentioning the possibility of them realizing Fire Fist’s connection to Equestria. I dare not think about what would happen in that situation.”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but Celestia continued.

“I know that keeping Fire Fist here is against his wishes, but I will do everything in my power to make life here tolerable if not enjoyable. Nopony here will condemn him simply for the blood in his veins. I admit he seems a bit rougher than what most ponies are used to, but they’ll accept him. If he wants adventure, there are countless lands to explore. If he wants treasure, there are quite a few trinkets scattered about. If he wants friends, he can find them if he so desires. Perhaps you could even help him do so.”

“And what if he still wants his crew?”

The two of them stared at each other in silence. Twilight stepped closer to Celestia, her neck tense as she kept her eye contact stable.

“Princess, I learn more and more about friendship every day.” Twilight came to a stop inches from Celestia. “Distance, time, and even magic can’t destroy it. I’m not ignorant of the danger Ace currently faces, but it can’t last forever.”

Twilight bowed her head. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but please just think about it.”

“Oh, Twilight.” Celestia reached out and raised Twilight’s head. A warm smile had spread across her face. “Perhaps I’ve just been a little on edge given recent events. I’ll continue to monitor the Government’s actions through my Warlord duties and, should their enmity of Roger finally cool to a reasonable level, then I shall set about plans to see Fire Fist returned to his crew.”

Twilight’s face brightened and she wrapped her hooves around Celestia. “Thank you, Princess! I’m sure Ace will be so happy to hear this!”

“Now just a minute.” Celestia pushed Twilight away with a wing. “I don’t want to give him any false hope. It may still take years for things to reach a point where Fire Fist can go back to his crew. Until then, I’d like for him t—”

A nearby wall exploded, sending debris flying everywhere as a massive ball of black magic slammed into Celestia and sent her flying across the room.

“Princess!” Twilight screamed.

A rumble forced her attention back to where the attack had originated from. Her blood froze at the sight of a horned behemoth advancing through the rubble. He stood taller than most buildings on his four jet black hooves that cracked the ground beneath them. His clawed arms still radiated with magic from his attack, but their sculpted muscle alone looked like it could crush stone in an instant.

At his side was a creature about half his height, but just as imposing. Its forked tongue whipped through the air while its spiked tail rapped against the ground. Its red eyes locked onto Twilight and it snarled, its glistening tusks aimed right for her heart. With incredible speed, it darted across the ground and instantly closed the gap between itself and Twilight.

Before it could strike a blow though, it was yanked back by the chain held in its master’s left hand. It growled, but a glare from its master silenced it. He then turned his pitch eyes on Twilight, his pupils smoldering like coals. The deep laughter he let out at the sight of her shook the room and chilled Twilight to the bone.

“T-tirek,” she stuttered.

“Oh, so ponies do still know me. Well, at least the Princesses’ newest pet does,” he said with a sneer. “Seems my own pet wants to have some fun with you. Ah, this is a problem. I wanted you to be one of the final things I’d cut out of Celestia’s life!”

A concentrated blast of solar energy then smashed into Tirek’s side, sending him to his knees. Gritting his teeth, he glared up at Celestia, now in full armor and horn glowing bright.

“I won’t let that happen,” she said, her voice shaking the room just as Tirek’s had done. She then turned her head to Twilight. “Twilight, retrieve the Elements and then get to Luna’s room. Your friends will be there.”

“Why would they be th—”

“Go!” Celestia shouted.

Twilight nodded and galloped off. Tirek glared at her for a moment then down at his beast. The chain around it loosened before Tirek snapped his fingers and the chain vanished in a puff of smoke. The beast gave a contented growl before it bounded after Twilight.

Alone with Celestia now, Tirek let out another laugh. “You think the Elements in the hooves of that foal will be enough to stop me? Even if they were, they’re useless against devil fruits.”

“I take it that Blackbeard is here as well then,” Celestia calmly said as she kept her horn trained on Tirek. “I’ll be sure to deal with him and seal up whatever hole you used to get here as soon as Twilight and I have finished dealing with you.”

“Ah, Celestia, you haven’t lost a shred of your humor in the past millennium.” The manic grin on Tirek’s face grew wider. “Blackbeard and I will reduce everypony on this island to ash and then sink it into the sea. I’ll keep you imprisoned so you can watch me do the same thing to the next island and the one after that. Maybe after I kill Blackbeard right as he’s about to get whatever treasure or crown he wants, I’ll let you have your rest. Oh and speaking of dear daddy Dis, don’t worry about holding back because of him, I took the time to make sure he just sits back and watches as Equestria burns.”

“I think I’ve heard enough.” Celestia’s horn grew brighter. “You were never one for words anyway, Tirek.”

~~~

Magic arked through the air of the supply depo. Shelves exploded and their contents went flying everywhere. Shining Armor and Blackbeard paced around each other, Shining dodging the smoky tendrils that pooled around Blackbeard’s horn and hooves and Blackbeard avoiding both magic and kicks from Shining.

Nearby, Jinbei ran up to Jesus and spun around to deliver a kick straight to his stomach. Jesus flew backwards and slammed into a some nearby crates.

Free, Ace struggled upwards. Jinbei attempted to help Ace stay balanced, but Ace went into a full gallop and straight for Blackbeard.

“Die!” he screamed as he pulled his right foreleg back and aimed it for Blackbeard’s head.

Blackbeard sneared and smacked Ace’s attack away before bucking him in the stomach. Ace careened across the room and slammed into some shelves. At the same time, Blackbeard summoned a black abyss below him and sent out a barrage of debris at Shining.

Jinbei went into a gallop to help, but didn’t get more than a foot before a hoof connected with his face. It wasn’t enough to launch him off the ground, but it did stagger him for a moment. Jesus wiped off a bit of blood that dribbled from his mouth and grinned.

“Jinbei, that is one hell of a kick you pack.”

Nearby, Spike darted left only for Laffitte to shove his grinning face up to Spike’s. Spike jumped back and spun the other direction. This time, a wing blocked his way and pushed him back.

“This certainly is more fun than dealing with Tirek’s little pet,” Laffitte chuckled. “I think you’d make a nice addition to our ship.”

“S-stay away!” Spike flared out his nostrils and puffed up his breath. “You really don’t wanna see a ticked off dragon!”

“Adora—”

A jet of green flame shot out from Spike’s mouth and heated up the air where Laffitte’s head had been. A swift kick smacked Spike in the back and sent him to the floor. Laffitte pressed his hoof down, forcing a yelp out of Spike.

“Now, why don’t you be a good boy and keep playing games here?” said Laffitte. “Even if you could reach someone for help, it won’t matter. Tirek’s already at the castle.”

The echo of a large explosion resonated through the depo. All the fights paused for a brief moment before Blackbeard let out a deep bellow.

“Zehahaha! Sounds like our newest addition got started on his side of things!”

Ace grunted and pushed the debris off of himself. Shining did the same and both of them glared at Blackbeard. He met them with a grin.

“Ah, I know he’s causing a few problems. To be honest, I don’t think he fits too well on the crew. I’m thinking I might leave him here to do as he pleases.” He widened his grin at Ace. “So that means there’s a fresh spot open for you.”

“Heh, guess I must have hit you hard enough to finally destroy the last bit of sense in your head,” said Ace. “After all you’ve done, I’d rather be stuck here for the rest of my life!”

Ace charged forward and began trading blows with Blackbeard. Blackbeard just swatted them away.

“Okay, Ace, I get why you’re mad at me,” Blackbeard said while continuing to block the attacks. “You did force my hand with that attack back on Banaro Island though. Honestly, I probably would have left you and your brother alone if you’d asked nicely and left it at that. There were plenty of other ways I could’ve become a Warlord. So really, everything after that point is your fa—”

A blast to the back forced Blackbeard to his knees. He glared backwards at Shining before a hoof struck him in the face.

“This isn’t about what I’ve done, Teech,” said Ace. “You killed your own brother. You have no value for friends or family. That’s why I’ll never join you and that’s why I’m going to stop you right here and now!”

“Pops would be so proud,” Blackbeard spat. “Black Vortex!”

Darkness bubbled out of horn and concentrated into a small sphere. The walls and roof groaned while the scattered debris flew off the ground and towards the sphere. Shining charged up his horn to use a spell, but his footing gave way and he was propelled toward the sphere.

Instead of fighting the pull of the vortex, Ace jumped at it. His momentum built up, but just as he got within striking distance, Blackbeard lowered the vortex, pulling Ace and Shining down. They collided with each other and collapsed into a heap.

“You know, Ace, it really does pain me fighting you,” Blackbeard sighed. “I had no choice with Thatch, but I’d rather not waste talent like yours. Think of it Ace, with the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit and the blood of the Roger, you’re destined to be immortalized on my crew!”

“I think he’s made his feeling quite clear on this,” Shining coughed as he pushed off the ground.

Blackbeard delivered a swift kick to Shining’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Shining went to the floor again. This time, he didn’t move to get up.

“Brats shouldn’t stick their noses in other people’s business.” Blackbeard looked down at Ace again as he got to his hooves. “You know, Ace, I’d actually like to get the whole crew back together again as well. We’ll be an even greater crew now that Po—”

“You shut your mouth!” Ace flailed out a hoof that Blackbeard easily blocked.

“Ace, Ace…” Blackbeard shook his head. “You don’t seem to get that I’m looking out for your best interests. Most of my crew just wants the Flame-Flame Fruit, but what good is a Devil Fruit in the hands of a man without dreams or determination? Men like that are rare and are born for greatness. Don’t make me destroy such a man because of some ridiculous pride or whatever.”

“A man without pride, friends, or family could never be great!” Ace saw something glint nearby and jumped back. “That’s why you’ll always be scum, Teach!”

A massive blast of magic punched into Blackbeard’s stomach. He roared in pain as the attack launched him off his hooves and across the room. Lafitte looked up just as Blackbeard bowled into him, knocking him off of Spike. The duo crashed to the ground with Lafitte pinned underneath Blackbeard.

“This is happening a bit too much today, captain,” Lafitte coughed.

“Shut up!”

Blackbeard flopped onto his stomach and gasped for air. Trails of smoke curled up from where he’d been hit. Across the room, Shining shook off some dust that had covered him in the previous attacks.

“That was a strong kick,” he said, “but the Royal Guard is used to that sort of thing.”

“Nice one, Shining!” Spike exclaimed as he rushed over and placed himself behind Shining. “Mind doing that to the rest of these guys?”

“I intend to.” Shining charged up his horn while Blackbeard lumbered upwards. His gaze then shifted to Ace. “Spike, you need to get Ace out of here now though.”

“I think you might need a little backup.”

“Not from him.” Shining stared at Ace’s gritted teeth, but also took note of the way his legs were shaking. “He’s still recovering and whatever history he has with these guys is clouding his fighting.”

“B-but…”

“Spike, I can’t fight at full strength if it means protecting both you and Ace. So I need you to get him someplace safe.”

“Zehahaha,” Blackbeard rasped. He stumbled a bit, the last attack’s aftershocks still offsetting his balance. “There’s no place safe from me. I’ll go where I want and take what is mine. The World Government couldn’t stop me, so what makes you think a bunch of stupid horses can?”

“Because unlike you and the World Government, they actually care about their citizens, regardless of history or bloodlines,” Ace said as he stepped forward. “Ponies don’t see each other as pawns or trash, Teech. Any one of them would make a better king than you.”

It was silent for a moment as Blackbeard lowered and shook his head. He then laughed. It started softly and but quickly grew to a howl that echoed across the depo. Spike shivered and cowered behind Shining’s leg. Everypony else felt their hair stand up a little. Despite laughing like a madman, there was a cold dead look in Blackbeard’s eyes and his body shook as he tightened his muscles.

“Zehahaha! So you think they’d make a better king than me, do you?!” He bent his left foreleg across his chest and twisted to the side. He saw Ace’s pupil’s shrink from the stance and widened his grin. “Well, let’s see how well they deal with a power that can truly conquer the seas!”

A clear bubble of aura materialized around Blackbeard’s left hoof. Unlike his darkness, it didn’t appear hazy, but rather glowed more akin to a regular spell. In a flash, he whipped his leg out and braced for it to strike the air to his side.

In the middle of his swipe though, his leg was met by a piece of cold metal. Glaring down, he saw that Ace had rushed over and blocked the attack with the bracelet around his leg. Blackbeard sneered and jumped back.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking taking up that stance,” said Ace. “But you’re not the only one canceling out powers today, Teech!”

~~~

Twilight careened around a corner. She felt a bit of shattered stone fall on her when the beast clawed around the same corner. She dared not look back when hot rancid breath brushed against her hindlegs. Her pounding heart froze for a moment when something snached up her tail, but he continued running. The was a brief tug on her rear before she pulled free. Shredded and uneven threads of hair now brushed against her flanks.

The grand doors leading to the Elements finally appeared as Twilight rounded another corner. Closing her eyes, she made a mad dash for them and lit up her horn. Purple aura filled the space between the doors and covered their hinges as they slowly pulled opened. Twilight felt the air bend toward her right and ducked. Claws ripped through the space where her body had been.

For the first time since she’d gone into a gallop, Twilight beheld the beast. Its crimson eyes were still locked on where she’d been. Twilight’s horn glowed brighter. She tensed up when the beast lowered its gaze toward the glow. With the same massive leg it had used to swipe at Twilight, it brought down its claws.

A split second swerve to the left saved Twilight’s head and a chunk of her upper body from becoming pulp. The beast’s claws tore through the carpet and dug deep into the stone floor below. As it struggled to free itself, Twilight aimed her horn straight at its gaping maw and struck it point blank with a spell.

Twilight bolted upright and raced toward the door not bothering to see what state the beast was in. The tremor from it bounding across the hall as she reached the doors told her enough. Twilight crouched down and jumped through the gap in the doors before she summoned as much of her magic as possible and slammed the doors shut.

The combined actions distracted her from the rapidly approaching floor. Her left side slammed into the ground, forcing a pained gasp out of her. Adrenaline still filled her veins and she quickly scrambled to her hooves. The vault which held the Elements was right in front of her.

“Okay,” Twilight huffed, “just need to unlock the seal and get the Elements. Then I can teleport to Lu—”

The beast burst through the doors, sending wood and bent mental everywhere. One of its tusks was blown clean off and its left eye was swollen shut, but it still plowed forward. Twilight froze at the sight of it careening through the air straight towards her. Her horn flashed and a barrier flew up in front of her.

The beast smashed through it like wet cardboard. The magical backlash whipped Twilight backwards. Jaws chomped down on where Twilight’s face had had been a second earlier. The backlash wasn’t enough to push Twilight away from the beast’s claws though.

It slammed into her and pinned her to the ground. The room swam around Twilight before she blacked out for a second. Jagged claws digging into her sides brought her back to consciousness. Her head exploded and her body spasmed when she tried to charge up her horn. The beast had gained two afterimages and the floor felt like it was rotating under her.

The beast spewed its decayed breath on her. Combined with the backlash, Twilight was on the verge of losing her breakfast. As the beast glared down at her, its mouth seemed to pull back into a crooked grin. Twilight squirmed under the beast’s grasp but couldn’t move an inch.

“No, no, no!” she whimpered as its grin opened up into a black abyss.

The beast plunged its head down and Twilight closed her eyes. The weight suddenly lifted off her. Trembling like a leaf, she managed to open one eye after a moment. The only thing above her now was the ceiling. She glanced to the left and saw that the beast had been launched across the room and was struggling to get back up. A deep imprint of a hoof pressed into the scales on its right side.

“Don’t just sit on the ground, dear.”

An azure aura washed over Twilight and lifted her upright and set her back on her hooves. Her legs were wobbly though, so she nearly crashed back to the ground, but a jet black hoof reached out and kept her balanced. It felt like an iron bar was holding her up.

Twilight stared down at the hoof and traced it upwards. At its knee, it returned to a familiar marshmallow hue.

Rarity flashed Twilight a smile. “Like the new look?”

The Power to Destroy an Island! Equestria in Danger!

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Light exploded out of the windows of the castle. The entire structure shook before a chunk of the wall was taken out by a blast of magic. Inside, Celestia and Tirek launched volley after volley of spells at each other. Tirek swerved, crouched, and lurched to avoid the attacks, swatting the blasts he couldn’t avoid with his massive hands. Smoke trailed off his left hand and both of his palms were now slightly reddened.

Sweat trickled down Celestia’s face. She swooped through the air at blinding speeds while Tirek’s attacks flew at her. A blast rammed into her from her blind spot. Black flames raced over the shimmering golden sphere that encased Celestia. She returned to darting through the air and unleashed a concentrated beam at Tirek.

Tirek smacked it away, deflecting it into a nearby wall. A white hot hole dripping with molten stone replaced a small portion of the wall. In the same moment he blocked the blow, Tirek unleashed his own attack. It raced forward and blasted through Celestia’s shield, striking her in the knee.

Celestia bit back a scream and resumed serpentining through the air. Tirek shot spell after spell at her, more of them now crashing against her shield rather than missing her completely. Large holes now covered the hall they were fighting in with stones dangling and coming loose here and there. Celestia glanced at the damage for a split second and spied the rest of Canterlot off in the distance. A lack of fire or other signs of destruction put her attention back on the stones that remained in the walls.

The loosened stones gained a golden glow and turned red hot before they rocketed through the air and slammed into Tirek’s back and sides. He grunted as he swayed to the side, but righted himself before he went into a full tumble. The entire room shook when he let out a roar and clawed at the air.

A black gash appeared where his claws struck. He plunged his arm in and pulled out a large burlap sack. He stuck one hand into the sack and sneered up at Celestia.

“Guess you’re not too rusty after all. I was hoping to tenderize you a little more before I brought these ou—”

A concentrated beam of solar energy slammed into the bag, sending up a plume of smoke and flames.

“If you’re going to attack, don’t waste time indulging in your sadistic fantasies.”

“True,” Tirek’s voice rang through the smoke. “But I can’t help wanting to have fun with this!”

A massive length of chains flew out the smoke. It whipped toward Celestia but she concentrated her shield around where it would impact. Its speed would’ve been hard for a civilian to track, but to trained eyes, it might as well have been flat on the ground. In the split second it took to see the attack coming, Celestia had already charged up another shot and readied to fire it.

The chains collided with her shield just as she launched her own spell. The air distorted and Celestia sucked in her breath before the chains sliced through her shield and rammed into her side. Her shot went wild and flew off harmlessly into the sky while she spiralled to the ground.

Celestia coughed and struggled to get to the her hooves. The area where the chains had struck her were marked with deep indents and were already turn a nauseous purple hue. Tirek slowly strode over to her, chains rattling in his hand.

“Not quite as satisfactory as hitting you with my own magic or fists but they really do know their anti-magic metallurgy in Tartarus.” Tirek raised the chains in front of his face and pulled them tight. “Now, I’m thinking I give you a nice lash for each year I spent in that pit! Sound suitable?”

Celestia let out a pained groan as she tried to get up. Tirek bared his teeth at her in a jagged grin while he pulled back his arm.

“Ah, so glad you agree!”

His arm flew forward, but the chain went tight before it was even fully past his head. In an instant, a blue blur wrapped the remaining end of the chain around his throat and pulled it into a tight knot. Tirek’s hands raced to his neck and he collapsed to his knees.

While Tirek struggled, a cool glow washed over Celestia. The pain at her side receded and the wounds lightened in color slightly. The magic also helped her to her hooves. Fully upright again, she let out her breath and sighed.

“Luna… thank you.”

“I wish I could’ve gotten here sooner,” Luna replied. Shadow swirled around her, blackening her fur and summoning armor over parts of it. “I won’t be sitting this fight out anymore though.”

The heavy thud of chains drew their attention back to Tirek. Huffing, he glared at them like his eyes were about to erupt. Crimson lightning arced around him as he picked up the chains.

~~~

“Girls!” Twilight exclaimed as she pulled her friends into a hug.

“Uh, Twilight?” Applejack pushed back and easily separated the group. Extending a hoof, she pointed to Tirek’s beast, which was slowly picking itself off the floor. “Now ain’t the best time for greetings.”

“Sorry. Just a little emotional after everything that happened getting here.” Twilight blushed a little. “But I don’t understand, I thought you were training with Luna.”

“We were, silly!” Pinkie draped one leg across Twilight’s neck and noogied her with another one.

“But how?” asked Twilight.

“I got this!” Dash flashed Twilight and grin. “We’ll just take a break while the Elements do their stuff.” Dash sucked in her breath. “First off though, the reason we got here so quick is because we never left.”

It looked like Twilight’s face was about to slip off her head. “What?”

♦♦♦

Haki-infused hooves reverberated against armor. Luna bent her leg back and sent Pinkie flying. The hardened texture vanished from Pinkie’s hooves and reappeared on her back. Rather than skid across the dusty battleground, she instead bounced across it like a ball.

“A bit more serious, Pinkamina!” Luna barked before darting over to her and resuming the fight.

Nearby, misty visages of Luna faced off against the rest of the girls. A storm of bucks flew centimeters away from Applejack’s glassy eyes while blow after blow struck at the tangled mess that was Rarity’s mane and coat, only to hit haki-hardened splotches instead. Overhead, the clouds rapidly shifted in shape while lightning bolts flashed through the sky. Back on the ground, Fluttershy gasped for breath, limbs flailing while Luna locked her legs around her chest and neck.

“G-give,” Fluttershy choked. “I-I give.”

“Well the only thing I’m giving you today is unconsciousness and a nice pattern of bruises unless you get free,” said Luna.

“I…” Fluttershy’s left elbow turned black. “I said I give!”

Fluttershy jabbed Luna in the ribs and the misty clone dispersed. With a tiny yelp, Fluttershy fell to the ground, gasping for breath. A shadow loomed over her and she shuddered. Another misty Luna stared down at her with a smile on its lips.

“Your defense is getting faster. You’ve got five minutes to get some water and recover.”

“Y-yay,” Fluttershy wheezed.

♦♦♦

“Wonderbolts Training is less severe,” Dash said as she donned her Element.

Twilight winced when the entire room shook and the beast went barreling all the way back to the door. Rarity lowered a blackened hoof and joined the others near the chest containing the Elements.

“And that was after spending all those nights in that dreadful forest!” Rarity placed a hoof to her forehead. “Thank the stars nopony saw us then. I was barely able to live with being a mop, let alone having somepony know.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Wait, but you’ve only been gone a few days.”

“I was getting to that.” Dash then saw that the beast was back up and bounding toward them. “Hmmm, wonder how far I can get before we blast that thing.”

♦♦♦

Sweat dripped from all the girls’ muzzles. The sun radiated brilliantly above them, making their mouths dry and turning the battleground into a oven. Yet, Luna and her doppelgangers assailed all five of them with her not a drop of sweat showing on her main body despite her armor.

Luna suddenly stiffened, allowing Rarity to land a solid hit on her. Luna just stood in place. Before Rarity could pull her hoof back though and make sure Luna was okay, the ground beneath her surged and tilted. Dash and Fluttershy took to the air, while everyone else fell into the sand. Only Luna remained upright.

“Okay.” Applejack shook her head and spat out some sand. “Guess this is the next part of training then?”

Applejack’s eyes widened as they regained their color. With her jaw slackened in ecstatic awe, she raised a hoof up and watched as it slowly came into focus. “Ha! Well, whatever it is, I can definitely take it now that I got my sight back!”

Applejack’s celebration was cut short when she saw how pale Luna had become.

“I’m afraid our training has been cut short,” said Luna. “Something has happened back at the castle. Brace yourselves.”

“Now just a moment!” Rarity stuck a hoof with perfectly pampered fur out at Luna. “Applejack’s and my afflictions just suddenly clear up, we get hit by an earthquake, and now you tell us something’s wrong at the castle? Could we just get a little more information before we’re thrown into whatever is happening back in Canterlot.

“Yeah!” Pinkie popped up beside Luna. “As much as I like surprises, when it comes to dangerous stuff, I’d like to know the details, like when you set off a giant firework.”

“We don’t have time! Your bodies…” Luna shook her head and gritted her teeth before letting out a deep sigh. “I’ve been somewhat disingenuous with you and your training. While you certainly faced many adversities and were struck by various ailments, I was always there to guide your development.”

The entire battleground pulsated. Applejack and Rarity jumped back as the sand beneath them was swept away, revealing the infinite space of the cosmos. Rather than fall into infinity, the space directly below their hooves now faintly glowed and kept them standing. The sky above darkened and filled with constellations while the clouds morphed into swirling and nebulous galaxies. All five of the girls stared at the scene in awe before their attention was drawn to the bright glow of Luna’s horn. Small tendrils of light peeled off of it and connected to each of them.

“This is my most powerful spell. It grants me the ability to connect to ponies in their dreams and render assistance when needed,” Luna said, her voice now carrying an echo. “In Discord’s time, this was the only safe haven Celestia and I had the time to train and ready ourselves to combat him.”

“So we’ve been asleep this entire time?” Dash flew close and eyed Luna intensely. “Won’t that just mean our bodies will be groggy and weak?”

“Are you familiar with sleepwalking?” Another quake shook the dreamspace. “We have no more time. Suffice to say, while not all your training will transfer over to your real bodies due to the time dilation between waking and dream, haki is much more a matter of spirit than muscles. Now, let us make haste!”

♦♦♦

Celestia swerved to the right while Luna rolled to the left. The chains cleaved between them, stone splitting beneath where they fell. Tirek whipped them around, but Celestia and Luna serpentined through the air as their horns grew bright. Blasts of lightning and fire struck Tirek at his sides, but he just grunted and continued flailing his chains around.

Luna zoomed in on him from the left, her whole body crackling with electricity. Tirek glared at her as she got within arms’ reach and let his chains fall to the floor. A torrent of crimson energy surged out of his hand and sent Luna careening across the room. In flash, Tirek spun around and backhanded Celestia towards the other side of the room.

Picking herself up, Luna shook off some debris. “Tia really needs to pick her fights better.”

Across the room, Celestia said nothing and took to the air again. The two sisters then flew at Tirek at blinding speeds as he reached down to pick up his chains. A wicked grin appeared on his face as his fists grew bright with energy.

“Let’s see how yo—”

A thick beam of lilac magic rammed into his upper back. The glow around his hands vanished and he spun around to face the origin of the attack. His jaw hardened at the sight of Twilight and everypony, Elements already aglow.

“So now we’re all here.” Tirek raised an eyebrow, counting only five Elements adorning the ponies before him. “Almost. Do you think yourselves so mighty that you don’t even need all the Elements to deal with me?”

“We’ll get to that in a second,” said Dash. “Might as well give up now though and make this easy.”

“I think not.” Tirek sucked in his breath, tightening his muscles. A deep red glow formed around his horns. Everypony felt the temperature rise a few degrees when a tiny black sphere appeared in the middle of his horns.

The entire castle suddenly tilted to the left. The sphere vanished from between Tirek’s horn and he clasped a nearby pillar for support. Everypony without wings clambered for a foothold while dodging the collection of stones that had been loosened by the earthquake.

Celestia raced over to Twilight and Pinkie and sent up a barrier around the two of them while Luna swooped through the air and plucked Rarity and Applejack off the ground. Dash kept close to her before she too summoned a barrier.

“Grr, that idiot is even less precise than me,” Tirek grumbled.

“Princess…” Twilight quivered.

“It’s Blackbeard.” The look in Celestia’s eyes both chilled Twilight and tightened her resolve. “Twilight, I fear he is now an even greater threat than Tirek. I had hoped to weaken Tirek a bit further, but I fear I must now leave this matter in your hooves.”

“But the Elements cou—”

“The Elements will be useless on Blackbeard.” Aftershocks continued to jostle the debris around them. “Twilight, I’m sorry I could not teach you more in our training, but Tirek must be stopped here and now.”

“Princess…” Twilight struck her chest with a hoof. “We won’t fail!”

“I know you won’t.” Celestia undid her barrier as the rumbling died down.

Luna floated down from nearby and deposited everypony on the ground. Dash landed and sent up a small cloud of dust. Luna looked over the group and smiled.

“It is in your hooves now, my friends.”

Celestia and Luna both spread their wings wide and zipped toward one of the many holes in the wall. Tirek reached out to grab them, but a blast of magic forced him to block, allowing Celestia and Luna to dart out into the sky.

Tirek stared out at their rapidly shrinking bodies before turning his attention to the five ponies in the room. A small chuckle rose up from his lungs that quickly turned into a roaring bellow.

“This will be even easier than I thought! Celestia’s sister caught me a little off guard but now she’s abandoned the Elements. She might as well have gift wrapped you!”

Trike reached up high and rent the air, producing another gash in space.

“Not that I don’t have gifts of my own.”

A massive clawed leg stepped out of the portal, followed by the rest of the reptilian creature. It stood taller than Tirek’s other beast, but its body was much more lithe to support the leathery wings on its back. Instead of tusks, a razor-sharp beak adorned its face, giving the beast the appearance of living gargoyle.

Everypony’s face paled when two more beasts stuck their heads out of Tirek’s portal. Thick manes like a lion’s sprouted out behind their heads. A thick orange coat of fur covered their bodies but did nothing to obscure the massive muscles that rippled under their skin.

The final beast to emerge from the portal was the most similar to Tirek’s first creature. It had glistening tusks and skin like armor, but its color was a light amethyst rather than a deep blue.

“I was imprisoned by the Elements,” Tirek said as he bent down and gave the two maned beasts pets on the head. “I felt them shift not so many moons ago and knew they had found new Bearers.”

His lips pulled back to show off his fangs. “So I made sure to find some special playmates just for you!”

~~~

Shining Armor lay spread out amongst a pile of rubble that had once been a wall of the depot. One of his legs was bent in the wrong direction and only shallow guttural breaths came out of his mouth.

Jinbei was scrunched up on the ground, clutching the now reddened bandages around his chest. Jesus loomed over him and smirked.

Blackbeard stood in the center of the destruction howling with laughter.

Spike couldn’t stop shivering as he took in the scene. He managed to raise his head up to look at Ace, who stood unmoving in front of him. His eyes went to the odd angle Ace’s left shoulder stuck out at.

“Can you move?” Ace asked.

“I-I think,” Spike stuttered.

“Then get going.” Ace seized up when he took a step. Gasping for air, he glared at Spike, who remained in the same spot. “Teach opened up a lot of escape routes, so go!”

Spike glanced over at where Shining was and paled. “We need to get Shining Armor out too.”

Ace’s hooves shook. His head darted back and forth between Shining and Blackbeard but zoned in on the latter when he began to advance toward Ace.

“Zehahaha, get it now, Ace?” asked Blackbeard. “I’m stronger than even Pops now. This power was wasted on that dying fool anyway.” He leared over at Shining. “Your friend isn’t looking too good either. My doctor could fix him up, no strings attached.”

“I just have to join you is all, right?” Ace spat.

“My offer stands regardless.”

“Whitebeard is the only man I will ever follow!”

Blackbeard clenched his teeth. “Well, he’s dead, and look what he has to show for it! His crew is in shambles, you’re only alive thanks to magical horses, and I have his powers now! Zehahaha! Ace! You must have known that Whitebeard was never going to be king even if he lived another hundred years! He wasted his life on the seas protecting his ‘sons’ when he could have dominated the Grand Line and brought the World Government to its knees. Just look at how easily I did it!”

“Enough!” Ace roared. “I don’t care that you stole Pops’ power! I don’t care how clever you think you are! I wouldn’t even care if you were King!”

Veins became more pronounced on Blackbeard’s face. “And why’s that, Ace? Has seeing me use Pops’ power scared the wits out of you?”

“Because you’d still be the same piece of trash no matter what!” Despite the surge of pain the went through his left leg, Ace took a step forward. A few tears bubbled up at the corners of his eyes. “I wanted Pops to be King, but there were days when I'd see him smiling on the ship like he was already King… days like those made us forget about treasure, or bounties, or what lay at the end of the Grand Line. I’ll give you that at least, if Pops wanted the One Piece, he’d have taken it years ago.”

Ace sniffled and shook his head.

“He didn’t want whatever piece of crud Roger left though. He wanted his ship and he wanted his sons.” Ace furrowed his brow and glared at Blackbeard. “And you took that away from him, Teach.”

“You’re like a broken record,” Blackbeard groaned. He flexed back a hoof as it grew bright. “If your brain is that full of mush, maybe the Flame-Flame Fruit deserves a different user after all!”

A massive ball of fire slammed into Blackbeard and sent him flying. Ace looked to the sky and was met with Celestia staring down at him with a smile on her face. She swooped down toward Ace while Luna landed beside Shining and Jinbei. As Luna escased Shining and Jinbei in her magic and teleported them elsewhere, Celestia drew near to Ace and produced a small key.

“It seems you and your brother are actually quite keen on the magic of Friendship.” Celestia lowered the key and inserted into the bracelet around Ace’s leg. It clanged against the ground while Ace raised his hoof and shifted it into a swirling flame. Her focus then shifted to Spike. “Oh Spike, I’m so sorry you were brought into this. You just rest at home and Twilight and I will come get you when this is done.”

Before Spike could reply, aura surrounded him. His eyes grew heavy and he fell into a deep slumber. With a bright flash, he vanished, leaving only Ace, Luna, and Celestia. A great black spire of shadow caught all their attention. Blackbeard lumbered out of the rubble, his body shaking in rage.

“We have to stop him,” said Ace.

“I know,” Celestia replied as her horn once more grew bright. “But I have a promise to uphold to Straw Hat.”

Goosebumps erupted across Ace’s body as a golden glow encased it. He summoned flames and stretched back his right leg to land a hit on Celestia.

“No!” he shouted. “Blackbeard is my—”

Ace vanished in a flash. With Luna and Celestia staring him down, Blackbeard let out a cackle.

“Zehahaha, well, I guess, you’re pretty angry at me for all the trouble I’ve caused.” He flashed them a grin. “Would it help to say I only came here for Ace and that Tirek was the one that really wanted to have fun here?”

Both Luna and Celestia lit up their horns in response.

“Didn’t think so.” Blackbeard cracked his neck and flexed his right foreleg. “Aw well, I need to work out my powers anyway.”

“And we do not wish for everypony in town to see us beat you more black and blue than ourselves,” Luna said.

Blackbeard tensed when a prismatic aura took hold of him and his crew. Luna and Celestia glowed with magic as well and soon became blinding. When the magic died down, Blackbeard found himself surrounded by endless stretches of sand and rocky chasms.

Wind swirled between him and the two sisters, sending up clouds of dust. His men gathered at his side, eager grins on all their faces.

A cold air rose up around Luna. “In all my travels, I never encountered a human that could bring about such misery.”

“Marshal D. Teach.” Celestia’s voice reverberated across the Wastelands. “You have abused, manipulated, and killed all for the sake of power. You have brought chaos and destruction to our land, but even if you had not, your crimes mark you as a man deserving of any punishment you receive.”

“Oh, enough with the speeches.” Blackbeard flexed back a hoof. “You’ve really managed to get on my bad side.”

~~~

Tiny bits of rock and dust shook loose from the castle walls and ceiling. Fluttershy quickened her pace, but slowed down when she felt Trixie shift slightly on her back.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy murmured.

A bit of color returned to her when she spotted the oaken door that was slightly larger than the other ones. She quickly trotted over to it slipped inside.

Luffy rested atop his bed as he had since arriving back from the War. Fluttershy quietly bent down beside the bed and placed Trixie on the floor. The showmare was sound asleep without a scratch on her.

“You should be safe here,” Fluttershy whispered before the castle rumbled again. “I hope.”

Fluttershy’s hair suddenly stood up. The air near her distorted before a bright flash filled the room.

“—problem!” Ace yelled, flaming hoof aimed straight at Fluttershy.

She threw up a leg and smacked Ace’s hoof to the ground.

“Ow!” Ace cried as a welt formed where his leg had been knocked back into physical form. “Feels like Ga—”

Ace froze at the sight of Fluttershy trembling before him.

“M-mr. Ace! I… I didn’t mean to hit you that hard!” she explained. “You just came out of nowhere!”

“Blame your Princess for that.” Ace drew in his breath at the sight of Luffy still unconscious before quickly unclenching his muscles. A stab of pain from his left shoulder forced him to flinch though.

“That shoulder doesn’t look good.” Fluttershy drew closer and grew a little pale. “You need ice… but I need to get back.” Her hooves jittered a little. “Oh no, oh no…”

“This is nothing,” Ace grunted. “If you have somewhere to be, go.”

“But what about you?”

Ace glanced back at the bed. “I’ll stay here and keep Luffy safe. I can do that much at least.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. She turned to go out the door, but a chain exploded out of it. Fluttershy went onto her belly, the chain still managing to sheer off the tips of her mane. The attack whipped through the room and sped toward the bed.

Ace flew forward and sent out a wall of flames, but the chains cut through it like butter. A sickening crunch echoed through the room as the chains collided into Ace and threw him against the wall.

“Ace!” Fluttershy cried.

Before she could move over to him, a clawed hand reached out and held her tight. A sharp cry escaped Fluttershy’s mouth.

“Heh, guess that doppelganger spell was a nice inheritance from Discord.” Tirek smirked as he squeezed Fluttershy a little tighter. “Bearer of Kindness. Yet throughout your life, you’ve been treated as nothing more than a bridge for other ponies to step on.”

Tirek’s horns glistened with crimson magic and a similar glow formed around Fluttershy’s eyes.

“Why don’t let out some of the pent-up aggression?”

Fluttershy Corrupted?! A Terrible Power Awakens!

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The walls and ceilings of the hallway were little more than rubble now. A few teetering patches of stone still stood here and there but the slightest rumble threatened to topple them over. Blasts of magic, massive claws, and the shockwave of powerful blows were more than enough to demolish what remained, leaving little else but the floor to absorb the collateral damage of the fights. Even that was now scorched, melted, and cracked.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack stood back to back. One of Pinkie’s legs glistened black while all of Applejack’s hooves held the same coloration. The two lion-like beasts paced around them, hot breath streaming past their slick fangs. With a growl, they both pounced at Pinkie and Applejack, claws extended and slicing through the air.

One of the beast’s claws snipped the edge of Applejack’s hat while the other beast only managed to cleave through empty space. In one swift movement, Applejack had ducked low and Pinkie had limboed out of the beasts’ way. Like a spring, Pinkie raced back up and uppercut her haki-infused leg right into the beast’s jaw. At the same time, Applejack tucked her hindlegs and then bucked them into the other beast’s chest, the air cracking like thunder from the speed of her kick.

Both beasts were knocked onto their backs with Applejack’s flying a good few meters through the air first. Pinkie retracted her once-again-pink leg and gave it a shake.

“Ouchie! These guys are hard!”

Two snorts forced both ponies to look away from each other and back at the beasts. Both were already getting up again despite their fresh injuries. The glare in their eyes actually appeared even more intense than before. Roaring loud enough to shake the floor around them, both beast bounded toward Pinkie and Applejack.

Applejack crouched down, ready to unleash another kick. “And they’re hard to keep down.”

Nearby, tusks came within inches of piercing Rarity’s chest. The amethyst beast swung its head around like an frenzied elephant, yet its attacks always missed by a hair. Sweat was pouring down Rarity’s face. A drop of it dripped into her eye just as the beast raised a massive claw. Rarity bent her knees a second too late and the beast’s massive leg plowed into her and threw her across the room.

A gleam vanished from where she’d been struck, but a trio of shallow claw marks remained. The air felt frigid when she sucked it in to regain the breath the beast had knocked out of her. She glanced over to where she’d been only to see the beast already racing toward her. Gritting her teeth, she lit up her horn, the tip of it turning black.

The beast launched into the air, intent on sinking either its fangs or its tusks into Rarity, but instead found itself goring a cracked barrier. Behind the rapidly crumbling dome of magic, Rarity struggled to her hooves with her mane now swirling around her, the tips shimmering with haki.

“Thank Celestia you can’t laugh at this,” Rarity said before flying at the beast with her hair whipping through the air.

Two blurs, one scaly brown and the other cyan that left a prismatic trail rocketed through what was left of the ceiling. Rainbow Dash and the winged monster helixed through broken pillars and arches, talons and blackened hooves clashing against each other.

Dash looped above a crumbling row of stones, zoomed in, and kicked off it, sending out a small shockwave of color. The stones crashed down on the winged monster, but it just gave a screech and barreled through them. One block came at it too fast to dodge though. The beast flared out its talons and then slammed them into the stone, slicing it into chunks like it was wet clay.

It was about to continue its pursuit of Dash when it let out a howl of pain. Dash had zipped around the beast and used the confusion to take it from behind, jabbing her hoof right in between its wings. Something cracked underneath her and the beast’s right wing seized up.

“Ha! How’d you like th—”

The beast spun around pulled Dash into its chest with a claw. Dash cried out when the beast’s talons clawed into her side. Both of them went into a free fall. Yet the beast just continued to exert more pressure on Dash, uncaring about the ground they were racing towards.

Dash struggled to move and breath. Her right wing was free and flapped about in a panic, but did no good to release the beast’s hold on her. The rest of her limbs were held tight despite Dash flexing as hard as she could. The ground was rapidly getting closer.

“Let. Me. Go!” Dash roared.

Armament rushed over her wing and it slashed at the beast’s chest. A narrow yet deep cut now marred the beast. Gasping in pain, the beast loosened its hold on Dash and she zoomed out of its grasp an instant before the beast collided with the ground.

Dash suddenly tilted to the right and tumbled to the ground, her still metallic wing slicing through the floor like butter.

With a huff, she picked herself up. In the swirling dust caused by the fall, she could make out that her opponent too was back on its claws. Its yellow eyes pierced through the cloud at Dash.

Rather than meet the glare, Dash closed her eyes and drew her breath. Haki raced over her other wing turning her feathers into to an array of blades. Her knees bent slightly under the new weight, but she could take it.

“Alright,” she said, raising her head. “Let’s do this.”

In between their own battles, all four girls and the beasts would jump or fly back when a rain of hellish fireballs or an errant beam of purple magic blasted through the battlefield.

In the middle of this assault were Tirek and Twilight. A bit of smoke curled up from Twilight’s horn while Tirek’s hands glowed bright even when he wasn’t launching his attacks. His chains dangled from a holster around his waist, their rattling occasionally drawing a glance from Twilight.

“Something wrong, little pony?” Tirek sneered. His eyes lit up with delight while Twilight barely dodged another volley of fireballs. “Don’t worry about the chains, I’m saving those especially for Celestia! Her magic is actually a problem, but yours is nothing worse than a mosquito bite.”

A blast of magic hit him square on the chin, yet when the smoke settled, not even Tirek’s beard had been unsettled. His grin widened.

“See?”

Twilight lowered her head and let out a defeated sigh. “I do… I see right through you.”

A glint of scarlet caught Tirek’s attention. His nostrils flared when he saw that a wispy red glow now outlined his body. “Clever. What gave this doppleganger away?”

“You left yourself too open,” Twilight replied while Tirek’s shade threw another spell at her. It clashed against a barrier but dissipated after a moment. Twilight undid the barrier, her breathing a little more labored now. “Even if my magic is weaker than Celestia’s, it should have at least done superficial damage to your hair and fur. Not using those anti-magic chains was another red flag.”

Tirek roared and stampeded at Twilight. His massive hooves only managed to trample the already shredded carpet. He snarled when he felt the air distort around his back and reached around to grab Twilight as she teleported onto him. In an instant, she launched another spell into him and vanished again before he could seize her.

“If you know I’m not here, why waste your magic?” he grunted.

“I’m not,” Twilight replied. “No spell can sustain itself, even such a powerful doppelganger one. You’re still connected to your real body and now I’m going to find where you’re hiding!”

Twilight smirked out Tirek, but her expression suddenly sank. With wide eyes, she twisted over to a another section of the castle, still undamaged. Goosebumps erupted across her body.

“Hoping to find I’m actually an enfeeble conjurer that masks my weakness behind corrupted ponies and illusions?” Tirek let out a menacing chuckle. “I’m afraid that even without my magic, I could lay Equestria to waste. Although, having it makes it much easier to ensure the Elements won’t be able to stop me this time!”

Twilight pawed the ground in front of her with a hoof, horn ready to launch another attack. “What have you done to Fluttershy?”

“I’m actually still doing it, but her corruption will be complete soon.” Tirek didn’t move to attack Twilight anymore, he just sneered down at her. “Once that’s done, you’ll lose your access to the Elements and even my pets will prove too much for the likes a normal ponies like you!”

Nearby, Dash spun to the left with her wing cleaving through the winged beast’s chest. Dozens of cuts now lined its torso and its front legs. Yet, the first cuts no longer bled and fresh scales were already forming over the oldest of them.

The monsters facing the others were similarly bruised and beaten, yet their wounds from the start of the fight were also steadily healing over. Meanwhile, the girls were all breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. Only Applejack’s hooves remained black while the others could barely manage to summon haki in tiny splotches to defend against attacks that were hitting them more and more frequently.

“Soon you will all fall,” Tirek bellowed. “Then I’ll have plenty of time to figure out how I’ll present your bodies to Celestia!”

~~~

The glow around Fluttershy grew more concentrated with each passing second. Her initial cries of pain were shifting into snarls of rage. In her vain struggle to get free of Tirek’s iron grip, her mane had gotten tossed into a wild state, revealing that her ears were sharpening. In desperation, she flung herself to the side and tried to bite down on Tirek’s hand, but was unable to reach.

“Feisty once you get a little agitated, aren’t you?” Tirek violently shook his hand, snapping Fluttershy’s head back and leaving her in a daze. “You can only fight for so long though, just like your pathetic friends.”

A light caught Tirek in the eyes, forcing him to blink. The necklace draped over Fluttershy’s chest gave off a pink glow, its aura keeping Tirek’s at bay. With a snort, Tirek reached out to grab it.

“So it’s your Element putting up all this resistance eh? Well, you won’t be needing th—”

An enormous torrent of flame exploded into Tirek’s stomach. He roared while the attack continued to push against him. Fluttershy slipped out on his hand and fell to the ground just before Tirek was launched off his hooves. He flew clean across the hall in mess of limbs, flame and smoke. The adjacent wall caved under his weight when he smacked into it, sending an avalanche of broken glass and stone onto him.

The remaining stream of fire shrank back down and reformed into Ace’s right foreleg. Wheezing for air, he went to his knees, a few drops of sweat spilling onto the floor alongside a bit of the blood dribbling from his mouth. With a clenched jaw, he pushed against the ground and managed to get back to his hooves. Fluttershy was just a few feet away from him, but each step sucked the breath out of him and sent a sharp pain through his core.

A violent shaking froze Ace. One of Tirek’s arms clawed out of the wreckage across the hall followed by the rest of his torso. The black fur of his chest and stomach and the skin underneath was now hidden or replaced by smoldering embers and ash. He shook uncontrollably and clenched his jaw so tightly that it looked like his fangs could crack at any moment. With a roar that dwarfed all his others, everything in his immediate vicinity disintegrated into nothing. Even a chunk of the floor directly below him was vaporized.

With a grunt, he swiped through the smoke his destruction and injuries had caused. His muscles seemed ready to rip out of his skin. His eyes were in a similar state, filled with such a concentrated rage that they would have paralyzed anypony that had the misfortune of getting caught in their sight.

Despite the initial shock of seeing Tirek rise up, Ace turned away from Fluttershy and limped ahead of her. Now both she and Luffy were directly behind him. Ignoring his injuries, Ace tightened his muscles and stared down Tirek with just as powerful a glare, but without the same anger that made Tirek grind his fangs.

“Human,” Tirek growled, “you would have died either way, but now you’ve ensured that I take my time with you!”

“Give it your best shot.” Ace spat towards Tirek. “You have another thing coming if you think I’ll let you get near Luffy!”

Tirek blinked and then laughed. “Is that what that earlier attack was about? That useless invalid on the bed? Ha! If you’d had any brains you’d have grabbed him while I was dealing with the Element Bearer. I have greater concerns right now than pursuing two wayward humans anyway.”

Tirek took a step forward but had to pause and put a hand to his abdomen. Ace took the opportunity to summon flames around his body. This produced strained cackle from Tirek.

“That fool Blackbeard wasted his time coming here on you?” Tirek gave his head a shake and grinned. “I’ll give you credit for catching me off my guard and I’ll be hurting for a bit, but all eventually fall before Tirek. Fists, hooves, weapons, magic? All they can do is slow me down. Even the greatest magic in this land can only weaken me long enough to be imprisoned again. What can one tiny Devil Fruit user do?”

Ace glanced to the left and noticed one of Fluttershy’s legs twitch. He then glared back at Tirek. “I can kick your ass long enough for someone else to show up and get Luffy out of here.”

Despite the pain it caused him, Tirek laughed louder than ever. “Oh, I’d forgotten how hilarious it is to hear somepony that’s about to die still think things will work out for their loved ones at least! I at least thought humans were a bit smarter than that!”

“Tch.” Ace lowed and shook his head. “You’ve got a point, these ponies are pretty stupid sometimes.”

Tirek snorted when Ace raised his head again. “They’ve got stuff that’s precious to them too though. I’ve got Luffy to protect but even if I was just a dumb pony, you’d still royally piss me off!”

Something seemed to crack inside Tirek. The shaking in his muscles stopped and instead a violent aura trailed off him. A bit of froth came to his mouth as he let out an animalistic cry that had the power of a thunderclap. Despite Ace charging up another large attack, Tirek plowed straight at him.

A blast of pressure caused Tirek to come to a screeching halt. The crazed look in his eyes faded and sentience returned to them. At the same time, Ace nearly blacked out, but the pain running through his torso kept him concious. He was chilled to the bone yet at the same time felt as if he was next to a great fire, something far more intense than anything he could summon.

The ground near Ace suddenly cratered. The stone hadn’t even shattered, the force on it had been so great as to mold the floor into a new shape. A second later, a sonic boom shattered the air right in front of Tirek’s chest. The wind was knocked out of him while he flew high into the air. Gasping from breath, he became aware that something was rammed into his chest, preventing him from fully expanding his chest.

Eyes like the most radiant rubies glared back at him, sending a cold shiver down his spine. Fluttershy bared a fresh set of fangs at Tirek before driving her hooves deeper into his gut. In spite of her vastly smaller frame, she continued to lift further into the sky while the castle got smaller and smaller beneath them. The air rippled around them, torn asunder by each powerful flap of the thick leathery wings that had replaced Fluttershy’s feathered ones.

With the ease of handling a foal, Fluttershy lifted Tirek up with a hiss and threw him with all her strength back to the distant ground. In the brief moment of freedom, he drew breath, his shrunken pupils watching Fluttershy race towards him. With a pained grunt, he threw up a shield around himself.

Rather than slow down, Fluttershy actually sped up, going fast enough that the air distorted and formed a cone around her. She threw one foreleg back and coated both it and a fair bit of her chest in armament haki. With a screech, she brought it down on the shield, shattering it into a hail of magical splinters. Before even the backlash of the broken spell could hit Tirek Fluttershy’s other foreleg decked him across the face.

The force was so great that it sent out another small sonic boom and snapped Tirek into a different trajectory. Screaming in a mixture of rage and pain, he spiraled downward with Fluttershy in pursuit.

~~~

A few moments earlier, Tirek’s double had been laughing at Twilight while she continued to blast him with spell after spell. Suddenly, his body wavered and Twilight’s last attack blasted straight through him. Tirek faded away like mist, but Twilight didn’t have time to celebrate and began charging her horn with the magic needed to teleport over to Luffy’s room.

The wall near Luffy’s room suddenly heaved outward with flames snaking up through the newly formed gaps. With a deafening crash, the wall gave in and tumbled down sending up a thick cloud of debris.

“What the hay?” Dash spun around and landed a thunderous buck into the winged beast and sent it sprawling across the battlefield. Taking a breath, the blue returned to her wings and she zipped over to Twilight. “Twilight, what’s going on?.”

“It’s Tirek.” Twilight clenched her jaw, the glow around her horn glowing brighter. “He’s gone after Fluttershy. I need to stop him now!”

“Not if I get there fi—”

Before Dash could rocket off the ground, a massive shape suddenly flew out from near Luffy’s room. The glow around Twilight’s horn vanished while her eyes widened, realizing that it was Tirek climbing into the sky despite his lack of wings. Even from afar, his large body made it easy to tell he was struggling to breath. Something appeared to be lodged up above his stomach.

Dash watched in similar astonishment. “What in Tartarus did that?!”

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied, “but we can’t waste this chance while Tirek is up there.”

“I don’t think he’s gonna be up for long.”

Both of them looked up to see that Tirek had apparently reached his apex and was now tumbling back down to Equestria. A slight red tint seeped into the air as the sunlight glistened off of a shield spell that raced over Tirek. An instant after it appeared though, it burst into pieces. A second later, Tirek radically changed course mid-air. The loud pop of the sound barrier breaking soon followed.

Dash’s eyes narrowed up at the spot where the sonic boom had emanated from. For a split second, she spied the vague outline of a pony but it vanished as quickly as she’d spotted it. “What in Equestria is going on up there?”

“We have bigger issues!” Twilight grabbed hold of Dash’s head and shifted it slightly.

Dash paled seeing Tirek’s immense form careening towards them.

“Everypony, hit the decks!” Dash screamed.

Tirek smashed into the battleground like a meteor. Anything left of the walls and ceiling was obliterated. Even bits of the floor were torn out of their foundation by the force of the impact. Tirek’s beasts all dug their claws into the stones, but quickly found themselves losing their footing before being thrown into the air.

Dash nearly met the same fate but smacked into a barrier instead and was pulled in close by Twilight. Applejack lifted off the ground, but Pinkie quickly reached out and held onto her with all her strength. Both of them whipped through the air, but remained tethered to the ground thanks to Pinkie’s now-black tail holding on tight to a rather large stone. Like Twilight, Rarity had managed to summon a barrier, albeit a much smaller one.

It had only taken a few seconds, but now little remained of the castle around the ponies. Tirek’s beast lay strewn about, their battles and the fall of their master seemingly taking their toll on them. Tirek himself was in a similar state, lying in the middle a crater flat on his back. His eyes swam in his head, and he gave a wheezing cough.

The wind was suddenly knocked out of him by a huge punch to the gut. He managed to give a shaky glance down to see that Fluttershy had delivered another blow to his already damaged core.

He gasped in pain when she removed her blackened hoof and raced over to his head. Bending a leg back, the next blow looked like it would split Tirek’s head in two.

“Fluttershy?!” Dash called out.

Fluttershy turned at her with a hiss.The Element around her neck pulsated. Her eyes widened at the sight of Dash looking at her white as a ghost.

Tirek’s horns crackled with energy.

“Die!” he roared before unleashing a beam point blank on Fluttershy.

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“No!” Dash screamed watching Tirek’s attack consume Fluttershy.

Everypony else could only watch in horror while Tirek continued sending out a blast of pure magic where Fluttershy had been. With a roar, he suddenly swung his head, directing his spell at the rest of the ponies.

Dash swiped Twilight off the ground while Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie scrambled out of the way. Tirek carved a swath of molten stone through the battlefield until a convulsion rocked his body. His torso twitched while he let out a fit of coughing.

While Tirek writhed on the ground, everypony else got back onto their hooves. The recovery was cut short when Tirek flailed an arm into the floor and pushed himself off the cracked and melting stone. With a swipe of his arm, he dispelled the dust and smoke around him and loomed over the battlefield. He looked over at his crippled beasts and snorted.

“You damn brats,” he huffed. “To think a pegasus would hit me hard enough to disrupt my magic to this degree. By the time this is over, you’ll be wishing I’d taken you out as swiftly as her.”

A hiss made Tirek tense up a moment before pitch black fangs tore into his neck. Bloodshot eyes glared down to see that Fluttershy had clamped down on him. Smoke still curled up from around her chest and her fur was singed, but everything above her stomach glistened like sculpted obsidian. Her mane in particular had taken on an angular shape, aided by the fact that its lower half had been burnt off giving it a helmet-like appearance.

Tirek grabbed her with reckless abandon and pulled with all his might. She flew off of him and slammed into the ground, but left a sizeable gash in her place.

“You’re like flies!” Tirek screamed. A fit of coughing racked his body and he went down onto his knees. “Dammit!”

Nearby, everypony raced over to where Fluttershy had landed. Dash reached her first and stuck out a hoof to check her, but snapped it back when fangs almost chomped down on her leg. The creature before her more resembled a mash between a changeling and massive bat than the pegasus they all knew. Even Fluttershy’s cutie mark had morphed from a trio of pink butterflies to a group of ruby bats. The animalistic fire in Fluttershy’s crimson eyes sent a chill up Dash’s spine.

Suddenly, the arment faded away. With a grunt, Fluttershy got onto her hooves, but only stood on three of them. Her right hind leg was slightly bent to the side and marked with a sizeable bruise. She let out a hiss feeling something press into her, offering support. Applejack pulled back her hoof, but remained beside Fluttershy as did the rest of her friends. With a growl, she lowered her head.

“You…” Fluttershy paused, shocked at how husky her voice sounded. “You need to get away.”

She growled again and shook her head. Her Element pulsated, forcing a shiver out of her. “I… I want to fight more. N-no, I want to stop this.”

Her slitted pupils narrowed at Tirek. Quick dodges from Rarity and Pinkie saved them from getting whacked by Fluttershy’s wings when she unfolded them. She crouched low, ready to attack, but a cyan hoof blocked her.

“Move,” Fluttershy hissed at Dash.

“No way,” Dash replied. She brought her head closer to Fluttershy’s and stared deep into her scarlet eyes. “Fluttershy, this isn’t you.”

“I…” A thin rim of aquamarine appeared around Fluttershy’s irises. “I know, but he has to be stopped.”

An orange hoof stomped down next to one of Fluttershy’s. Applejack readjusted her hat, showing off the fiery determination on her face. “You’re not in this alone, sugarcube. Not gonna be worth beating Tirek if it takes you out too.”

“And we have a much cleaner way of taking care of ruffians like that,” Rarity gave her Element a tap.

“It’s still super cool that you can actually kick so much flank though!” Pinkie chirped.

Everypony else glared her into silence.

Finally, Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Fluttershy, I’m not sure what happened, but we’re not gonna let you tear yourself apart. If we’re gonna beat Tirek, we’re gonna do it together.”

“That’s right!” the other girls said, causing their Elements to sparkle.

“You’ll get nothing!” Tirek roared.

They all spun around to see that Tirek was back on his hooves. The wounds across his torso were rapidly shrinking and the ones marring his face had already completely vanished. Still, his bulging eyes and frothy mouth spoke of the state he was in. Above his enraged face, his horns blazed with magic. In the middle of them was a sphere of gold the size of an adult pony. Black spots continuously sprouted up on it, but faded just as quickly. With each passing second, the sphere grew in size.

Nearby, Tirek’s beasts writhed on the ground, crimson branches connecting them to the sphere.

“I’ll turn you and the rest of this island to ash and go from there! Celestia be damned if I take her out too!”

“Twilight, Element magic now!” Dash screeched.

“I know!”

The crown atop Twilight’s head lit up. The rest of the Elements followed suit. All six ponies were encased in a pure white aura that floated Twilight into the middle of the group. Tirek snorted at the display and pulled more energy out of his beasts, causing the sphere above him to balloon outwards. It was now almost as big as he was.

The glow around Twilight and her friends was nearly blinding. Floating at level with Tirek’s chest, Twilight slowly opened her eyes, revealing them to be fully white now. The rest of the girls wore similar expressions as the aura around them began to shrink down and gain an array of colors.

With a roar, Tirek launched the titanic sphere at them. At the same time, a primatic blast exploded out of the girls, forming a thick rainbow wave that crashed down on Tirek. The two attacks clashed in the middle of the air and whipped it into an intense whirlwind.

Down in Canterlot, many ponies had observed the events at the castle in horror, but were unable to linger on the battle for long. Instead, they turned their attention to sifting through the wreckage of the earthquake that had torn through the city a few minutes earlier. The fire brigade and the royal guard rushed through the streets, pulling ponies from destroyed buildings and trying to douse the flames that had sprouted up across the city.

Everypony came to a stop when what looked like a second sun appeared over what was left of the castle. Even the odd explosion from a few days prior was dwarfed by the terrifying sight all in Canterlot were beholden too. Gasps raced through the city at the sight of an equally massive ray of rainbow slamming into the miniature sun. Jaws dropped watching the two titanic events collided until ponies spotted a rippling shockwave sending a wave of dust at them. Abandoning the attempt at freeing anypony still trapped, the guard and fire brigade hastily began casting shield spells.

Tirek gnashed his teeth when his attack drifted back towards him. Screaming like an enraged animal, he thrust his arms up and pushed them into the sphere, ignoring the flames that consumed his hands.

On the other side of the struggle, the aura surrounding Twilight and her friends was rapidly dwindling away from them and flowing up into the attack. In a flash, the aura suddenly vanished and they all fell to the ground. With a groan, Twilight looked up to see that the rainbow ray was still pushing against Tirek. The color drained from her body when Tirek suddenly shoved his way forward, forcing back the Elements’ might.

Gaining more ground, a maddened grin filled his face. He began to cackle when suddenly he heaved forward. One hand raced away from the sphere and clenched part of his stomach. The area had seized up and was erratically convulsing. All Tirek could manage was gasping for air.

“T-that foal!” he sputtered.

His pupils shrank when his sphere consumed extended arm.

“Noooo!” he screamed before a blinding explosion of flames and color flooded over the castle.

~~~

The sun shone brightly above what remained of the castle. Almost the entire left wing of the structure was rubble now. The right wing favored far better but a decent portion of its inner wall had collapsed and all its windows were smashed. The only part of the castle that appeared completely untouched was the tiny centerpoint of the statue garden, its alabaster figures and finely trimmed greenery now a sharp contrast to the blackened plants and ash around it.

Save for the soft crackling of a few errant flames and the tink of pebbles tumbling off of the toppled and crushed structures, there was silence over the castle. Slowly, a few guards and staff poked their head out and surveyed the damage. All eyes went to the center of the battlefield where six ponies lay.

A slight breeze brushed Fluttershy’s mane against her muzzle, eliciting her eyes to slowly open. With a start, she jolted upright and looked around. Her heart beat faster as she took in the damage. The harsh silence of the scene sent a chill up her spine.

“O-oh my,” she quivered.

The tips of her mane brushed against the bottom of her jaw forcing her eyes down. Staring at her burnt and shortened hair, all she could mutter was another, “Oh my.”

“Fluttershy!”

Before Fluttershy could even turn to see who had yelled her name, she found herself wrapped tight in Rainbow Dash’s hooves.

“You’re normal again!” Dash cried. Suddenly she broke off the embrace and looked Fluttershy up and down. “I mean, you are normal again, right?”

Fluttershy glanced back. Her wings had regained their feathers while her cutie marks had returned to their normal shape. Rolling her tongue around, she found her teeth were flat again as well. With a deep sigh, she almost fell back to the ground, but Dash kept her up.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, that was awful.” Fluttershy lowered her head while tears bubbled up around the edge of her eyes. “I… I just wanted to hurt Tirek so badly and… and I could.”

Dash stroked a hoof through Fluttershy’s mane and held her close with another leg. “It’s over now… still gotta give you credit for showing that jerk not to mess with you.”

“I’ll say,” said Pinkie.

Fluttershy and Dash turned to see Pinkie sipping some coffee out of a mug decorated by paintings of can of pink paint and a steaming slice of pie.

Pinkie shrugged at them. “What? I get cranky if I don’t have victory coffee after defeating a threat to Equestria.”

“Since when?” Dash asked.

“I don’t really care when that became a thing,” Applejack huffed as she picked herself off the ground. “A nice cup of jo sounds pretty darn good right now.”

Twilight was the next to get up. Nursing a slight headache by pressing a hoof to her head, she looked over her friends. “I think it’s asking too much for Donut Joe’s to be open.”

“You can count me out, I want some much deserved beauty sleep.”

Everypony looked down to see Rarity still curled up on the ground forcing her eyes shut.

Applejack chuckled. “You should at least be in a bed, Rari—”

Dash suddenly took off and raced over to a nearby collection of rubble. Applejack went into a gallop after her while the Rarity and Pinkie struggled to move at more than a snail’s pace. Their legs felt like lead and the rest of their bodies were racked with aches and injuries from the fight. They soon came to a complete stop when they saw that neither Twilight nor Fluttershy were trailing behind them.

Aside from feeling a little woozy, Twilight was managing standing fine, but rather than focus on where Dash had flown off to, her eyes were down on the massive bruise on one of Fluttershy’s leg. Lighting up her horn, she enveloped Fluttershy in a spell and floated her onto her back. Twilight’s knees bent under the new weight, but she was able to keep her balance.

“It doesn’t look too bad, but we should keep weight off that leg until we can get a doctor to actually look at it,” she said while marching over to where Rarity and Pinkie.

The group slowly made their way over to where Dash was. Rounding what remained of a toppled wall, they found Dash in the midst of trying to hoist an unconscious griffon onto her back.

“Little help here?” Dash huffed when the griffon began to slide back to the ground.

“On it!” Pinkie skipped over to Dash, raising a few eyebrows along the way. Sensing the stares on her, she flashed a smile. “What? Takes a bit for the coffee to take effect.”

Pinkie then turned back to Dash and helped get the griffon onto Dash’s back. Up close, Pinkie narrowed her eyes at the griffon before clicking a hoof against the ground.

“Hey,” she said. “This is your friend from flight school isn’t it?”

Fluttershy tucked her head behind Twilight’s. “G-gilda.”

“Yeah.” Dash glanced back at Gilda and frowned. “Tirek must have gotten to her too. I’ll have a bit to talk with her about when she gets up. Stuff maybe I should’ve said earlier.”

“Can’t say I’ll have much to say to these two.”

Everypony turned to see Applejack lumbering over to them. Two lanky stallions were piled onto her back like sacks of flour. One stallion’s thick cherry-red mustache threatened to flop into the other stallion’s ear. Save for the facial hair, a pony would be hard pressed to tell the cream colored stallions apart.

“I tried to get the other one, but I can barely keep these two beanpoles up.” Applejack glanced at where she’d come from. “She’s a few paces away from where these two varmints were lying.”

“Pinkie?” Rarity asked. “Could you be a dear and help me out. I don’t know what other poor pony Tirek dragged into this, but they certainly didn’t deserve this.”

“Oki-doki!”

While Pinkie and Rarity went off to gather the other pony, Applejack turned to Twilight and Fluttershy. “Well, we’ve got Trixie, Gilda, and the Flim Flam brothers… willing to take bets this other pony had a problem with us too but search me if I know what it was.”

Twilight tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Well, can’t say I’ve ever seen her before and Dash can’t either.”

“Yup,” Dash said with a nod.

“Suri?!” Rarity screeched from behind some rubble.

Everypony fliched at the sound, but quickly recovered. A few moments later, Pinkie and Rarity returned with an pale orchid pony sporting a light purple mane draped over Pinkie’s back.

“Sound like you’ve got an idea who our mystery mare is,” said Dash.

“I do but…” Rarity glanced at the unconscious mare. “This doesn’t make sense. I mean, I can understand Tirek using these other ruffians— not too much offense to Gilda, Dash— but Suri was such a nice pony.”

“And you never did anything that might have ticked her off?” Applejack asked.

“Why no such thing,” Rarity gasped. “We merely met at a knitting competition some years back. I mean, I won and got a bit of good PR over it, but that was certainly not serious enough to get entangled in this mess.”

“You’d be surprised what can set a pony off and how long a sting can fester.”

A red hand burst out of the air and smacked Rarity into a pile of rubble. Everypony turned white as the schism in the air widened and Tirek marched out of it. While still towering over the battlefield, his stature was only half of what it had been. There was a slight hunch to his back now and his fur was graying in places. A few wrinkles bespeckled his face and his once flowing beard now clung tightly to his jawline. Even his horns had shrunken down so now they barely stretched beyond his his forehead. His eyes still burned with a sadistic gleam.

With surprising speed, he fell upon Applejack and Pinkie. His front legs kicked out and bucked them across the wreckage. Dash dropped Gilda to the side and flew at Tirek with one wing hardened and extended like a broadsword.

Tirke caught her midair and slammed her into the ground. Dash let out a guttural groan and then went limp.

Twilight’s hooves shook as she took a trembling step back. She could feel Fluttershy shaking like a leaf on her back.

“H-how?” Twilight managed to choke out. “T-the Elements…”

“Can only weaken me!” Tirek smirked. “And, as I learned from dear old dad, you’ve been using them quite a lot lately. I’ll give you credit on that, in Celestia’s hooves they’d probably be worthless rocks again at this point.”

Tirek lunged at them, but Twilight teleported away at the last second. When she reappeared a few yards away, her horn pounded against her skull and sweat poured down her face. Tirek spun around and began slowly walking towards her and Fluttershy.

“You’ve done quite a bit of damage to my magic as well.” Tirek slashed at the air and opened up another portal. “It’s now a pain just to make these!”

He jabbed an arm into the portal. Another rift tore open beside Twilight and pounded her into the ground before ripping Fluttershy off of her. Tirek’s smile widened as he pulled his arm back and glared down at Fluttershy. He tightened his grip, forcing a pained cry out of Fluttershy.

“Ah, that is satisfaction.” While keeping his hold on Fluttershy, Tirek shifted his gaze over to Twilight. “It’ll take a little longer with just my hands and hooves, but I’ll have more than enough time to get you all ready for Celestia and recover my magic.”

Gritting her teeth, Twilight wobbled up to her hooves and glared at Tirek. She lit up her horn even while it felt like the base of it was drilling deeper into her skull.

Tirek cackled at the display. “You think you have even a sliver of a chance beating me? Pathetic. Your magic is spent, your friends are beaten, and I still have more than enough strength to decimate everything around here! Without the Elements, you’re just another weak pony for me to crush.” Tirek glared at Fluttershy again. “I’ll give this foal that at least, even if my magic gave her a nudge, I can only enhance what’s already there to a degree.”

Tirek threw Fluttershy to the ground, knocking her unconscious. Leering at Twilight again, he raised up one hoof right over Fluttershy’s head.

“She’s the only one of you that’s earned a quick death!” Tirek roared as he brought his hoof down.

“No!” Twilight screamed.

A torrent of magic exploded out of Twilight’s horn. Rather than its usual violet hue, the thick beam burned bright white with trails of neon purple and magenta spiraling around it. The blast smashed into Tirek’s chest. The combination of the spell’s force and his raised leg tilted him backward and sent him crashing to the ground.

Shaking in rage once again, he bared his fangs at Twilight. She met him with an intense glare of her own. Tiny arcs of magic sparked around her eyes.

“I know I’m not the strongest pony,” Twilight said, her voice now carrying a slight echo to it that shook the pebbles near her hooves. “Even with my magic I could barely escape from your monster. If my friends hadn’t stopped it, you’d probably have won right then and there.”

The glow from Twilight’s horn intensified and the star at the center of her tiara glistened as well. Fluttershy’s head lifted slightly off the ground while her Element tugged against her neck. With a snap, the necklace freed itself and zoomed over to Twilight. The other Elements sprung up from across the battlefield as well and aligned themselves around Twilight.

“Now I’ve got to protect them,” Twilight said, voice growing louder while the air started swirling around her. “I won’t let you hurt them!”

“From one to another, another to one,” she chanted, magic and wind violently whirling around her. “A mark of one’s destiny singled out alone, fulfilled!”

A bright flash force Tirek to raise an arm. All around him, the wind rippled like a tornado had touched down around him. Bursts of multicolored lightning shot through the air. An ashen star appeared wherever they struck.

When Tirek’s eyes readjusted, he felt a chill.

Magic crackled around Twilight, sending out bolts that scorched the surrounding ground. The Elements, now dulled and gray, were spread out around her hooves. Only her tiara remained intact, its star now split into six different colors. A prismatic aura enveloped her body, shining bright enough to sting Tirek’s eyes.

Yet, its glow was second to the concentrated magic that extended out of Twilight’s horn and back. Translucent wings, larger and sleeker than any pegasus’s, jutted out from her spine while the magic around her horn gave the impression that it had lengthened and sharpened.

Tirek glimpsed Twilight for only a fleeting moment. In the next instant, for the second time in both his life and this day, Tirek was slammed in his gut and launched high into the air.

Whereas Fluttershy had torn the air asunder when she had brutalized Tirek, Twilight sent out roaring vortexes of wind and magic with each flap of her wings. Rolling her head back, she collected magic around her horn before sending it out in a surge that sent Tirek careening into a nearby mountain.

“You!” Tirek roared as he clawed himself out of the mountain.

Twilight landed nearby and glared at him with glistening white eyes.

“You little sneak!” Tirek screamed. “You think imitating an alicorn will save you?!”

Twilight vanished. The air beside Tirek squealed a second before two purple hooves slammed into his right side and sent him flying across the rocky terrain. The ground tore up underneath him until it formed a sizable enough pile to bring him to a stop.

“You keep going on about wanting to fight Celestia...” Twilight muttered. Her magic flared around her. With a kick that shattered the rock beneath her, she took to the air. “Try me first!”

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“A power that dwarfs yours?” Twilight gasped. “I mean, this spell is in a whole new realm of magic for me, but to equal yo—”

“Twilight,” Celestia interrupted. “Breathe.”

Twilight drew a hoof to her chest and rolled it in and out in time with her breaths. She simmered down and relaxed slightly. Her eyes remained glued on the book before her though.

“Perhaps, my words were a bit strong, but I have no doubt this spell would have been the most powerful thing in Equestria had Starswirl had the necessary components for it.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Components?”

“Yes,” Celestia sighed and took a seat beside Twilight. “Make no mistake, Starswirl was the greatest of warlocks and a lone source of hope to ponies in the time before Luna and I were strong enough to face Discord. Had we not come under his tutelage, I have no doubt he would have employed this spell in a bid to return normality to Equestria. Though I have doubts if it would have successfully worked.”

“Meaning?” Twilight asked.

“The Elements are incredibly complex artifacts. You may have struggled for a few minutes on your own to unlock them, but quickly released their power once your friends came to assist you.” A frow crossed Celestia’s face. “Luna and I spent months trying to get them to even fizzle, and that was only after an even longer period of time training with Starswirl.”

“And Starswirl?”

“The Elements had been in his possession for decades by the time Luna and I joined him without showing a single sign of resonance with him.” Celestia shook her head. “Starswirl may have never personally wielded the Elements, but his research into them had shown the power and danger a single pony harnessing them could do. Even in my own battle with Tirek, I only dared use them to augment my own magic and they still ended up as rocks for centuries.”

A chill ran down Twilight’s spine. “Are you sure I should be learning this then? What if something goes wrong? What if it…”

Twilight turned her head down. “What if I hurt my friends?”

“Twilight.” Celestia draped a wing across Twilight’s back. “I know that fear all too well. I’ve felt it in the past and I’ve felt it far more than I’ve wanted to recently. Yet is is my bond with my subjects, my sister, and you and my desire to protect you all that gives me the strength to defend those precious things. Do you understand?”

“I…” Twilight inhaled and nodded. “I do.”

~~~

Twilight spiraled around a molten beam a magic and slammed a hoof into Tirek’s torso. The air wavered around them and she could feel Tirek’s muscles pushing back against her. Tirek bared his fangs down at her and raised up an arm. With a blast that forced a bit of wind out of Tirek, Twilight teleported away just as he brought his fist down.

As soon as she reappeared, she took flight again. Tirek roared and sent out beam after beam at her. While she zipped through the air, magic collected around her horn and grew brighter until it resembled a miniature star.

Dodging one more blast, she aimed her horn and unleashed a torrent of pure white magic laced with neon streams of purple and pink. Tirek threw up his arms and took on the attack.

The blast shoved him backwards, but after losing a few yards of ground, he managed to wring the spell to his right. With a great yell, he pushed with all his might and redirected the spell so that it zoomed off into the air. Burns and smoke now ran up his hands. A smirk came to his face when he watched Twilight land across from him.

“Something wrong?” he huffed. “I’d be in pretty bad shape if I took another one of those.”

Twilight growled and launched herself at Tirek. Hooves clashed against arms. Twilight would get a good jab at Tirek’s face but he would soon return it with a punch that overtook Twilight’s whole body. Yet neither let up.

A massive hoof suddenly shot up from the ground and kicked Twilight away.

Tirek chucked as he retracted his hoof from the portal he’d summoned. Both of his arms were twitching and he gave them a rub. “Well, you’ve certainly put on a good show, but your finale feels a little lacking.”

His eyes gleamed looking over Twilight. She was still quite radiant, but it no longer stung to look at her. The auroral wings at her sides had diminished to the size of regular pegasus wings while the magic around her horn just clung to it rather than extended out past it.

With heavy breath, Twilight crouched down and charged up her horn again. Tirek bowed his head and stampeded at her. While the magic flowed into the tip of her horn, something at the back of her mind was seized with an intense cold. She gritted her teeth and pushed the feeling back and instead focused on the heat resonating from her spell.

Just as Tirek fell upon her, she launched her attack and hit him square in the chest. For a good few seconds, he loomed over her wreathed in the blaze of her magic. With a pained roar, he was launched off his hooves and sent flying. While his collapsed onto a nearby mound of rocks, Twilight went to her knees.

A chill raced over her back. While her eyes still crackled with magic, her irises and pupils were now visible through the thaumic haze. The latter shrank at the sight of her back now bare of its wings. A shiver ran through her and wouldn’t stop.

“Looking a little cold,” Tirek bellowed. “I suppose you’d have to be, using a magic that should be shared and keeping it all for yourself.”

With a grunt, he picked himself up off the ground. One of Twilight’s legs inched backwards but she steeled herself and began charging her next attack. What little aura remained around her body swirled up to her horn. Trike laughed again.

“You foal! You think abusing the Elements like this will do you any good?” He coughed and placed a hand to his chest. “Oh, you’ve hurt me quite a fair bit. I may even need to rest before I go and take care of your friends, but I’ll win this. So go ahead, hit me as hard as you want. It’ll make it so much more satisfying when I show you just how powerless you truly are!”

“No!” Twilight screamed.

The spell came out as a massive wave rather than a concentrated beam. It washed over Tirek and a vast swath of the landscape. When it finally died down, all that was left was a freshly exposed layer of smoking and molten rock.

Twilight stared at the destruction for a moment and then collapsed. Her wings were gone. Her aura was gone. Even keeping her eyes open was a struggle. The castle wasn’t too far away though. She just needed a small teleport spell and then she could rest.

A rough red hand seized her by the head and plucked her off the ground. Tirek spun her around and breathed hot rancid breath on her.

“See?” he sneered. “A little goading and a portal and here we are.”

He squeezed Twilight a little harder, eliciting a weakened cry.

“Hmmm.” Tirek scratched his chin with his free hand. “Odd to say but I’m both amused and disappointed. You really did throw everything you had at me, but in the end, all fall before Tirek. Shame you’re barely conscious.”

Tirek slashed at the air and opened another portal. “Let’s go check on your friends, shall we? I’m sure they’ll give me nice expressions when I tear you limb from limb in front of them!”

With a cackle that pounded in Twilight’s ears, Tirek stepped through his portal and emerged back at the castle. Looking left and right, he let out a snort.

“Bah,” he grumbled, “somepony must have moved them. Oh well, I can wait. Here, you can even have your precious Elements back.”

Tirek’s free hand glowed. The Elements shot up from across the battlefield and landed in a heap by a crumbling wall. Pulling Twilight back behind his head, he then flung her forward and onto the Elements. She let out a gasp when they dug into her sides.

“Alright!” Tirek roared, his voice echoing through what was left of the castle. “Element Bearers, I’m back and I’ve brought your leader with me! I’ve beaten her but you’ve still got a chance to say your last words and face the inevitable. You or whoever moved you around have got ten seconds. Otherwise, I lose my patience!”

“Ten!” Tirek stepped forward, hooves cracking the stone beneath him.

With each step, he counted down one more number until he was right above Twilight. He raised a hoof up and leveled it right above her head. His face barely contained the twisted grin he sported seeing Twilight blearily look up at him with a few tears streaming down her face.

“Two!” Tirek called out and waited a few seconds.

Below him, Twilight tried to lift a leg, light up her horn, or just move in some manner, but it was taking all her concentration just to see straight. This couldn’t be the end. She had to beat Tirek. Her friends needed her to.

“Girls,” she whimpered.

“What a shame.” Tirek hefted his shoulders. His hoof came crashing down. “So much for your friends! On—”

A jet black hoof smashed into Tirek’s head, staggering him. Before he could collect himself, a spiral of lightning zapped him in the side, sending him to the ground. Twilight felt hooves reach around her and snached her off the ground. For a brief moment, she was airborne and then was gently laid back down away from Tirek.

“Twilight!” Dash called out. “Come on, stay with me!”

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight coughed.

With the time to breath, Twilight managed to regain some feeling in her limbs. She could barely make out that Dash was staring down at her, but couldn’t fully read her expression. She hissed feeling her side burn when she tried taking a deeper breath.

“Don’t try and move too much!” Dash yelped.

“Let me look,” Pinkie said.

Twilight’s ears twitched. Something about Pinkie’s tone was far more gruff and subdued. The cold touch a hoof drew her thoughts back to her body. When the hoof skimmed her side, she seized up and groaned.

“Oh, please be careful,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“I’m trying,” Pinkie replied. “We need to know where she got hit the hardest.”

“You’re being too rough though,” Dash said. “When one of my animals gets hurt, I—”

“Twilight isn’t one of your pets!” Pinkie shot back. “Darn it. Fluttershy, you’re more used to dealing with ponies getting injured, can you lend a hoof?”

Some burst of magic arced over their head, unleashing a deluge of rain.

“Forget it,” Pinkie huffed. “Just help me get Twilight on my back before Rarity and Applejack get themselves killed.”

“N-no, wait.” Twilight’s head swam, but she tightened her jaw and forced her vision to focus. “You’re not making sense, Pinkie.”

Twilight’s heart caught in her throat. Pinkie stood above her with her mane hanging straight down. Rather than a smile, her lips were pulled in a straight line that only pulled a few degrees down at their ends. Were it not for her coloration, she could have passed for a statue.

What truly stole Twilight’s breath though were the three bright red apples adorning Pinkie’s flank.

“Twilight…” Pinkie scrunched her face and sighed. “You’re right. Fluttershy, baring Rarity, you’re the fastest, so you take Twilight. I’ll switch in with Applejack and the four of you get away.”

“Are you crazy?” Dash yelled. She glared at Pinkie, her ruby eyes gaining a slight glow to them. The trio of butterflies on her flanks seemed to writhe against her skin. “I’m not leaving anypony here with that monster!”

The weak toot of a kazoo drew everypony’s attention over to Fluttershy. Blushing, she fumbled with the instrument for a moment before sighing and letting it fall to the ground.

“Rainbow Dash, Diane, what if I make a distraction?” Fluttershy asked. “The party cannon… I mean, I never got it to work right, but if it could stall Tirek for a few seconds…”

“No way.” Pinkie said with a shake of her head. “You have just as much of a chance of blowing yourself up.”

“We have to do something!” Fluttershy cried, tears welling up around her eyes. “Otherwise w—”

Applejack came flying through the air. In a blur, Dash shot up and managed to catch her and set her down besides Twilight. She was still able to stand, but her knees looked like they could give out at any moment.

“Thanks, Rainbow,” she said with an eloquent tone. “I’m sorry, I got in over my head and thought I might be able to tie him up or something.”

“That solves one issue at least.” Pinkie summoned haki up her legs and gave them a flex. “Like every stone or apple tree, he’s got to have a weak point, and I’m gonna find it! Now get Twilight out of here!”

Pinkie launched herself toward Tirek. A sharp series of cracks and roars soon filled the air, accompanied by a sound that came off as a combination of a thunderclap and a trombone.

Twilight gasped feeling Dash’s hooves on her again. “Sorry, sorry! Just a second more!”

Fluttershy’s knees bent slightly when Dash laid Twilight onto her, but she managed to stay balanced. From her new position, Twilight was able to see Rarity and Pinkie scurrying around Tirek. A bizarre collection of clouds in geometric shapes floated besides Rarity and launched out various combinations of ice, lightning, and rain.

Pinkie just had her hooves. Even from afar, it was easy to make out her blackened legs pressing deep into Tirek with each blow. Tirek swatted and roared at both of them, but his attacks were either blocked or dodged. Twilight could see Rarity was already sweating heavily.

“No,” she moaned, glancing over at the Elements. A bit of color had returned to their gems but none of them matched. “I… I need to fix this.”

“Twilight, it’ll be okay.” Dash drew up close to her. “Diane and Rarity are some of the strongest ponies I know. They… they’ll meet up with us again. We’re not gonna let Tirek win.”

“No,” Twilight repeated with a bit more strength in her voice. “Rainbow Dash, you and Applejack… well, I mean, all of you are strong ponies, but you and Applejack are the toughest ones.”

“Oh no.” Fluttershy paled. “She might have a concussion. We need to get her to a doctor fast!”

Fluttershy began walking. Twilight’s eyes went wide and she rocked as hard as she could. Before anypony could stop her, she rolled off of Fluttershy. A harsh cry escaped her when she flopped onto the ground.

All three of the girls with her rushed over. Gasping for air, Twilight looked at them, feeling like she was sinking while their concerned faces stared down at her. A few tears dripped down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “If I hadn’t used that spell, none of this…”

Just as Twilight started to sob, Dash put a hoof on her, followed by Applejack and Fluttershy.

“Twilight, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Applejack. “What I do know is that you fought as hard as you could today, but everypony needs to know when to fold them.”

“This isn’t right,” Twilight moaned. “I have to fix what I’ve done to you. The Elements… the Elements have to have a solution.”

“Darn it, Twilight!” Dash reached down and hefted Twilight up. The pain blurred Twilight’s vision for a moment before she was faced with Dash staring straight at her, the intensity in her eyes stealing away her words. “If you keep acting like this, I’m gonna have to give you some tough love!”

“That’s not you, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight cried. “I mean it is, but… you’re kind, and so is everypony else, but loyalty is where you truly shine.”

“Okay, you’re seriously out of it.”

“Please just listen!” The air swirled around Twilight a little. She sighed and managed to find the ground with her hooves. Dash still kept a tight grip on her though. “All of you, I’ve done something terrible. I thought I could take Tirek on alone, but I didn’t think of the consequences, now it’s switched all of you, changed your cutie marks— your destinies.”

“Twilight, I really think you need to lie down,” said Applejack. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Please, Applejack.” Twilight glanced down at the three diamonds studding Applejack’s flank. “Your talent isn’t finding gems or making dresses, you belong at Sweet Apple Acres with your family.”

“What are you…” Applejack twitched and clasped her head. “N-no, Diane works there with Big M… No, that doesn’t sense.”

Twilight turned to face Dash. “And Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy is the one with a kind touch, especially for animals.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve loved animals ever since the day I fell down to the ground at a race in…” Like Applejack, Dash reached up to her head. “I saw all the animals, right? That’s how it happened?”

“But I thought I got my cutie mark for celebrating your rainboom.” Fluttershy clutched her stomach. “Oh, I don’t feel so well.”

“Girls.” Twilight sniffled. “I’m so sorry. I can recheck the Elements. Re-do the spell. There has to be something!”

A small chuckle broke Twilight out of her muttering. She looked to Applejack. Despite still clasping her head, a tiny smile shone on her face. “Of course there’s something, Twilight. This whole thing is making my head spin, but you’re not the kind of pony that gets into a problem and stays stuck there. At least I think you are.”

“Yeah,” Dash managed to grunt. A wave of snow blew over them. Shaking it off, she glanced back at the fight to see that small drifts of snow now surrounded Tirek. “But we should really figure out whatever you did somewhere sa—”

Dash shuddered and shut her eyes. With a shake she glared back at Tirek. “No, I should fight too. I’m… I’m the best flyer in Equestria… right?”

Twilight stared at Dash for a second. Two sparks went off within her irises like fireworks. From her horn to her tail, a warmth grew within her. Strength returned to her legs and she managed to stand tall once more.

“Girls, you mean more to me than anything else.” She wiped a few tears from her face. “I thought what I was doing was the right thing before, but we’re in this together.”

“Now you’re sounding a bit more normal,” said Applejack.

A nearby rattling drew their attention. Three of the Elements flew out of the pile Twilight had landed on and clasped themselves onto Fluttershy, Applejack, and Dash.

“C’mon girls,” Twilight said, “we’ve got a fight to finish.”

Nearby, Tirek raised his fists up high and smashed them into the ground. Fissures erupted out of the newly formed crater, forcing Rarity and Pinkie to jump through the air and over the fresh chasms. Tirek flexed his arm back and smacked Pinkie while she was still airborne but the attack was met with blocked hooves and only made Pinkie grunt before knocking her a few feet away.

Tirek’s other arm smacked Rarity. He hissed feeling a jolt of electricity run up his arm, but managed to smirk when Rarity was sent flying. His expression quickly devolved into a snarl when a purple aura enclosed Rarity and arrested her back to the ground.

All six of the girls now stood around Tirek with their hooves planted solidly on the ground. The display got a small chuckle out of him.

“Okay, this is more like it,” he mused. “You’ve staved off the inevitable, you’ve annoyed me, and you’ve even managed to deal some lasting damage. But look at you now. You’re all more broken than anything I could ever do. All because of your own friend. Even Discord would blush at how much you’ve messed things up!”

Twilight lowered her head while Tirek cackled loud enough to shake the rubble around them.

“You’re right,” she sighed. “I did mess up.”

Tirek’s hair stood up and he stopped laughing. Twilight raised her head up, revealing six pointed stars glowing in her pupils.

“I fell back to just relying on magic in a moment of weakness.” A glow flowed out of Twilight’s horn and down her body. “That’s not the pony I’m meant to be though.”

Twilight looked over the other girls. The magic around her wavered before she sharpened her gaze and turned back to Tirek. The remaining Elements flew up into the air and clasped onto Rarity and Pinkie. All five of the girls now felt a warmth building up inside them even while a small amount of pain pressed against their flanks.

“I only managed to get this far because I had friends that cared and supported me,” Twilight continued while her magic branched and started washing over her friends. “We’ve been through so much together and we’re going to finish this fight together too!”

“Stop it!” Tirek roared. He threw out his hand and sent a blast at the group, but it disintegrated against a field of magic. “No. No! You’re just ponies! You are nothing to me!”

“You messed with the wrong ponies then!” Applejack said.

“Yeah!” Dash added.

“We’re more than just ponies!” said Rarity.

A smile returned to Pinkie’s lips and the tips of her mane poofed back up. “Yeah, we’re like super magic friend ponies…” She shivered a little before her expression neutralized again. “Huh, where did that come from?”

“From who you really are,” Twilight said. By now, her magic had surrounded the whole group and was lifting them up into the air. Twilight smiled at all of her friends. “From who you’re meant to be…”

A volley of blasts from Tirek fell upon them. A cloud of smoke when went up and Tirek went to his knees drenched in sweat and gasping for air. His pupils shrank when a glow pierced through the smoke and debris, revealing Twilight and her friends shining even brighter now. All of their cutie marks were aglow as were their Elements.

A bright flash went off and for a moment, everypony’s cutie marks save for Twilight’s zoomed through the air. With a gasp, all five of the girls felt their marks reattach themselves.

Tirek clenched his fists hard enough that his nails cut deep into his palms. Throwing his head up, he lit up his horns. A sphere of magic amassed in their center, yet as it did, Tirek’s body wilted lower to the ground. His muscles withered away and his flesh sagged. Even his horns shrunk down until only nubbs remained. His spell still grew above him though, tightly compacted and glowing a hellish hue.

“Y-you won’t win,” he hacked. “I—”

The rattle of chains made him freeze. Attached to his left foreleg was a massive cuff of white energy that held a faint purple outline. He quivered when another chain materialized and latched onto his other foreleg.

Above him, Twilight stared at her friends. All of them gave her smiles that stretched from ear to ear. A few tears dotted her cheeks. “Thank you, my friends!”

“No!” Tirek cried. With the last of his strength he sent his spell at the group.

Just as he did, a massive sphere of light exploded out of them. Rather than a prismatic blast, the magic came out as a radiant white with various other colors swirling around it with violet and magenta being the most prominent.

Tirek screamed while more chains bound his legs and twisted his arms behind his back. They tugged at him and pulled him down. A familiar darkness filled the corners of his vision.

With one last grunt, he leaned forward while the vision of an alicorn loomed over him. “This isn’t the end! I’ll be back! You will pay, Equestria! You will pa—”

~~~

Rarity groaned feeling the cold hard ground beneath her. She swore she’d collapse onto an actual bed as soon on she could. Her head swam with both memories that stretched back to when she’d obtained her cutie mark and the storm of recent events. With a gasp, she jumped up only for her knees to give.

Luckily, she fell onto Applejack’s side rather than the hard floor. “Easy there, girl.”

Straightening herself, Rarity bowed her head to Applejack. “Thank you, dear. I must say, for what we’ve just been through, you’re looking far better than you should.”

Applejack glanced down and noticed that while she was still covered from her hooves to her head in scratches and bruises, none of them appeared too severe. In a similar manner, Rarity was still scraped up and her mane and coat a mess, but even the claw marks on her side were little more than scabs now.

The two of them turned to the left and right to see everypony else in various states of waking up and looking no worse for wear. Their hearts caught in the throats a little when they failed to spot Twilight, but they quickly relaxed when they saw she was just a few paces away from everypony else, albeit still completely knocked out.

Fluttershy managed to raise up her head and take in the scene. A few goosebumps ran up her legs. “Is… is it over?”

“I think,” Dash muttered while she picked herself up. Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths. “I’m not feeling anything.”

“Me neither,” Pinkie said in a low voice while remaining on the ground with her eyes shut. “Well, I am feeling super tired. I think I’ll save victory coffee for later.”

“Call that a first,” Dash chuckled and flexed her wings. “Shame, I may be a little sore, but I could go for a party right about now.”

“We should probably make sure everypony else is okay first,” said Applejack. “This whole mess sure caused a whole bunch of damage.”

Fluttershy shuddered a little. “And Princess Celestia and Luna may still be fighting. Oh no, they said Blackbeard was such a strong person, what if they can’t beat him?”

“Luna and Celestia together?” Dash smirked. “I think they’ve got it. If not, that jerk’s gonna still have us to deal with!”

Dash smashed her front hooves together. Her energy spread to the other girls and they all smiled at her save for Fluttershy. For some reason, an icy grip held onto something at the back of her mind.

“It looks like Twilight might be out for a bit,” said Applejack before moving over to her. “I’m still not entirely sure what happened in that last bit of the fight, but it must have tu— holy apple fritters!”

Applejack’s sharp cry drew all her friends over to her and Twilight. Everypony’s jaws dropped. Rarity and Fluttershy looked about ready to faint. While still displaying a shocked expression, Pinkie slowly raised up a camera and snapped a picture.

A few light snores escaped from Twilight’s mouth. Were it not for the setting, she’d look right at place under some covers. Neither scrapes nor bruises marred her body. Even her mane looked like she’d just brushed it.

Not a single feather on the wings covering her back was out of place.

“No way…” Dash shot a hoof and gently pressed it against one of the wings. Its lavender feathers glided back and forth under her hoof with each breath Twilight took, giving Dash a bit of a tickle. “You’re all seeing this, right?”

“That’s what the photo’s for,” Pinkie chirped and leveled the polaroid in front of her. Squinting, she looked back and forth between Twilight and the picture. “Yep, definitely gonna need some rest before the victory-slash-sweet-Celestia-Twilight-you’re-an-alicorn-now party. Good night!”

With that, Pinkie collapsed to the ground and onto a pillow that was somehow already there.

“I think I may be joining Pinkie.” Rarity brought a hoof to her brow. “This is all a bit too much to handle on top of everything else today.”

“Don’t you go fainting on us too now, Rarity,” said Applejack. “We’ll have enough of a hurdle carrying Twilight and Pinkie.”

“Yes, yes of course.” Rarity lowered her hoof to her chest and took some breathes. “We should all probably get some first aid too.” She glanced over at Fluttershy. “Dear, how is your leg doing?”

Fluttershy glanced back and saw that a large patch of her hindleg was still bruised and swollen. Standing as she was, a faint jab of pain ran up it, but was nothing compared to the searing fire it had been earlier. “It’s not too bad for now. We should get it checked out though, I’m worried it might be fra—”

The chill at the back of her mind took hold of her entire body.

“Fluttershy?” Dash got close to her and placed a hoof over her back. She could feel her shuddering. “Fluttershy! Breathe! Is something hurting? Just tell us!”

“Ace!” Fluttershy cried out. “We have to get back to Ace!”

Goodbye

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Applejack, Rarity, and Dash whizzed down the halls. Fluttershy pressed herself against Rarity’s back. Guards emerging out of the wreckage watched them pass and a few called out, but the girls kept up their pace. Most of the guards stared for a moment, but quickly returned to sifting through what was left of the castle.

Some were left staring off into the distance for a few seconds before they regained their senses. Perhaps it was the light hitting their eyes or the shock at seeing the castle in such a state, but for the briefest of moments when the girls passed by, it looked like Twilight Sparkle was slumped over the Element of Loyalty’s back with wings of her own.

Speeding through the shattered windows and the loosened stones of the hall, the girls raced into Luffy’s room.

Ace was slumped over the bed. One of his legs was hooked around a bedpost. A sizeable patch of the covers under his face was stained a deep red. His half-shut eyes glanced up at the girls.

Fluttershy launched off of Dash’s back and flew over to him. “ Oh no, no, no! Ace! Mr. Ace!”

A guttural moan escaped Ace’s mouth. His voice came out as a faint murmur. “You’re loud.”

“We need to get you to a doctor!” Fluttershy reached out to lift him up. “We ha—”

“No!” Ace shouted. Fluttershy jumped back from the flames that surged of of Ace.

As fast as they had appeared, the flames sputtered. Ace hacked into the bed staining it further.

“M-mr. Ace,” Fluttershy sniffled.

“Go,” Ace croaked. “Just leave me with Luffy.”

“What the hay are you talking about?” Applejack stomped towards the bed. “Luffy will be fine, you’re the one that needs help!”

“You…” Ace paused and wheezed. “I’m not doing well. Luffy… Luffy still needs to wake up though.”

“He will.” Rarity stepped forward. “What will he think if he sees you like this though?”

Rarity clenched her jaw and managed to summon a spark of magic to her horn. Ace bared his teeth at her and sent up a few flames across his body. Her magic washed over the flickering flames and enveloped Ace. Rarity’s breathing quickened.

“Oh… oh no,” Rarity choked out. “You… you need a doctor. You’re…”

“Messed up pretty badly, I know.” Ace croaked. “Damn it.”

A round of claps sounded from a nearby window.

“Bravo, bravo, Fire First. Even in your last moments you truly provide top entertainment.”

A pony rested atop some of the outer wall’s broken stones. A thick coat of pink feathers was draped over his back, concealing both his cutie mark and whether he was an Earth Pony or a pegasus. His curved shades traced over the scene.

The pony jumped off his perch and fluttered to the ground. The girls all tensed up, widening the pony’s grin.

“Oh, you ponies have also been quite a treat to watch,” he snickered. “I can’t imagine what one of my employees would give to hear all about this. But enough about me, let’s talk about you, Portgas D. Ace.”

The pony raised up a leg and flexed his hoof. Ace seized up and screamed at the top of his lungs before crumpling to the ground. Dash slipped Twilight off her back and exploded off the ground toward the menacing pony.

The pony bent his hoof back. Something knocked the air out Dash and strung her up in the middle on the air. With a snort, she tugged at her constraints, but remained splayed a few feet above the ground.

“Fuffuffuffu.” The pony drew close to Dash and flicked her nose. Applejack flung herself at him and sent a hoof toward his head, but was stopped just like Dash. The pony turned his head up towards Rarity and Fluttershy, his smile sending a chill down their spines. “Don’t get ahead of yourselves, little ponies. Just sit tight and let the humans talk.”

The pony strolled forward like he owned the place. Rarity shivered as he passed by.

Fluttershy spun away from Ace. Crouching down, she flared out her wings. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes, which shimmered with a vibrant glow. The pony stopped inches away from her and leered.

“Stop!” Fluttershy yelled. Her mane whipped around as did the menacing pony’s. “I won’t let you hurt Mr. Ace anymore!”

The pony snickered again and pressed his face up to Fluttershy’s. A few sparks of black lightning rimmed with crimson arced between the two of them.

“My my, today really is full of surprises,” the pony mused. “I guess I wasn’t clear enough. You’re way out of your league.”

All four of the girls gasped and went to the knees. A narrow indent marked their neck. They tried to pull whatever it was off, but the invisible substance wouldn’t budge.

“Stop!”

A jet of flame shot up and smashed against a lattice of white lines in front of the menacing pony’s face. Across from him, Ace stood tall with one hoof aflame and smaller fires raging across his body.

“Let them go, Doflamingo!” Ace roared.

“Of course.”

With a bend of Doflamingo’s hoof, everypony gasped for air. Dash and Applejack’s relief was short lived before they crashed to the ground. Getting back on their hooves, they threw glares at Doflamingo, making him chuckle. Dash lifted a hoof of the ground, but it met resistance. Shuddering, she lowered her leg.

“See?” Doflamingo chuckled. “When you listen, things go so much smoother.”

“What did you do?” Ace pressed a hoof up against his chest. His stomach roiled feeling something wrapped around his insides.

“Why, I’ve given you time.” Doflamingo shook his head in a dismissive manner. “Look, the war was just business, but personally, I admire a man that can bring such chaos to the world. It’s been fun watching everyone risk everything to keep you alive, too. Unfortunately, business calls again.”

Doflamingo flicked a hoof. The air now glistened in spots around Ace. Something wrapped around his legs and neck.

“Then why bother stitching me up or whatever you did?”

Doflamingo hefted his shoulders and cackled. The pressure on Ace vanished. “Because, I thought it’d be fun to make a deal with you. You’ve got nothing to lose at this point and I’ve got a bit to gain.”

“What is it you want?” Ace snorted.

Doflamingo tilted his head. No light caught on his shades now, turning them into endless voids. “The Flame Flame Fruit.”

“Like hell!”

Doflamingo cracked his neck. Ace clutched his chest and collapsed to the floor.

“Ah, ah, ah, no need to yell,” said Doflamingo. “I’m in no particular rush and you’ve got at best a few minutes left without my help. Either way, I’ll get the fruit. This way is just a lot less of a hassle. Plus, I’ll even sweeten the deal.”

A syringe filled with a blue viscous liquid floated out of Doflamingo’s coat and twirled in front of Ace.

“Agree to the deal and I’ll give you this. It’ll wake Straw Hat up for a few minutes.”

“Like I’d believe a word you say,” Ace spat.

“Please,” Doflamingo chuckled. “What would I gain in lying to you that I won’t gain in being honest? Killing Straw Hat would just be a headache with no benefits. You, on the other hand, have had you head on the chopping block for a while. Admit it, I’m offering you more than you could have hoped for with the Government.”

Ace stared at the syringe. When he glanced over at the bed, Doflamingo's grin widened.

“How long would I have to think about this?” Ace asked.

“Don’t be stup—” Something pulled Dash’s mouth shut.

“However long you want,” answered Doflamingo. “I’m not in a particular rush, so feel free to think about your last words before waking Straw Hat up. Just give him a nice jab in the neck when you’re ready.”

“We…” Rarity stepped towards Doflamingo but kept her head low. “We could get him to a hospital in time.”

“That’d be breaking the rules,” Doflamingo hummed. “Speaking of which…”

Raising a hoof over his head, Doflamingo shot out a thick tangle of strings. They flew up and then arced down to the ground, enclosing the room in a cage of white veins.

“Don’t want anypony intruding on your final moments with your brother.”

The entire room rumbled. The cage inched in closer, slicing through the floor like butter.

“Just a little warning, you really don’t want to touch the strings.” Doflamingo tilted his head back. “So, Ace, what will it be?”

Ace inhaled deeply, reached out and took hold of the syregine. It stayed firmly planted in his hoof. The bond sent a shiver up his arm.

“Ace, no,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Fuffuffuffu, it’s been fun, Portgas D. Ace.” Doflamingo strutted over to the edge of his cage and leaned against it. “Enjoy these last moments of life! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do!”

Doflamingo’s howling face split into three slices. His body slipped through the cage and exploded into strings. His laugh echoed in everypony’s head.

With a snort, Dash galloped over towards Ace. She halted when Fluttershy took hold of him. The full brunt of the Stare pierced Ace.

“What are you thinking?” she yelled. “I don’t care who that flamingo pony thinks he is! He doesn’t get the right to say when you live and when you d…”

Fluttershy’s words trailed off and tears tumbled down her face.

“You can’t do this!” she cried. “You can’t!”

Rarity came to Fluttershy’s side and offered her her shoulder. Fluttershy collapsed onto her and sobbed. Rarity reached around and stroked Fluttershy’s back while raising her eyes to Ace.

“Well, you’ve really done it now, Mr. Ace,” she huffed. “When this is all over, I’m going to make sure you pay Fluttershy back for every tear you’ve just made her shed. Honestly, accepting your death just because some gaudy pony tells you to. I don’t even know why I was worrying about your injuries seeing how stubborn you still are.”

Ace furrowed his brow at her. “Why worry? Nopony will miss me here and my crew already thinks I’m dead…” His face softened and he looked over to the bed. “The least I can do is say goodbye to Luffy.”

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Rarity’s face. “N-now, Mr. Ace, that Doflamingo fellow or whatever his name is was quite intimidating, but with how you are now, I’m sure we can get you to a doctor in time. This… this cage thing is nothing some magic can’t handle.”

“Even if we could get out of here, I’d be dead before we took one step.” Ace brought a hoof to his torso. “I can feel it. The only thing keeping me going is whatever he did. As soon as that gives…”

Applejack raked a hoof against the ground. “No. No, there has to be something we can do.”

Ace sighed and took a seat at the base of the bed. “It’s none of your concern. The life on the seas is one that can end in a flash. Pirates that don’t heed that advice are often the first ones to wind up dead anyway.”

Dash reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders. “So you’re just gonna sit down and accept it?”

“What else can I do?” Ace shot back. He snorted and lowered his head to avoid looking at Dash. “Sure I’d like to see my crew again, but they’ll carry on. Even without Pops, they’re strong. And Luffy…”

Ace gazed up at the bed. “Forget it, I’ll save that for when I’m ready.”

“What’s stopping you now, you jerk?” Dash asked, voice cracking with each word.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity and Applejack shouted.

“Shut up!” Dash screamed back. Glaring down at the floor, she took a step back and spread her wings. “Gah! Just forget it!”

With a jump, she flipped over to the other side of the bed and crouched behind it. Ace crossed his legs over his chest and tucked his head.

“Sorry,” he said after a moment. “This is my problem, I didn’t mean to drag you into it.”

A white hoof whacked Ace across the face.

Ace rubbed his cheek. “I probably had that coming.”

“You most certainly did,” Rarity sniffled. “Do you really think Rainbow Dash is mad and Fluttershy is bawling her eyes out just because we have to watch?”

“I imagine it is pretty upsetting,” Ace quipped.

“Keep talking like that and I promise a slap from Rarity will be the least of your problems.” Applejack stomped a hoof. “For Celestia’s sake, how can you be so calm? This is your life we’re talking about!”

“My life was never anything too special,” Ace sighed. “I got more than I deserved.”

“How…” Rarity couldn’t hold back her own tears anymore. “How can you say that?”

Ace flexed a leg and watched a few veins press up against his skin. “I heard the greatest threat to this island was called Discord.”

“What in tarnation does that have to do with anything?” asked Applejack.

“What would you do with his son?” Ace replied.

“We just finished kicking his butt!” Dash snorted from the other side of the bed. “We should be having a big party right now. What’s it to you?”

A hollow laugh rose up from Ace’s chest. “And there you go. I’m no better than that demon.”

“Tirek must’ve smacked you pretty hard in the head.” Applejack tightened her jaw. “Ya ain’t making any sense. What do he and Discord have to do with you at all?”

“My father…” Ace snarled. The covers at his back smoked and blackened. “My real father was just as bad. He was the devil.”

Fluttershy managed to raise her head up. Behind her tangled mane and beneath her swollen eyes, her mouth managed to form something other than a wail. “That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

Fluttershy devolved back into sniffling and slumped to the ground. Applejack gave her a pat on the back while Rarity stayed at her side.

“She’s right, you know,” said Applejack. “Forget whatever you’re thinking about Discord, Tirek, and your Pa. They’re not you.”

Ace let out a dry chuckle. “That’s not how most people see it.”

“Well forget most people then!” Applejack shouted. She stomped her hooves hard enough to send cracks through the floor. “What about your crew? What about your brother? They ever give a flying feather about any of that!?”

Rarity drew in her breath and inched back. Flared nostrils and gritted teeth framed Applejack’s face. Her trembling hooves looked ready to fall upon Ace.

“They didn’t.”

Ace slumped further down against the bed.

“No matter how long I lived, I could never repay them,” he sighed. “But look at where it’s gotten them. Gotten you.”

“You stupid colt! They didn’t care!”

Applejack threw up one of her legs and pulled it back. Rarity winced and looked away. In one swift movement, Applejack tugged her hat down and let her hoof flop back to the ground. She leaned to the side.

“They loved you,” she sniffled.

Ace seized up. Two hooves rushed up and covered his face. One sob soon multiplied until they racked his body.

“I know!” he cried. “I know!”

“Hey!” a voice called out.

Everypony’s head spun around. Through the remains of the hallway, Spike was running toward the group.

“Spike!” Fluttershy sucked in her breath. “Stop!”

A burst of pressure exploded out of Fluttershy. When it washed over Spike, he froze inches away from the cage. Shivering, he raised up his claws and blew a bit of fire onto them.

“W-what’s going o-on?” he stuttered. “Why’s it s-so cold? W-why’s everypony crying? And what’s t-this cage thing?”

“Don’t touch it!” Rarity ordered. Whipping her face, she let her mane fall in front of her muzzle. “Spike, now’s not a good time.”

“What are you talking about?” Spike asked, bringing himself right up to the edge of the cage. “I thought the fighting was over. At least that’s what Cadence thought. I can send her a message and warn her if i— Twilight!?”

Spike’ jaw dropped seeing Twilight lying on the ground with her wings draped across the floor. He pointed a shaking claw down at one of them.

“Okay, that first.”

“We don’t really know either,” Applejack answered. “When we got up after the fight, Twilight was just like that.”

“That’s… good?” Spike scratched at his head. “I mean you won, right? But you’re all crying. And where’s Rainbow Dash?”

A blue hoof wobbled up from behind the bed. “Here.”

“Well, alright then.” Spike flashed everypony a small smile. “Then why do you look like somepony’s dying?”

Applejack and Rarity reeled back. Fluttershy’s sobs swelled.

Spike’s smile cracked. “W-what? What’s wrong?”

“Spike.” Ace lumbered back to his hooves marched over to the edge of the cage. A weight dropped in Spike’s gut looking up at him. “Where are the others?”

“C-cadance gave them first aid when we all popped up by her in the Crystal Caves. She’s probably taken them and the rest of the ponies that got hurt to the hospital now that it’s safe,” Spike answered and glanced over at the girls. “But some guards saw you all running this way and I had to make sure everypony was safe.”

“That’s good to hear.” Ace smiled down at Spike. “Twilight’s lucky to have a companion like you. You should go to the hospital now though. Blackbeard roughed you up a bit too.”

“Not…” Spike stomped his foot and balled his claws. “Not until you tell me why everypony is upset!”

“Spike,” Rarity sniffled. Fresh tears bubbled up when she made her way over to the cage’s edge. A raised hoof from Ace made her stop half-way.

“I’ve made some bad choices, Spike,” Ace sighed, sounding tired beyond his years. “I’m sorry, you probably wanted to hear some more pirate stories, but I have to go.”

The lump in Spike’s gut ballooned. “G-go? Go where?”

Ace turned his head toward Rarity. “Hey, do you know any of the spells the Princess used to knock me out?”

Rarity slowly nodded her head.

“Hit him with one.”

“What?” Spike yelled.

His claws flew out and clasped onto the cage. He yelped and tumbled to the ground with two fresh cuts on his palms. Writhing on the floor, he kept one eye trained on Rarity. The tip of her horn was already aglow.

“Don’t do it, Rarity!” he yelled. “You’re all acting crazy!”

He gritted his teeth and pushed off the ground.

“Is it this cage thing?” he cried. “Is that’s what making you act this way?”

Spike puffed up his chest and sent out a burst of green flames. They raced over the cage and ignited bits of the carpet. The jet of fire coming from Spike’s mouth quickly whittled down to a tiny tongue of flame. The flame gave out and Spike collapsed to the floor gasping for air.

He glared at the shimmering cage and sucked in his breath again. By now, Rarity’s horn was glowing very bright.

“Wait,” Ace called out.

He raised a hoof. Rarity’s horn dimmed while Spike exhaled normally.

“Just tell me what’s going on,” Spike sniffled. “Why do you have to go?”

“I never belonged here,” Ace answered. “You’re a smart dragon, you knew I had a crew to get back to. At least, that’s what I’d like to say. It’s kinda funny, when I first joined Pop’s crew, I acted like the brat I’ve been here. You all still put up with me though.”

Ace placed a hoof to his chest glanced to his side. “It was short, Spike, but it was nice meeting you and your friends. Goodbye.”

Rarity’s spell zoomed past the cage’s strings and crashed into Spike. His body went limp and he crashed to the ground. Rarity also went to her knees. With a forlorn look, Ace walked over and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

Ace backed away, leaving Rarity to sniffle.

The scent of smoke and blood mixed in with the air, yet all Ace could smell was the salty spray of the sea. The distant listing of a ship echoed in his ears. He smiled.

“I think I’ve got my answer.” He walked back over to the bed, each step echoing through the room. “There’s only one thing left.”

Reaching down, he tried to grab at the syringe with his hooves, but was unable to grasp it. He drew in his breath when Applejack easily lifted it up and placed it beside Luffy’s head.

“Please…” she said. “Don’t do this. Not after all your brother’s done for ya.”

“What would you do in my place?” he asked. “Most people never get a chance like this.”

The top of Applejack’s head disappeared under her hat. Steeling her legs, she angled the syringe closer to Luffy’s neck.

“Hurry,” she choked. “I can’t hold this much longer.”

Ace guided the syringe forward and pushed down.

It was quiet for a moment before Luffy gave a snort. His eyes flared open and he shot up. Wiping his head around, he froze at the sight of Ace by his bed. His smile spread outwards and consumed half his face.

“Ace!” he cried while wrapping his hooves around him. He suddenly pulled back but kept hugging Ace, causing his limbs to elongate. “Wait, I’ve never seen Ace as a pony. You just smell like him.”

“It’s me, Luffy.” Ace reached out returned the hug while Luffy strengthened his. Ace felt his chest grow damp.

“Ace! I’m so happy! When I passed out, I thought…” Luffy gave his head a shake and snickered. “Shishishi, that was a pretty close call, eh?”

Luffy’s head spun around like an owl’s and he grinned at everypony. “Hey, you guys helped out a bunch too! I owe yo—”

“Luffy!” Ace shouted.

Luffy’s head snapped back. Ace glared down at him.

“You idiot,” Ace growled. “I ought to beat you black and blue for all the reckless crap you’ve pulled.”

“I…” Luffy glanced down. “I just thought…”

“You didn’t think! What would your friends say if you’d died saving me?”

Ace broke away from Luffy and hefted his shoulders.

“Ace,” Luffy muttered.

“Sorry,” Ace sighed. “That’s neither here nor there.”

Reaching out his hooves, Ace took hold of Luffy again. “Luffy, I need you to listen carefully. I don’t know how long you’ve got to stay awake.”

Luffy nodded. “Sure.”

“First, next time you see Dadan, give her my regards.” Ace let out a small chuckle. “Heh, this is even making me nostalgic for Dadan.”

“Ace…” Luffy’s smile shook a little. “You can tell Dadan on your own, you know I hate bandits.”

Ace lowered his gaze to the bed. “You know, if I hadn’t had a little brother to take care off, I’d have given up after Sabo…”

Luffy’s ears pressed down against his head. Ace hugged Luffy and held him tight.

“But I had you,” he continued. “Then I had my crew as well. I’d thought nobody wanted me, that it couldn’t be helped.”

Luffy felt something drip onto his shoulder.

“I know that’s not the case anymore,” Ace said, voice shrinking to a whisper. “That just leaves one thing I’ve left undone. I’m sorry, Luffy, I wasn’t able to see your dream through to the end.”

Luffy jerked backwards, causing a bit of blood to trail off his shoulder and onto the bed. Ace smiled at him despite the steady stream of red running down his face.

“A-ace!” Luffy screamed. “You’re hurt!”

He spun around and glared at the girls. “Help him! Use magic or something!”

“They’ve done enough.”

Luffy froze and slowly turned to Ace again.

“Ace, no.” Luffy banged a hoof against Ace’s chest. “No, no, no!”

“Luffy, listen.”

Luffy seized up and stared straight into Ace’s eyes. Ace raised a hoof and stroked Luffy’s mane.

“I know you can do it,” he coughed. “I’m sorry, but if you ever meet my crew again, please give them this message. It’s… it’s for you too.”

Ace pulled Luffy as close as he could. Tears spilled down his cheeks. “Thank you for loving me!”

Ace’s wail echoed across the room. A bit more blood spurted from his mouth and he slumped onto Luffy.

Fluttershy felt herself falling. Just as her consciousness gave out, she spied a small yet solid smile on Ace’s lips. Such a tiny thing, but it glowed as bright as gold.

“Please,” Ace called out to the girls, “take care of Luffy.”

Ace slipped from Luffy’s shoulder and thudded onto the bed.

“Ace?” Luffy asked, his voice the only sound in the room.

“Ace!”

What Can We Do?

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The scent of linen and alcohol swirled around Rarity. Ponies and gurneys wooshed past her every couple of minutes. She sank back into her seat. Her eyelids drooped.

A spout of steam thick with the smell of hazelnuts and cream wafted up her nose. Snapping her eyes open, Rarity stared down at at a cup sticking out of a cardboard tray. She glanced away from the coffee and over to the amber-grey pony holding the tray in her mouth.

“Oh, Coco, you really didn’t have to,” Rarity said.

Coco put the tray down on the small table beside Rarity’s seat. “It’s the least I could do. I’m sorry, I didn’t have enough on me for your friends.”

“That’s quite alright, dear.” Rarity smiled and lifted the cup out of the tray. She took a big gulp, letting out a small shudder. With a contented sigh, she looked to Coco again.

“Suri truly found a gem with you,” she said.

Coco blushed deeply. “I’m not really all that good. Suri says I’ve got at least three more years till I can even think about doing full designs.”

“My dear, knowing how to please a customer is just as vital a skill as any design technique.” Rarity watched the foam near the top of the cup swirl around. “So is proper financial management. Are you sure you can handle the return trip and Suri being out of Manehattan for so long?”

“Well…” Coco tucked her chin. “You’re always tight on bits in Manehattan when you’re at my level, even when your boss makes it big.”

The last note in Coco’s voice curdled the coffee in Rarity’s throat. “I see. Well, I could always use an assistant while Suri recovers.”

Coco’s eyes widened. “Oh no, Ms. Rarity! I couldn’t possibly accept that after all you’ve done for Suri!”

Yes, I have done quite a bit to her, haven’t I? Rarity shook her head. “It’s just an option, Coco. I only brought it up since I’m thinking of taking a small break from designing to focus on gem collection and an extra set of hooves could help around the Boutique.”

“Really? But everypony loves your designs,” Coco gasped. “There’s not a designer in Manehattan that doesn’t want the secrets to your weaving techniques alone!”

A chill raced up Rarity’s spine while Coco glanced over at the door near their seats. When Coco turned back, she paled seeing Rarity’s own ghostly complexion.

“Oh no, Ms. Rarity, is something wrong?” she asked.

“No,” Rarity whispered. The pair of shades and that thing’s grin snickered at her. She envisioned blood flowing down white strings. She inhaled deeply and the visions crept to the back of her mind. With a sigh, she sunk into her seat. “It’s nothing. I just don’t do well with adjusting my sleep schedule like this.”

Coco gazed at the window down the hall. The edge of the sun climbed over the horizon, coloring the sky with an array of soft blues and deep purples. A few of dawn’s rays struck the jagged shadow of Canterlot Castle. From the hospital, the thick swarm of pegasi zipping around it appeared like a murder of crows.

Coco turned away from the scene outside and looked to one of the clocks that lined the hall. The hour hand jutted straight to the left. She gulped.

“I don’t think anypony does.”

~~~

A steady beeping rang from the monitor beside Luffy. A deep shadow hung over his eyes and sharpened his features. His sleep was punctuated by wheezy breaths that hissed through his teeth.

Pinkie’s head flopped forward. She jolted back.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at her. “I can handle the rest of the watch on my own.”

“Nuh-uh!” Pinkie shook her head. “I gotta keep the promise!”

“Trust me on this, you ain’t gonna do any better tuckering yourself out.”

Pinkie crossed her hooves and pressed up tightly against her chair. Under Applejack’s stare, she lowered her head. Her mane drooped a bit.

“I have to do something,” she murmured.

“Don’t start thinking like that,” Applejack interjected. “We did everything we could. Now we just gotta keep our promise. It’s… it’s what Mr. Ace wanted.”

Both were quiet for some time after that.

“I don’t know how you do it, Applejack,” Pinkie sniffled. A cracked chuckle escaped her lips. “I get all broken up and I wasn’t even awake. There’s a joke for you.”

“Nopony is doing better than anypony else,” Applejack sighed. “It’s not a race. There’s just so much going on right now. I can’t let up while there’s still a job to do.”

“Like when it was Applebuck season?”

Applejack seized up. “This is different. I ain’t going into this alone.”

Reaching up, she picked her hat off her head and placed it on her lap. She stared at it for a moment before looking over at Pinkie again.

“I hate to say it, but I’m glad you and Twi were out when out when it happened,” she sighed. “When a pony sees something like that, they ain’t ever gonna be the same.”

“Applejack, I’m probably the last pony to say this, but sometimes it’s okay to not smile or put on brave face.” Pinkie laid a hoof on Applejack. “It’s as far from a party as it gets, but it’s okay to cry with your friends too.”

Applejack sniffled. She lowered her head till it touched the top of her head. A few spots appeared on the stetson.

A good part of the brim was damp by the time Applejack pulled back and wiped her face. Pinkie held up a tissue. She also gave Applejack a pat on the back.

“Thanks, Pinkie.” Applejack managed to sport a small smile. “I think I needed that.”

“I can handle things here on my own if you need to rest a bit.”

Applejack shook her head. “I still got a job to do. I can rest when it’s somepony else’s watch.”

Pinkie’s tail then jolted up from the ground. Applejack jumped back and watched Pinkie’s tail zigzag like a lightning bolt and then constrict like a boa. Pinkie’s eyes gleamed and a wide smile spread across her face.

“Oki-doki, then I’ve gotta go get all the girls! We’re in for a doozy!”

“Is it Twilight?” Applejack gasped. “Is she up?”

Pinkie’s smile narrowed into a sly grin. “Maybe she can tell you herself.”

Pinkie bounded over to the door and pulled it open.

“Wait,” Applejack called out.

Pinkie twirled her head around. “Yes?”

“You put on a pretty strong face too,” said Applejack.

Pinkie smiled and then skipped out of the room.

~~~

“I’m telling you, it was like something out of the comics we used to read in flight school!” Dash exclaimed.

“Until the instructors confiscated them,” Gilda chuckled.

A fit of coughing seized her. Thumping her bandaged chest with a claw, she leaned back against her mattress. Dash was pressed close to her bedside. Gilda glanced up at the ceiling. One of her talons traced the stitches running down her breast.

“We really did a number on each other,” she said after a moment.

Dash turned her head down. “Tirek messed you up, that’s all.”

“You know that’s not all.” Gilda clenched her beak and glared at Dash. The fire in her eyes lasted a second before she bowed her head. “I thought I was over this… over you. I had my own stuff to deal with back home. All that junk was still at the back of my head though. I’d think about it whenever I saw a balloon or some dumb kids pulled pranks on each other.”

Gilda clenched her bandages.

“Then he made it feel like it was that day all over again.” She shook her head. “No, it was worse. You were laughing. All those ponies were.”

“Gilda…” Dash reached out but Gilda swatted her hoof away.

“I know you’d never do that,” Gilda sighed. “He just must it feel that way.”

The ticking of a clock echoed through the room.

“I should have written,” Dash said. “Every time I thought about it though, I’d think what you’d say or what my friends would say. Maybe if I’d actually talked with you or them we wouldn’t be here.”

Gilda turned her head up to the ceiling. A deep sigh escaped out of her. “I could’ve written too, ya know.”

Dash stretched out a wing in front of her. Feathers and fur blackened. Light bounced off its bladed edges. When Gilda turned her head, blue raced back over the wing and Dashed tucked it back.

“I’m sorry,” Dash muttered.

Gilda corked her head. “Yeah, we’ve both said that already.”

“I mean it, Gilda.” Dash clenched her jaw. “What if things had gone worse? What if I…”

Dash swung her head up and stomped the ground.

“Stupid!” she growled. “This is so stupid!”

Gilda reached up and pressed Dash back to the ground. “Woah, take some breaths, girl.”

“Gah,” Dash moaned. Her head flopped forward. “This isn’t fair. We won.”

A bit of Dash’s mane slipped in front of her face. She heaved her shoulders. “It keeps feeling like we lost.”

“You worried about the Princesses or something?”

“Of course!” Dash yelped. She glanced down. “That not the real thing though… mind if I sit down?”

“There’s a reason rooms have chairs,” said Gilda.

Dash turned and fell into the chairs beside a wall. “I know a lot of ponies got hurt, but this one guy— this jerk— didn’t make it. Barely knew him and his attitude makes your last visit look like a picnic.”

Gilda flinched like she had been hit by a small slap.

“He didn’t deserve that though.” Dash’s voice cracked on the second to last word. “And his brother…”

“Ponies shouldn’t sound like he did.” Dash trembled. “I couldn’t do anything. All this new speed and power and I couldn’t do anything.”

There was a knock at the door. Dash and Gilda spun their heads toward it.

Pinkie poked inside. She drew back seeing Dash’s upset features. “Um, I can come back later.”

Dash swept a leg across her face. “It’s… well, it’s not good, Pinkie, but what is it?”

“I’ve got a bit of a doozy.” A small grin appeared on Pinkie’s face. “I’m pretty sure a certain-new-alicorn-somepony is about to get up.”

Dash’s eyes widened. “Twilight's about to get up!? We need to get the rest of the girls!”

“Already on it!” Pinkie gave Dash a salute. “Applejack seemed okay keeping an eye on Luffy, so I’m off to get Rarity and Spike after you.That just leaves…”

Dash paled. “Fluttershy.”

~~~

Fluttershy’s legs dangled on the edge of the river. The crash of the nearby waterfall and the echo of hammers drifted into her ears. She watched some koi and smaller fish swim through the churning waters. There were yellow ones and silver ones and red ones. Fluttershy twitched.

The grass around her rustled and the water rippled. Fluttershy gritted her teeth and stood up.

Something splashed to her left. She turned and blinked. The morning sun shone brightly off of Jinbei’s scales and the water dripping off of him.

“Ah, Ms. Fluttershy, I was wondering where you were,” he said.

He shook and loosened a small deluge onto the ground. “It’s fortunate you were by this river. I might have had trouble looking for you otherwise.”

“Mr. Jinbei, maybe now isn’t the best time.” Fluttershy looked at the soaked bandages that lined Jinbei’s side. “You really shouldn’t get your wounds wet.”

“If I avoided getting every injury wet I’d be the laughingstock of fishmen.” Jinbei’s eyes sharpened. “I’ve allowed us both time to recover, but now I feel I must have words with you.”

“I really don’t want to talk right now,” Fluttershy huffed.

“And you haven’t wanted to talk with anypony for the past few days either,” Jinbei replied.

Fluttershy tensed up. “Mr. Jinbei, please go away. Now.”

“I thought you might say that.” Jinbei flexed his tail. “How about a nice sparring match then?”

“W-what?” Fluttershy gasped. She turned her head away from him. “No. I… I’m done fighting.”

“Well I suppose I misjudged you then.” Jinbei frowned, allowing his tusk-like teeth to dominate his face. “I took you for a strong caring person, not a weak fo—”

A blackened hoof smashed into Jinbei’s face and knocked him into the shallows of the river. Fluttershy retracted her shaking leg and glared at him with piercing eyes.

“I’m not weak!” she yelled.

“Prove it,” Jinbei spat.

Fluttershy flew at him. Her hoof raced towards Jinbei’s head, but he threw up a leg and parried the blow. Fluttershy snarled and twisted her body through the air. Her other foreleg rocketed at Jinbei, but he blocked that attack too.

“Just leave me alone!” Fluttershy roared while raining blows down on Jinbei. “Why won’t you listen!?”

“Because it will do you no good brooding like this!” Jinbei yelled. “Look at yourself! Even your attacks are a mess!”

Fluttershy glared straight at Jinbei. The blaze in her eyes seized him. Fluttershy shot up and leg and decked Jinbei right on the jaw. He flipped backwards and disappeared under the current.

Hot breath flared out from Fluttershy’s mouth. She glared at the river with her limbs shaking. Her breathing then slowed. The shaking turned into a tremble. No bubbles were coming up from the water.

“Oh no…”

A tendril or water shot out from where Jinbei had sunk. It lashed out and wrapped around Fluttershy’s legs. Her world spun and then she smashed into the water and the sand of the shallows.

Jinbei loomed over her, his bulky frame eclipsing the sun. Fluttershy whimpered and closed her eyes.

Scales brushed against her sides and wrapped around her torso. She looked down while Jinbei picked her up with his tail. With a grunt, he lurched over to the shore and deposited Fluttershy onto the grass. He snorted and took a seat beside her.

“Ready to talk?”

Fluttershy sniffled and turned her head away from Jinbei. “I’m sorry.”

“For that little spat?” A deep chuckle rose out of Jinbei. “Think nothing of it. At times, fists, er, hooves are sadly the only thing we can turn to.”

Fluttershy said nothing and kept her head turned. Jinbei stared out at the river.

“I’ve fought in many battles,” he sighed. “I have had attacks thrown at me calmly, in rage, and in sadness. I’ve dealt such attacks as well. You’re more a pony of words though, aren’t you, Ms. Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy raised up onto her flanks and stared at the river. “What difference does it make? Nothing I did could save Mr. Ace.”

A small sob rose up her throat.

“A long time ago, I too faced a great loss,” Jinbei said after a moment. “I and my crewmates each held enough power that made us a terror to humans. Yet all that was for nothing the day we lost our captain.”

Jinbei raised his head up. “He and Ace were similar in many regards. Their fierce nature and love for their families drove them to become men of great renown.” Jinbei heaved his shoulders. “Yet each also bore a great weight that boiled in their blood and burned their lives away far too soon.”

“We were like beasts in the days after our captain’s death,” Jinbei continued. “When we weren’t crying, we lashed out. We were weren’t lashing out, we cried. I lost many companions to a rage from which they would never return. I saw that path ahead for myself as well.”

Fluttershy felt a chill before Jinbei turned toward her.

“There was another path too. It was far longer than the other path but at its end lied what had been in my heart from the day I stepped aboard my captain’s ship.”

Fluttershy gulped. “What was it?”

“I think you have an idea.” Jinbei placed a leg on his chest. “For me, it was my companions— my people— basking under the surface’s sun with smiles upon their faces. My blood boiled for many years afterwards, but that dream kept me on the long path. So, Ms. Fluttershy, which way will you go now?”

Fluttershy pressed a hoof up near her heart. Tears flowed down her face.

“I’d like to see how everypony is doing,” she hiccupped.

Jinbei’s eyes went up to the left. Amidst the glow of yellows and oranges in the sky was a spot of blue that was growing closer and gaining definition. A rainbow mane came into view.

“I think they would too.”

~~~

“I bet he never even saw a single bit of treasure,” Spike huffed.

“Spike,” said Shining Armor.

“And he made it sound like his dad was so tough,” Spike continued.

“Spike,” Shining repeated.

“And don’t even get me started on Rarity. She’s the wo—”

“Spike!” Shining shouted.

He coughed and sank back into his bed, resting his cast across his chest. “I appreciate the company, but what would Twilight think if she saw you acting like this?”

Spike crossed his arms and tucked his chin. “Twilight’s not here and who knows when she’ll be up.”

“Well I am.” Shining tightened his jaw. “Spike, I may not have always been there, but I know Twilight didn’t raise a grump.”

Spike lowered his head further. Shining sighed and raised himself up so that he was facing Spike.

“We get a lot of different ponies in the guard. I try and get to know each of them. Some become friends but some also hate my guts. If I had to go through bootcamp again, I’d probably hate the guy yelling in my ears too. Each of them is a comrade though, even if the most time I’ve spent with them was a bed inspection.”

“The average guard serves four years,” Shining continued. “At discharge, I give them their papers. If they performed valiantly, I may offer congratulations. The one thing I always do though is offer them an open door if they ever wish to talk.”

Shining sighed and bent his head.

“Some guards don’t get discharged. Maybe a greenhorn is sent to investigate a disturbance and instead finds a cockarice. You have a fight with a lieutenant over orders one day and the next they disappear in an avalanche. Maybe a training exercise goes wrong and leads cadets into an ursa’s den.”

Spike felt Shining’s glare on him.

“When those things happen, I feel beside myself,” Shining said in a low voice. “I failed. Now I can’t even apologize to those ponies. Or maybe I want to yell at them. Or the ponies that were with them. When I get home on days like those, I don’t even want to talk to Cadence unless it’s to yell at her too. I just end up feeling like a jerk though.”

Spike’s lower lip trembled.

“But then I go to sleep and I wake up the next day.” Shining smiled. “And Cadence is downstairs with a hot cup of coffee for me. I still feel bad, but I know I shouldn’t be mad at Cadence or myself or anypony really. I’m happy I have a wife and friends that care and will listen to me when I’m like that.”

It was quiet in the room for a moment. Shining slid off his bed and treaded over to Spike. A small sniffle escaped from Spike. Shining placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“So Spike, I’m ready to listen whenever you’re ready.”

Spike flung himself onto Shining and buried his head in his chest.

“It’s not fair!” Spike wailed.

“It’s okay, Spike, just let it out,” Shining said while patting Spike’s back.

The door into Shining’s room was slightly ajar. Pinkie pulled her head back and grinned.

“Oh, is Spike okay?” Rarity asked.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Pinkie replied. “He just needs a little extra time. We can get him later.”

“If you say so.” Rarity glanced down. “Maybe it’s for the best. He’s probably still furious with me.”

“Hey there, Rar.” Pinkie draped a leg across Rarity’s neck. “You and Spiky have been good friends. I’m sure you’ll be able to make up!”

Rarity dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. “Thank you, Pinkie. I think I needed to hear that.”

“No problem!” Pinkie chirped. “Now let’s go check on Twilight.”

The two of them trotted down the hall and up the stairs. Rounding a corner on the floor, they came to a hallway identical to the one on the previous floor save for the two guards standing at the opposite end of the hall.

A rapid thud of clops rang from the stairwell. Fluttershy and Dash burst out and nearly ran straight into Rarity and Pinkie.

“Is she up?” Dash gasped.

“Let’s find out!” Pinkie giggled.

The group made its way down the hall. The guards parted and let them into the room.

Twilight’s mane frizzled out over the pillows and a bit of the sheets. The covers near her back shifted around every now and then. The edge of a wing poked out on Twilight’s right. Soft snores accompanied the steady beep of the monitor beside her.

“You sure about this, Pinkie?” asked Dash. “She doesn’t look any different than before.”

“Well, her mane is a different mess.” Rarity shuddered. “Ugh, I can see the tabloids now.”

“Look!” Fluttershy called out.

Twilight’s head had tilted upwards. Her lips moved as if forming words. The monitor’s beeps quickened.

“Omigosh!” Dash darted over to Twilight’s side. “Twilight! Can you hear us?”

Rarity rushed over to Dash. “Be careful, Rainbow Dash!”

“I just wanna make sure Twilight’s okay!” Dash shot back. “Why should I be ca—”

“Wait!” Twilight yelled as she sprung forward.

She twisted around, frenzied eyes taking in the room. Catching her breath, she locked onto everypony. “Girls? What’s…”

She took another breath and sank back to bed. A groan came from beneath her. She peered over the side of the bed to see Dash on the ground clenching her jaw.

“Well, Rarity did warn you.” Pinkie hefted a bag of ice over to Dash. She then turned to Twilight with a smile that her face barely contained. “Now to business!”

Pinkie flew forward as did everypony else and wrapped her in a hug.

“Welcome back, Twilight!” they all cheered.

“I take it I’ve been out a bit then,” Twilight chuckled. “I guess I’ve delayed celebrations.”

The girls broke away from Twilight and glanced down.

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked. One of her hooves pulled back and scratched at her back. “I mean aside from me nearly skewering Dash?”

“Ib wathnth yoth horth,” Dash lisped.

“Um, can somepony translate? And where’s Applejack?” Twilight’s pupils shrank. “Oh my gosh, what about the Princesses? Or Blackbeard? O—”

Pinkie shoved a muffin into Twilight’s mouth. “First things first. Breakfast. Second, how are you feeling?”

Twilight swallowed the muffin in a big gulp and gasped for air. “A little warning next time, please. Besides, I feel fine. Aside from this itch. It’s not bedsores, is it?”

“It’s a bit more than that, dear.” Rarity encased Twilight’s hooves with her magic and pulled them down. “You might want to take some deep breaths.”

“What is it?” Twilight’s head jerked backward before anypony could stop her. At the same time, her wings raced upward. “Is it a sca—”

A wing uppercut Twilight and she flailed backwards.

“Firth time I theen somepony do thath to themselphes,” Dash chuckled.

Twilight shook her head and bolted upright. Her magic took hold of the covers and shot them across the room. Her pupils shrank at the sight of wings stretching out of her back and flapping in every direction.

“W-what!?” she screamed. The wings rocketed back to her sides and hugged her back. A trembling hoof reached up and brushed against some feathers. “I’m…”

“A super-duper alicorn now?” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Pinkie!” Rarity and Fluttershy yelled. They both drew close to Twilight.

“Believe me, dear, we were quite shocked too,” said Rarity.

“But Rainbow Dash and I can help teach you about wings,” Fluttershy squeaked. “I mean, when you’re ready… if you want to.”

“That’s nice. I just…” Twilight glanced backwards. “I can’t even believe it.”

“I have pictures as proof!” Pinkie waved her polaroids around.

“I think I’m gonna lie down.” Twilight flopped back onto her pillow. She squirmed around for a moment with her wings twitching at her side. With a sigh, she managed to lean back.

“Okay.” She pressed a hoof up to her head. It flinched back to her side upon contact with a slightly sharper and elongated horn. Twilight took another breath. “Need to focus. Applejack. Where?”

“Floor below us keeping watch on Luffy,” Pinkie chirped. “Oh and Spike, Cadance, and Shining Armor plus everypony that got turned into a nasty monster by Tirek are okay too.”

“And the Princesses?”

Pinkie bent her head low.

“We’re still looking for them,” Rarity said. “The sun and moon have been going up and down though… just a little off schedule.”

“Oh…” Twilight frowned and her wings bristled. “I’m sure we’ll find them. I mean, if they have time to raise and lower the sun and moon, that must mean they won, right?”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of that. I suppose that takes care of one matter. I do hope the guard find them soon though. Poor Cadence has been working herself to the bone.”

“I can probably help her out now.” Twilight grinned. “You don’t become a princess’s personal student without picking up some bureaucratic know-how.”

Pinkie’s left ear flopped down and her right foreleg curled backwards.

“I’m guessing there’s a lot of other stuff I need to catch up on too,” said Twilight. “But I’m sure i—”

Pinkie rammed into Twilight and tackled her off the bed. The floor beside them then exploded, sending the bed flying at Rarity, Fluttershy, and Dash. Dash’s wing slashed through the air and the freshly cleaved halves of the bed crashed to the girls’ sides.

A groan came from near the fresh hole. Applejack lay splayed across floor covered in hoof imprints.

Luffy tittered nearby. A bit of blood dripped through his bandages and onto the floor. A wild look had seized his eyes. His whole body shook from his clenched teeth to his rigid tail. It thrashed around like an agitated viper, whipping against his bare flanks.

“Where’s Ace!?” he rasped. “Tell me!”

A Cry that Shakes the Heavens! A Friend in Need!

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A hoof whipped through the air, smashed against the walls, and sent a shower of debris down on the girls. Past the battered door and the walls, two guards were crumped on the ground. Luffy retracted his leg and shot out another. It flailed around and smacked the walls and the ground in a flurry of blows. A bit of red spittle flew out of his mouth with each gasp he took.

“Tell me where Ace is!” he wailed.

“Cut it out!” Dash smacked a hoof away from her with a blackened wing. She then pulled it back and gave it a small flap. A blue imprint of a hoof marred the metallic surface of her wing with cracks branching out from it. The imprint throbbed.

Fluttershy ducked when a leg sliced through the air. “P-please Mr. Luffy! You’re going to hurt yourself!”

Luffy roared like a wounded animal. He spun around and brought a hoof down on the wall behind him. Stone cascaded down the side of the hospital and sunlight poured into the room. Luffy stared out at Canterlot for moment and then bent his knees.

He launched an inch off the ground before a tether of blue aura pulled him back. With a growl, he snapped the aura like string. A storm a kicks flew up into the air and filled the ceiling with holes.

Rarity went to her knees and groaned. Her horn drilled against her skull and her vision lurched to the right.

“Mr. Luffy,” she huffed, “please just listen to us!”

“Tell me where Ace is!” Luffy screamed.

A rope coiled around his legs. He flipped upside down and smacked onto the cold floor. He flailed around and gnashed his teeth.

Pinkie winced when Luffy coughed up a bit of blood. She tugged and tightened the rope wrapped around one of her legs. “Luffy, please, I never like using party tricks like thi—”

Luffy extended his neck out and chomped down on the rope. He snapped his head back and flung Pinkie across the room. She crashed into a wall and thudded to the ground.

“That’s it!” Dash flared out her wings and covered them in Haki.

She rocketed off the ground and flew at Luffy. He snarled and stretched back a leg. They raced at each other.

“Stop!” Twilight yelled.

Her horn flashed and Dash and Luffy found themselves encased in a thick purple aura. Dash relaxed and looked to Twilight. Luffy still snarled and struggled in Twilight’s magical grasp.

“Nice, Twi,” Dash sighed and looked over the room. “Wish we’d done that sooner.”

“Sorry.” Twilight glanced at her horn and then down at Applejack. She was still lying on her side and her injuries were growing purple and swollen. “Everything happened so fast. Let me just get you down.”

Dash shot to the ground. The magic splintered like glass and sent up a cloud of dust. Dash swung her wings and cleared the air. Her eyes spun and she wobbled before going to her knees.

“Sorry!” Twilight yelped. She shook her head. “I don’t know why it did that!”

“Super alicorn magic?” Pinkie coughed.

“Pinkie!” everypony else cried out.

Fluttershy rushed over and gently lifted Pinkie back onto her hooves. A few scrapes and welts dotted her back and legs now.

“I’m good,” Pinkie said. She cast her attention over to Luffy. “He’s who you should be worried about.”

“What happened?” Twilight asked.

She winced seeing all her friends tremble. She turned her attention towards Luffy while he thrashed in vain against her spell. A few red spots were now smeared between him and the aura. Twilight lingered on the bare fur amidst the bandages the encircled Luffy’s flanks.

“Is it something about Ace?” Twilight bit her lip. “Did he get hurt?”

Luffy froze. Tears bubbled up around Fluttershy’s eyes.

Rarity huffed and wobbled to her hooves but kept her head down. “Twilight, we wanted you to get back on your hooves first but Ace…” Her lips quivered. “He—”

“Don’t say it!” Luffy screamed.

A blast of pressure exploded out of him and sent a chill up everypony’s spine. Twilight’s horn flickered and her aura spasmed. Luffy wailed and smashed the spell to pieces. Twilight’s head jolted back and her vision blurred for a moment, but she remained on her hooves.

“I know he’s here!” Luffy hacked. He veered towards the hole in the wall. “I’ll find him!”

“You’re not running through Canterlot like this!” Twilight gritted her teeth and fired up her horn again. Violet bolts of energy arced and crackled around around her while her horn grew bright. Her pupils then shrank and jerked up to her horn. “Wait! No, no! That’s too str—”

A massive sphere of magic consumed the room. In a flash, it vanished. Only the corners of the floor remained, providing a clear view to a similarly trashed room below. Doctors and additional guards rushed to the scene and stared out at the destruction.

~~~

Rarity gasped for breath and went to her knees again. Just when her vision had cleared, now the world spun even more. Everything blurred and she felt the coffee from earlier at the back of her throat. She closed her eyes and breathed, flooding her nose with the smell of thick foliage.

“Not again,” she groaned.

Something whizzed through the air. The breath she’d regained flew out of her when somepony slammed into her and they both tumbled into the dirt.

“I’m sorry, Rarity!” Fluttershy pleaded. “Luffy would ha—”

“Accccceeeeeeee!” Luffy wailed.

His hooves flailed about. Leaves and branches crashed all around him. A sharp crack erupted from the jagged gap Luffy had torn in a nearby tree. It lurched forward and came crashing down between everypony, leaving Fluttershy and Rarity on one side and the rest of the ponies on the other.

Breathing heavily, Luffy looked over the destruction. A spasm rocked his body and he went to his knees. He shot up hoof up to his face and coughed into it. The bandages around his leg were already tattered and stained, but when he pulled his leg back, a large blotch was colored red.

A blood-curdling shriek erupted out of Luffy. With spooked eyes, he flew to his hooves and barreled into the forest, screaming all the way.

“Get back here!” Dash yelled before taking off after him.

“Rainbow Dash, stop!” Twilight called out, but Dash had already vanished into the thick of the forest. Twilight looked out into the vast woods and then dropped her head. She shook her head back and forth and sniffled.

“What is wrong with me?”

“It’s okay, Twilight.” Pinkie smiled, but it quickly waned. “Okay, so we’re in what I’m pretty sure is the Everfree and Luffy is completely out of control, but it’s nothing we can’t handle, right?”

“I… I don’t know,” Twilight murmured. “I’ve never seen a pony act like that.”

“Count yourself lucky,” Applejack rasped.

Fluttershy and Rarity bounded over the tree and raced over to Applejack. All her friends gathered around her while she remained on the ground. Wheezy breaths escaped her mouth, but her eyes, even with one blackened, glowed bright.

“Don’t push yourself!” said Fluttershy.

“Ain’t got time to worry about that,” Applejack coughed. “Luffy’s hurt a thousand acres worse than I am. If we don’t stop him now…”

Everypony grew pale.

“W-what do we do?” Fluttershy asked, tears already bubbling up.

“Just keep him in one place. I can handle it from there.” Applejack then looked up at Twilight. “Twilight, I need you to get me back on my hooves pronto. I can explain things while you do that.”

“I…” Twilight glanced up at her horn. “I don’t know if I can. My magic isn’t working like I want it to.”

“Rarity?” Applejack asked.

“I can try but…” Rarity bit her lip. Applejack looked like a severely trampled orange. “I may take too long.”

“Then Twilight’s my only option,” Applejack snorted. “Get going, girls, before you lose Dash and Luffy’s trail.”

Pinkie looked back and forth at Twilight and Applejack. “But what abo—”

“Go!” Applejack snapped. She seized up and coughed.

Twilight watched her friends draw close. Something sparked in her eyes. “Girls, listen to her. We’ll be with you in a second.”

The girls felt whatever had ignited in Twilight flow into them as well. They all nodded and then rushed off into the forest. Fluttershy was at the back of the group. She turned around at the last moment. She glanced at Twilight and Applejack and then flew after the others.

Alone with Applejack, Twilight stood up and loomed over her. She breathed in deeply and focused her thoughts on her horn. Closing her eyes, she felt the flow of magic coursing through her.

“Applejack, I need you to stay as still as you can,” she said. “If I get this right, then you can tell me what’s going on. For now, just breath and tell me if anything feels wrong.”

“Got it.”

Twilight inhaled again and turned her thoughts inward. Magic coursed through her body and pooled near her horn as well as in her chest and cutie mark. She tensed feeling magic amassing and extending out from her back. Through those two new points, she felt the wind carrying moisture and heat. There was a faint buzz of electricity in the air too. Perhaps a storm in a day or two.

Her jaw tightened when she felt a third magic racing up and down her legs. It flowed deep into the roots and seeds hidden beneath the earth. The grass rustling against her hooves crept up to her ankles.

“Uh, Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“Shhh,” Twilight breathed.

The two new magic swirled through Twilight. She could feel them melding in with what she knew as her magic, like three streams churning into a massive river. Yet it all flowed with a serene calm, even while Twilight felt herself drowning in it.

She sunk deeper into its depths, feeling the sky above and the ground below teem with magic. At the same time, she felt a warmth in her core as well as her flanks. The end of the fight with Tirek flooded back into her. Her consciousness extended out to the warmth.

Whatever had happened to Luffy, she and her friends would fix it.

Opening her eyes revealed stars glistening within her pupils.

“Hold on, Applejack,” she said. “Everything is going to be fine.

~~~

Luffy’s wails echoed through the forest. Dash zipped through the trees, wings skimming over splintered wood and shattered rocks. Specks of red dotted the carnage. Dash beat her wings faster.

When the screaming stopped, Dash’s wings locked to her sides. Her hooves plowed through the ground, adding deep muddy tracks to the destruction around her. The earth sucked at her legs when she galloped forward into a small meadow.

Patches of the ground were torn up and dirt was piled high around the meadow. Trees leaned against each other, their broken trunks no longer able to balance them.

Luffy stood in the middle of the meadow gasping for air. Bandages dangled off of him, their white fabric swollen thick with sweat, dirt, and blood. A few of his wounds dripped onto the ground. He stared upwards, eyes unfocused, like a foal upon realizing they are lost.

Dash took a step, but Luffy continued to gaze at the sky. She stopped when he muttered something. Her ears flexed around but his words were lost to her.

His hooves then shot up and clawed at his face. He screamed again and thrashed on the ground. His head snapped back and came down upon a nearby rock. Blood trickled down his face.

“Stop!” Dash cried.

She rocketed off the ground when Luffy brought his head back again. She was almost upon him when a yellow blur blasted into the clearing. The grass and the trees rustled when it tore across the ground and broke in front of Luffy.

Aquamarine eyes, steeled liked the finest blades consumed Luffy’s vision. Tears were collected at their corners.

“Enough,” said Fluttershy.

Dash firmly planted her hooves back on the ground. One glance at Fluttershy’s eyes forced her head down and sent goosebumps up her legs.

Luffy said nothing. Even under the full brunt of the Stare, his jaw remained locked and animosity still flared in his eyes. A bit of blood dripped from his lower lip.

“I hit my head as hard I as I could,” he muttered.

His lips trembled.

“It’s not a dream,” he sniffled. “It’s not magic either.”

Fluttershy continued to look straight at Luffy, but her eyes were growing wet. She whispered, “No.”

Tears tumbled down Luffy’s face.

“Ace is dead!” he choked. “He’s dead, isn’t he!?”

He bent his head back and wailed. The strength in Fluttershy’s eyes failed and she sobbed in silence. Dash felt the chill running through her give way to a crushing hollowness that kept her rooted to the ground. Nearby, Pinkie and Rarity choked back cries of the own.

“I’m so weak!” Luffy sobbed. “King of the Pirates? Me!?”

His cries devolved back into the sounds of a broken thing.

For how long this continued, nopony could be sure. When something rustled in the nearby brush, the sun had cleared the tree line.

Dash tensed up and turned toward where the noise had come from. Luffy’s cries had died down, allowing the sounds of the forest to permeate the meadow.

Twilight emerged out of the woods followed by Applejack. Dash’s breath escaped her and she sunk to her knees. Her wings felt leaden and her head was equally heavy.

Twilight looked around and sighed.

“Let’s get back to the hospital.” She turned her head toward Luffy. “We can do things there.”

“No,” Luffy rasped.

“Luffy, we’re not going to leave you to tear yourself apart like this,” said Twilight.

“It’s my body, I can do what I want with it!” Luffy snapped.

“Ace probably would have said the same thing,” Applejack snorted.

Luffy bared his teeth at Applejack. “Shut up! You didn’t know Ace!”

Applejack stepped forward and made her way to the center of the meadow. “I knew enough. Now we can either do this Twilight’s way or mine. Either way, we’ve got a promise we have to keep to Ace.”

Luffy snarled and threw himself at Applejack.

“My way then,” Applejack huffed.

A hoof zipped past her head. She crouched and leaned to the left when Luffy swiped his other foreleg at her. He kicked up a hindleg, but it only met the air while Applejack sent out one leg and threw her weight to the right.

Her leg clothelined Luffy below the ribs. His world spun and her smashed into the ground. Applejack bent down and pressed her face close to his.

“I know it hurts,” she said. “But you ca— ”

Luffy sank his teeth into her leg. She roared in pain and then kicked Luffy across the meadow. Everypony rushed closer, but Applejack was already in a gallop. She slammed into Luffy and pressed down on his neck. A strained cough escaped him.

“Applejack!” Fluttershy cried. “You’re hurting him!”

“He’ll do worse to himself!”

Luffy flailed a hoof and sent it into Applejack’s side. She gritted her teeth but kept her hold on him. More blows fell upon her, but she wouldn’t budge. A hoof cracked against her head and sent her hat flying.

She returned the attack with a sharp crack across Luffy’s face.

“You stupid colt!” she shouted. “You and your brother make my family’s stubbornness look humble! You really think running around, breaking everything, including yourself, will help?”

“I admit it, I haven’t know you or your brother long, but I’ve seen what you’ve done. We’ve heard your stories.” Applejack flared her nostrils. “Where’s the pony I watched go to Tartarus and back? Where’s the pony that did everything he could to save his brother? All those enemies, all those challenges and now it feels like it was all for not.”

A tear dripped onto Luffy.

“It feels like there’s no way forward, not where you are,” Applejack said, her voice softer now. “You want to escape it, leave all the things that hurt you behind. You can’t get back what’s lost anyway.”

Applejack’s hold loosened and she bent her head down. She sniffled and then looked at Luffy again.

“But you can hold on to what you still have.” Applejack lifted her head to her friends and then stared back down. “Think, Luffy!”

Luffy gazed up at Applejack. Fresh tears rose up to his face.

“I have my crew!” Luffy cried.

“I know,” Applejack smiled.

A glow cropped up from Luffy’s flanks.

“Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji!” Luffy cried while the glow grew brighter. “Chopper! Robin! Frank! Brook!”

A flash filled the meadow. When everypony’s vision cleared, they looked to Luffy. He was still beneath Applejack and bawling his eyes out, but his mane less wild and his coat brighter.

A straw hat once more adorned his flanks. Now though, a thick X mark rested behind it.

“I want to see them!” Luffy yelled at the top of his voice.

Forward! The Plan to Reunite the Crew!

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Twilight sighed and planted her flanks on the ground. “I think that worked a lot better than anything I had planned.”

Pinkie popped up beside Twilight and pressed her face close to hers. “Oooh, what did you have planned?”

“Well, if Applejack couldn’t break through to Luffy, I thought we’d each share moments where we’ve overcome challenges thanks to each other,” Twilight replied. “We’ve all had times where we’ve been hurt, but it’s thanks to friends like you that we’ve made it through.”

“Why Twilight,” Rarity smiled, “I believe that’s one of the finest lessons you’ve shared with us.”

“Thank Applejack.” Twilight pointed a hoof across the meadow. “She’s the one that got the message across.”

Across the meadow, Applejack had embraced Luffy in a hug alongside Fluttershy. Dash drew close to them and joined in on the hug

“You okay?” asked Dash.

“I will be,” Applejack sniffled. “Always hurts talking about it, but I was the only pony here that could.” She glanced over to Fluttershy. “No offense.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “It always hurts when it’s too late for an animal, so I can’t even imagine what it was like… but you and everypony else is always so nice when it happens. So, if you ever want to talk about it, that’s okay too.”

“Thanks ‘Shy.” Applejack wiped her face. “That means a lot.”

Fluttershy turned her head to Luffy. “You too, Mr. Luffy. I’m glad we calmed you down, but I know things like this take a while to get better.”

“Thanks,” Luffy wheezed. He opened his mouth to say something more, but a loud grumble raced out of his throat instead. He gave a small chuckle. “Guess I could use some food first.”

“And some rest,” said Twilight.

She and the rest of the girls crossed over to the others. She looked over Luffy and Applejack. Both still showed their fair share of scrapes and bruises albeit shrunken. Twilight lit up her horn and floated Applejack’s hat back to her.

“Why don’t I send you to Ponyville’s hospital while I take care of things back in Canterlot.” Twilight grimaced. “The last thing they need now is another panic.”

“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie waved a hoof through the air. “Send me, send me too!”

Twilight smiled. “Let me guess, ‘Congrats, You’re an Alicorn’ Party at Sugarcube Corner?”

“Close!” Pinkie beamed. She stood on her hindlegs and spread her forelegs wide into the air. “It’s actually a ‘Congrats, You’re an Alicorn and Luffy’s Better Super Party Spectacular!”

“Sounds like a plan,” Twilight giggled. She then straightened her face. “I don’t want Luffy and Applejack stressing themselves if the doctor says they need rest though. I’m still not sure how strong my healing spell was or what recovery effects regaining a cutie mark has. But if things work out well, let’s plan on it for tonight. Sound good?”

“Of course!” six voices replied in unison.

“With lots of food!” Luffy added. He pressed a hoof to his rumbling stomach. “Actually, can we eat now?”

“Emergency cupca—” The cupcake Pinkie had produced from somewhere vanished into Luffy’s void of a stomach.

“Got any more?” he asked.

Everypony chuckled but stopped when they felt a pulsation from their flanks. Save for Luffy, everypony’s flanks was aglow.

“Ooooh!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Neat!”

“That’s new,” said Applejack. She looked up to Twilight. “Any clue what this is about?”

“Hmmm.” Twilight brought a hoof up to her chin. “Well, we did just relieve a disharmonic situation. Maybe it has something to do with our link to the Elements.”

“Or each other,” Fluttershy suggested.

“True.” Twilight looked over her friends and smiled. Her horn lit up. “We can think about it later. Getting you to the hospital comes first.”

“Wait!” Dash called out.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Do you want anypony to come back with you to Canterlot?” asked Dash. “I mean, I’d be pretty freaked out still if I woke up with a horn on top of everything else.”

“I think I can handle it,” Twilight chuckled. “I know there’s a lot of stuff I need to catch up on and even more stuff I need to learn about being an alicorn, but I’m sure everything will be fine. Oh, and Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“As soon as things with the Princesses are sorted out, I’m gonna need a skilled flight instructor.”

“Aw yeah!” Dash pumped a leg.

“See you all soon.”

~~~

“I still cannot express my thanks,” Jinbei said as he lumbered off the train behind Twilight. “Above all else, Ace desired his brother’s safety.”

“You helped out a lot too,” Spike said from atop the cloak that covered Twilight’s back. “That karate stuff you did during all those fights was awesome. Sure you can’t teach me a little?”

“I would love to.” Jinbei hefted his shoulders and sighed. “But now with Luffy awake and put back on the right track, I must make haste back to my home.”

Spike frowned.

“But perhaps you can visit sometime.” Jinbei flashed Spike a smile. “It’d be quite impressive to be the first dragon to learn Fishman Karate.”

Spike’s eyes widened and glimmered like diamonds. He spun around and pressed his face close to Twilight’s. “Can we, Twilight?”

Twilight blinked, her eyes stung a bit and the bags under them felt heavy. She breathed deeply and felt the weight of the two massive stacks of papers floating at her sides and also in the saddlebags under he cloak.

“Of course,” she said with a smile. “Just be a little patient.”

The trio came to a stop in front of the Golden Oaks Library. Twilight sighed and the papers at her sides sunk lower to the ground. She looked back at Jinbei.

“Let me just drop my things off, then we can get over to Sugarcube Corner.”

“Of course,” Jinbei replied. “You don’t need any help moving all these things, do you?”

“If I hadn’t been on my hooves all day, this would be nothing.” Twilight glanced up at her horn. “Actually, I did the math on the train and I should be completely wiped by now.”

“Being an alicorn has its benefits,” said Spike.

“And disadvantages,” Twilight added. She looked down at the doorknob. A glow encased it and twisted it to left. Twilight flinched when the sharp crack or wood and the groan of metal bending sounded from the door. She sighed and pushed it open. “All this new unfamiliar magic is still quite confu—”

“Surprise!” a chorus of ponies boomed.

The lights came on and revealed a mass of streamers and balloons now filled the library. A variety of snacks and beverages were piled high and tables scattered around the shelves. Near the back, a band of Ponyville locals brought their instruments close and began to play. Beside them was a collection of spin tables manned by an electric-blue maned jockey. Above all this hung a large banner that read, “Congratulations!”

“Welcome back!” Five voices shouted.

Twilight and Spike found themselves in a hug. Both of them wiggled and wrapped their hooves and claws around the girls as well. A chorus of applause went up from the other guests.

“Jinbei!” Luffy called out.

Luffy leapt over the other guests with a massive plate of food balanced on her back and smiled up at Jinbei. He then lowered his head to the ground.

“Thank you for everything!” he exclaimed.

“Please, I do not deserve your thanks,” said Jinbei. “But I am glad to see you up and in good spirits.”

“Speaking of good spirits…” Twilight opened one of her saddlebags. Luffy’s eyes widened when a straw hat floated out and over to him. “I believe this is yours.”

Luffy snatched it up and placed it on his head with a wide smile. “Thanks."

A pink hoof then lifted a plate of cake up to Jinbei’s face. Pinkie grinned at him and then turned to the rest of the guests. “Let’s get this party started!”

The music flared up. Glasses clinked and dances were had. Everypony wore a wide smile while they sung and danced. Applejack joined in every now and then but kept mainly to the sidelines alongside Fluttershy and Jinbei. Rarity was lost amid the sea of guests but could sometimes be picked out socializing with various ponies. Pinkie and Dash remained on the dance floor for dance after dance, only leaving to raid the refreshements whenever Luffy turned his head away from them. Twilight switched back and forth between the dance floor and the outlying group, though Pinkie often pulled her back to the former.

Everypony had a good laugh when Luffy jumped to the top of the wooden horsehead in the middle of the room with sticks extending from his mouth up to his nose. He spun atop the statue and his dance appeared as if he were shoveling something.

When the door opened up, he stopped and all the guests spun their heads toward it.

Zecora entered into the room with Law at her side. Everypony glanced down at sling his left foreleg was in.

“I apologize for being late,” Zecora said, “but my acquaintance was in an injured state.”

Fluttershy zoomed over to the pair. “Oh, Mr. Law, what happened?”

“Well, with the Princesses away, I’ve been exploring some of this island’s medical techniques.” Law glanced at Zecora. “Your friend here was showing me some of the local herbs when a boulder crashed through the forest.”

“An angry beast it must have been,” Zecora commented. “Perhaps an Ursa disturbed from its den.”

Luffy scratched at the back of his head. He glanced to the side and whistled an innocuous tune. When he felt Law's eyes on him, he lept down and bowed his head. “Thanks for all your help. I owe you a lot.”

Law shook his head. “This is why I didn’t want to come to this, but the pink one insisted in her invitation.”

Pinkie clamped down on Law’s shoulder. “And nopony should miss out on a party like th—”

Pinkie vanished in a pop and Law sighed. “Okay, that gives me a few minutes. I’m just here to give a checkup and it appears you’re in fine health. So, I’ll be on my way now.”

Law spun back towards the door. Before anypony could say anything, the door slammed. Pinkie popped out a room at the top of the stairs and shrugged.

“Gee, he’s even worse than you were at first Twilight.” Pinkie produced a slice of cake and shoved it into her mouth. “Oh well, more for us!”

The music started up again and the lights of the party glowed from outside the library. Law trudged on but stopped at the edge of the Everfree. He looked up to see Dash floating nearby, her body outlined by the light of the moon. Her eyes flared a deep crimson.

“I’m not big on celebrations, so you’re better off not wasting your time,” Law said.

Dash slammed to the ground beside Law but still glared at him. “I don’t care about that. I wanna know where the hay you’ve been.”

“I told you, out learning about some of this island’s medicine.”

“Before that,” Dash growled. “Don’t tell me you were just sitting up in your ship while Tartarus was breaking loose in Canterlot!”

Law sighed and lit up his horn. His cap lifted off his head and single pink feather floated out of it. Goosebumps raced up Dash’s legs at the sight of it.

“There’s a whole lot of things you don’t know and shouldn’t stick you nose into,” said Law. He spun around and faced the Everfree. “I think I’ve spent enough time here and I’ve got enough strength now to move my ship, so consider this a goodbye. Straw Hat needs about two more weeks of proper rest, so keep him here until then.”

“I’ll be sure to relay the message.”

Dash and Law’s eyes widened when a pony trotted out of a nearby gap in the trees. His coat was dusty although its faded fur made it hard to tell. A collection of twigs and leaves filled his silver mane and beard.

He looked at Dash and smiled. “Unless you’d be more willing to tell Luffy.”

“And who the hay are you?” Dash asked, wings tensing up.

“A friend,” the old pony said.

~~~

The door to the library opened and Dash stepped in. The guests all gasped when the unfamiliar pony followed her in.

"Uh, hey, everypony," she squeeked. "Brought a new guest back with me."

“Dash!” Twilight bolted over to her. She jabbed a hoof at the unfamiliar pony “What is he doing here?

Dash's forehead creased. She looked back and forth between Twilight and the pony. "But, I... I thought you said you were a friend of Luffy's, not somepony Twilight knows!"

"Well, I haven't actually met him." Twilight stared at the pony. "But I'd recognize Starswirl the Bearded regarless."

The pony gave a hearty laugh. “Aw, darn it, I really will own the captain for that bet!”

“That voice!” Luffy jumped up. Across the room Jinbei too was alert. Both of them rushed over to the door.

“Rayleigh?” they both exclaimed.

“Who is…” Twilight trailed off and looked over the pony again. While the mane, coat, and face matched, the black crown on his flanks and the scar across his right eye didn’t fit with the historical depictions. The resemblance and the pressure she felt coming of the pony added to her confusion.

“Ah, my apologies,” Rayleigh said. “As I explained to your colorful friend, I’m an acquaintance of Luffy."

“Did that Kuma jerk send you here too?” Luffy asked.

“Not quite.” Rayleigh glanced out at the party. “Perhaps discussing this in private would be best.” He then turned to Twilight. “With your friends as well.”

~~~

All the girls, Luffy, Jinbei, and Rayleigh sat at the round table in the middle of Sugarcube Corner. They could still faintly hear the sounds of the nearby party, but the music had died down since they’d left.

Rarity leaned back in her chair. “I just don’t believe it, to think this Kuma fellow was doing all he could to actually save your crew.”

“It bodes well for the rest of your crew though,” said Jinbei. “They’re also probably on islands now looking for ways to get back.”

“Great!” Luffy exclaimed. “We’ve all got Vivre cards so it’ll be easy to get back to the ship!”

“Are you sure about that?” asked Rayleigh. “Kuma spared you of terrible fate. One all too common among rookies.”

A heavy silence fell upon the group. Luffy shuddered.

“I have a suggestion, but I’ll need your girls’ help as well,” said Rayleigh.

“Anything to help out Luffy,” said Dash. “That’s what we promised Ace.”

“I’d like you to use the Elements to free Discord.”

“What!?” Everypony save Jinbei screamed.

“Are you nuts?” Dash exclaimed. “We just got through fighting the biggest bad guy yet and you want us to unleash an even worse one!?”

Applejack clamped a hoof onto Dash’s shoulder and brought her back down to the table. She then stared at Rayleigh. “I got about a hundred questions now about what you’re thinking or how you know about Discord and the Elements, but Dash has got a point, we’re in no shape to deal with Discord, especially with the Princesses still missing and that Blackbeard fella still on the loose.”

“Oh, him.” Rayleigh breathed deeply but then smiled. “I’m not sure about the Princesses but I doubt Blackbeard will be troubling you.”

Pinkie rubbed her chin. “And what makes you say that?”

“Well, while I was swimming here, I can across a ship along the coast.” Rayleigh’s eyes became hidden behind the glare of his glasses. “I may have caused them a little trouble. I doubt they'll be bothering you anymore."

Twilight sunk into her chair, breathed and then straightened up. “That’s a bit of a relief to hear, but that still leaves the matter of Discord. What in Equestria could he do to help you… or anypony for that matter?”

“There’s a certain island I want to go to help Luffy with his training,” Rayleigh explained. “Getting there is a bit of a problem without the proper ship though and I doubt the materials to craft one exist in Equestria.”

“I think we should do it.”

Everypony spun their heads toward Fluttershy. She squeaked and sunk into her seat.

“Fluttershy, dear, do you mind explaining?” asked Rarity.

“Well…” Fluttershy stood up and revealed that her cutie mark was glowing. “There’s this.”

“That could mean anything!” said Dash.

“Yes, but honestly…” Fluttershy gulped. “I’ve always felt a little bad for Discord.”

Dash let out a groan but Pinkie slammed her mouth shut.

“But he’s such a meanie,” said Pinkie. “You even said it yourself.”

“I know,” Fluttershy sighed. “But he also seemed so angry. Maybe if somepony actually talked to him, he wouldn’t be as bad.”

“I’m more on the side of keeping that varmint in stone,” said Applejack. “But we can always use the Elements after we free him and he helps out Luffy.”

“I’m not sure.” Twilight stared at the table. “Tirek was right about one thing: we’ve been using the Elements a lot lately. If we free Discord, it may not be possible to re-seal him properly again.”

“How about this,” said Rayleigh, “I’ll need to borrow Luffy for a few days so we can get out a message to his crew.” He looked to Jinbei. “I could use your help with this too.” He then looked back to the girls. “Why don’t you think about things during that time?”

“Hmmm, that sounds fair,” Twilight murmured.

Pinkie raised up a hoof. “There’s just one thing I gotta say then.”

“What is it, dear?” Rarity asked.

“There’s a bunch of victory cupcakes I stashed around the library, and you’ve still got to find them!” Pinkie bolted out the door, echoing, “Last one back to the party is a rotten egg!”

“After her!” Luffy declared. He rushed to the door but stretched his head back to Rayleigh. “We can get to that tomorrow, right? I really wanna eat those cupcakes!”

“Of course,” Rayleigh chuckled. “Enjoy tonight. If all goes well, they may be some of the last sweets you enjoy for a while.”

“Yeah!” Luffy exclaimed before his head snapped back to his body.

The rest of the girls followed after him with Twilight and Applejack trailing at the end of the group. Twilight looked to Rayleigh and smiled.

“You’re invited too.”

“Oh-ho,” Rayleigh mused. He scratched at his beard. “I did mean to grab some cider while I was here.”

“You’re in luck then,” said Applejack. “We broke open one of the reserve casks for tonight.”

Rayleigh stood straight up. “We have no time to waste.”

The moon wheeled through the sky while the music played throughout the night. Eventually, the tunes died down and the guests went their separate ways. At the end of it all, only nine ponies and one dragon remained in the library strewn about on couches, pillows, and the wooden horsehead. Regardless of their sleeping position, they all wore smiles in their slumber.

Pinkie's Secret! The Ancient Legacy! [April Fool 2016]

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Twilight stared out at Ponyville. The sun had crested over the low-lying mountains to the east, yet the clock on her wall read half past ten. She sighed and turned her muzzle back down to the paperwork spread out before her.

The door to the library flew open, sending a few decrees and forms flying. A pink blur sped through the stacks and latched onto Twilight.

"Pinkie?" Twilight choked while Pinkie held her firmly. "W-what is it?"

"It's super important!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Is it the Princessess?" Twilight asked. "Or Luffy? Is he back?"

"No, but I found something super important while I was helping Cadence up in Canterlot!"

Pinkie shoved a hoof into her mane and pulled out a sheet of yellowed paper. A creature with a wide smile filled up the majority of the sheet. Twilight locked onto the creature's straw hat and then read the name inscribed under his picture.

"Oh, so that's what Luffy looks like as a human," Twilight commented. "Neat."

"That's not the important thing though!" Pinkie jabbed at Luffy's name. "This is!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Is there something about his name?"

"Yes!" Pinkie shouted. "He's Monkey D. Luffy! Do you know what that means?"

Twilight glanced down and then back at Pinkie. "Should I?"

Pinkie blinked and then collapsed on a nearby chair. "Oh geez, I got too excited."

"I didn't think that was possible." Twilight got out of her own seat and moved over to Pinkie. "You've got me a little worried though. Why is Luffy's name so important?"

"It's not just his name." Pinkie smiled. "It's mine too!"

"Wait..." Twilight took as step back and her eyes widened. She then shot a hoof out at Pinkie. "Don't tell me you're related! That's impossible! He's not even the same species!"

"I know! I was super shocked too!" Pinkie exclaimed. "But he's the only other D I've met!"

Twilight planted her flanks on the ground and slapped her head. "Pinkie, don't scare me like that. Just because your middle name starts with a D and Luffy's does too, it doesn't make you related."

"But it..." Pinkie clasped her head and shook it. She then leapt out of her seat. "Twilight, I'm going to gather everypony up. We're going on a trip and then my folks and I can explain everything!"

Twilight felt something shift on her back. She turned her head around to see that two full saddlebags rested on her back. She spun back around towards Pinkie, but there was only open air.

Spike wandered in from the kitchen and looked around. "Hey, I thought I heard Pinkie." He then spied the saddlebags. "Are you going out?"

One of Twilight's eyes twitched. "Apparently."

~~~

"Not that I don't mind meeting you family, Pinkie, but this really does feel a bit too impromptu," said Rarity.

Pinkie peeled her face away from the window and smiled at Rarity and the rest of her friends. "I know, but this is really super important. This could really help out Luffy a lot!"

"Couldn't we have just waited for him then?" asked Dash.

"I thought about that, but this is an emergency," Pinkie said with a straight face. "In case something happens to him, we have to make sure we're ready and can move Holder's Boulder as fast as possible!"

"Beg your pardon?" said Applejack.

"Gah," Pinkie groaned. "Please please please just wait a little longer. My family and I can explain everything once we get to the farm."

A little while later, the train came to a stop at a lone station. Its straw roof and stone walls were faded with age. Amidst the dust and rock outcroppings, it shone like a bright beacon.

The girls all stepped off the train while the rest of the passengers remained in their seats. Twilight was looking back at her friends when she bumped into what felt like an unseen pillar. The hit jolted her and sent her into a small daze. When her head cleared, she found Pinkie joining one of her hooves with that of a marble grey Earth Pony.

"Way to make an entrance, Twilight!" Pinkie then turned to the Earth Pony. "Maud, Twilight. Twilight, Maud."

"Nice to meet you," Maud droned. She slipped her leg free of Pinkie's grasp and let it drift back to the ground.

"Uh, nice to meet you too." Twilight retracted her own hoof.
Pinkie then clasped Maud's head and turned it over to the other girls. "These are all my other friends, Maud! Say hi!"

Maud blinked slowly. "Hello."

A cricket chirped nearby.

Rarity stepped forward and extended out a hoof. "A pleasure to meet you, dear."

Maud stared down at Rarity's hoof and then looked up to Pinkie. "We should get going."

"Yeah!" Dash exclaimed. "If this is really the emergency Pinkie says it is, we can't waste time!"

Maud took one step followed by another. Dash's wings sunk as did her lips. She sighed and followed after her as did the rest of the girls.

"Pinkie can over-exaggerate things," Maud stated. She looked at Pinkie and blinked. "No offense. I don't know what Ma and Pa told you as a D, but there's still a lot that has to happen before we can move Holder's Bolder."

"Limestone's not too upset, is she?" Pinkie asked.

"Devastated," Maud said in a flat tone. "But I managed to calm her down. Marble, Ma, and Pa helped too."

"That's good." Pinkie wiped some sweat off her brow.

Down the lone and dusty road, the group came upon the gray farm with its gray silo, its gray windmill, and its spawning fields of gray rocks. Everypony felt the smiles they'd plastered onto their faces slip a little.

"Well, it certainly looks like things are doing well here." Applejack turned to Pinkie and forced her smile to widen. "Right?"

"Oh yeah, things are going great on the farm," said Pinkie. "You should have seen all the garnets Maud harvested!"

"I prefer peridots," Maud stated.

Maud then slinked up to the farmhouse and tapped on the door with three exact knocks. The door opened and a collection of grey-colored mares and a lone yellow-brown stallion came out to the porch. The purple-grey mare whose colors appeared inverted of Maud's glared at all of them.

The stallion placed his hat against his chest and lowered his head. "It is an honor to meet you all. I am Igneous Rock of the Clan Pie. This, my wife, Cloudy Quartz and my daughters, Limestone and Marble. You are already acquainted with my kin of Maud and Pinkamena."

"It's an honor to meet you too." Twilight held out a hoof which Igneous clasped. He gave it a stern shake that wobbled Twilight's entire leg.

"Come." Igneous turned toward the hill that sat beside the house. "We shall explain while we walk."

"Wait!" Limestone shot up and stuck her face up to Twilight's. "Pinkie said there was another D, but these are just her friends she always talks about. They don't have the right!"

"Limestone!" Ingenous stamped a hoof. "Pinkamena has made her decision. It is not our way to go against the D."

Igneous then set off again to the hill. He looked back and the others followed.

Twilight quickened her pace to match Igneous. "So, everypony keeps mentioning this D, is it some sort of family naming convention?"

"Much more than that, child," said Igneous. "The D is an ancient heritage passed down since ancient times. Amongst the Pies, its Will has manifested among individuals throughout the centuries, but Pinkamena is the first in millennia to have met another D."

The group entered into the mouth of the cave. Marble and Cloudy picked up lanterns left near a stalagmite while Twilight and Rarity lit up their horns. Igneous raised his head to the roof of the cave and sighed.

"I feared for many years we had missed out chance," he continued. "In my youth, another D came upon us, but we had no D amongst ourselves until Pinkamena was born."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Why couldn't you have done whatever it was all this D business entails back then?"

"Because I was not an inheritor of the Will," Igneous explained. "Pray, still your questions for a moment and listen. The Pies have always been shepherds of the D's legacy, but it is only once in many generations that an actual D is born to us. Until Pinkamina acquired her cutie mark, we were not even sure the Will was within her."

"But after I threw such a fun party, Pa was super happy and told me all about Holder's Boulder and a bunch of other super secret family stuff!" Pinkie drew close to her father and nuzzled him. He gave her a small pat on the head.

"Yes, and since Pinkamina says you truly are close friends with both her and the other bearer of D, we have deemed it fit to tell you of it as well," said Igneous.

The group then came to a stop in front of a wall that towered up into the darkness of the cave. Igneous detached from the group and stepped over to a collection of boulders beside the wall. His leg disappeared into a gap in the rocks. Holding his leg there, he looked back to the group.

"Before we enter, I must ask that you all solely partake in the vow of solitude to never reveal what you have learned this day. In the wrong hooves, this legacy would bring calamity and destruction upon Equestria and the land beyond the great sea."

"Wait a minute!" Dash jabbed a hoof at Igneous and then glared at Pinkie. "You knew there was land beyond Equestria?"

"It was super secret, Dashie!" Pinkie retorted. "I didn't even tell Luffy! I mean, if I'd known his name, I would have, but that's beside the point. You all need to make the promise!"

"Yes, make haste." Ingenious glanced at the rocks and his leg. "You don't have much time."

"Pardon?" asked Applejack.

"Just make a Pinkie Promise!" Pinke said. "Otherwise the failsafe will activate!"

"W-what?" Fluttershy yelped.

"Pinkie Promise!" The cave rumbled and a loosened rock clattered next to Pinkie. "Now!"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye!" All the girls belted out and did the motions.

Fluttershy yelped when her hoof refused to detach from her eye from a moment but then gave way with an elastic-like snap.

Igneous sighed and pressed his leg deeper into the rocks.

The entire cave shook and the girls went to their knees.

"But we made the promise!" Twilight yelled.

"Silly," Pinkie giggled. "That's just the door opening!"

When the rumbling stopped, the girls slowly opened their eyes. The wall in front of them had sunk into the earth, revealing a second chamber within the cave. The Pies filed into it and the girls followed.

The chamber arced up high. Like the room before, lanterns and magic couldn't pierce the upper darkness of the cave. Unlike the previous room though, a lone shaft a light shot down into the center of the room. The sliver of sunlight allowed a bed of moss to crop up on the cave's floor and along the base of the great stone that rested under the light.

The stone was massive, at least the size of an ursa minor. It didn't have the glow of a ruby, but it was a much richer red than any other stone or clay. Each of its five exposed sides was covered from top to bottom in some sort of glyphs.

Twilight and the rest of the girls drew close to the stone, but kept a respectful distance. The air around it felt charged with an ancient energy.

"What is this?" Twilight asked.

"We call it Holder's Boulder," Pinkie said. "But now that we're here I can tell you its other name: the Ponyglyph."

"Well, it sure is something." Applejack adjusted her hat and stared at it. "What's all the fancy stuff on it mean?"

"No idea," Pinkie chirped.

All her friend's eyes fell on her.

"But I thought you're some sort of inheritor of this." Twilight looked over to Pinkie's family. "Are you saying none of you can read this?"

"In times long past, we may have," Igneous sighed. "But those ways were lost when the Pies split from our fellow stonemasons to stay and guard this most important of messages. I now feel our time is at hoof. Pinkamina, what say you?"

"Yep!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I bet Luffy will definitely be able to do it. I think he even said something about one of his friends doing something with stones."

"I see." Igneous smiled. "Then it is set, we Pies shall fulfill our duty and grant this Ponyglyph to Monkey D. Luffy once he has learned of the New World’s End."

“Aww.” Pinkie blew a raspberry. “We can’t give it to him now?”

“No,” Igneous commanded. “A D born upon the seas must reach the false end before their true journey can begin. That is how it has been since ancient times.”

“Okay,” Pinkie sighed. Her head then shot up and she displayed a wide smile. “Then when Luffy gets back I’m definitely gonna do everything I can to help him get strong.”

“And, of course, he is welcome to come here and read the Ponyglyph,” said Igneous. “He just cannot take it yet.”

"Wait," said Twilight. Everypony turned to her. "This is all a lot of information, but wouldn't it be easier to just transcribe what's on the stone and give it to Luffy?"

"Of course, child," Igneous replied. “But that would not be fulfilling its purpose. Only when the stones are brought together at the point long ago foretold will their true meaning be revealed.”

"Why don't I try translating it for him then?"

Igneous tightened his jaw. "You may try, child, but the Ponyglyph is a relic far beyond anypony's understanding."

"Just to make life a little easier on Luffy."

Twilight trotted closer to the Ponyglyph. The hairs on her neck stood straight being so close to such an ancient yet undamaged thing. She gulped and lit up her horn. Her breathing quickened while her aura crept over the great stone. At places, her magic stopped and quivered as if held back by some invisible force. Her mane flowed around her and a breeze filled the cave.

Her eyes flared open. They crackled white with energy for a moment before Twilight was lifted off the ground and thrown across the room.

"Twilight!" her friends cried out and raced over to her.

Applejack reached her first and cradled Twilight's head. "C'mon, stick with us, sugarcube!"

Twilight groaned and raised her head. She coughed and looked up. Her eyes flicked in various directions. She shook her head and breathed.

"I can't believe it." Twilight placed a hoof on her head. "I can't even begin to understand half of it, but Pinkie, you were right, with everything that's happened, it's essential that we tell Luffy about this stone."

"See?" Pinkie beamed.

"But what's it say?" Dash leaned closer to Twilight. "Is it some ancient secret? A map to buried treasure? C'mon, tell us!"

Twilight smiled. "There’s still a lot trying to process, but there was one phrase I was able to understand. If I'm right, everything we've know about Equestria—about the world—could be wrong!"

"Tell us!" everypony shouted.

"The secret is..." Twilight leaned closer to her friends.

A snap echoed through the cave.

Discord looked out at you.

"That the author realized what day it was and combined it with a random headcanon he thought up at the last moment," he snickered. "Oh, don't give me that look. You didn't think two chapters in a row was a little odd?"

Discord snapped again and a pair of shades appeared on his face. "Anyway, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my favorite holiday before we get back to the main plot. Oh, I can't wait to finally get revenge on that stupid Straw Hat!"

Discord stroked his beard. "Although, I think the author mentioned something about setting him adrift or something. I heard there was talk of some skeleton too. Or maybe it was a chef."

"Whatever!" Discord shrugged causing the cave and everypony in it to float away. Now Discord was on a beach somewhere with the sand rolling back and forth and lapping at the stationary water. Discord put his hands behind his head while a hammock floated up and leaned on him. "I'm going to enjoy some clouds and rain for bit. April fools!"

Set Adrift: I Don't Need A Pony!

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Previously on Set Adrift: I NEED A LADY!

Sanji screamed at the top of his lungs. Behind him, a pack of colorful ponies chased after him.

And now the continuation…

Ponies. There were ponies everywhere. There were ponies manning the shops. There were ponies flying through the sky. There were ponies in the street that darted out of the way of a powder-blue unicorn in a dirtied suit.

“Somepony stop him!” came a shout from behind.

Sanji glanced back to see the pack of ponies were still in hot pursuit of him. The only comfort the sight brought him was that an orange pony and a blue pegasus had taken the lead. Rarity was lost amidst these other ponies and the dust they all kicked up.

“Stay away!” Sanji yelled back at them. “I’m not staying on this island for another second!”

Sanji plowed down the the road. The buildings grew apart from each other and the path became rough. A thick line of trees appeared up ahead where the path vanished into some woods. Sanji pumped his legs faster.

“Stop!” somepony cried out behind him. A blast of purple light whizzed past his ear.

He didn’t look back this time and raced onwards. A small shock ran through him when he dove into the forest. Underbrush and roots overtook the dirt path. Sanji barreled deeper into the woods, branches and roots snapping and cracking against his legs and hooves.

A shadow of a thick branch appeared in front of him. Sanji ducked but the end of his horn scraped against the branch. His head shot back while his legs kept galloping. One of many roots that lined the ground caught a hoof and Sanji went into a tumble.

The world spun around him until he slammed into the thick trunk of a tree. The rustle of the branches echoed through the forest and then silence fell around Sanji. With a grunt, he picked himself up and shook off some loose leaves and dirt.

“Sanji!”

The cry was distant, perhaps fifty or so yards. It sent of chill up Sanji’s spine.

Like hell I’m letting that horse take me back! Sanji thought with a snort. Damn that bear bastard, sending me to an island full of horses with the voices of angels!

Sanji huffed and limped ahead. A thick fog hung over the woods, throwing the trees and their inhabitants into shadow. Every few paces, Rarity’s voice or one of the others’ would call out. Sanji stiffened at their words and crept closer to the trees. When he chanced to look back and see if they were coming up from behind him, he grimaced at the sight of his exposed flanks. He hadn’t thought about it back at Rarity’s but the thought of whatever had happened to his pants made him shudder.

“I swear I’m gonna beat that bear bastard black and blue.”

He stomped a hoof. The act made him pause. He looked down to see that he had trampled over some roots with his left foreleg. He raised up his leg and watched clumps of dirt fall off the thick lump of keratin that had replaced his hand. His jaw tightened.

“Damn,” he grumbled.

The ponies’ calls were softer now. The thought did little to calm Sanji while he trotted through the woods. All four of his legs and points along his chest and back ached from the earlier fall. The rumbling of his stomach drew the most attention.

“Heh,” he muttered. “Guess I can always eat the grass if I’m hungry.”

He frowned at the mental image of himself grazing. The idea of being brought so low as to eat grass conjured up unpleasant memories.

He then flashed back to the when Rarity had first shattered his dream of whatever madhouse of an island this was. She had had what looked like tea, soup, and a simple salad of some sort with her. He came to a stop.

Hmmm, talking horses that can also cook. He sighed and focused back onto the path. Doesn’t matter, I’ve got to get back to the Sunny and find everyone else!

The fog shifted and darkened while he walked. The fire in his eye died down the further he went. Soon, his clenched jaw had give way to a frown.

Darn, I should have stolen a map or something, Sanji thought back to the concerned look Rarity and the other ponies had shown him while he had fled. Maybe I could have asked.

Sanji shook his head. “No! No more talking horses! No matter how nice they are! Horses are horses not la—”

A shriek sounded through the trees. Sanji perked up his ears and turned toward the direction the scream had come from. He gritted his teeth and went into a gallop.

~~~

A few minutes earlier, Rarity and Pinkie Pie stood side by side and combed over the trees and the thick underbrush. A miner’s helmet affixed with a floodlight rested on Pinkie’s head. Both the light and Rarity’s horn cut through the fog.

“Of all the days for the Everfree to be caught in a haze.” Rarity bit her lip. “It’s dangerous enough as it is.”

“Don’t worry, Rarity, I’m sure we’ll find this Sanji guy!” said Pinkie. She wobbled her head around, slicing through the fog with her light. “Marco!”

The rustling of plants and the drip of a distant stream answered Pinkie. She blushed and knocked on her helmet.

“Ooops, forgot he probably forgot how to play Marco Polo.”

“I only wish that were all he forgot,” Rarity sighed. “I just feel terrible for him. It was like he’d completely forgotten he was a pony.”

Pinkie craned her head close to Rarity. “What if did? Oh, what if he’s not actually a pony at all but some sort of creature forcefully changed into a pony that must now go on an epic quest to regain his lost form and return to his home?”

Rarity furrowed her brow at Pinkie. “We really don’t have time for this, Pinkie. We ju—”

The ground crumbled underneath Rarity’s left side. She lurched into the fog-cloaked drop and yelped. Pinkie thrusted out and leg and grasped for Rarity. Her hoof skimmed over one of Rarity’s. Rarity watched Pinkie wildly flail at her but she just grew further and further. Rarity’s yelp grew into a scream and she plummeted into the fog.

“Rarity!” Pinkie yelled. The rest of her words, if she said any, were lost to the winds lashing against Rarity’s ears.

The ground reappeared below. Rarity shut her eyes tight and lit up her horn. A sheet of aura flew up below her and arced back, forming a half sphere. It crashed down on the ground and suspended Rarity in the air for a split-second.

The aura cracked under the pressure, sending out an blast that shook the nearby trees and echoed through the forest. The backlash struck Rarity and sent her vision spinning. Her head felt ready to burst when she felt one of her hindlegs twist backward. Pain shot up from near her knee and mixed with the backlash. Rarity curled up and moaned before everything went black for a moment.

The smell of rotten wood and spoiled fruit was thick in the air when Rarity opened her eyes. The world tilted left and right and was filled with glowing yellow spots that glared at her. Her head throbbed and it felt like somepony had put her left hindleg into a vice.

Her pupils shrank when a clawed leg made of jagged splintered wood appeared out of the fog near two of the yellow spots. The rest of the creature prowled closer to Rarity, revealing itself as a grotesque fusion of a wolf and a tree. Amidst her scrambled thoughts, a tale Applejack had told Rarity came up.

“Timberwolves are truly nasty critters,” she had said. “I’ve only seen them from a distance during Zap Apple Season, but from what Granny said, you’d be better off dealing with an Ursa than a pack of Timberwolves.”

More wolves were drawing close to Rarity. Their breath was so thick she could see it pouring out of their mouths. She felt her lunch at the back of her throat. She tried to lift her head, but a wave of pain sent her world spiraling again.

The first wolf brought a paw down beside Rarity’s head. Both she and the ground shuddered. The wolf brought he gnarled snout close and sniffed Rarity. It then bent its head back and howled, sending goosebumps across Rarity’s skin. Her heart raced in her chest. The wolf opened it maw, revealing a mouth filled with thorny fangs. Rarity shut her eyes.

A yelp and the crack of wood rang through the woods. Something thudded beside Rarity and she opened her eyes. The wolf’s head was lying prone beside her amidst a collection of twigs and branches.

Sanji huffed and glared at the rest of the pack. “Hands off the lady, you mutts!”

The wolves growled and then leapt at him. Sanji bent low. Just before the wolves’ jaws snapped down, Sanji drove a hoof into their underbellies. In a series of snaps and cracks, the wolves burst apart, littering the ground with logs, branches, and leaves.

Sanji lowered his hindleg back to the ground and sighed. He spun around and bent down towards Rarity.

“Oi, can you move?”

“I… I’m not sure,” Rarity murmured.

Sanji glanced at Rarity’s hindlegs and noted the way the left one was bent at an odd angle. He shifted around so that he was in front of Rarity and pressed against the ground.

“Try and pull yourself on. If you can do that, I can carry you from there,” Sanji muttered.

“Thank you.” Rarity gritted her teeth and stretched out her forelegs. She pulled herself forward and managed to drape her forelegs over Sanji’s back. “Oh, Mr. Sanji, I’m so terribly sorry for this whole mess.”

“Save it,” said Sanji. “It’s my fault you wound up like this anyway. Let’s just get you out of here and back to those other horses.”

“I don’t understand though,” Rarity huffed. She pulled with all her strength but could get her torso over Sanji’s back. “You… you were terrified of us before.”

“I still am,” Sanji sighed. “An island where horses talk and act like beautiful women? I can’t think of a worse hell for me. I’m still a man though, even if I look like this.”

Sanji glanced down and awkwardly extended a hoof back to Rarity. He pressed under her side and managed to lift her up enough to get onto his back.

“And a man doesn’t leave a lady in peril!” Sanji took a deep breath and lifted Rarity off the ground. With a huff, he took a step forward. “Any idea where the other horses might be?”

“Ponies,” Rarity corrected. “Can you recall how to use your horn? Maybe we co—”

The ground shook and cut Rarity off. A ghostly howl filled the air. The scattered wood gained a sickly green glow and floated off the ground. Jagged branches bent into claws, logs bound themselves into thick thick legs, and massive thorns filled in the jaws of the hulking beast forming before Sanji. The massive timberwolf opened its blazing eyes and roared at Sanji, spewing it rank breath on him. He flared his nostrils back at it.

“Tough bastard,” he spat. He bent down and deposited Rarity back on the ground. “You aren’t even worth firewood.”

The wolf growled and swiped at Sanji. He ducked but the wind from the swipe smacked into him and lifted him off his feat. The wolf brought up another paw and backhanded Sanji across the woods. It sneered in his direction and then bared its fangs at Rarity. Its paw thudded against the ground and it drew closer to her, its massive branch-ears scraping against the canopy.

“I said, hands off!” Sanji shouted.

He sailed into the wolf and smacked it in the side with a hindleg glowing like coals. His horn also shined through the fog like a spire of flame. The wolf yipped in pain while Sanji drove his leg in deeper. The point of impact smoked and blackened.

“Flambage Shot!”

Sanji tore his hoof through the wolf. It let out a roar that echoed through the forest before smoke poured out of its mouth. Its body shuddered and then exploded in a blaze of fire. The blast sent charred and flaming pieces of wood everywhere and knocked Sanji into a nearby tree. He slid down, shook his head and sighed. With a grunt, he hefted himself up and walked back over to Rarity. A bit of blood dripped from the side of his head.

“Sanji, you’re hurt,” Rarity murmured.

“I’ve dealt with worse.” Sanji looked over the flaming remains of the timberwolf. “Dumb thing should have known not to mess with a cook if it’s made of wood.”

He paused a moment and glanced at his still smoking leg and felt a bit of heat coming from his head as well. He shook his head and turned back to Rarity. He bent down but stopped when his horn glimmered for a brief moment as did Rarity. She lifted a fraction off the ground and then flopped back onto it.

“The hell?” asked Sanji.

“Oh, you can use magic,” said Rarity. She looked back at her dirtied coat and injured leg. “That’ll make getting back much easier.”

“Eh? Magic?” Sanji blinked. He shook his head and got on the ground beside Rarity again. “Look, I don’t have time to ask why you keep saying stuff like ‘magic’ and ‘spells’ just climb on and we’ll get out of here.”

“I think we can help with that.”

A beam of purple aura shot through the trees and picked up the remaining pieces of timberwolf and enclosed them in a sphere of magic. They charred to ashes and then were released back onto the ground.

Twilight emerged from the foliage followed by the rest of the girls.

“That sure was one heck of an emergency flare,” Pinkie giggled.

~~~

Sanji stared down at the fresh splint and bandages that adorned Rarity’s hindleg. Smaller bandages wrapped around and over small cuts and scrapes across her. Sanji felt the adhesive linen pressing against his own wounds as well. He could also feel a pair of ruby eyes glaring at him. He sighed and pushed away an empty salad bowl.

“You finally gonna explain why we shouldn’t throw you in the looney bin?” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

“Ooh, or why you didn’t use magic?” Pinkie asked.

“Or would you like something more to eat?” asked Fluttershy. She glanced back into her kitchen. “I can always make more.”

Sanji felt his skin prickle. Fluttershy had quite the melodic voice that conjured memories of his time back on Skypiea and Conis. The wings didn’t help either.

“No, I’m fine,” he muttered. He then leveled his gaze at Rainbow. “And I could try to explain it, but you’d probably lock me up anyway. If I can just borrow some maps, I can get on my way.”

“To where though?” Twilight asked.

“Back to my ship,” Sanji sighed.

“Oh, so you’re from one of the coastal cities.” Twilight tapped her chin. “That still doesn’t explain how you wound up in the middle of Equestria though.”

“I’m still working that part out myself.” Sanji reached behind his ear and held out a tiny scrap of paper in his hooves. How he managed to pull and hold out the scrap was lost to him but the less questions asked, the sooner he could be off this island. “All that matters is that I follow where this leads me.”

Pinkie slid up beside Sanji and peered at the paper. “You know, having Twilight test whatever that is with a spell could really help your ‘I’m not a crazy mamajama’ case.”

Sanji pulled away from Pinkie. He snorted at her and tucked the paper back behind his ear. “No way. This is my only ticket back to crew. I’m not letting you or anyone else even touch it!”

“Okay, okay,” said Twilight. “Nopony is gonna touch your paper, Mr. Sanji. You mentioned a crew though, right?”

“Yes, but...” Sanji clenched his jaw and huffed. “Damn it, I don’t have time to explain everything. Look, can I please just look at some maps? I’ve caused enough trouble as it is and your whole being girls but also ponies isn’t helping.”

Twilight glanced at her friends. “Riggggghhht.”

“Gee, Mr. Sanji,” Pinkie giggled. “It’s almost like you think you aren’t a pony.”

Sanji shuddered and lowered his head. “I need to get out of this place before I go mad.”

“Well why don’t we try contacting your crew?” Applejack suggested. “I’m still not quite getting why you’re so spooked about us, but maybe your pals could help.”

“Do you have transponder sails here?” asked Sanji. Several blank faces stared back at him. “Thought not. Not that it matters. I’m guessing my crew is in a similar state to me. I swear if that bear bastard sent Nami and Robin somewhere dangerous I’m gonna clobber him into next week!”

“Woah, easy there, partner.” Applejack passed a mug of cider over to him. Sanji took as swig and sunk into his chair with a grimace slapped across his face. “Now, I know you must be in an awful state being thrown across Equestria with your friends who knows where. I know I’d be.”

Applejack placed a hoof on her chest and stared straight at Sanji. “But us gals ain’t the kind to abandon a pony in need.”

“Really, Applejack?” Dash huffed.

“As long as said ponies don’t panic and get themselves in a mess again.” Applejack flashed Sanji a sheepish grin. “No offense.”

“What if he does flip out again and messes somepony else up like he did to Rarity?” said Dash.

“Hey!” Sanji jabbed a hoof at Dash. “I didn’t ask you to follow me into the forest, candy-head!”

Dash zoomed over and pressed her face close to Sanji’s. “Well excuse us for wanting to keep a crazy stallion from hurting himself!”

Sanji wrinkled his nose at her. “You know, you’re starting to remind me of another muscle-head.”

“Want me to show you what these muscles can do?”

“Everypony, please!” Rarity shouted and then fell back onto Fluttershy’s bed. “We should have been more careful with Mr. Sanji from the start. Regardless, if it hadn’t been for him, I doubt I would have gotten away with just a sprained leg and a bit of a migraine.”

Dash raised a hoof to the air. “But…”

“Not buts!” Rarity shot back. “Despite some of his harsher mannerisms, Mr. Sanji is a gentlecolt that just wants to go back home. I don’t think that’s much of a request.”

Dash pressed her lips together and marched back to her seat. Her eyes remained fixed on Sanji and he could feel the heat she was drilling into him. He looked away from her and back to Twilight.

“Are we good to go then?” he asked. “You said your place had some maps on the way here, right?”

“If that’s what you want.” Twilight lit up her horn and opened up the door in the other room. She then looked over her friends and lingered on Rarity. “I’ll see you all in the morning.”

“Have a safe trip back,” said Applejack. Sanji noted the slight sharpness in her eyes when she glanced at him.

“Tell us if you need anything,” said Fluttershy.

“And don’t get any funny ideas,” Dash grumbled.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity hissed. Her face softened when she turned to Twilight and Sanji. “Have a good night, both of you. I hope you’re able to find what you’re looking for, Sanji.”

“So do I,” Sanji muttered as he stepped into the other room.

He followed after Twilight into the cool night. A slight wind brushed against his fur and bandages. What had been left of his suit had been discarded at the hospital. Rarity had mentioned giving Sanji a new one on the trek out of the woods but he had refused. No sense waiting longer for a suit that wouldn’t fit him once he was back to normal.

Then again, the suit he’d had on him had shifted along with the rest of him when he’d gotten here. It wouldn’t do any good to make it all the way back to the Sunny if Robin and Nami saw him looking like he’d wandered out of a farm. Maybe he could ask Rarity to make some clothes for them all well.

Sanji shook his head back and forth.

What am I thinking!? I can’t waste more time… Sanji blinked. Unless everyone else is here too.

“Hey,” Sanji called out to Twilight. “There haven’t been any other strange ponies popping up around here lately, have there?”

“Not that I can recall.” Twilight looked back and smiled at Sanji. “And being a little frightened and probably sustaining some head trauma doesn’t make you strange.”

“I told you it’s not head trauma or whatever. It’s just too much of a pain to explain and would just drag things out.” Sanji hefted his shoulders and sighed. “But I suppose if I’m the only one that’s caused trouble lately that means the others are probably somewhere else.”

“Well, I can make sure a bulletin is put out for your friends,” said Twilight. “I don’t use it often, but being the Princess’s student does have some benefits.”

Sanji raised his curly eyebrow. “Princess?”

Twilight bit her lip. “I’m really gonna need to have a word with the medical staff about their neurology apartment.”

“Okay, okay,” said Sanji. “There’s a Princess or something. I guess if anyone else shows up that could help.” Sanji looked up to the starry sky and sighed. “Crap, Princesses, unicorns, and pegasi. I really got sent to one hell of a fairy tale. I’ll probably have to fight a dragon by the end of this mess.”

“Well, hopefully it won’t be a fight with Spike,” Twilight giggled.

Sanji blinked. “What?”

Twilight came to a stop in front of the giant oak in the middle of town. She looked back at Sanji and smiled. “Well, I guess that one isn’t too odd. Not a whole lot of ponies have actually seen a dragon.”

“Wait, you’re joking, right?” asked Sanji while Twilight opened up the door. “You’re not gonna tell me there’s dragons here t—”

A scaly purple creature darted out from within the library and latched onto Twilight’s leg. “Twilight! Are you okay?” It lifted its wide slitted eyes up. “Is Rarity okay?”

“Yes, Spike, everypony will be fine.” Twilight gave Spike a pat on the head. “Rarity hurt her leg a little though, but I’m sure it’s nothing a little help from a strong little dragon can’t fix.”

Spike’s cheeks went from purple to hot pink and he unclenched himself from Twilight’s leg. He then turned his head up toward Sanji. His brow furrowed.

“Hey, is this the whacked out pony you mentioned earlier?”

“Spike!” A bit of red dotted Twilight’s cheeks. She coughed into a hoof and took some breaths. She then waved a leg back and forth between Spike and Sanji. “Spike, this is Sanji. Sanji, Spike.”

Spike grumbled and extended out a claw. Twilight nodded her head in quick succession towards the claw. The signal clicked and Sanji extended out a leg to Spike and the two of them shook limbs.

“Nice to meet you,” Spike muttered.

“I think I’ll go with surprised rather than nice.” Sanji pulled his hoof back and looked at Twilight. “So he’s what a real dragon looks like?”

“Well, a baby one.” Twilight corked her head to the side. “Were you expecting something different.”

“I guess that makes sense for the size.” Sanji peered down at Spike. “No wings or fire though?”

“I got plenty of one of them.” Spike puffed up his chest and sent a small jet of fire up between Sanji and Twilight. He placed his hands on his hips and grinned. “How about that?”

“After the day I’ve had, I’ll take it.” Sanji slunked after Twilight into the library. “Now, about those maps.”

“Of course.” Twilight lit up her horn and some books flew off a shelf and onto a nearby table. “There you go. There’s more maps if you need them, but these are pretty comprehensive.”

Sanji looked up the high shelf the books had floated off and then at Twilight’s horn. “So that’s that magic you were talking about.” He glanced down at his hooves. “I guess that’s how you pick up and hold most things?”

“Yeah…” Twilight avoided Sanji’s and stared at the ground. “Maybe you should sit down and rest a little before looking into those maps.”

“Are there any basic books on magic?” Sanji looked up at the stacks of books. “Something that could break it down in really simple steps?”

“Sure.”

Twilight's horn glowed again and another book came to rest beside the others. Its cover featured a unicorn filly staring up at a bearded stallion in a pointy hat. Stars and bolts of lightning flew out of the stallion’s horn and illustrated the large bubbly font of the title: Fillies’ and Colts’ First Spell Book. Twilight blushed a little.

“That’s, uh, the most basic I’ve got.”

“I’ll take it.” Sanji trekked over to the desk and took his seat. Some basic survival skills will help to not draw attention and get out of here faster.

“Well, if you need anything else, I’ll just be upstairs.” Twilight took a few steps up and then looked back down at Sanji. “The guest room’s up here too for when you want to go to sleep.”

“Thanks.” Sanji managed to smile. “Maybe if I get a handle on this whole magic thing I can cook up something in the morning.”

“Oh, you really don’t need to do that.”

“Think of it as thanks for the maps and a place to rest for the night.” Sanji glanced up at his horn. “That’s if I figure this thing out.”

“Okay then…” Twilight flashed Sanji a jittery grin and then ascended the stairs with Spike following behind her.

At the top, Spike glared down at Sanji, motioned to his eyes with two claws and then pointed them at Sanji. Sanji sighed at the display and opened up the first mapbook.

~~~

Sanji rubbed his eye. The stump of a candle near him flickered. He snorted and a faint glow flowed over it and brought it a bit closer to the maps. It felt like someone was jabbing at his forehead with a large blunt nail. He considered turning on the chandelier but Twilight’s soft snores and the dull ache from his horn squelched the idea. He sighed and pressed his head closer to the maps. Pale moonlight and the dim glow of a candle would have to do for the night.

A lively jazz tune from a piano snapped Sanji back to the task at hand. He stretched out his arm and placed the crudite platter down on the table.

“Ah, this looks marvelous,” the customer mused.

Sanji smiled at the customer. Her dark blue dress curved in all the right places and scintillated along to the light rocking of the ship. Her flowing mass of hair sparkled too as if stars were locked within them. Combined with the woman’s dark complexion, she gave off an exotic and alluring air.

“Would you care to join me?” she mused.

“I’d love too!” Sanji pulled out a chair but stopped himself from sitting down. He coughed and straightened himself. “But I have other customers too. Perhaps a free dessert can be arranged for the lovely mademoiselle though?”

“Oh, I think I’m quite satisfied with what you’ve already brought to the table.” The woman glanced at the crudite. When she leveled her gaze back at Sanji, he felt a bit of a draft against his back. “Are you sure this is where you’re meant to be though?”

The room tilted back and right. Sanji felt his heart jump. A vision of the Sunny and the crew came to him and the room leveled down. He took his seat across from the woman and glared at her.

“What is this?” he asked. “I’ve had more than my fair share of weird today.”

“My apologies.” The women dipped her head. “I thought a restaurant on the seas would be a nice neutral spot to talk. You’re quite perceptive though. Even ponies have trouble spotting the threads of slumber unless I make it obvious.”

“Are you one of them?” Sanji grumbled. He looked down from the woman’s face to her form-fitting dress. “Please tell me you’re not.”

“Here I’m whatever soothes others’ worries.” The woman frowned and glanced down. “Forgive me for not helping with that nightmare earlier though, my availability during the day is limited.”

“Look, I can handle this on my own.” Sanji looked up to the roof. “Now how do I wake up or whatever you do to get out of this place?”

“My my, quite the impatient one,” the woman mused. “But with your troubles, I can see why. I just wanted to exchange a greeting with you and relieve any potential worries you might have.”

“My worries are my own business.” Sanji reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. The woman waited while he lit it and took a long drag. He sighed while the smoke curled above him. “All that matters is getting back to my crew and getting off this circus of an island.”

Something gleamed in the woman’s eyes. “I wonder…”

The cigarette dangled from Sanji’s lips. “Huh?”

“Oh nothing.” The woman glanced out through one of the windows. A large amount of light was pouring through them. It was nearly blinding. “I suppose I’ll let sister handle things from here in the morning. Sweet dreams, Black Leg.”

The room around them swirled. The walls grew transparent, revealing the vast field of stars beyond them. The table and the woman drifted away from Sanji while he felt himself being pulled back.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Sanji called out while the woman’s form shifted and faded away amongst the stars. “How’d you know that na—”

Something shaking him on the shoulder forced Sanji to open his eyes. He grunted and peeled his muzzle off of the map he’d fallen asleep on.

“It’s like there’s two Twilights,” Spike giggled.

“Spike, be nice.” Twilight lowered her hoof to floor and looked at Sanji. A wide smiled filled her face. “Anyway, I have some good news. I sent a letter off Canterlot last night and we already got a reply back. You’re in luck too, Princess Celestia got back from her diplomatic visit this morning, so she and Princess Luna can help you out. I’m actually a little shocked how fast it was to get help with all of this.”

“Guess I won’t be cooking up breakfast then,” said Sanji.

“I suppose not.” Twilight glanced at Sanji’s cutie mark. “But it’ll give you a chance to try some of Pinkie’s cooking.”

Sanji shuddered. The way the pink one bounced all around and always seemed to be cramming her mouth full of sugary confections reminded him of Luffy on a kitchen raid. Now that pink ball of fluff would be shoving its wares down his throat. Dreading the upcoming diabetic confrontation, the vivid dream slipped away from Sanji.

~~~

“How the hell did you make this with just your hooves?” Sanji exclaimed.

In front of him was a croissant with a chunk bitten out of it and a steaming cafe au lait. A bit of foam clung to the tip of Sanji’s muzzle. Pinkie sat across from Sanji and grinned.

“Trade secret,” she giggled.

“It’s best not to question Pinkie on some things,” said Twilight.

“Might cause you to lose your head again,” Dash muttered.

“I can understand why the baker decided to tag along.” Sanji pointed at Dash. “But why are you here, candy-head?”

“The name’s Rainbow Dash, curly-brow,” Dash shot back. “And I’m here to make sure you don’t cause any trouble.”

Twilight stuck her head between Sanji and Dash. “Which we’re very grateful for.” She unleashed her held in breath when Sanji and Dash backed off.

Sanji brought his attention back to Pinkie. “I still want to know how you made something like this. No recipes or anything, just how you did it by hoof. If you had a horn that’d make a little more sense.”

“Well, I suppose I could tell you from one chef to another, but you probably already know my number one secret anyway. The secret is…” Pinkie leaned close and Sanji let an ear. Pinkie then yelled, “... making every dish with lots and lots of love for your customers and your friends!”

Sanji reeled back with his ears ringing. He sunk into his seat and glanced at Twilight. “Yeah, I shouldn’t have asked.”

~~~

“Princess!” Twilight exclaimed. She rushed forward to Celestia, gave her a bow, and then a hug. “Oh, how was your trip? Were the Saddle Arabians accommodating? Do they really pu—”

A golden horseshoe pressed against Twilight’s lips. “Yes, Twilight, it was quite a nice and informative trip. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it over some tea later. Right now, we have more important matters to discuss.”

Sanji straightened. Celestia appeared just as cartoonish as any other pony but the way she carried herself held an air of awe. In her eyes spanned a deep expanse of knowledge gained through the years that reminded Sanji of Zeff. The other princess that sat in the neighboring throne bore similar eyes but also a more playful smile than the calm grin Celestia wore.

Sanji stepped forward and bowed. “Thank you for letting me see you. My name is…”

“Black Leg Sanji,” Celestia chuckled. “It’s quite a surprise seeing such a famous chef wind up in the middle of my kingdom.”

Sanji stiffened. Sweat crept onto his forehead.

“You know him?” Twilight gasped.

“Not personally,” Celestia replied. “He’s from quite the distant land, but he and his crew are quite the upstarts.”

“Neato!” Pinkie chirped. She draped a hoof over Sanji and smiled. “I had a feeling you were some sort of big shot. Ooooh, now I wanna challenge you to a bake-off even more!”

“I’m afraid that may not be happening,” said Celestia. “Between the letter and what I know of Sanji here, I suppose he dearly wants to return to his crew.”

“Can you?” Sanji gasped. “I’m not sure how but I’ll repay you it!”

“You already did by defending my subjects last night.” Celestia turned to Twilight and her friends. “Twilight, I apologize, but could my sister and I have some private words with Sanji for a moment? His situation involves a little diplomatic privacy and I’d like to respect that.”

“Oh, of course!” Twilight spun around and marched over to the door. “Come on, girls. We’ll be right outside if you need us!”

“Thank you, my faithful student,” Celestia giggled.

The door closed and a silence fell upon the throne room. Sanji felt a heat on him when Celestia looked back at him. It dissipated as quickly as it had appeared when Celestia smiled at him.

"You’re quite the lucky stallion,” she said. Her horn glowed and a wanted poster with a blurry sketch of a blond man with a pancake-like face and only one eye showing materialized next to her. “Equestria has done wonders for your looks.”

“Gah!” Sanji stomped his hooves. “Does everyone in the world have that damned thing? And how the hell did you even guess that was me with just that crappy drawing? It looks nothing like me! Pony or not!”

“Now, now, I’m nopony to judge just based on appearance.” Celestia floated up a letter and a newspaper beside the poster. Sanji grimaced at the headline on the latter: Straw Hats Defeated. “I took an educated guess between your poster, your description from Rarity and Twilight, and the recent events on the Grand Line.”

“So you do know stuff beyond this island then.” Sanji furrowed his brow. “Why present this island as the only place in the world then?”

“I see someone was busy at Twilight’s last night.” Celestia returned to her throne. Sanji felt something nudge against his side. A chair pressed up against him and he took a seat. “Through a combination of geography and magic, Equestria is virtually inaccessible unless you have wings or the wayward sky island passes by. Though the latter is highly unlikely given us being on what you would call a Calm Belt.”

“Crap, this is gonna be a real pain getting back, isn’t it?” Sanji sighed.

“Not at all. I venture out every now and then to observe the world and learn what I can, so getting you back in no concern of mine. You humans do quite a few unsavory things, but some of your discoveries are very beneficial.” Another newspaper materialized beside Celestia and floated over to Sanji. “I also feel a bit of sympathy for your captain.”

Sanji’s pupils shrank when he read the headline on the first newspaper. Accompanying it were two large pictures of Ace and Whitebeard marked with Xs. Below them were pictures and details that roiled Sanji’s stomach and rent his heart. By the time he finished the paper, he was slumped in his seat with a hollow pit in his core. He took a deep breath and then glared at Luna and Celestia.

“I need you to get me to Luffy now. I don’t care what it takes!”

“How noble,” Luna chuckled. “Sister, don’t keep him waiting though. Show him the other one.”

Sanji blinked. Something about Luna’s voice pricked his ears. A flash drew his attention back to Celestia. A third newspaper was at her side.

“I was curious when the news first broke,” said Celestia. “Perhaps you can explain what exactly your captain was doing going back to a place where he lost so much.”

Sanji didn’t wait for the paper to come over to him. He seized it with his own magic and pulled it over. Celestia smiled at the display while Sanji poured over the paper. He stopped almost as quickly as he started. The throne room was quiet for some minutes while Sanji lingered over the headline picture of a bandaged young man holding a straw hat on his chest.

“Hey, all this magic stuff, do you think a human could use it?” Sanji muttered.

“Now that’s quite a question.” Celestia tapped her chin. “You shouldn’t have the proper biology for it, but that skill of yours, haki, is similar in some ways.”

Sanji thought back to the forest, the way his head had felt aflame alongside his leg. He took a deep breath and stood up. “That settles it then. If I can, I’d like to stay here for a little and train.”

Luna’s grin widened and Celestia blinked.

“That’s quite the dramatic reversal,” Celestia mused. “Whatever could have brought that about?”

“My captain gave an order,” Sanji answered with a fire in his eyes. He slapped hoof against his chest. “I need to get stronger so my crew never falls apart again!”

“Hmmm.” Luna’s lips curled further. “Sister, I think I may have a suggestion. You were planning on telling Twilight Sparkle and her friends eventually anyway so why not slowly introduce them with Sir Sanji here. I think he’s quite the nice introduction to humans.”

“You would say that, Luna.” Celestia narrowed her eyes. “You’ve actually been quite chipper this whole morning.” She shook her head. “But you’ve made a good point. Twilight and her friends will need training and knowledge of the seas so allowing a human to stay here and train is a fair trade off.”

“So do we have a deal then?” asked Sanji.

“Yes, I believe we do.” Celestia grinned. “I’ll have a few details to go over with you and Twilight to ensure you don’t come off as some mad stallion, but I hereby permit your stay in Equestria provided you mind your behavior.”

~~~

A few hours later, Sanji trotted alongside Twilight and her friends through the halls of the Canterlot Castle. All of them felt their heads aching a little but wore smiles regardless.

“Oh, this is so exciting!” Twilight exclaimed. “A whole new world to explore. I can’t wait to read some of the books!”

“Or try the sweets!” Pinkie proclaimed.

“Or find hidden secrets!” said Dash. She pressed closer to Sanji. “There any cool temples or treasure where you come from?”

Sanji smirked and Dash blushed. “Quite a different tone you’ve got now, candy-head. You heard what the Princess said, right? You gotta learn about this stuff slowly or it might overwhelm your pony brain.”

Dash’s wings bristled at Sanji’s mocking tone. “Just you watch, curly brow! By the time we go to this Grand Line thing, we’ll do an even better job living there than you did!”

“Oh, Sir Sanji!” a voice called out.

Sanji broke away from his staredown with Dash. Luna had appeared out of one of the many doors that line the hall. She beckoned to him with a hoof.

“May I borrow you for a minute more?” She asked. “Sister forgot to relay some crucial information.”

Sanji trotted over to her and the girls followed after him. Luna held up a hoof when they tried to enter the room though.

“My apologies, subjects,” Luna said with an aristocratic air, “but this matter concerns some of the more delicate information concern Sir Sanji’s homeland.”

“Of course, Princess.” Twilight gave a small bow.

“This shouldn’t take too long, but feel free to rest somewhere or contact your other friends if we are lagging.”

“Oki-doki!” Pinkie gave Luna a salute. “I could use a coffee break anyway.”

Dash raised an eyebrow at her. “You drank like fifty cups of tea.”

“Oh, so a bathroom break too then!” Pinkie grinned.

Luna chuckled and then shut the door. Sanji made his way over to the table and chairs in the somewhat dim room. For whatever reason, Luna had chosen a guest room of some sort to talk with Sanji. Something about it tickled the nape of his neck.

“You know…” Luna took her seat and grinned at Sanji from across the table. “I always found it interesting how you pirates always seem to have more nobility than your actual nobles.” She floated a tray over to Sanji. “Saltlick?”

“You know humans don’t do that, right?”

“I just thought since it appears you’ll be staying a bit that it would help to familiarize you with some Equestrian culture.” Luna batted her eyes at Sanji. “It’d be nice to hear about human culture too. I’ve missed the forays onto the seas and sister has been quite insistent I refamiliarize myself with Equestria first.”

Sanji felt a chill spreading out from his neck. Luna’s tone and the way she leaned over the table were stirring something at the back of his mind. “So what is it you wanted to discuss?”

Luna pouted her lower lip like she’d been caught stealing a cooking. “Well, my powers allow me a great range of abilities. For instance, skills you learn here might not translate well to your regular body without practice. It’d be a shame for all your hard work to be for not, but I can assist in that.”

“That’s true…” Sanji turned his attention down to the table. The look Luna was giving him wasn’t helping the stone growing in his stomach. “You seem awfully eager to help out though.”

“Well, sister is always so stoic in her observance of the human world. I’m a bit more…”

A blinding flash went off. Sanji shut his eyes and moved to stand when something soft thrust itself against his muzzle. A bit of blood spurted out of his nose. When his vision cleared, his eyes practically popped out of his head. The woman from his dream pressed her chest closer to him, engulfing more of Sanji’s muzzle in her cleavage. Sanji’s face went from a bright red to deathly pale.

“... adventurous,” Luna smirked.

Sanji kicked back and flew into the wall. He pressed up against it and gasped for breath. “What the hell!?”

“Too much of a shock?” Luna stood up from the table. Her chest gave a slight jiggle. “I’m glad to see my illusion spells haven’t lost their appeal at least.”

Sanji’s ears perked at the word “illusion”. Thinking back to the previous night as well, he scowled at Luna. “Alright, you better drop the act because there is no way I’m falling for a damn horse.”

“You say that, but…” Luna stooped low so that Sanji could practically see straight down her scintillating dress. Some more blood trickled down his muzzle. “I am the mare that knows what all ponies dream about. And I am very adaptable. Perhaps you’d prefer if I were a mermaid?”

“M-me-mer…” The crimson flow out of Sanji’s nose increased. His eye lifted up, then stared back at Luna’s cleavage, and then shot down to his own hooves. His shut his eyes and and shook his head. “No! No! I’m a man! I have standards! No matter what you may look like you’re still a horse!”

Before Sanji could say another word, Luna was upon him and thrust her chest at his face again. “Do I feel like a horse?”

While blood dripped from Sanji’s nose, his eye spiraled around its socket. “No… man… horse. I…”

Sanji crumpled to the ground. Luna blinked and then sighed.

“Perhaps I’ve forgotten a bit of tact during my banishment.”

She shuddered when she felt a great heat on her back. She slowly looked back to see Celestia glaring at her.

“You certainly have, sister,” Celestia huffed. She then looked down at Sanji. “Besides, this human is far more appealing as a pony, anyway.”

“Well now who’s being a hypocrite?” Luna grumbled.

“Just because I find a stallion appealing doesn't mean I’m going to pull him aside and seduce him,” Celestia stated. A grin came to her lips. “I’ll at least allow him some time to get accommodated to life here first. That way, I don’t wind up having to explain to my student and her friends how a stallion winds up passed out on the floor in such a state.”

Celestia’s horn flashed and Luna was alone again. She blanched when the door creaked open and Twilight poked her head through.

“I’m sorry, Princess. I just wanted to wait outside since I have so many questions for Sanji and I heard a racket, so I…” Twilight stared at the dark skinned woman and then saw Sanji passed out on the floor. Her horn roared to life. “Don’t move! I don’t know what you are, but I won’t let you hurt innocent ponies!”

“Wait! Wait!” Luna flailed her arms around. There was a flash and Luna stood back in her normal body. “It’s me, Twilight Sparkle!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t my first time dealing with shape-shifters, you know.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie popped up beside Luna and looked her straight in the eyes. The pipe in her mouth produced a few bubbles. “Prove you’re really the Princess. What was I wearing for Nightmare Night.”

“A chicken costume,” Luna huffed, willing her mane to flow around her face so as to hide the blush on her cheeks. “Now, please, would you, uh, take Sir Sanji? I fear what I revealed to him was a bit too much to bear.”

“That ain’t the only thing there’s too much of.” Rainbow Dash stared down at Sanji with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. Her eyes were locked near his flanks. She gave Luna a shifty look. “So you just wanted to talk, eh?”

One of Luna’s eyes twitched. “I swear Celestia will pay for this.”

~~~

Dawn stretched through the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack breathed in the fresh morning air and smiled. When she turned her head, the smile dimmed. Sanji glared back at her through his baggy eyes.

“You sure you wanna do this?” she asked. “I understand the Princess wants you to get stronger, but apple bucking ain’t exactly the work unicorns are cut out for.”

“It’s fine,” Sanji huffed. “Still just getting used to… sleeping.”

Sanji had dredged up the last word with such disgust it made Applejack’s skin crawl. “Well, I do appreciate the help. Let’s get you started on the basics first though, don’t want you tiring yourself out.”

Applejack turned and laid a hoof on a nearby tree. Its limbs were spindly and it displayed less leaves than its neighbors, but apples still hung from its low-lying branches. “Just like we practiced. Ol’ girl here’s always been a reliable starting tree.”

Sanji took a breath and lined himself up with the tree. The apples were just a few feet above him and if breakfast were any indication, just as delicious as they looked. Fruit of this quality was a rarity on the seas and, even though he couldn’t prepare the apples yet given his current state, he still appreciated the chance to handle at least part of the process of getting food to the table. He took one more look at the thin tree and then tucked his legs. His hooves then sprang out and knocked against the tree’s trunk. The tree shuddered and loosened its apples into the buckets below. Sanji stood up straight and looked over the buckets with a grin.

“Well I’ll be. If I didn’t know better, that buck could pass for an one my family’s.” Applejack smiled at Sanji. “Course, you still got a whole lot more of the orchard before I call that anything but beginner’s luck.”

“I’ve been cooking nearly my whole life. What kind of chef would I be if I couldn’t procure a few ingredients?”

By the time the sun had cleared over the apple trees, Sanji was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Applejack bucked a nearby tree, collected the apples, and then moved onto another one while Sanji huffed and limped over to his next tree. It was only when the light caught her brow at the right angle that a thin sheen of sweat showed.

Sanji sank his head and gritted his teeth. He glared at the next tree and lifted his sore legs. Something cold pressed up against his side and he spun to see a yellow filly holding up a mug of something to him.

“You’re looking pretty wiped, Mr. Sanji,” said Apple Bloom. “How about some juice?”

Sanji sighed and lit up his horn. The mug jittered in his grasp but stayed afloat. He knocked it back in one gulp. The rustling of an apple tree drifted through the field. Applejack watched apples fall from another tree and then moved on.

“She’s like a machine,” Sanji huffed.

“Yeah, my sis is the best.” Apple Bloom grinned. “You’re pretty good too, Mr. Sanji. I ain’t ever seen a unicorn do so much work with just their hooves.”

“I got a whole lot more before I’m done.” Sanji floated the mug back to Apple Bloom and shambled over to his next tree.

Luffy, I’m not gonna give up! Sanji clenched his jaw while his legs burned. The tree shook and apples tumbled downwards.

~~~

The pale visage of Sanji slumped in his chair. “I give up.”

“No shame in getting tuckered out on your first day.” Applejack bussed her way over to the table with a few plates on her back. “You did a fine job. Finest I’ve seen a unicorn do… don’t let the whole business with the pigpens get you down.”

“That stupid candy-head will never let me hear the end of it,” Sanji muttered.

A whiff came off the plates up to Sanji’s nose. Color returned to his face and his eyes focused. He watched Applejack place each large serving dish on the table and peered at their contents. There was a casserole of some sort, succotash, a large bowl of oats and berries that glistened with spices, and a large steaming apple pie. Sanji’s mouth watered.

Granny Smith chuckled from the head of the table. “Well, young ‘un, I admit it, you’ve earned it. Was a bit skeptical at first but looks like the Princess sent us one hay of a stallion.”

“Eyup,” said Big Mac.

“Let’s eat!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

Everypony at the table dug in. Sanji tore into the meal with the same gusto as the Apple family. Yet, when he reached for his second helping, he paused and stared down at his legs. He’d barely been able to climb into the chair with the dead weights they’d become and the constant burn running through them cut into his enjoyment of the meal, but the weight on them seemed lighter somehow.

“I can practically feel my strength returning,” he commented.

“Oooh.” Granny Smith peered at him and then at Applejack. “Your gentlecolt’s got quite the sense of taste too.”

Applejack snorted some of the juice she was drinking. “Granny! The Princess asked us to house him and give him some work as a favor! That’s all!”

Granny Smith giggled. Applejack readjusted her hat to hide a bit of her blush.

“Granny did make a good point though. Apple family food is some of the best, but it takes a really good nose and tongue to notice the real benefits of the meal.” Applejack pointed a hoof at her plate and smiled. “Us Apples need to keep healthy and strong, so we’ve got a whole line of recipes just like this to build your body up.”

“Building up your body,” Sanji murmured. He slammed a hoof on the table. “That settles it. While I’m here, I need to learn your cooking techniques too!”

Granny jabbed a hoof at Sanji. “Now hold up there, young ‘un. Those recipes are a family treasure. We can’t just give them out willy nilly.”

“I’ll work twice as hard to get them!” Sanji proclaimed. “No, three times!”

“Like I said, these recipes are a family treasure.” Granny Smith crossed her legs over her chest. A wry grin stretched across her face. “Do you catch my drift, young ‘un?”

Applejack slammed her hooves on the table. Her faces was fully crimson. “Granny!”

Across the table, Apple Bloom and Big Mac chuckled. They then each bent an ear towards each other.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Applejack that red before,” Apple Bloom whispered.

“You should have seen how she looked when we had to wash him off after the pigpen,” said Big Mac.

~~~

“Wow, Sanji, you weren’t kidding!” Pinkie chowed down on another piece of the colorful slice in front of her. It sparkled with crisp greens, deep reds, and vibrant yellows and oranges. “Terrines have never been my thing, but this is the super ultra best terrine I’ve ever had!”

Sanji scratched at the scraggly stubble on his chin. “I owe you for the pastry recipes. Applejack’s family is still guarding their food like hawks, but your stuff seems to work too.”

“Like I said, I make sure every dish is filled with lots and lots of love!” Pinkie chirped. She then saddled up a little closer to Sanji. “Especially certain special chef someponies.”

A puff of smoke replaced Sanji when he fled. Pinkie leaned on his smokey afterimage for a moment and then gave a hearty sigh.

~~~

“We aren’t finished!” Sanji yelled up at Dash past his swollen and bruised cheeks. “Bet if I tie those wings up, you won’t be getting any sucker punches on me! Now face me like a man!”

From atop her cloud, Dash stuck out her tongue and swished her tail back and forth at him. “ I’m a pegasus, curly brow. If you want me to keep kicking your butt so bad, why not come up here sometime?”

Sanji growled at her. He turned and marched back on the farm but stopped after a step. He looked up at his horn and then at his legs and grinned. “Maybe I will, candy-head.”

~~~

“Mr. Sanji!” Rarity sang from outside the barn. A suit and a scarf floated beside her. “It’s getting a little colder out so I thought I’d make you an early Hearth’s Warming gift!”

A hoe clattered nearby. Rarity turned her head and spotted Sanji creeping out the backdoor. His hair bristled at the sight of her.

“There you are.” Rarity galloped toward him. “Oh, I’m sure you’re going to adore this new design.”

Sanji bolted in the opposite direction so fast it almost looked like his hooves didn’t touch the ground.

~~~

“Don’t tell me you can’t do anything,” the bold maned mare in a suit growled at Discord. A collection of blue spots lined her underside but was especially thick around her flanks.

“Sorry Ms. Sanji.” Discord shrugged and chucked some popcorn into his mouth. A bit of the pinstriped box the rest of the corn was in vanished while he chewed. “My powers and Poison Joke don’t mesh well.”

“It’s okay.” Fluttershy gave Sanji a pat on the back. “Zecora will be back from her trip in a few days and then we can get you all better. Besides…” Fluttershy tucked her chin and a blush crept up her face. “You, uh, actually don’t make a half bad mare.”

Discord scowled and snapped his claws. There was a flash and Sanji was back to having an angular muzzle and a stallion’s build.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Discord scowled. “I’m just not in favor of anything with the word ‘same’ attached to it. Now you’re all better so no judging of Fluttershy and whatever relationships she chooses to pursue.”

With another snap, Sanji vanished.

Fluttershy blinked. “Discord, is there something you’d like to tell me?”

“Why, Fluttershy,” Discord said while his voice grew softer and quite a few pitches higher. His body smoothed out and his mane shifted styles while his beard poofed into smoke. “What gives you that idea?”

~~~

Sanji sighed and swallowed that last bit of the sugarcube he’d stuffed into his mouth back at the farm. He knocked on the door to the library and waited.

“It’s unlocked,” came Twilight’s voice.

Sanji opened the door with his magic and stepped inside. “Hey Twilight, I’m getting a better hang of my attacks but I think my magic needs a li—”

Sanji stood still as stone. A woman stood in the middle of of the library with her back turned to Sanji. His mouth dropped at the sight of her… or rather the sight of her bare skin. She turned around and smiled at Sanji with her violet hair providing the loosest sense of modesty for her upper body.

“Given your expression, this illusion spell must’ve re—”

A torrent of blood gushed out of Sanji’s nose and washed over Twilight. Spike rushed out from the kitchen, saw the apparent murder scene, and passed out. Twilight, still a nude human, slapped her head.

“Right, the clothes thing.” She looked over to Sanji, pale and shivering in a puddle of his blood. “Better get him to the hospital.”

~~~

These and many other events transpired over the next two years in Equestria. Ponies far and wide came to know of a peculiar stallion somehow connected to the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses themselves. Rumors abounded just about who he was. Many said he was a royal chef. Others said that was a guise for his true role as a secret agent in Celestia’s service.

What everypony agreed on though was that this pony was a stallion among stallions. Although, to those that lived in Ponyville, even the mares smitten with him, the rumors were a little odd since he always acted spooked whenever somepony tried to be a little more than friends with him. Rumors about him not preferring mares were quickly crushed since he lived with the Apples and everypony refused to believe nothing would happen between him and Big Mac if they both actually swung that way.

What truly irked the mares was that through overheard conversations and the like, they knew he lusted after some mares called Nami and Robin. A cultish group covertly formed and vowed to strike down those two broodmares for keeping such a prize of a stallion from them.

All through this, Sanji endured. He struggled, he sweated, and he bled. Although, in the last case, it was usually only when Twilight improved the range of her illusion spell.

◆◆◆

3D2Y

Amidst the myriad of other ships docked at the grove, the boat adorned with a cartoonish pony masthead went unnoticed when it sailed into the port. As soon as it was anchored, a figure leapt off the deck and landed onto the grass.

The man rose. His three piece suit glimmered in the light that managed to filter down through the trees, especially the diamond cufflinks. A man in a fine suit was nothing new on the island though, so his entrance wasn’t noticed until his left eye locked onto a group of women walking by. His mouth gaped open into a vulgar grin while his tongue wagged out of it. While his right eye was hidden behind his hair, his left one had turned into a throbbing heart.

“Women!” he said in a mix of a pant and a cry of joy. “Real women! Viva Sabaody!”

The nearby women flinched backwards at the man’s lustful cries. When he pounced on them, the shrieked and fled. While the man was still in the middle of the air, a hand came down on him and slapped him back to the ground. He crashed into the soil and formed an imprint in it. With a sigh he pulled himself up and looked over at the purple haired woman in a dazzling white dress glaring down at him with her hands at her sides.

“Really, Mr. Sanji,” the woman huffed. “Have you no restraint?”

“You don’t know what it’s like, Rarity!” Sanji shot back.

A small crowd observed the ongoing scene. Two men in particular were staring at the woman while she chewed out the man. One was a portly fellow with short green hair and three swords on his right side that looked quite brittle. The other had an angular face and hair that looked more like dirty mop was glued to is head and over his left eye. It almost looked like a wig. Both men were ugly as sin but the more wary people in the crowd kept their distance from them.

“I don’t get it,” said the green-haired man. “Why chase after girls when you’ve got a woman like that on your crew?”

The mop-haired man looked up at the ship the two had come off of. Five more women were disembarking, all of them quite a sight on the eyes in both body in dress. The only one that didn’t particularly stand out was the lean one in a sports bra and jeans. She made up for it though with the rainbow that flared out of her head. It almost didn’t look like hair.

“Eh.” The mop-haired man shrugged. “Seems like that guy’s got a deal almost as good as ours. We should find ‘Robin’ and get back to the boss though. It’s almost time for the meeting.”

As the pair walked off, the mop-haired man looked back for a split second. “Huh, coulda sworn that woman called him Sanji.”

~~~

“That idiot,” Sanji and Rarity both grimaced.

They both looked out from the coast. The water was already deep and dark just a few meters past the mangrove roots that lined the shore. Sanji sighed, reached into a pocket on his suit and pulled out a sugarcube. He tucked it into the side of his mouth and sighed again.

“I should have known that idiot would do something stupid if he got here first,” he said.

“What do we do?” Rarity asked. “We have to get her and your friend back!”

Sanji sucked on his cube. “Well, my idiot isn’t a problem. We can probably pick him up at Fishman Island. Yo—”

“Look!” someone nearby called out. He pointed down to the sea where a mass over bubbles was rising from the deep. “Something’s surfacing!”

With a great sploosh, a massive galleon burst out of the sea. Everyone nearby gaped at the enormity of the ship and paled at the way it tilted in four different directions. Whispers of a bad coating were halted at the sight of two massive cuts running along the length and the width of the ship.

Rarity and Sanji’s attention when up to the mast where the crow’s nest was. A green haired man in a flowing robe glared at the girl with blue wings extending out of her back floating beside him.

“What is your problem?” the girl yelled.

“I got on the wrong ship, why should you care?” the man grunted.

“Guh!” The girl screamed.

~~~

“I wanna go fishing,” said Zoro as he walked through the groves.

“No!” three voices shouted at him.

Zoro glared at Sanji and then glanced at the two girls. “When did you three become the boss, especially you, number seven?”

“Don’t start with that ranking crap again, moss-head,” Sanji growled. “It’s only a pure miracle you got here first. Don’t let that get to your head!”

“Sure, sorry… number seven.”

Sanji’s eye flared and the temperature around him kicked up. He angled a leg at Zoro. “That’s it! I spent two years in Hell training for this! I’m gonna julienne you like a pepper!”

Zoro glanced at Rarity while his hand slid toward his swords. “Yeah, a real Hell you went though.”

Flames burst off Sanji. Zoro gripped a blade. A light blue barrier or aura shot up in front of Sanji and a blackened wing spread in front of Zoro.

“Mr. Sanji, please!” Rarity pleaded. “If not for me than at least the suit. Think of what your friends will think if they see it dirtied!”

The flames died down and Sanji relaxed. A wide grin spread across his face and a bit of blood dribbled out of his nose.

“Of course,” he giggled. “Can’t ruin seeing Nami and Robin again!”

“Idiot,” said both Dash and Zoro.

~~~

Dust and ash swirled through the air. Swords clanged and gunshot rang through the grove. The smell of battle stung Rarity’s nose. Zoro and Sanji ran a little ahead of her towards the platform all this chaos had started from. Dash stayed at her side but off the ground.

“Luffy!” Zoro called out.

“Luffy!” Sanji yelled. “I knew it! Why are you always in the middle of these messes?”

“Hey!” Luffy shouted with a wide grin on his face. “Zoro! Sanji! I know it’s you this time!”

Zoro, Sanji, Rarity, and Dash sprinted forward but two hulking figures loomed between them and Luffy. They were both identical from the expressionless faces to the their black jackets. They raised their hand and aimed their glowing palms at the group.

“Crud!” Steam rose off Luffy body. “Knew I should’ve taken care of those guys!”

Sanji and Zoro flew at one Pacifista while Dash and Rarity launched themselves at the other. The sharp ring of a well-honed blade rang through the air twice when Zoro brought his blade down on a Pacifista and Dash slashed her wing across one’s neck. Metal dented and cracked when Sanji brought a flaming heel down on a Pacifista’s head. Rarity slammed a glowing hand into the other’s Pacifista’s gut and a mass of crystals exploded out of the wires and circuits from where its head had been.

“Who that devil are those girls?” Sentomaru growled. He glared back at his men. “Capture them along with the other pirates! Do not let the Straw Hats or anyone else escape!”

“S-sir!” One marine pointed a shaky finger to a nearby gathering of marines. Ahead of them, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were already sprinting away. In front of the marines though was a lone bearded man. “It… it’s the Dark King!”

Sentomaru ground his teeth. “That still leaves those girls! They obviously had some connection with Straw Hat! The other units will head them off! They’re not leaving this island!”

“Sir!” another marine shouted. A collection of mini transponder snails lined his arm. “We’re getting reports from all over the island! And those girls are now somehow holding back the fifth platoon with four others! The rest of the platoons are in similar situations!”

“What?!” Sentomaru roared.

In the middle of Grove Forty-two a collection of marines stood beside their fallen brethren and raced at the six girls blocking their path. The girl in the orange vest with spun through the air and delivered a kick that sent a score of marines flying. In the split-second before impact, her leg returned to the shape of a hoof, but such a detail was lost in the heat of combat. She landed on the ground and smirked while tipping up her hat.

“Yeehaw!” she exclaimed. “Haven’t had a brawl like this since that time in the Empire with the Changelings!”

“Ha!” Dash uppercut a marine. “I wish. Let’s see some more of those robot guys!”

Sanji, Rarity thought while she fought off the marines alongside her friends. Now’s your chance! I hope we meet again someday, you ravishing stallion!

Across the Archipelago, as the Sunny sunk below the waves, Sanji felt a slight pain in his chest and looked back. He watched the archipelago disappear and managed a smile.

“In another life, mademoiselle, you may have even beat out Robin and Nami” he mused.

“Oh Sanji!” Nami called out.

Sanji spun around. Whatever contemplation was on his face fled and was replaced with a dopey grin and lustful eyes. “Yes?”

“I understand from Zoro you might be missing whatever girls you trained with, but I’d like to go over the coating rules.”

“I…” Sanji blanched for a moment. He then turned a deep red and glared with flaming eyes at Zoro who snickered at him. “I’m gonna kill him!”

~~~

Sanji slowly opened his eyes. He felt a bit of a chill and something jabbing into his arm. Looking down, he saw a tube running up from the needle in his arm to the crimson bags at his side. Chopper was draped over him and letting out a deep sigh into the sheets near Sanji’s torso. Cammie was leaning over him to his right while Luffy and Usopp were stretched across chairs like deflated balloons.

“Where am I?” Sanji asked.

“One of my friends’ homes,” Cammie answered. “You lost most of your blood!”

“I’m so glad we found a donor.” Chopper slumped further into the bed.

“Yeah…” Sanji’s eye snapped to alertness. “Blood? What happened to me?”

"Why won’t the fishmen give us blood?” Luffy moaned. “We ran all over town, but we couldn’t find any humans.”

“I thought it was all over!” Usopp huffed.

“You guys did that for me? Thank you!” Sanji placed a shaky hand up to his face and clenched his jaw. “I can’t remember… what the hell did I do?”

“Don’t try to remember!” Luffy and Usopp shouted.

Usopp sighed and walked over to the partition between Sanji’s bed and the rest of the room and grabbed it. “Your donor really came through for us though. If she hadn’t shown up when she did…”

“You mean…” Sanji’s eye shifted to a heart. “A fair maiden was the one that saved me?”

“Oh, it is nice to hear you call me that, Black Leg,” came a voice from behind the partition.

What was left of Sanji’s blood froze. Usopp fell to the ground when the partition was yanked away by an an unseen force. Luna sat on a bed parallel to Sanji’s with a smile on her human face. Sanji shook like a leaf.

“I know our kind was never your type but it’s nice to know I got to share something with you at least.”

Sanji screamed until foam frothed up from his mouth and then he woke up. Chopper was beside him as were Cammie, Luffy, and Usopp. There was still a tube pumping fresh blood into his arm. He looked at Chopper.

“Whose blood is this?”

“I… Sanji you need to rest,” Chopper stuttered.

“Whose blood?” Sanji repeated.

“A… A woman’s,” Chopper answered.

“Kinda glad she left,” said Usopp. “Not sure seeing her would be the best for your health.”

“Me neither,” Sanji grumbled.

“I wish she’d stayed.” Chopper pressed a hoof to his chin. “I’ve never smelled anything like her before and her bloodwork is like nothing I’ve seen.”

“Yeah, Sanji,” said Luffy, “I wanna know too. How come she knew your name and you kept saying hers in your sleep?”

Sanji reached out and locked his fellow crewmen close and glared at them. “One, that pony is nightmare incarnate. Two, you never tell moss-head about this. Agreed?”

Luffy tipped his head to the side. “Pony?”

Sanji paled. “No…”

A glimmer appeared in Luffy’s eyes. “Is she some kinda devil fruit user?”

“That would explain the wings and the way she moved stuff around,” said Usopp. “Probably a rare kind if it is a devil fruit.”

"And if she knew Sanji, maybe she’s from where he trained,” said Chopper.

Sanji was deathly pale now. All three of his crewmates turned their glimmering eyes at him.

“Sanji, where exactly did you train, anyway?” asked Usopp.

Set Adrift: Rumble! The Monster Unleashed!

View Online

A rapid series of knocks broke Chopper out of his sleep. Fluttershy’s house erupted with the sound of multiple animal stirred from their slumber. Discord stuffed pillows beside his head, but they melted against his feverish skin and fur and dripped down like wax.

“For Equestria’s sake!” he hacked. “The one time I could deal without this chaos!”

Fluttershy zipped down the stairs from her bedroom. Beside the door, she pleaded for her animals to quiet down and the ruckus dropped to a collective grumbling. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door.

Twilight stood on the other side of the door. From her bloodshot eyes to her disheveled mane, she looked like a second Smarty Pants incident was underway. Fluttershy gulped.

“T-Twilight. Can… can I help you with something?”

“The reindeer.” One of Twilight's eyes twitched. She pressed herself up close to Fluttershy. “Where?”

“Inside, but I thi—”

Twilight flew past Fluttershy and over to Chopper’s bed. Chopper lost a little color when she pressed up near him. A shaky grin filled her face and she opened her mouth to say something. Whatever energy had kept her up failed her and she crashed onto the bed.

Discord gave a slow clap. “Okay, that’s more what I’m talking about.”

Fluttershy trotted into the room. “Oh dear.”

She picked Twilight up and laid her on a nearby armchair. After she put some blankets over her, she heard the door creak open. Spike came in, spotted Twilight, and sighed.

“I should’ve known she’d do something like this.” He rubbed one of his eyes. “She and Pinkie were up practically all night working on this weird orange jawbreaker thing that did all sorts of weird stuff to Pinkie.”

Chopper’s eyes widened. “The rumble ball… Wait! What kind of weird stuff?”

“What kind of not weird stuff?” Spike retorted. “I mean, Pinkie is weird sometimes in general but not ‘turn into different species’ weird.”

“Ha, like that dabbler knows anything about true oddity.” Discord turned over and huffed. “I’m going back to bed.”

Chopper furrowed his brow. “Tell me everything. Rumble Balls are incredibly dangerous if misused. If someone else ate them, they could be in danger.”

“Oh, well, Pinkie’s fine.” Spike slanted his eyes to the side. “Is kinda weird seeing her in such a deep sleep though.”

~~~

The sun had just peered over the horizon when Twilight and Spike arrived at Fluttershy’s. Now it was well into the sky. Twilight was up again and a little more collected. Luckily, Spike had taken down notes while Chopper had explained things and Fluttershy had cooked all of them breakfast.

“Incredible.” Twilight frowned and bowed her head. “I just wish we hadn’t used it up without your permission.”

“It’s okay,” said Chopper. “I can always make more. I’m still just wondering how your friend was able to access the transformations. If she’d eaten a Devil Fruit, I’d understand, but the Rumble Ball should have nothing to interact with otherwise.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in Ponyville, it’s to not question Pinkie Pie.” Twilight shook her head and then lit up her horn. A small orange ball floated out of her saddlebags and came to rest beside Chopper. “Still, I should have given you this as soon as you were awake. I’m sorry.”

“I’m just glad nopony got hurt,” said Chopper.

While everyone chattered away, Discord kept his back to them and slumbered. The act helped hide the fanged grin spreading across his face with each word.

~~~

“You’ll be sore for a few more days, but it’s important that you get out and walk,” said Fluttershy.

Chopper looked down at himself. He straightened out the freshly cleaned pink hat on his head. He then bent over and went on all fours while his legs lengthened and his muzzle and horns grew out a bit. His knees ached a bit and the bandaged parts of his body still stung, but he managed to lift up each hoof and take some steps.

“It’ll be a bit easier like this, right?” he asked.

“I don’t think anypony would mind no matter what you look like…” Fluttershy glanced down. “Perhaps staying in one form would be best though.”

There was a moment of silence in the room. Discord gave a small cough.

“Well… I have some business in town today, so you just get used to being back on your hooves again.” Fluttershy made her way over to the door. She opened it and looked back. “Just please please don’t do too much. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt again.”

“Of course not, Ms. Fluttershy!”

“Okay…” Fluttershy stepped outside and slowly closed the door. When just a fraction of a gap was left, she whispered, “Goodbye.”

Discord rolled over and smiled. “Truly such a caring mare. I’ll be so glad after you complete our little deal and I won’t be bothering her anymore. Now, you know what to get?”

Chopper nodded.

“Good,” Discord purred.

“I still don’t understand why you couldn’t have asked Ms. Fluttershy to get it for you.”

“Ask Fluttershy?” Discord placed a claw against his head and leaned back. “No, no, no. Not after all that poor girl has done for me. C’mon Chopper, old buddy old pal, do a solid for poor Discord… or you may never see your friends again.”

“Okay! I’m going!”

Chopper darted out the door. Discord pressed his claw and bear paw together and grinned.

A little while later, Chopper returned. There were scratches and bruises running up his legs. A few of his bandages had come loose as well. A clear bag filled with blue flowers poked out of the large gash in the pack slung across his back. He wobbled over to Discord and crashed by him.

“You could have warned me about the monsters,” Chopper huffed.

“I thought it just came naturally that a forest would be a little dangerous.” Discord glanced at the blue flowers and grimaced at the clear bag they were in. “You didn’t happen to touch those flowers, did you?”

Chopper shifted his form back to two-legged and stood back up. He reached into his pack and presented the flowers to Discord. “Of course not. Every doctor knows improperly handling medical ingredients is a good way to get hurt.”

“Well, you’re no fun,” Discord grumbled and snatched the flowers from Chopper. He took a small bit of pleasure of not being confined to a bubble at least. He reached under the covers and produced two newspapers. “Here. Though I doubt it’ll do you any good.”

Discord chucked the newspapers at Chopper. Chopper flailed about to catch them. He eventually brought them to the floor and pressed her face to them. His jaw clenched reading over the text and taking in the pictures of carnage and destruction. Tears dotted his eyes by the time he got to the second newspaper. With a sniffle, he looked over it. Discord blinked when Chopper seized the paper and held it high.

“I got it, Luffy!” he declared. “I understand!”

Discord narrowed his eyes. “Understand what? That your captain has lost his head?”

“No, it’s…” Chopper took a breath. “I’ll need to think a little, but I’m probably going to ask Ms. Fluttershy if I can stay a while longer.”

“What?” Discord hissed.

“The medical techniques she’s used to help me and the treatment she’s given you are both unfamiliar me. Plus there’s her herbal supplier. I’d like to meet her too.”

Discord ground his teeth. “But why are you staying? Shouldn’t you be desperately looking for a way to get back to your precious crew?”

“I’ll do that, but now I’ve got time to learn about this land’s medicine and get stronger too.” Chopper turned around. “I should probably bandage myself up before Ms. Fluttershy gets back.”

Chopper limped out of the room. Discord seethed in his bed, smoke and embers rising off of him. He was about to slam his claw into the bed but then remembered he was holding the flowers. He leared over at Chopper’s bed where the small orange ball rested on the bedstand. His gritted teeth twisted into a sneer.

~~~

“Thank you all so much for coming.” Fluttershy looked across the table at all of her friends, Chopper, and Discord. Her smile widened and she raised up a teacup. “Here’s to our new friends’ almost recovery!”

A round of cheers went up and everyone took a sip of their tea save for Discord. Instead, a bit of his cup vanished into his mouth while the tea sloshed around despite having only half a cup left to confine it.

Fluttershy gave a small cough and everypony went quiet again. “Um, also, Mr. Chopper has something he wanted to say to all of us.”

“Oooh, is it about more of that weird candy?” Pinkie asked. A glare from Twilight forced her muzzle shut.

Chopper took a deep breath and stood up. He looked over the ponies and then bowed his head. “First off, thank you all very much. If I hadn’t received your care, things could have been really bad.”

“Oh, think nothing of it, dear.” Rarity took another sip of her tea. Her ear twitched when she thought she heard someone giggle.

“I’d like to get back to my friends as soon as possible, but my captain’s sent me a message,” Chopper continued. “So if possible I’d like to stay here and learn about your medicine for a while! I can help out with work or anything else, just please help me get stronger!”

A silence fell over the room. Chopper kept his head bowed and shivered. His lips quivered.

“Of course we’ll help,” Fluttershy said. Chopper looked up to see her smile. “It would actually be a little nice to have someone else around to help out with the animals. They all seem to have taken a liking to you.”

“And I’d love to learn more about you and your medical skills as well,” said Twilight.

Rainbow Dash grinned. “I just wanna see all these cool transformations everypony keeps talking about.”

Discord slammed his appendages onto the table and leaned over it, flashing everyone with a demented grin. “Joke’s on you then! You’re about to get your wish!”

“Discord!” Fluttershy shouted. “What are talking about?”

“Oh, just a little fun,” Discord snickered. “You can’t keep me cooped up all this time and expect me not to pull a few pranks. So, to make this little ‘Get Better’ Party a bit more entertaining, I decided all of you should have a taste of what I’ve been through… or should I say drink.”

Everypony’s eyes shot down to their teacups.

Twilight glared at Discord. “What did you do?”

Discord’s grin widened and he pulled out a blue flower from behind his back. “I believe you’re familiar with this? Oh, but you’ve only stepped through Poison Joke. You’ll get quite the kick out of seeing what happens when you ingest it. Well, I will at least. But that’s not all!”

Discord snapped his fingers, producing a flash. When the light dimmed, he was decked out in flame-rimmed cowboy hat, shutter shades, and a suit that seemed a fusion of a cheetah pelt and a spilled lava lamp. Discord blinked, scowled, and then held up half of a rumble ball in his claw.

“I also added a little bit of this to give my little concoction a kick.” Discord giggled. “I took a little peek at all those notes Ms. Bookworm complied and the show should start any second!”

Everypony across the table paled and then sighed. Discord’s jaw slackened. Only Chopper was shivering.

“Hey,” Discord growled. “You should all be panicking!”

“I hate to agree, but I do!” said Chopper. He glared up at Discord. “Rumble Balls are dangerous enough on their own. All your friends could be in danger now!”

“Pah!” Discord harrumphed. “Friends? The only one here that actually cared was Fluttershy… by the way your tea wasn’t spiked. I do have standards, after all.” He glared at the others. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re all so calm.”

“Well, I’d like to give you a good hooflicking,” said Applejack, “but I ain’t about to cause a ruckus at Fluttershy’s.”

“We’ve dealt with Poison Joke before and whatever it does with Rumble Balls can’t be too dangerous,” Twilight said. “You’re still a jerk, Discord, but you’re not the kind of thing too seriously hurt ponies. Not anymore at least. That’s why we’re not going to panic and play your game. We’re just disappointed. C’mon, girls, we should probably get going to Zecora before the effects set in.”

Discord’s face drooped and he bent his back low. With wide eyes, he looked over to Fluttershy. She sighed and turned away from him.

“You’ve got a lot to think about D—” Fluttershy coughed and went to her knees. She groaned and clutched her stomach.

“Fluttershy!” Everypony shouted and rushed over to her.

The disappointment on Discord’s face flashed to panic. Biting his lip, he glanced down at his tea, his outfit, and then his appendages. “No… I didn’t…”

“Hang on, Fluttershy!” Dash bent down and chucked Fluttershy onto her back. “I’ll ge—”

Fangs sunk into Dash’s neck. Fluttershy whipped her head back and threw Dash across the room and through the wall. She took to the air and spread out her leathery wings. Everypony backed away while she growled. Her ears lengthened and her eyes turned a ruby red. They fell on Discord and he shivered.

“Oh sh—”

Flutterbat slammed into him and sent him flying into the air. The blow had such force to it that the entire cottage shook and everypony was knocked off their hooves along with the Poison Joke and what was left of the Rumble Ball. She snarled and let out a screech before taking to the air.

Applejack was the first to rise out of the rubble. She shook the debris off and then rushed over to where Twilight was struggling to get up.

“C’mon, Twi,” she grunted. “Something tells me we’re gonna need a whole lot of magic to fix this.”

Twilight wobbled to her hooves. “The best I can do is a purge spell. That ball’s effects are just medicine so that should be possible but the Poison Joke…”

Pinkie popped out of the rubble and gave a salute. “I’ll tell Zecora.”

“Now to restrain Fluttershy before she hurts herself or anypony else.” Twilight gulped.

“Water.”

Twilight looked to her left. Chopper threw off some rubble that had fallen on him and stood up. The poison joke fell at his side.

“The Rumble Ball’s effects are rooted in Devil Fruit biology. It’s a long shot, but th—”

Chopper fell to his knees and groaned. He paled when he saw his hooves splitting apart and scales spreading up his legs. His whole body was pulsating while blue dots spread across it. He snapped his head over to Twilight.

No! I haven’t even used a single rumble ball! Chopper coughed and spewed a few embers onto the ground while his body convulsed and grew upwards. “All of you, run!”

Chopper’s scream turned into an inhuman roar that shook what was left of the cottage. He grew upwards and punched through the second story leaving only two walls of the cottage standing. More scales grew over his fur while a spiked tail shot out from his back. His teeth sharpened into fangs and his pupils narrowed into slits. Twilight and her friends stared and shuddered at the massive dragon that had replaced both Chopper and a majority of the cottage. It glared down at them with hollow eyes and blinked, returning it pupils to rounded. Then it raised up its claws and flexed them.

“I… I’m in control,” Chopper bellowed. He spun around towards Ponyville. Smoke was rising from the market street. He glanced back down at Twilight and her friends. “I’ll get Ms. Fluttershy back!”

Across town, ponies fled in all directions amidst smoke, flames, and broken stalls. Flutterbat stood in the center of the carnage, devouring what was left of a fruit stand. A rumble gave her pause. Chopper tore through the chaos she’d caused and rushed at her. She gave a hiss and took to the air.

Her hoof collided against Chopper’s massive claw. The shockwave rang through Ponyville and shattered the nearby windows. She zipped backwards and snarled at Chopper. He glared back at her.

“Ms. Fluttershy,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I know how dangerous you are right now. I won’t let you hurt anyone!”

Flutterbat shrieked and flew at Chopper. They traded blow after blow, each sending shockwaves across the town. The constant pounding from afar stirred Discord from the pigpen he’d crashed into at Sweet Apple Acres. With a groan, he stood up and looked over the fight ensuing in the midst of Ponyville. He then spied Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack with Dash on her back running down a nearby path. With a huff, he willed himself into the air and raced toward them.

Applejack snorted at him when he drew near. “Buzz off, Discord! You’ve caused enough trouble today!”

“I…” Discord lowered his head. “I know. You know I’d never want to hurt Fluttershy though. Please, let me help.”

Applejack opened her mouth but Twilight was the first to speak. “We need salt water, lots of it. I was going to transmute a pond but you can conjure some, right?”

Discord looked down at his appendages and flexed them. “I can try.”

Twilight turned from Discord toward Ponyville. “Good, because we may not have a lot of time.”

Chopper and Flutterbat were both gasping for air now. Chopper’s lip bled a little and Flutterbat’s right eye was black and swollen. Each of the blows still rent the air, but the range of the shockwave had shrunken to just a few yards around them.

This isn’t good, Chopper thought. This form takes up too much energy!”

Flutterbat whacked him across the head. Chopper wobbled but remained upright. He glared at Fluttershy while a glow rose up his throat.

“Hey, furball!” Discord shouted. “Over here!”

Chopper glanced over at where Discord had shouted from. A deep pool or misty water stood where a patch of land had been before. Discord huffed and clenched his glowing paw tighter.

“Hurry it up!” he yelled. “Don’t keep a sick draconequus waiting!”

Chopper refocused back on Flutterbat. She was careening towards him with her mouth gaping open and fangs glistening. “Time for some bedrest, Ms. Fluttershy! Draconic Rose, Tail!”

Chopper spun whipped his tail around. It slammed into Flutterbat and swatted her into the pool of salt water with a large splash. Chopper breathed a sigh and then crashed to the ground. He saw some magic flash in the distance before everything when black.

~~~

Chopper found his head propped up on some pillows when he awoke. Discord sat on the other side of the room alongside Twilight and her friends. Discord appeared beside himself while the other wore relieved smiles. With a grunt, Chopper managed tilt his head but the rest of his body was unresponsive. Judging by the way the blanket flowed over his body though, he was back to his regular body.

Twilight got out of her seat and drew close. “Glad you’re up. The doctors said you’d be fine, but we were still a little worried.”

“And Fluttershy?” Chopper asked.

“I’m fine,” came a small voice from across the curtain to Chopper’s left.

Twilight pulled it back with a spell to reveal Fluttershy laid up in a bed. She looked more bandage than pony at the moment with dressings covering her torso, two of her legs, and the right side of her face.

Chopper lowered his head. “Sorry.”

“Oh no, Mr. Chopper,” Fluttershy gasped. “If you hadn’t done something, I might have…”

Fluttershy trailed off and tears welled up around her eyes. Discord bent lower and seemed to shrink a few inches. A sniffle sent a chill down his spine. He looked up to see Fluttershy glaring at him.

“Discord, now that Mr. Chopper is awake and okay, I just have one thing to say to you,” she said while her glare intensified. Discord winced when she next opened her mouth. “You’re forgiven.”

“What?” he choked.

“What?” Everypony else yelled.

Dash flew over to Fluttershy’s side and jabbed a hoof at Discord. “Fluttershy, this jerk turned your into a raging bat-pony, nearly did the same to all of us, and got your house and half of Ponyville destroyed! And you forgive him?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy shifted her glare from Discord to Rainbow Dash. “I’m still furious at him though but he actually did mean it when he said he was sorry and I know he’s going to now work extra hard to be a better friend to everypony.” She glared back at him. “Right?”

Discord frantically nodded his head.

Fluttershy sighed and sunk back into her bed. “I just feel terrible for all my animal friends though. I don’t mind too much about the cottage but a lot of them have no place else to go.”

“The old barn could house ‘em for a little,” Applejack suggested.

“It could but…” Fluttershy stared down at the sheets. “Some of my animals are very picky and they might not listen to you or they may have a problem only I know about or the—”

“Okay, okay.” Applejack shook her head. “Breathe, girl.”

Rarity tapped her chin. “There must be something we can do.”

“I think the barn will work,” said Chopper. Everypony turned their head to him. “If the animals have a problem, I can relay it!”

“Oh, how wonderful.” Fluttershy smiled at Chopper. “Thank you so much.”

Chopper blushed. “Think nothing of it, idiot.”

Dash turned crimson. “What did you just call her?”

~~~

Chopper stared at the small hut and the trail of smoke rising out of it amidst the deep greenery of the Everfree. Twilight smiled down at him and gave him a nudge forward.

“Come on, I’m sure Zecora will be delighted to meet you,” she said. “You’ve earned it after helping out so much these past days.”

Twilight knocked at the door and a zebra answered. She smiled at Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle it is a pleasure to see you once more in the Everfree.” She then peered down at Chopper. “And who is this friendly face? I have not seen him before in this place.”

“Uh, hello, I’m Chopper, nice to meet you Ms. Zecora,” said Chopper. “I heard you know a lot about the local herbs and remedies.”

Zecora smiled at him. “It is nice to hear I receive such praise, even though all I do is make medicine throughout the days. But come inside please, away from the nasty threats in the trees.”

Twilight entered and Chopper followed. His eyes widened once they adjusted to the dim glow of the hut. The shelves were lined with jar after jar of herbs and ointments interspaced between tribal masks and tools. Zecora led them to a collection of chairs that rested beside a bubbling cauldron and took a seat in one. Twilight and Chopper did the same.

“It is good to see that whatever ailments afflicted thee, my remedies have set free,” Zecora mused. “Although… take no offense, your form is unfamiliar to me, could you perhaps be a tanuki?”

“I’m a reindeer!” Chopper huffed.

Twilight threw up a hoof and pushed Chopper back into his seat. She flashed Zecora a sheepish grin. “What he means to say is that he’s very interested in learning a lot from you while he’s here.”

“Yep,” Chopper said while straining against Twilight’s hoof.

Zecora tapped at her chin. “Apple Bloom doesn’t come by as much, so it would be nice to have an assistant to help and such.”

“I can’t wait to learn about all these things.” Chopper’s eyes glistened while he looked around the room. “You’d think a society with just hooves to use couldn’t produce much but this will probably help a lot!”

Zecora leaned over to Twilight. “You new friend’s curiosity is most intensive, but his comments are a bit offensive.”

Luffy! Chopper thought while tightening his grip on his backpack. In order to help you, I’d even become a real monster. I’m gonna get even stronger!

◆◆◆

3D2Y

A young woman with flowing pink hair bent down towards the reindeer in a striped shirt at her side. She kept one eye on the trio of people in front of her. One was a portly man with short green hair and three swords at his right side with metallic paint chipping off them. The second man was lanky with an angular face and a mop of bristly blond hair that obscured his left eye. It almost looked like the second man had two hairstyles and the young woman could have sworn the blond hair was just a wig. The third member was a squat woman holding the chained leash of a fox decked out in a top hat and whiskers that resembled a mustache.

“Are you sure these are your friends?” the young woman asked. “They don’t really look like their pictures.”

The squat woman looked back at her. “What a weirdo.”

“Yeah but a pretty weirdo,” said the blond haired man. “The boss will be happy with her.”

“What about the deer?” asked the green haired man.

“I could always go for some venison stew,” the squat woman snickered.

“Really?”

The voice sent a chill down all three’s spines. Something curled around the legs a second before two mismatched and yellow eyes attached to a nightmarish hodgepodge of animal parts glared at them. The creature forked its tongue at them and grinned.

“Because chickens seem much more up your alley.”

The creature snapped the talons of its left claw. In a flash, a green, yellow, and black chicken dropped to the ground where the three people had been before along with a cucumber. The three chickens clucked and looked around in panic before the fox, now free of its master, leered at them and licked its chops. The three chickens fluttered away in a storm of feathers while Discord cackled.

“Oh, that was rich!” He wiped away a tear, produced a magnifying glass, and stared down at the cucumber. “I still have no idea what’s up with this though.”

“Discord!” the young woman darted over, planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Those were Chopper’s friends… I think!”

“Yeah!” Chopper yelled. “Find them and fix them before that fox eats them!”

“Please,” Discord sighed. He conjured up a collection of colorful spheres and fell back on him. “Those bozos wouldn’t even know a straw hat if it hit them in the face. Besides, there is no way I’d let a friend like Chopper here go off with such mundane fellows. Now, the pair rushing at us…”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Pair?”

“Hey Chopper!”

Chopper’s ears perked up. He looked over and spotted a man with a rather protrusive nose and a woman in a bikini top riding atop a bubble cart and waving at him. A smile spread across Chopper’s face and he galloped over to the duo.

“Usopp!” Chopper exclaimed.

The man dismounted the cart and looked Chopper up and down. “Chopper, you’ve really grown! How have you been?”

The woman glomped onto Chopper’s neck. “And you’re so much fluffier now!”

“Oh, I’m so glad we were able to keep his fur in a good condition,” Fluttershy murmured.

Nami and Usopp spun around and stared at Fluttershy and Discord. Discord started back at them and stretched his eyes outward so they bent around the two of them like boas.

“You know it’s rude to stare,” he quipped.

“Oh that’s right!” Chopper gasped. “You still need to turn everyone else back to normal!”

~~~

“They were fake?” Chopper yelled.

Discord floated beside the bubble cart as it putted along and slapped his head. “I told you.”

“Well, they did smell a little off,” Chopper muttered.

“I’m just glad we found your real friends,” said Fluttershy.

“Speaking of which…” Usopp glanced at Fluttershy and lingered on Discord’s mismatched limbs. “Are you two planning on sticking around?”

“Oh that would be delightful,” Discord chuckled. “But alas Fluttershy and I have other places to be. We’re just here to see Chopper off… and have a little fun on the side.”

Usopp lifted an eyebrow. “What exactly do you consider fun?”

“For one, the look on your faces when I do this.” Discord grinned and snapped his fingers. In a flash, a beige stallion with a long muzzle replaced Usopp, a peachy pegasus replaced Nami, and Fluttershy went back to being a pony. The bubble cart came to a screeching halt a the former two screamed at the top of their lungs.

Discord had a good laugh and then snapped his fingers again, restoring Nami and Usopp to human form and redoing the illusion spell over Fluttershy.

“What the hell?” Usopp yelled. “Chopper, just what did you make friends with this past two years?”

Nami ran her hands across her body and shuddered. “That was worse than Enies Lobby.”

Both Fluttershy and Chopper glared up at Discord. He pouted his lips at them.

“Oh, what? I wasn’t going come here and not share our little secret with your friends.” Discord snapped his claws again and the craft vanished in a flash. “Anyway, as much I’d love to drop off all your supplies, there’s a juicy bit of chaos brewing in Grove Forty-Six and a certain straw hatted master of disorder is there right now.”

“Now who’s getting imposters confused with the real deal?” Usopp grumbled.

Discord’s grin widened. “Oh, I know all about that paltry little faker, but he…” Discord’s smile fell a little. “Oh drat, he just got axed quite the question. C’mon, no time to waste!”

“Wait!” Nami cried out when Discord brought his claws together again. “Do—”

~~~

Chocolate milk showered down on the grove, soaking pirates, marines, and their gunpowder. Even if they could fire, they would have slipped on the soapy resin that normally just made the grass of the archipelago a little dewy. Two halves a robotic bear were strewn across the ground near the pulverized remains of Pacifista. Above the chaos, Discord cackled while half of the straw hats floated alongside him and Luffy rode directly on his back. Luffy chuckled alongside Discord and took a big bite of the cotton candy cloud Chopper, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji clung onto. Zoro sat cross legged on the cloud and calmly took in the pandemonium exploding around him.

“This is awesome!” Luffy exclaimed. “You trained at an awesome place, Chopper!”

“Oh, it really is nice to meet another purveyor of chaos,” Discord mused.

A bit of blood dribbled out of Sanji’s nose as he stared at Fluttershy. She glided beside them with wings extending out of her back. “And such a lovely lady to take care of you too!”

“Oh what a different tune you’d be singing if you knew the truth, Black Leg,” Discord snickered.

“What was that, hodgepodge?” Sanji muttered.

Discord displayed his fanged grin to Sanji and snapped his claws. Fluttershy’s human disguise was torn off and a powder-blue unicorn in a suit stood in Sanji’s place. He blinked, looked down at his hooves, and then over to Fluttershy. The lollipop that had replaced his cigarette dropped out of his mouth.

“Or perhaps you’d prefer if I put you back in that dress you seemed so fond of,” Discord cackled.

Zoro’s eye lit up and a devious grin spread across his face. “Dress?”

“No!” Sanji screamed, his voice echoing across the entire archipelago.

Set Adrift: Three Musicians! The Supernatural Supreme!

View Online

Octavia trudged down the Canterlot streets. The saddle bag on her left side sagged to the ground and its straps dug into her back. The moth eaten spine of a tome poked of the bag and slapped back and forth when Octavia took too large of a lunge forward. A dull ache had formed at the back of her head by the time she reached her house. Her hoof fidgeted through the saddle bag on her right and she produced her keys after a moment. She lurched through the door and let her bags thud onto the floor.

A skeleton had its afroed skull pressed up against a wall. Its tattered suit fluttered beside its aged bones. Thanks to its rigid posture, the skeleton formed a perfect forty-five degree angle with the ground. It would have been right at home in a haunted house when it turned its skull toward Octavia.

“Oh, Ms. Octavia,” Brook hummed. “Welcome back.”

Without proper alignment, Brook’s head slipped down the wall. Octavia winced when he crashed to the ground. His hips remained raised, twisting Brook into a macabre triangle.

“Yohohoho! If what you say about flanks on this island is true, this must be quite the hipnotic position! If I had a flank! Yohohoho!”

Octavia shook her head but managed to smile. “Glad to see you’re feeling good. Did you find anything while I was out?”

“Not even a scrap, but I quite enjoyed those daffodil sandwiches Ms. Vinyl left.” Brook stood up and shook off the dust from the crash. His attention turned to the tome sticking out of Octavia’s bag. “Oh, but it seems you’ve got something that might help.”

“Took a bit of digging through the Royal Library, but I think I’ve found your best bet to getting home.” Octavia bent down and lifted the bags back onto her back with a huff. “Let’s take it over to the table and compare it with everything else we’ve got so far.”

Brook and Octavia left the entrance hall and made their way into the living room. The far side of the room held a faint glow from old glow sticks, lava lamps, and turntables of all shapes and sizes. The side Brook and Octavia entered from was lined with books, sheet music, and a set of plush chairs the enclosed a mahogany tea table. Said table brimmed with maps, weather logs, and nautical charts. Brook made some space on the table and Octavia placed the book down and opened it up.

Equestria’s northwestern coast stretched from page to page. Bold letters spelled out “Vanhoover” over a large dot while regular script labeled the other towns that marked the coast. A series of dashes extended out of the towns and into the sea. Yet no line went more than a few leagues before arcing back around to the shore. This left the upper left corner of the map and the seas it portrayed free for a sea serpent with an octopus-styled mustache to bob up and down over the stylistic waves.

“It’s a long-shot, but I think Vanhoover might be your best shot.” Octavia pressed a hoof against the pages. “Take a look though.”

Brook peered closer to the page. His sockets went up to the other materials scattered around the table every now and then. He hummed while he worked and only stopped when he clenched a pen between his teeth and scribbled into a notepad. After some time, he stopped humming completely and turned to Octavia.

“My, this island truly is quite isolated,” said Brook. “It’ll take a few thousand leagues to get back but at least I won’t have to worry about dying of boredom! Because I’m already dead! Yohohoho!”

“You’re sure?” Octavia asked.

“Oh quite,” Brook replied. “I may not have been a navigator while alive, but you’d be surprised how many skills you pick up once you die.”

“I’ll take your word on it…” Octavia sighed. “Land past Equestria? Living Skeletons? On Friday, I’d have thought myself a loon.”

Brook shut the book and his notepad. “Well, enough of this for the day.”

“But what about getting up to Vanhoover? Or getting a boat?” Sweat formed on Octavia’s brow. “Even if you could scrounge up the bits, it’d ta—”

Brook laid a skeletal hoof on Octavia’s shoulder. “Ms. Octavia, don’t worry too much about it. You’re right, I have no bits or even a berry to my name… well, I suppose I have my bounty but I doubt that’d do any good. I guess I shall do as pirates do and plunder my way up to the coast.”

“Sounds like something out of a ghost story,” said Octavia.

“I suppose it will be quite a bone-chilling adventure! Yohohoho!” Brook pressed his skull a little closer to Octavia’s face. “Now, while I may have no cash on me, it’s time to pay you back at least.”

~~~

A few ponies stopped beside Octavia’s house and listened. It wasn’t uncommon in this quarter of Canterlot to hear suites, beats, jams, tunes, and every other variant of music you could find in Equestria. On a lucky day, a pony could experience the beginnings of a symphony from one house, an early preview of the next pop hit from another, and the last notes of a winding guitar solo from a third. As of late though, ponies listened sharply to Octavia’s house in particular, taking in the lively duet while their imaginations danced and tried to perceive the scene within the house. The vision of such a young and talented mare as Octavia finding an equal sent the Canterlot mares’ hearts aflutter and their mouths flapping.

The shrill shriek of a bow grinding against strings quieted both.

“Darn it!” Octavia cursed.

The bow fell out of her grip and she collapsed into the chair behind her. Her cello leaned against her with its strings splitting the ends of her mane. She pressed her head against its side and sighed.

Brook unclenched the violin from his neck and set it and the bow down. “Oh dear. Ms. Octavia, are you okay?”

Octavia kept her head bowed. “No. The tempo’s all wrong! It’s the same as all the others!”

“Well, don’t fret, you’ve been able to handle the pickups quite well.”

“Everything after that becomes a mess though!” Octavia raised her head and glared at Brook. “It’s not even like a pony is playing!”

Octavia then slumped back into her seat. The steady beat of a metronome filled the room.

“Well, I am from quite a distance away,” Brook said after a moment. “And I suppose shanties never quite picked up here.”

“What am I going to do?” Octavia sniffled.

Brook placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Ms. Octavia, you are being far too harsh on yourself. Your compositions are grand and capture a classical tranquility that rival some of the fairest symphonies from my home. My music is but simple sailor songs that help the long days at sea pass by.”

“They’re so lively and warm,” Octavia sighed. “My manager was right. My music is lacking. So formal. So orderly.”

“And what is wrong with that?” Brook peered at Octavia, the empty space in his sockets sending a chill down her spine. “Music holds the very soul of its composer. To go against it would be a betrayal of one’s life. Music takes time and effort to change just as it takes time for a pony to grow. Has your manager forgotten that?”

Octavia glanced to the side. “He doesn’t care about that. All that matters is getting an audience.”

“Really?” Brook corked his skull to the side. Octavia felt his gaze shift from her over to the table with all the maps and books. “Yohoho! Then I think I may have a plan that will suit us both and hopefully give you the time to come up with new and even better music!”

~~~

Golden Record laid his hooves down on his desk and summoned up a well-practiced smile. The door to his office creaked open and Octavia stepped inside. Heavy bags rested under her eyes and sweat dotted her clammy forehead. Record’s smile widened a bit. Negotiations went smoother when clients were on edge.

From behind his glasses, he blinked with DJ Pon-3 stepped in after Octavia. She was lacking her signature headphones and glasses, but still retained the contagious grin known for spreading amongst party-goers throughout Equestria. It seemed like the last line of defense between a chuckle trying to escape her mouth. The two mares made their way over to his desk and took seats across from him.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Record mused. “Not an unwanted one though. I assume you bringing Ms. Scratch here is a part of your new performance, eh, Octavia?”

“Part of it,” Octavia muttered. She took a deep breath and then glared at Record. “I have a new tour planned as well along the coast up to Vanhoover.”

“Oh?” Record corked his head to the side. “Well, it is the season. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. What exactly have you brought to the table?”

Octavia produced a stack of sheet music and pushed it over to Record. He took it in and flipped through it while the clock ticked away. Behind his shades, his eyes widened, but he maintained his polished smile and kept the rest of his face still. When he reached the final page, he set the sheets down.

“Astounding, Octavia. This music is like nothing I’ve ever seen before and I can tell you’ve accounted for Ms. Scratch here to chime in too for a few melodies. As for the duets, I’m sure we can find somepony.” He placed his hooves back in front of him. “Now we’ll still need a way to make this look fresh and new. I have a few ideas I think might work.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Octavia smirked. “My partner will dictate this performance’s appearance.”

“Hmmm.” Record mulled over Octavia’s words. “Well, I know Ms. Scratch can attract an audience with her looks, but I think we want something that’s a bit..."

Record trailed off. Fog was curling up his legs and drifting into the room from the outer hall. There was a flash and the blinds were pulled shut, throwing the room into darkness. Record lit up his horn and found that Octavia and Vinyl had vanished from their seats.

“Okay,” Record chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “Maybe not the most unique intro, but I’ll see where this goes.”

“Then prepare yourself,” Octavia’s voice echoed. “You forced a terrible choice on me and now it’s time we paid the price.”

“Well, that’s entertainment for you,” said Record.

Silence greeted Record. He snorted and sank into his chair. A chill flowed into the room and made him shiver. He moved to lift a coat from a nearby rack but stopped when a blue flame appeared out of the darkness. It bobbed up and down and a green one soon joined it. More and more flames appeared until a dim glow was cast on the office and the figure that now stood in the middle of it.

Cloaked in a robe as pitch as night, it would have gone unnoticed in the prior darkness. The thick fog on the ground and the shadows cast by the flames kept the pony beneath hidden. Record glanced left and right and then back at the it.

“So is this like some Phantom gig?” he asked.

“Golden Record,” the figure moaned, sending goosebumps up Record’s legs, “you have perverted the realm of music with your greed. It’s showtime! Yohoho!”

The figure threw back its hood. A scream rose up from Record’s chest as the empty eye sockets and the eternal grin of an aged skeleton consumed his vision. A decayed hoof slammed down on his throat, catching the scream.

“G-get away!” Record yelped. “Security! Security!”

“Not enjoying the show?” Octavia hissed into Record’s ear.

“Stop this, Octavia!” Record screeched while feeling the skeleton’s hot rotten breath on his face. “I don’t know what magic you coaxed Vinyl into, but stop it!”

“Yohoho!” the skeleton cackled. “I’m afraid I’m far more than anything a unicorn could manage. I come to those in need of my services… for a price.”

“And I’ve already paid my end,” Octavia whispered. Record could feel her pressing up close to him. “Now it’s your turn.”

Sweat flooded Record’s face, forcing his shades to slip. “W-what?”

“The tour, I must have this tour,” the skeleton wailed. “More crowds, more screams, I must have them!”

“Yes, yes, whatever you want!” Record yelped.

The skeleton bent close. “And one last thing.”

“W-what?” Record asked, his breath streaming out like a cool mist.

“Your soul!” the skeleton cackled.

Record’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and he crashed onto his desk.

~~~

Record shot up when he felt something nudging his side. He swung his head around. He was in in office with Octavia and Vinyl at his side. With a great sigh, he sunk into his chair, cold sweat leaving a damp imprint on it.

“Sir?” asked Octavia. “Are you alright? You passed out all of the sudden. We were about to get the medics.”

“Must… must be overwork,” Record huffed. He gave his head a shake and pushed his shades back. “We were discussing your performance, right?”

“Sir, I’m not sure now is the best time,” said Octavia. “I mean, I’m thrilled that you liked the music, but as for appearance, my new partner is a bit… unorthodox.”

Record stiffened. “Partner?”

“Yes.” Octavia bowed her head. “I’m afraid I’m not yet capable of giving a truly revolutionary performance on my own or even with Vinyl’s help. That’s why I was so glad I was able to find an incredibly skilled musician to help tutor me along the way. I know it’s not exactly what you were looking for, but I hope you’ll agree.”

Record tucked his chin. “Well, I’ll need to think about it and get a little rest, but I’m happy to see you took the initiative on this, Octavia. I do want to meet with this ‘partner’ of yours as well. Why don’t you run it by my secretary and we’ll arrange something.”

“Of course,” said Octavia.

The door then creaked open. Record’s pupils shrunk when the skeleton thrust its skull into a the office.

“Oh, what wonderful news!” Brook exclaimed. “Then we have a deal!”

Golden Record’s scream rang throughout Canterlot.

~~~

“This is gonna rock!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“I know,” Twilight said with wide smile. “It’s so rare for a classical musician to have a tour outside of Canterlot and the reviews have been amazing!”

“And the theatrics have been splendid,” Rarity added. She glanced down at the playbill resting on her lap. Stars swirled beneath the title and masked half of Octavia’s face. Behind her, a stylized skull rose up and loomed over her. “At least, so I’ve heard.”

“I don’t care what they play,” said Dash. “Anything is awesome if you add living skeletons to it.”

Twilight gave her head a playful shake. “Well, if it gets more ponies to enjoy classical music, I’m all for it… although I am a bit curious how they get that one musician to look so realistic. Nopony has been able to find even the slightest hint of a spell or stage props to it.”

“Don’t sweat it, Twi,” said Applejack. “Maybe you’ll get a chance to get his autograph after the show.”

The lights flashed three times and then went dark.

“Oooh!” Pinkie squealed. “It’s starting!”

“Yay,” Fluttershy murmured.

A single spotlight illuminated the center of the stage. Octavia stood beside her cello, eyes closed. Her bow shot across the strings and the notes echoed across through the building. More and more notes sprung from the cello as the tempo sped to a blinding pace. Everypony in the audience leaned forward in the seats, watching Octavia whip her leg and bow around in a blur. Then, the music came to a sudden halt right at its peak.

The audience erupted in chears.

Octavia moved her head closer to the mike. “Thank you all, everypony! It’s wonderful to be here in Ponyville!”

She paused and allowed the cheers to swell and then wane. While she waited, fog flowed onto the stage from the sides and the lone spotlight gave way to a starry backdrop.

“Welcome to the Neo-Classic Tour,” said Octavia. “It is a great honor to bring you the best in Equestrian Classical Music as well as new spins on the greats. We hope to show you a side of classical music you have never seen before!”

A sharp note sounded a violin and all eyes went up to a silhouetted figure on a raised platform.

“Gather up all of the crew, it’s time to ship out Binks’ brew,” a haunting yet pleasing tune rang from the platform. The crowd felt goosebumps on their skin as they let out another round of cheers.

“And it wouldn’t be possible without the grateful and skilled dead!” Octavia exclaimed.

A different spotlight came to life, revealing the skeleton perched atop the platform. With a violin still pressed against his neck he looked out at the ecstatic crowd. “Yohoho! Good evening, everypony!”

“Well…” Octavia readied her bow. “Shall we?”

~~~

“So awesome…” Dash murmured, her eyes glazed over and a wide grin plastered on her face.

“I know, right?” Pinkie leaned on Dash’s shoulder with glowsticks shimmering from her hooves and neck. “Now for the after-party with DJ Pon-3!”

Rarity rubbed one of her eyes. “I believe I’ve had my fill for the night. A mare must have her beauty sleep after all.”

“And on the other hoof, some of us have a busy day in the fields tomorrow,” said Applejack.

“And you know how my animals get if I’m gone too long,” Fluttershy murmured.

“No problemo!” Pinkie asked a hoof over her head and then draped it over Dash’s back. “Dashie and I will make sure to party hard enough for all six of us.”

Twilight took a step closer to Pinkie. “I think I can help out a little too.”

Pinkie’s grin widened. “Alright, Twilight! It’s been way too long since you’ve hit the dance floor.”

Dash gave her head a shake to clear it. A mischievous grin then came to her face. “Okay, this night just got a whole lot more interesting. You do know DJ Pon-3’s gigs are a bit energetic, right?”

Twilight watched ponies swarming en masse out of the concert and over to the nearby club. Light of all colors shot, swirled, and danced around the club while the bass from the mix table within reverberated out onto the streets.

“I think I can handle a little loud music.”

~~~

Twilight’s entire body throbbed with each beat from the loudspeakers. It felt like her brain was trying to escape out her ears or at least fill them up and block out the worst of the bombastic tune that never seemed to end. Every now and then DJ Pon-3 would speak into her mike but her voice was lost in the constant electronic cacophony and the ecstatic crowd. Pinkie would periodically look back at Twilight and mouth inaudible words to which Twilight would constantly bend her ear to hear, but Pinkie would just giggle and then go back to dancing. Dash hovered above the fray alongside other pegasi both out of reach and hearing range. The way the skeleton skipped through the air, barely avoiding stomping on somepony’s face was the cherry on the pandamonium.

Twilight’s drinks from concerts eventually hit her. With a sigh, she managed to wiggle a hoof over to Pinkie. When Pinkie turned to her, Twilight jabbed another hoof at the neon lavatory sign plastered to one side of the club. Pinkie utterer something and gave her a nod. Twilight took a deep breath and then began her trek through the thick sea of partygoers.

After a lot of hustling and bustling, followed by waiting in a sizeable line, Twilight emerged from the bathroom. The music still shook the entire building, but in the little hallway Twilight could at least hear her own thoughts. She scooted out of the way of the other ponies and leaned against a wall near an emergency exit. While she caught her breath, she stared up and down the hallway, taking in the two bathrooms before setting her sights on the third door in front of her with a silver plate reading “Staff Only” on it. A sheepish grin crept across Twilight’s face.

“Just a little peek might give me a clue to how he does it,” she murmured to herself.

She inched over to the door and lit up her horn. A strong charm pushed her magic away from the lock. Her brow furrowed and the glow around her horn grew stronger. There was a hiss and a pop that made Twilight flinch, but the music and the crowds masked her and the newly opened door. She took a breath and slipped inside.

The green room was like stepping into another world. The thickly padded walls turned the blaring tunes into distant rumbles, and the posh furniture and carpeting stood in contrast to the aged walls and rough floor outside. Twilight took a few steps while admiring the room and then froze.

The skeleton was strewn over a sofa, suit sinking in between its ribs and draped over its lower spine. A large bubble dangled out its nasal cavity and waxed and waned. Twilight tilted her head and squinted her eyes at it.

“Hmmm, now to find out how they do it.” Twilight’s horn lit up again. He looks like he’s asleep, but why would a pony need to keep up a spell while resting? Maybe it really is an elaborate pro—

Twilight stiffened but her skin crawled. The small spell she had sent out was responding to the skeleton. Stomach acid gurgled, lungs swelled and sank, and a heart pumped out blood. All signs of a healthy pony. Except for the cold the gripped all these bodily functions and now clasped onto Twilight too. The skeleton— this thing— should be dead but some force kept a perversion of life clinging to the bones.

A scream welled up in Twilight’s throat when the thing’s eyes opened, even though the physical ones had long rotted away. It blinked and then turned to Twilight.

“Yohoho! A dedicated fan?” Brook exclaimed. He lept up and pressed closed to Twilight. The faint scent of decay hung over him. “I suppose you want an autogra—”

Twilight’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and she crashed to the ground.

~~~

Brook, Octavia, and Vinyl all stared out at the sea. The waves lapped at the cliff-face far below them while the wind shot upwards and rustled their manes. The sinking sun outlined the far-off buildings of Vanhoover in shadow.

“This has definitely been the best tour I’ve done,” said Vinyl. She grinned at Brook. “I’m gonna have a hard time coming up with something to top this.”

Octavia glanced at the ground. “Yeah…”

“Oh ladies, you’re both talented mares, I’m sure your music will only continue to improve and enchant audiences across this land! Yohohoho!” Brook leaned a little closer. “You especially, Ms. Octavia. I dare say if he hadn’t run into me first, my captain would have tried his hardest to get you on the crew.”

Octavia blushed a little. “I think that’s saying a bit much, Brook. There’s still so much I have to learn, so many so—”

A slight tremor cut her off. A shadow flashed from the corner of her eye. The trio grew tense. Guttural hisses sounded from all sides. Brook bent his skull towards the cane dangling from his coat.

“Stay close, ladies. It seems we have some uninvited gue—”

A sharp crack sounded in the night. Brook’s knees gave out and he crumped onto Octavia and Vinyl. Massive paws seemed to come out of nowhere and came down on Octavia and Vinyl’s heads.

~~~

“We see it.”

“Simple tricks that even we could do.”

“Bone-pony moved and sung.”

“Don’t try and play with us. Give us some proof when it wakes up.”

Octavia opened her eyes. She seized up feeling something pressed up against her mouth, but relaxed when she was able to take a breath through her nose. Her forelegs were pressed close to her side sides while her hindlegs were locked beside each other. A glance down revealed rope binding her and a stained cloth gagging her muzzle.

She glanced to the left and spotted Vinyl a few feet away also bound and gagged. The glare in eyes combined with the dim lighting gave them a malevolent ruby hue. Her expression softened when she turned to Octavia.

A large diamond dog plopped in between the two and snorted at Octavia. She tried to gag, but the cloth prevented her. It held up Brook, also bound and gagged, and rattled him in front of her before it reached out with its free paw and pulled the cloth away from Octavia’s mouth. “Horn-pony not want to talk. Tell us how Bone-pony move. Buyer want now.”

Octavia peered to the right. Three diamond dogs stood with frowns across their faces. Their arms were crossed over their chests but then sloped down to the floor as if they had a second set of elbows. A tiny clack drew Octavia back to the hulking dog in front of her. Another clack brought her attention down to Brook’s right hindleg. It protruded to the side, just enough for her to notice it pointing to the left.

Octavia looked over and spotted Vinyl’s glasses and earphones resting against the wall alongside piles of gems. Brook’s cane rested alongside them as well as Octavia’s cello and the spare instruments Brook employed.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” one of the odd limbed dogs muttered. “Ponies alone are enough of a risk.”

“Wait!” the large dog said. He turned and snarled at Octavia. “Pony will tell us how Bone-pony works. Now!”

“T-the cane,” said Octavia. “You have to put the cane in its hooves.”

A grin spread across the dog’s face, showing off its misaligned fangs. “Good pony.”

The dog dropped Brook to the ground and bounded over to the treasure trove. It clasped the cane and then darted back over to Octavia. It bent down, untied Brook, and shoved the cane onto his hooves. It was quiet as everyone peered down at him.

“Bone-pony still not move,” the dog snarled.

“That’s it, we’re leaving,” one of the odd limbed dogs huffed.

The trio turned around and came face to face with Brook. They all shrieked and jumped back. Brook raised up his sword with the cane-end looped around his hoof and leveled it at them.

“I’m afraid, I can’t allow that.” Brook advanced a closer while the dogs backed up. “My friends and I have a concert to perform tonight and now you’ve made us late.”

“Darn Bone-pony!” snapped the dog beside Octavia. “You trick us!”

It growled and then leapt off the ground. In mid-air a force slammed into its gut and sent it flying back. It crashed into the treasure trove in a shower of gems. Brook stared at the unmoving dog for a moment before turning his glare back on the trio. All three’s coats were now thick with sweat.

“Now what to do with you,” Brook mused.

“P-please!” one of them pleaded. “We’re j-just doing business! Spare us!”

Brook turned his head up. The trio let out a collective sigh when he slid the blade back into the cane, but tensed up again when Brook extended his hooves and pulled them in close.

“If you promise to never come back here, you’re free to go, but if you break that promise…” Brook let out a long breath so that the scent of decay washed over the dogs. “I’ll haunt you for all eternity!”

All three dogs yelped and then scurried out of the room as fast as they could. The tunnels that led out of the room echoed with the sounds of them tumbling over each other. Brook sighed and made his way over to Octavia and Vinyl. He first went over to Vinyl and pulled off her gag before getting to work on the ropes.

“Oh, what a shame that our final show will be cut short,” he fretted.

“Who cares about that?” Vinyl exclaimed. “When were you gonna tell us you’re also some kind of master swordspony?”

Brook tilted his skull to the side. “Hmmm, I suppose the topic wouldn’t come up naturally. Suffice to say, music isn’t my soul talent. Yoho—”

A rock cracked against Brook’s skull and he fell to the ground. One of the odd limbed dogs sneered down at Brook and then at Octavia and Vinyl. His cohorts cackled.

“As if we’d believe such superstitious crap,” the dog snickered. “But thanks for taking care of the dumb mutt for us! Now we’ll take the gems and we’ll get three new attractions!”

Before either Octavia or Vinyl could say anything, the dogs gagged them again and hefted them over their shoulders. They could only watch as they bound Brook as well and were carried off into the tunnels. The cave’s darkness briefly gave way to small torch-lit alcoves and branches every now and then, but most of the journey was in shadow. Yet the dogs plowed on for what seemed like hours until eventually sleep took hold of Octavia.

When she next awoke, Octavia found herself still bound but the gag had been removed. The wooden planks beneath her creaked and wobbled, making her stomach roil. The air had a clammy texture to it and made her nose bristle with how salty it was. She felt something brush against her side and found Vinyl slumped against her. When the floor beneath her bobbed, she spotted waves cresting just over the rim of wherever she had awoken.

Her eyes shot away from the sea and to the skeleton strapped to the other side of the boat. Its suit resembled the one she’d picked up for Brook in Canterlot but now it had shifted to match the skelton’s ape-like build. Her breath caught at the sight of the afro atop its skull.

“Brook?” she gasped.

“Oh, Ms. Octavia, you’re awake.” Brook lowered his skull. “Forgive me, it seems we’ve been spirited away.”

“But you… where...” Octavia turned her head to the sky and groaned. “What’s going on?”

“Noisy little thing, ain’ ya?”

Octavia froze. A creature like a hairless monkey rounded a corner and made its way over to Octavia. It raised up its triple jointed arm and scratched its head— the only place aside from its pointy mustache where it appeared to have hair. The grin it gave Octavia made her skin crawl.

“You’re going to make us quite the celebrities,” it mused.

~~~

“Why aren’t they doing anything?” the mustachioed long-arm growled.

From behind a ratty curtain, he glared at the cage. Octavia and Vinyl sat beside each other trading glances while Brook sat with the morning’s paper clasped in his hands. Beyond them, the crowd was grumbling and a few were walking away.

“What a gyp.”

“You can get mini-horses anywhere.”

“That horn is so glued on.”

“You’re sure you can’t use a spell to get us out of here?” Octavia whispered to Vinyl.

“Yeah, there’s something funky about the stuff the lock is made of,” said Vinyl.

For the first time since Brook had received the paper, he moved and looked up. He shot to his feet and then fell upon the bars. “Forty Degrees!”

“Ah! It moved!”

“It talked!”

“That horn still looks fake!”

Brook slid the ground while the crowd grew lively and picked himself up. He made his way over to Octavia and Vinyl. “Ms. Scratch, Ms. Vinyl, it appears my plans have changed a bit. So, I’ll work as hard as I can to get you both back home… until then though, it seems we will have time to work on our music.”

“But our instruments…” Octavia sighed.

“Instruments?” the mustachioed long-arm turned his head to the side. His eyes then widened and he straightened up. “Wait! Wait! Just a moment!”

He snapped his fingers and her cohorts rushed off. They returned, gasping for breath, a moment later with all of Octavia and Vinyl’s equipment in hand. Like apes, they used their triple-jointed arms to climb to the top of the cage using the bars and then lowered the instruments down through a small latch.

Brook stared over the instruments for a moment. Rather than the violin, he took up a guitar and strummed it. He then looked back to Octavia and Vinyl. “It may not be an ideal show, but what matters is that your music comes from the soul and strikes your audience to the bone! So let’s give it our best!”

Vinyl flicked on her glasses and smiled. “Why not? If you’ve got the tunes then you’ve got to jam!”

Octavia remained seated for a moment. The audience of bizarre creatures laughed and pointed their elongated arms at her. She recalled often seeing foals do the same thing at zoos or when a stagemare embarrassed herself for entertainment. Bone and a flapping suit obscured them. Brook stood before her and held out a hand.

“Shall we, Ms. Octavia?”

Octavia took a deep breath and clasped Brook’s hand. “Let’s give these things a performance like they’ve never seen before!”

◆◆◆

3D2Y

An unprecedented crowd swarmed around the Shabondy Concert Hall. Even the viewings of the Paramount War were dwarfed by the sheer scale of people clamoring to get inside that already packed Hall. Posters of all sizes plastered the Hall’s outer walls and massive versions of it hung above the entrances where guards held the crowds at bay.

A glistening skull bedecked in an afro, a crown, and heart-shaped shades dominated the left side of the poster and sung upwards toward the heavens. On the right side stood a grey-skinned woman that glowed with a radiant aura while she clasped various instruments with multiple sets of hands. Finally, in the background towered some sort of mechanical giant with a woman that had skin as white as snow and horse-like ears poking out above her crimson glasses piloting it. Waves radiated off the machine giving the poster a prismatic color scheme. Bold letters lined the top and bottom of the poster:

Final Live
The Supernatural Supreme

“The tickets are sold out!” a guardsman proclaimed once more. His stern expression softened when one of the younger attendees teared up. “Hey, hey, no need to cry. Soul King may be retiring, but the others will still be on tour.”

“But it won’t be the same!” the attendee bawled.

~~~

Brook leaned back in his chair and strummed his guitar. Vinyl was in the corner bathing herself in an illusion spell, so he turned to Octavia. Octavia let got of the arm she was stretching behind her back and let it rest beside the other two on the right side of her body, three more arms rested on her left side. Like Vinyl once her spell was complete, pony ears still stuck out of her head and a tail brushed against her silken dress.

“Let’s make this the greatest concert ever!” Brook exclaimed.

“Right!” said Octavia.

Vinyl smiled while hands and feet replaced her hooves and the human disguise raced up her body. In a flash, the spell finished off, leaving a relatively human Vinyl resting on the green room sofa. She snatched up her glasses and her headphones and stood up. “Let’s do this.”

The three of them took their positions behind the lowered curtain. Already, the crowd’s cheers were deafening. While Vinyl disappeared down a set of stiars, Brook and Octavia made their way to the middle of the stage. Octavia was about to continue up to the raised platform on the left but Brook latched onto her shoulder.

“Octavia, you’re sure about this? I may need to get a little forceful, but I’m sure I can get the information out of the manager.”

Octavia smiled and shook her head. “I really can’t believe it’s already been two years. They’ve been really fun, but you’re right, I would like to go home…” She raised her head up. “I also wanna prove that the Supernatural Supreme will still have soul even without you.”

“Yohohoho! That’s the spirit!” Brook gave a test strum of his guitar that sent the crowd beyond the curtain into a frenzy.

Octavia lept up to her station and began tapping on the drums to get a beat going. At the same time, she picked up a violin and bow with two more of her hands. As the curtain rose, fog spilled over the stage and Vinyl emerged from below with her mix station aglow with magic. A smooth electronic beat joined Octavia and Brook’s playing, fusing into an ethereal opening number that drew all who heard it into an ecstatic revelry.

“We’ve worked ourselves down to the bone for this day!” Brook proclaimed to the roaring crowd. “Let’s make this the best anniversary ever!”

~~~

“Encore! Encore!” the crowd cried out.

A round of gunfire turned their cheers into screams. Everyone spun around to the exits where a platoon of Marines had appeared and blocked them off.

“Stop right there!” the captain of the platoon boomed. “This concert is hereby canceled!”

“What?” came multiple shrieks from the audience.

Brook stood frozen on stage while a cold sweat crept up Octavia and Vinyl’s skin.

“Replacement Captain of the Rumbar Pirates, also know as Humming Swordsman Brook!” the captain bellowed and waved around a wanted poster of a somewhat familiar man in shades with a massive afro. “You are suspected of being a pirate worth a bounty of thirty-three million berries! On top of that, we have information that you’re one of the Straw Hats! ‘Soul King’ Brook… that is, Brook the pirate, you’re under arrest!”

Octavia abandoned her station and drew closer to Brook. “This isn’t good.”

“You’re right about that.”

Brook and Octavia turned toward where their manager and his cohorts were advancing onto the stage. All of them held their guns but only the manager kept his pistol trained on Brook.

Octavia scowled. “I should have known. You’d put my old boss to shame.”

“Quiet, you damn packmule!” the manager shouted. He glared at Brook. “I knew something was up when you made this our final stop. I was hoping by ‘final’ you meant you’d ditch these two freeloaders and go solo.”

“Quite the contrary, manager,” said Brook. “Octavia and Vinyl are both skilled musicians that have brought a new wave of music to the masses and I’ve been proud to stand by their side. It appears you think differently though.”

“Damn straight!” The manager pulled back on the pistol’s hammer. “Your popularity is still rising! Without you, this act is meaningless. We’ll get more selling off these broodmares at the slave auction! You’ve betrayed us, Brook, so let’s all finish this to—”

A blast of white hot energy swirling with blue aura engulfed the manager and his cohorts and tore across the concert hall. Everyone hit the floor and cowered for a moment before looking up and seeing that a large hole had been punched clear through the opposite end of the hall and not a sign of the manager or his cohorts was left on the stage. Vinyl bent over her mix station and blew some smoke out of the massive cannon that had emerged from it.

“It really is a shame,” she mused, “if he’d paid more attention, maybe he’d have noticed the modifications. Oh well, I’m sure the audience enjoyed that at least, am I right?”

A wave of cheers and applause responded to her. Another round of gunfire silenced them.

“Vinyl ‘DJ Pon-3’ Scratch!” the captain barked. “Your actions just now constitute aiding and abetting a known criminal and I’m assuming discharge of a deadly weapon! You’re under arrest as well!”

Octavia stepped forward and glared at the marines. “You’ll be taking me in as well then. We’ve stood by Brook for two long years and we won’t abandon him now!”

Brook reached out and laid a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “I appreciate the sentiment, but jail is no place for such talented musicians, especially when a grand journey has just begun for you. Now if you would, could you and Vinyl prepare yourselves? It’s time for the grand finale of our wonderful little band!”

“Of course.” Octavia smiled at Brook and wiped away some tears. She then vaulted back over to her station and picked up with an intro beat.

Brook brought his skull close to the mike. “It has been a long two years and this island holds memories of our defeat. It’s an island of regret, but also one of new beginnings. I’m sure it pains all of you, but this is where the Supernatural Supreme part ways! But fret not, dear fans! My duty is now to provide greater excitement to my crew’s adventures, but I have no doubt Ms. Octavia and Ms.Scratch will continue to bring joy across the seas!”

Brook paused to let the cheers quiet down and allow the audience near the back to advance on the Marines.

“As for Straw Hat Luffy? Dead? Ridiculous!” Brook let a piercing riff sound from his guitar. “Straw Hat Luffy is alive! He’ll be King of all the oceans! A calm, quiet departure doesn’t fit him at all! Oh baby!”

Octavia picked up the tempo. The beats pumping out of Vinyl’s setup grew in volume. Brook reeled back while his hand sped over the guitar at lightning speed.

“List to my last soul!” Brook proclaimed at the top of his voice. “And know that I’ll always be with the Supernatural Supreme in spirit!”

“You fool!” the captain roared while fans swarmed over him and his men. “This concert is can—”

Someone socked the captain right in the jaw as the music swelled. Brook summoned up all the force in his bones and sung with all his might, “To the New World!”

~~~

Vinyl and Octavia watched the large flying fish carrying Brook speed off into the groves and eventually vanished behind one of the massive trees. They then turned back to the chaos that had erupted in the Hall. Fans clashed against the Marines, but the latter’s training and their growing numbers were pushing the fans back.

“Looks like we’ll be making quite the exit,” said Octavia.

Vinyl pressed a few buttons on her setup and smiled. “Just imagine the press coverage we’ll get from this though. Pretty good start to us going solo, eh?”

“Well, we’ll have quite the groupies with the Marines on our tails,” Octavia commented. From beneath her station she picked up a staff, a sword, and a shield with the arms on her left side. Her skin shifted from grey to a dusty red, fangs poked out from her top and bottom sets of teeth, and she grew a bit taller and muscular. One of her right hands smoked with fire, another glistened with ice crystals, and the third buzzed with electricity.

“I still can’t believe the Manager never caught on to you swiping that fruit,” Vinyl chuckled.

“Well, I have a certain DJ friend to thank for that.” Octavia faced the crowd and the Marines. “We’ve got a whole lot of groves to get through to get to the ship.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Vinyl pulled a lever and her setup craned forward towards the mike. “Thank you all once again for coming! We’ll probably be on the run for a bit, but don’t worry, cause the Supernatural Supreme Mk. 2 will be starting its grand world tour soon! Thank you and goodnight!”

A burst of fireworks shot out of what had been massive speakers as the rest of Vinyl’s machine freed itself from the stage. Massive turrets extended down below the speakers and a variety of colorful cords stretched down from where Vinyl commanded everything and looped around the thick pillar-like legs that supported the mechanical behemoth.

“Arlight.” Vinyl secured her headphone to her ears. “Let’s do this.”

It is said that the only thing that matched the Supernatural Supreme’s sales charts after that day was their bounties.

Set Adrift: The Dragon of Legends

View Online

From high in the air, the jewel fields near Ponyville just looked like a brown splotch with a few tiny specks that glinted if you looked at it from the right angle. When Twilight first caught sight of the fields from the chariot, a hill appeared to have taken the fields’ place. When she got closer, she could make out arms, legs, and tail all as wide as the largest of oaks. Yet, it was the thick snout that shot out of the dragon’s chubby face that most resembled a tree, albeit a barren one.

The ponies gathered around the massive dragon made way for the chariot when it landed and Twilight stepped off it. Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all rushed up to Twilight.

“Alright, Twi, glad our message made it to ya,” said Applejack. “You think you can do something about this big old lumox?”

The ground rumbled when the dragon’s stomach rose up and then fell once more. Tiny shards of jewels rained down around the ponies. Twilight looked up and frowned.

“He may be too big even for my magic to carry. We’re probably gonna need all the unicorns in town to help out.” Twilight glanced over her friends. “Where is Rarity anyway?”

“She got super duper angry at the dragon for eating most of the jewels in the fields, so she went to the spa to destress,” Pinkie explained. “Want me to go get her?”

“That’s a good start.” Twilight looked up to Rainbow Dash. “Dash, help Pinkie out and get every unicorn in town gathered here.”

“On it.” Dash gave a salute and darted off to town.

“Wait!” came a cry.

Dash froze in midair and tumbled to the ground. Coughing up some dirt, she looked up to see Scootaloo and the other Crusaders flashing her sheepish grins.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” she said before looking over to Twilight. “Twilight, before you try and carry him away, try talking to him.”

“Save for Spike, dragons haven’t had much to say in the past,” Twilight replied, “unless you count fire as words.”

“Mr. Usopp is different though,” said Apple Bloom. “Please, Twilight, I don’t know what happened to him, but before he got all big and stuff, he just wanted to get back his friends.”

“Just talk with him,” Sweetie pleaded. “Please?”

Twilight took a deep breath, but another rumble cut off her exhale. She shot her head up and paled seeing Usopp’s massive stomach looming over them even more and partially blocking out the sun.

“Woah nelly,” Applejack yelped.

“Change of plans. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, we’re going up now! Pinkie, get all the unicorns stat!” said Twilight. “If he keeps turning, he’ll smash Ponyville!”

Fluttershy turned white as a sheet. “W-what?”

“No time to worry, Fluttershy.” Dash swooped over and picked up Twilight. “C’mon!”

Dash bolted into the air with Twilight and tow. Applejack watched them ascend beside Usopp’s flabby bulk and then went off to clearing ponies away from the fields. Pinkie had already vanished and sped off to Ponyville. Fluttershy gulped and flew after Dash and Twilight.

Twilight and Dash crested over Usopp’s stomach and planted their hooves down near the base of his neck. Or rather, they landed near where his a fatty chin stretched down and covered his neck. The scent of dirt and smoke swirled around them. Tiny trails of smoke glistening with jewel shards rose out between Usopp’s fangs.

Twilight took a breath and then glared up at Usopp. “Sir?”

Usopp kept his head turned up. The scales beneath Twilight shifted and she felt herself slipping over to the left. Dash picked her up again. They spotted Fluttershy and the trio hovered together and looked over at Usopp. His eyes were only half-open and glazed over.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy murmured. “He looks worse than Pinkie after a cupcake binge.”

“Rainbow Dash, bring me in close to one of his ears,” Twilight ordered. “Fluttershy, get where he can see you and get ready to stare.”

“I’m not sure I ca—”

“Ponyville is counting on us!” Dash exclaimed. “It’s just for a little, so you can do it, Fluttershy!”

“O-okay,” Fluttershy gulped.

Dash and Twilight now drew near the left side of Usopp’s head between his ear and his eye.

“Sir?” Twilight called again.

Both she and Dash felt sweat on their brows when Usopp lazily turned his sight on them.

“Oh,” he belched. “I’m a little tired. Could you bring more jewels?”

“Do we look like servants to you?” Dash huffed.

“Just bring some jewels, okay?” Usopp lurched further to the side, his titanic shadow stretching over the majority of Ponyville now.

“You ate all the jewels,” Twilight explained. “Now, I’ve heard you’re also looking for some friends, so why don’t you try getting up and go find them?”

“Huh? Get up?” Usopp snorted. “I’m fine here. Just need to sleep a little. Maybe have a snack.”

Usopp turned further. The vast girth of his stomach prolonged him flipping over fully. Beneath him, the ground sank under his flab and trees snapped like toothpicks against the advancing wall of fat.

“Fluttershy!” Dash called out. “Time for Plan B!”

Fluttershy took a breath breath and then landed on the base of Usopp’s nose. The itch from her hooves on it drew Usopp’s attention to her. With his massive serpentine eyes gazing at her, Fluttershy opened up her own. A chill first grasped Usopp’s head and then spread down the rest of his body. His shiver caused a small quake to resonate out from him.

“Now you listen here,” Fluttershy said in a commanding tone, “you may be a giant terrifying dragon but you are no—”

“Wait!”

Fluttershy’s concentration broke and everyone turned their heads to see the Crusaders clambering up Usopp’s stomach. With a collective gasp, they collapsed at the top.

“Urg, too many ponies,” Usopp complained. Everyone turned white when he raised up one of his claws and lowered it down to where the Crusaders were. “You’re making me itch.”

“Girls!” Fluttershy cried. She spun back around and unleashed the full brunt of the Stare on Usopp. Instead of a mild shiver, he was frozen on the spot. “Rainbow Dash, Twilight! Get the girls out of here! It’s too dangerous!”

The Crusaders got back on their hooves and scampered up to where Dash and Fluttershy were floating. Twilight shot a beam out of her horn and enclosed them in aura.

“What were you girls thinking?” Twilight asked.

“We saw you trying to talk to Mr. Usopp,” Sweetie answered.

“But it wasn’t working!” Apple Bloom added.

“So we decided to come up and help,” said Scootaloo. “Maybe Mr. Usopp is like Spike was and doesn’t remember much right now.”

“We only knew him a little, but we owe Mr. Usopp a lot,” said Apple Bloom.

Sweetie looked up to Twilight with wide eyes. “So just let us try.”

Dash and Twilight exchanged looks. They both looked over to Fluttershy, who remained unmoving with his eyes locked on Usopp’s.

“I… I can do this for a few minutes.” A few beads of sweat streaked down Fluttershy’s face. “Just keep everypony safe.”

Twilight let out a deep sigh and floated the Crusaders closer to Fluttershy. “I’ve got you, so say what you want.”

“Okay.” Apple Bloom nodded and then turned back to Usopp. His eyes remained locked on Fluttershy’s but they remained blurry and half-shut. “Um, Mr. Usopp? It’s us, the Crusaders. I’m not sure if you can really talk right now, but you’re about to cause a lot of trouble.”

“Yeah,” said Scootaloo. “So could you, like, shrink back down and be a cool little dragon again?”

“What Scootaloo means is that if you stay all big like this you’ll probably have a really hard time moving around and finding your friends.” Sweetie titled her head to the side. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Jewels,” Usopp muttered.

“No!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Not jewels, your friends! The ones you told us you sailed all around the world with, did things nopony had ever done before!”

Usopp’s eyes cleared a little and his pupils lost their edges and started rounding out.

“How are you gonna command all your followers if you’re a fat lazy dragon?” asked Scootaloo.

“We know you’re not like that Mr. Usopp,” said Sweetie. “What would your friends think if they saw you like this?”

Usopp’s pupils fully rounded out and his vision cleared. Then a stream of tears erupted from his eyes. Everypony blinked, including Fluttershy and Usopp raised his claws up to his face and sobbed.

“They’d think I’m a weak!” he cried. “I couldn’t protect them at all! I deserve to be stuck like this!”

Usopp devolved into blubbering, his body causing the land below to ripple like water. Fluttershy, Dash, and Twilight all exchanged glances but were unsure what to say. At the very least, Usopp was now back on his back.

“So what?”

Usopp sniffled and stared down at Apple Bloom.

“You think you’re the only one that’s felt they weren’t strong enough?” she asked.

“Or the fastest?” added Scootaloo.

“Or that good at magic?” said Sweetie.

“Whatever happened to you and your friends sounds awful,” said Apple Bloom. “But they’re still out there.”

Scootaloo smiled. “And I’m sure they’ll want to get stronger too so they never lose you again either.”

“And this time hopefully avoid all the tree sap.” Everyone blinked at Sweetie. She blushed and tucked her chin. “Sorry, got a little caught up in things.”

“You’re right,” Usopp sniffled. A vision of a man with a wide grin a straw hat flashed before him. Seven other smiling faces filled his mind. A fire rose up from his core and filled his eyes. “I can’t just wallow here in self-pity. My crew needs me!”

A bright flash erupted off of Usopp. While everypony’s sight was still recovering a scream filled the air. When Dash’s vision cleared enough, her pupils shrank at the sight of a small dragon plummeting to the ground. She spread her wings wide and clenched her muscles.

“Hold on, everypony!” she shouted. “Twilight, get ready t—”

A blur of yellow tore through the air and swooped down. One second, Usopp was hurtling toward the ground, the next, Fluttershy had him wrapped in her hooves.

“There there, little guy,” she said. “I’ve got you.”

Far up above, everypony stared slack jawed while Fluttershy slowly floated back into the massive crater Usopp’s bulk had left in the fields.

Twilight glanced up at Dash. “Do you ever count yourself lucky she’d never try out for the Wonderbolts?”

“I think it’d be pretty sweet actually,” Dash and Scootaloo both said.

They stared at each other and then everypony chuckled.

“Well, I think it’s time we headed down.” Twilight surveyed the crater and the crushed trees. “We’ll still have a little cleanup to do.”

~~~

Usopp rocked back in forth in his chair. “I’m so screwed.”

“Relax,” said Spike. “At least you didn’t smash up half of Ponyville, just a little bit of Sweet Apple Acres, and you already helped clean up a lot the mess. I mean, so instead of being grounded for two weeks with no gems, Princess Celestia will deal out your punishment personally, but it’s not like she’ll throw you in a dungeon or something.”

“A dungeon sounds nice compared to what a pony who controls the sun could do!” Usopp yelped. Twilight and Spike stared at him and he sighed. He then took a shaky sip of the tea Twilight had provided while they waited at her house. “Okay, maybe I’m overreacting, but I really do want to get back to my friends as fast as possible.”

“Maybe the Princess can help you with that too,” Twilight suggested. “There’s not a lot of information on dragons in Equestria, but with her long life, I’m sure Princess Celestia can at least help a little.”

“That I most certainly can.”

Everyone jerked their heads up to the second floor. Usopp’s eyes widened taking in the pure white alicorn outlined by the light of a crescent moon. A certain pressure exuded off of her, the kind he had only felt before in the presence of his greatest foes. Yet the force flowing around her also reminded her a bit of Luffy when he had sent out that fateful punch that had landed him here. Spreading her wings, Celestia glided down to the first floor and gave Twilight a nuzzle.

“Thank you, Twilight,” she said. “I had faith you could do it.”

“Apple Bloom and her friends are the ones that really deserve your thanks.” Twilight smiled at Celestia. “They may be young, but they’ve already learned a lot about the magic of friendship.”

“And it seems they reminded your new acquaintance of it as well.” Celestia turned around and faced Usopp. “A pleasure to meet you. I’m Princess Celestia. Sounds like you’ve had quite the first day in Equestria... and made a name for yourself as a king of snipers with some of the local fillies.”

Usopp’s eyes went wide like dinner plates. He sucked in his lips and then glanced over to the side. “Uh, Sniper King? Wow, those, uh, fillies must have told you a lot of tall tales about me. Nope, I’m just a regular dragon who is really, truly, completely and totally sorry for the trouble I caused and in no way wants to offend you or any other celestial body controlling entities.”

The room was silent for a moment before Celestia let out a chuckle. Her horn lit up and she poured herself some time. “Oh dear. Twilight, have you been sharing study stories with your guest? You always make me sound far too strict in them.”

Twilight blushed deeply. “N-no, Princess, I swear I was ju—”

“Kidding, Twilight, I’m only kidding,” Celestia chuckled and then took another sip of her tea. “Now, there are a few decrees we have with dragons to deal with circumstances like this, so I’d like to discuss Mr. Usopp’s options in the matter.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course, Princess.”

“There’s some diplomatic bureaucracy involved as well, so if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to talk with Mr. Usopp alone for a short while.” Celestia’s lips curved upwards. “I believe I saw quite a few ponies gathering around Sugarcube Corner, so perhaps you could spend a little time there.”

Twilight glanced to the side just as Usopp had done. A bit of sweat cropped up on her brow. “Uh, what could you be talking about? It not like Pinkie is throwing one of her signature ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ parties even though I told her Mr. Usopp probably isn’t staying too long but she said her Pinkie Sense was acting up and that she definitely had to throw a party for him!”

While Twilight gasped for breath, everyone else exchanged glances. Spike sighed and pushed Twilight over to the door.

“I’m just gonna assume no one understood that,” he said. He was about to close the door, but stuck his head back in. “Oh and you totally have to tell me more dragon pirate stories later!”

Spike shut the door, leaving Usopp and Celestia alone. It was quiet for a moment. Usopp then sighed and bowed his head.

“So how screwed am I?” he asked.

“Well, you helped clean up the mess you made and nopony got hurt, so I’m considering just having you on probation for the next two weeks,” Celestia replied. “The Rebels can probably get to you by then if I send out a message.”

“Well that sound f-What?!” Usopp screeched and flipped backwards. He clambered upwards and stared at Celestia in a daze. “The Rebels? As in, The Rebels? Led by Dragon?”

“As in your captain’s father?” Celestia asked with a mischievous grin. “Yes. It’s nothing much, I give them a small haven in the Frozen North, and they keep watch on the area and bring me information the outside world. Speaking of which, I was considering tacking on some community service to your ‘punishment’ but when I saw the news coming out of Marineford…” Celestia glanced down to her side while her smile faded away. A newspaper floated up beside her and over to Usopp. “Losing a sibling struck a chord with me.”

Usopp grasped the paper out of the air. He sucked in his breath reading over the text, trying hard to focus on the words rather than the somber picture of a man clasping a straw hat to his chest. Celestia waited in silence while Usopp read until he let out a sigh and set the paper aside.

“As I said before, I can arrange your transport back to the Sabaody Archipelago, but from there you wi—”

“I’d like you to add that community service to my sentence,” Usopp said with a determined look in his eyes. “The hardest stuff you’ve got.”

Celestia blinked and turned her head to stare at the newspaper. A grin returned to her lips. “What in Equestria did your captain do to change your mind?”

“He sent a message. I always thought Luffy would become the pirate king on his own.” Usopp breathed in deeply and clenched his fist. “But that’s not true. There are enemies out there he can’t possibly defeat. Even Luffy can lose!” Usopp lowered his head. His fist shook. “He’s been pushing himself so hard, but deep inside, he’s screaming. That’s why he needs me to help him!”

Usopp’s voice echoed through the library. A warm smile spread across Celestia’s face. “I never imagined a pirate of all people would hold such deep bonds of friendship.”

“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were right earlier: I need to get stronger. If I rush back now, I won’t be able to help Luffy or the rest of crew!” Usopp bent his back and humbled himself before Celestia. “So please let me stay a little longer and train here!”

“Of course.” Celestia then glanced upwards and tapped her chin. “Now as for where you’ll stay…”

~~~

The hot sun glinted off of Usopp’s scales. He brought the hoe down with his cramping claws and drove it through the dirt. When the weeds were pulled from the soil and a nice row stood in its place, Usopp wiped the sweat from his face and leaned on the hoe.

“What a curious sight, seeing a dragon tilling the fields with all his might.”

Usopp jolted up and spun around. He came face to face with a zebra that appeared to have come out of nowhere. Usopp caught his breath, wiped off his right claw, and held it out to the zebra. She took it with a hoof and gave him a shake.

“You must be Zecora,” he said. “Apple Bloom’s been talking a lot about you.”

“And Apple Bloom often talks about you in your new room,” Zecora replied. “It if odd to think you were almost Ponyville’s doom.”

Usopp blushed a little. “Yeah, that first day was a bit rough. Cleaning up all the mess and helping out here these past few days has been good though.”

“It is good to see you forming bonds, for I hear you will be here a little long.”

“Well, that was the plan.” Usopp stared off into the distance. “Don’t get me wrong, you get a good workout from doing farm stuff, but I’ll need more than that if I’m gonna really help my friends when I see them again.”

Zecora tapped her chin and then glanced down at the satchel hanging from her neck. “I have a suggestion, if you would like to hear. There are certain tasks in the Everfree that are quite dangerous, I fear.” Zecora opened up the satchel and produced a few seeds of various shapes and sizes. “Too dangerous for a filly or a baby dragon, that much is clear, but for one seeking strength, the training method is clear.”

Usopp peered closer at the seeds. “And what do these do?”

“Some make can make even Earth ponies float, another can instantly grow and turn into a small boat,” Zecora answered. “In the Everfree, even more plants lie hidden away, awaiting an adventurer to find them some day. But I a word of caution to you, these plant’s improper use could cause great harm to you.”

Usopp shivered recalling his encounter with the manticore just a little ways into that forest. His body slackened and a cocky grin started to form on his face. A quick lie and he’d never have to set even one claw in that forest ever again.

“Get on board,” Luffy had said from the deck of the freshly christened Merry. “We’re a team, aren’t we?”

Usopp straightened his back and looked at Zecora with sharpened eyes. “Whenever you need help, I’ll be there. You can count on it!”

Zecora smiled. “For a dragon of such a young age, your determination swells like a blaze.”

????????????

In the time before romance dawned on the New World…

A blast of crimson light erupted out of the volcano the bloodstone scepter had been chucked into. It washed over all the dragons in attendance, purging them of the glow that had called them together. Only two dragons remained unchanged by the wave of light: the great Dragon Lord that loomed over all of them and the lanky dragon with an elongated snout that stood about a head taller than Spike.

Usopp took a step back as did Spike. They then both looked at at each.

“W-well, guess we’ll just go back to Twilight then,” said Usopp.

“Y-yeah,” said Spike. “I mean, two awesome dragons like us could get the scepter easy, but, uh, wouldn’t want to get in the way of all these other bigger, stronger, and meaner dragons.”

“Sounds like you’ve learned your place then, runt.”

Spike and Usopp turned to see a a red dragon sneering down at them. His glare lingered on Spike but then went over to Usopp. He snorted and blew some smoke down at the two of them.

“And what’s this?” he asked. “ I saw you not glowing. This a prissy little pony dressed up like a dragon?”

Spike puffed up his chest. “Don’t make fun of my friends! Usopp can sick his entire crew on you if he wants!”

Sweat spilled down Usopp’s face. Garble let out a roar of laughter. He then jabbed a claw at Usopp and flicked his nose.

“Only losers need help or crews or whatever,” he snickered. “Now why don’t you run along home? Not that it’ll be there for long. Once I get the scepter, you and those stupid ponies are all toast!”

Garble spread out his wings and took off cackling. His laughter rung in Usopp and Spike’s ears while they stood there amidst all the dragons moving to the starting line.

“What are we gonna do?” asked Spike. “We can’t let him win, but…”

“But we won’t let him.” Usopp clasped the large slingshot clasped across his back and planted one end on the ground beside him. “No one insults my crew, and I owe you and everypony back in town too much to see it get burnt to a crisp. Besides, this is just a race, right? It’s not like we’ll actually have to fight him.”

Spike managed to form a shaky grin. “Yeah. How bad could a race be?”

The ground rumbled and a pillar of lava erupted out of the volcano the scepter had been thrown into. Massive chunks of molten rock crashed down into from the sky and into the sea below. The waters churned and boiled while geysers of steam shot up from it. Spike and Usopp both gulped.

“How durable are dragon scales again?” Usopp chattered.

~~~

A short while later, all the dragons—save for the princess Spike and Usopp had seen arguing with the Dragon Lord before storming off—stood on the edge of a cliff the looked over the roiling sea and the smoking volcano. Usopp and Spike felt the Dragon Lord inhale deeply and then unleash a blistering blast of flame over their heads.

“Go!” he bellowed.

Before the word could registers, a tail whipped into Spike and Usopp and sent them careening into the waters below.

“See you losers!” Garble cackled and took to the air.

Spike yelped but Usopp managed to pull his slingshot in front of him. “Green Star: Boaty Banana!”

A tiny seed flew out of the slingshot and splashed into the water. A second later, the area it had landed in exploded and a small boat rose above the waves. Usopp and Spike sighed in relief. They then both belly flopped about a foot away from the boat.

After a second of silence, they emerged from the water and heaved themselves onto the boat. Usopp launched four more seeds into the sea, producing two sets of oars. Above them, dragons filled the air. They each took a breath and focused on the volcano and the path ahead of them.

“Well, no dragons to compete with down here at least,” said Spike.

A nightmarish titan of a fish rocketed up out of the sea ahead of them, sending a slew of dragons into the water. Spike and Usopp stared wide eyed as the fish sunk back below the waves only for another one to emerge and send more dragons spiraling out the sky. Usopp scrambled into a seat by the bow. Spike did the same at the stern.

“Row, row, row!” Usopp ordered.

“Rowing, rowing, rowing!” Spike yelped.

The two plowed the oars through the chaotic waters, taking violent turns whenever the sea bubbled near them. Geysers and fish erupted all around them, showering them with the scalding water, but they managed to keep surging ahead. Dragons were dropping like flies but quickly emerged from the sea and took to the air once more.

They were somewhere past the middle of the sea when a dragon splashed nearby, sending the boat rocking. Usopp and Spike leaned in the opposite direction of the spreading ripples. A bit of water spilled into the boat, but the two managed to right it before it took on too much.

Usopp got back into position and sighed. “Geez, only the first part and we—”

Spike leapt out of the boat. Usopp’s eyes nearly shot of his head and he lunged over to the side of the boat sweating bullets.

“Oh crap!” he yelped. “I should’ve known this would be too much for him to handle. Everypony is going to kill m—”

With a great gasp, Spike emerged from the sea with the other dragon in tow. Usopp leaned over the side and helped them into the boat. When they were all fully back in it, Spike and Usopp fell to the deck and caught their breaths. In its thick armor, it was hard to tell what the third dragon was doing, but they could at least hear shallow breaths escaping through the slits of its helmet.

Spike clasped his oars. “Let’s get to shore. It’s too dangerous to stop here.”

A fish burst through the nearby water and arced over their heads.

“Aye-aye!” said Usopp. “... and that doesn’t make you captain.”

After navigating through the remainder of the sea, Usopp managed to navigate the boat into a small cove hidden in between the spiky outcroppings and cliff-faces that surrounded the volcano. With a grunt, he and Spike hefted the armored dragon onto the beach. Spike remained close and pulled off the dragon’s helmet while Usopp turned away and stared at the dragons flowing up above.

He placed a claw against his spine and arced his back. “What sort of dragon even needs armor?”

When Spike didn’t reply he turned around. Spike was staring with a gaping mouth down at Princess Ember. Usopp’s jaw dipped low to match Spike’s expression. Ember slowly opened her eyes and then coughed up a bit of water.

Spike let out a sigh. “Good, you’re awake. I was worried for a second.”

“What?” Ember growled and then narrowed her eyes. “You’re those two little dragons.”

“I at least grew a little here,” Usopp grumbled.

Ember furrowed her brow and stood up. “Whatever, just stay out of my way. I’ve got a scepter to get.”

Usopp glared back at her. “Now hold up a minute, we just saved your scally butt from becoming monster fish food. I think you owe us a little something.”

“Usopp, go easy on her,” said Spike. He then looked up to Ember. “Look, I know winning that scepter is important to every dragon here, but there’s some really nasty ones that we can’t let win.” Spike extended a claw up to her. “So how about we at least work together for a little?”

Ember stared down at Spike’s claw and then swatted it away. “Dragons don’t work together.”

“Usopp and I do,” Spike said with a smile.

Does that count as a technicality? Usopp thought.

“Well…” Ember glanced away from Spike for a second. She placed her hands on her hips and then glared back at him and Usopp. “You two are just whelps. I honestly even thought of asking my dad to keep you out, but he’s always about tradition. I swear he’s half the reason we have so little births.” She saw Usopp and Spike giving her blank looks and shook her head. “I’m saying I’m not a little dragon like you, so I’m gonna prove my dad wrong and get that sce—”

A rock crashed down in the water near the coast and sent a wave crashing down on them. Usopp blow some water out of his mouth while Spike and Ember pulled off seaweed. All three of them looked up and saw a platoon of feral dragons with catapult-like tails sending boulders flying through the air. Behind them was a cavern that led into the depths of the volcano, but their volleys created a virtual gate around it. More rocks were also cascading down on Usopp, Spike and Ember. Ember’s chest swelled with fire when it looked like a rock was coming right down on them, but she quelched the flame when she saw Usopp pull back on his slingshot.

“Green Star: Sargasso!” Usopp yelled.

A series of seeds flew out of his slingshot and embedded themselves into the wall. Vines erupted outwards until they interlocked with each other and formed a massive net. The boulders lurched into it while the trio below remained unscathed. Both Spike and Usopp grinned spotting Garble momentarily stuck under a boulder before it rolled away and took Garble with it.

Usopp turned to Ember. “How about this? It’ll take Spike and me too long to climb up to that cavern and those boulders could easily take you out. If you give us a ride up, we’ll cover you.”

Usopp held up a claw to Ember. Ember clenched her fist, but then sighed and gave Usopp’s claw a shake. “We have a deal… now hurry up and get on before I change my mind.”

Ember crouched down on all four and Spike and Usopp clambered onto her back. They locked their legs around her torso while she spread her wings and took to the air. They sped past Usopp’s crumbling Sargasso and entered into the air where all the other dragons were. Usopp loaded his slingshot and then sent out a volley of attacks that struck the boulders and exploded in a shower of rubble.

“On our left!” Spike called out.

Usopp swung around and blasted the incoming boulders out of the air.

“Up front!” said Ember.

Rocks turned to pebbles in front of the trio and they sped forward. Other dragons took advantage of the freed up space and buzzed Ember’s sides. They soon found themselves bound in vines that had sprouted out of thin air or with smoldering holes in their wings from a well placed jet of green flame. One ambitious dragon that managed to latch onto Ember’s tail was bathed in flame and then found himself staring at a very confused Celestia.

With a great flap of her wings, Ember raced over the dragons launching all the boulders and into the cavern. A collection of stalagmites and stalactites gnashed together in front of them and Ember swerved to the side. Usopp and Spike dug their claws into her armor and the three of them skimmed through the obstacle and spiraled through to the other side. They went into a tumble and were spread out across the floor.

With a groan, Ember managed to raise her upper body off the ground. She froze and then growled when she spotted Usopp aiming his weapon right at her. Flames rose up the back of her throat. “I should’ve kno—”

“Green Star: Trampolia!”

The shot smacked into the ground below Ember before she could launch her fire. A bubble-like plant explode up underneath her and launched her back. A second later, a massive stalactite skewered the plant and the ground below.

The cavern shook from the impact, sending Usopp back to the ground. More stalactites were also loosened right above Usopp and Spike. Ember pounced off the ground and unloaded a blast of flame, leaving no trace of the rocks save for a few small trails of smoke. All three of them let out a sigh.

“You could’ve gotten ahead.” Ember glanced at the path snaking through bubbling pools of lava nearby. “Why waste time like that?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” said Usopp.

“It’s just what friends do,” Spike answered.

Ember crinkled her snout. “Dragon’s don’t do friends. That’s why we have the gauntlet. One scepter. One Dragon Lord. It’s every dragon for themselves.”

Spike lowered his head and frowned.

“Well that’s a pretty crappy way of running things.” Usopp kept his head up and his words make Spike raise his head as well. “A real leader cares about his men and works with them.”

Ember turned away and spread out her wings. “I got you two into the cavern, so you’re on your own now.”

She launched into the air and disappeared into one of the small openings the cavern branched out into. Usopp stared at where she’d vanished for a moment before he sighed and turned to Spike, who once more had his head lowered.

“So much for working together,” Spike muttered.

“Don’t let that stuck up princess get to you.” Usopp laid a claw on Spike’s shoulder. “Let’s get that scepter and prove her wrong.”

Spike took a breath and put on a brave face. “Yeah!”

The two then marched ahead, jumping left and right every now and then when some lava sputtered up like a geyser. The path eventually branched out into a spiderweb of rocky paths. Countless tunnels filled the cavern now. Spike took a whiff of the air and then pointed to a single tunnel. Usopp followed after him. Midway through the tunnel though, Spike slowed.

“Hey, Usopp?” Spike turned back to look at him.

“What? Is it a new obstacle?” Usopp tightened his grip on his slingshot. “I’m actually feeling pretty confident now that you know the way, so I can probably take it.”

“No, it’s just…” Spike looked forward again and then back at Usopp. “What do we do if one of us actually wins?”

Usopp raised an eyebrow at him. “We become Dragon Lord. The old one made that pretty clear.”

“Yeah, we’ll be the new Dragon Lord.” Spike bit his lip. “Won’t that mean we’ll have to stay here and do Dragon Lord things?”

“Huh, didn’t think about that.” Usopp rubbed his chin and then snapped his claws. “Well, if one of us wins, we can just make a order for dragons to not cause any damage to Equestria and then do whatever we want.”

“Isn’t that a little irresponsible? I mean, I don’t know that much about dragons, but if Princess Celestia did something like that, Equestria would go crazy. Just look at what happened when the Everfree went wild.”

Usopp shuddered. “Don’t remind me. I still have nightmares about those cragadiles.”

“Exactly, imagine that but with dragons!” Spike yelped. “So what are we gonna d—”

Spike stepped through air where the ground had sloped down and rolled onto the floor. Usopp jumped out the tunnel, raced down and helped Spike up. Spike brushed off some dust and coughed.

“You okay?” Usopp asked.

Spike stared off into the distance.

“Spike?” A little sweat beaded up on his brow. “Please don’t be broken. Twilight’s already mad enough after the Stink Berry mix up.”

“Usopp, we’re here.” Spike pointed and Usopp turned to see the scepter lodge in a mass of crystals up ahead. “Plus, I’m pretty sure saving Equestria from a hoard of dragons will make up for that.”

“Too bad that’s not happening.”

A tail slammed into Usopp and sent him flying into a wall. Garble grinned seeing Usopp slide out of the cracked imprint he’d left in the rock and slump against the wall. He then turned his sights on Spike and hoisted him up by his tail. He extended his arm out and dangled Spike over the abyss that surrounded the path.

“If only your stupid pony friends were here to see this,” he cackled.

“How about a dragon one instead?”

Ember slammed into Garble, knocking Spike out of his grasp. Garble snarled and locked claws with Ember. The two dug their feet into the rock and growled at each other.

“Arg,” Garble roared, “It’s always the stupid princesses!”

“That’s future lord to you!” Ember snapped.

“Ha! If that were true, you would’ve grabbed the scepter while I was dealing with these losers!”

Garble whipped his tail around and slashed at Ember’s legs. She titled to the right and Garble plowed his fist into her gut. The force of the punch slammed her backwards and into a wall. Spike could only watch when a pile of rocks cascaded down from the ceiling and onto her. Smoke curled past his gritted fangs and he flew at Garble.

“You jerk!” he screamed and flailed his claws at Garble.

“Ow!” Garble hissed when Spike’s claws rent through some of scales across his chest. He snarled and backhanded Spike across the face. While Spike was dazed Garble fell upon him and wrapped his claws around Spike’s neck. “Go on. Try that again. Or do you want to call for help from your stupid pony friends?”

Spike let out a guttural noise while he tried to breath. Garble smirked and tightened his grip. Something then slammed into the back of his head. His eyes spun in their sockets for a second and then he collapsed to the ground. Spike coughed and sucked in fresh air. His vision focused and he saw Usopp standing over Garble with the scepter in hand.

“I think dragon friends will be enough for today,” Usopp said with a smile. He then extended his free hand out and helped Spike up. “You okay?”

“I think I’ll be,” Spike rasped. His eyes then shot over to the pile Ember was buried under. “C’mon we’ve go—”

A teal claw burst out of the rock pile. With a grunt, Ember emerged with her armor dented and a little blood trickling from her left temple, but managed to stand up and make her way over to the Spike and Usopp. She turned to Usopp and sighed.

“Guess it’s over, huh?”

Usopp blinked and then looked down at the scepter. “Oh. Guess I was just thinking of something that I could reach that jerk with. So now what?”

Ember bent a knee before Usopp. “Whatever you wish, Dragon Lord… guess you were right about friendship after all.”

“Well, having a bigger stronger dragon princess helped too,” Usopp chuckled.

More dragons streamed into the cavern and upon seeing Usopp bearing the scepter bowed to him. Usopp held it aloft and then slammed it into the ground beside Garble. He looked up at him with a dazed look. His pupils shrank and he scurried back but his retreat was blocked by all the dragons in attendance.

“H-hey” he stuttered. “I was, uh, just kidding about all the burning Equestria stuff.”

“Silence!” Usopp demanded, imitating the tone of the previous Dragon Lord. “I, the Great Dragon Lord Usopp shall now pass my first proclamation!” Usopp leveled the scepter at Garble. A devilish grin spread across his face. “You, stand at the ready!”

Garble straightened up and shook like a leaf. “P-please…”

“I didn’t want to try this on Spike or myself, so you get to be my test subject.” Usopp set the scepter down and picked up his slingshot. He loaded a bullet into it that glistened with a light blue glow. “Now stand still! Here comes Blue Star: Poison Pandamonium!”

Garble yelped and tried to flee, but the dragons around him wouldn’t budge. The bullet slammed into his back and exploded into a cloud of shimmering blue smoke. Garble was left coughing until the smoke cleared. He looked back at Usopp and Spike and sneered. Save for the slash across his chest still aching, nothing felt different.

“Ha! Is that the best the new Dragon Lord can do?” he sneered. “I can still take that scepter from you right now!”

Garble was about to fly at Usopp when he paused. Usopp was snickering, trying not to burst into full laughter and Spike was gazing at him with an slackened jaw. Garble glanced left and right and saw that the other dragons wore similar expressions. He also noticed they all seemed taller now. He blinked and realized that he must have fallen onto all fours when the attack hit him. He reared back up onto his hindlegs and then collapsed his side.

He whipped his head around trying to find out what had knocked his off his balance. He turned white as a sheet seeing four hooved legs sticking out of where his claws had been before. Spike’s attack now marred Garble’s soft and furry underbelly. He glimpsed the edge of a feathered wing sticking out of back. All over him were blue spots that clashed with his red fur.

“For someone that was making fun of ponies, you make a pretty good pegasus,” Spike chuckled.

“That’s quite the reaction.” Usopp pulled some more seeds and bullets out the satchel around his waist. “I wonder what the other ones will do.”

“No!” Garble screeched. He lept up and tumble through the air, thumping a few dragons along the way out. He crashed to the ground beside the crowd and half-galloped, half-stumbled out into a tunnel. “I’ll make you pay for this!”

“Not unless he knows all the ingredients for a cure.” Usopp put his ammo away and strapped his slingshot across his back. He picked up the scepter and turned to Ember. “And now time for my second proclamation. I, the Amazing Dragon Lord Usopp declare Princess Ember my new successor!”

All the dragons gasped.

“What?” said Ember. “But you won!”

“Yeah, but as awesome as being Dragon Lord sounds, I’ve already got a crew that’ll need my help soon.” Usopp smiled. “Besides, I’ve got the man who will be King of the Pirates as my captain. Even Dragon Lord can’t compete with that.”

“And I’m sure you’ll be just as good a Dragon Lord as either of us would’ve been,” Spike added.

“Well, I did get some good advice on how to lead from a certain pair of odd dragons.” Ember smiled back at them and clasped the scepter.

The other dragons erupted in a cheers. “Hail, Dragon Lord Ember!”

“Quiet!” Ember roared exactly like her father. “Okay, I promise that’s that first and last time I do that. Anyway, before we got tell dad the good news, I have one order to give.” All the dragons leaned closer and Ember waved the scepter over Usopp and Spike. “These two brave dragons showed me that dragons don’t have to work alone or fight with each other…” She glanced down at Spike. “...or ponies for the matter. So if these two are ever in need of help, we dragons shall gladly give it!”

A great beam of light shot out of the scepter and the skeptical crowd broke out into cheers once more.

“Oh man, Twilight is gonna love hearing about this!” Spike exclaimed and then turned to Usopp. “Bet your friends will love it too.”

“Yeah…” Usopp smiled at Spike but was also sweating a little. Luffy must never know. He’d be worse than Discord here.

~~~

Twilight set her pen down and looked up from her journal with a smile. “Sounds like quite an adventure, but I’m glad you were able to handle it on your own.”

“Nothing a brave captain of the sea and fearless dragon can’t handle,” Usopp beamed.

“Yeah!” Spike added.

“Well, someone is certainly becoming a brave young drake.” Twilight came over to Spike and gave him a hug. “It’s good to have you home though.”

Spike blushed but returned the embrace all the same. “It’s good to be back.”

Twilight then looked over at Usopp. “And consider yourself forgive for the Stink Berry.”

“Glad you managed to reconstruct City Hall while we were gone.” Usopp let out a shaky chuckle and glanced out the window. “Anypony still mad about it?”

“Rainbow Dash might still be a little sore about her mane, but it’s almost got all its color back,” Twilight answered.

“So aside from damage control, did we miss much while we were gone?” asked Spike.

Something glistened in Twilight’s eyes. “I’m glad you asked, follow me.”

The three of them made their way down the crystal halls of the palace, curved around a few corners, gave a friendly wave to Starlight while she was in the midst of reading a book on public speaking, and finally came to one of the many rooms Twilight had filled with scientific apparati. Twilight lit up her horn and summoned over a container. Popping open the top, Twilight showed Usopp and Spike contents: a lone fruit that appeared to be a giant fusion of a chestnut and a lentil with swirls covering its rind.

“Fluttershy found it while helping out Zecora out in the forest,” Twilight explained. “I’ve run some tests and it’s not poisonous, but it’s also got no method of reproduction. Zecora was stumped too and even the Royal Canterlot Archives had nothing on it. I wish I could ask Princess Celestia about it, but she’s busy dealing with some diplomatic transportation issue.”

“Well, if you’ve done all that research only one thing left to do.” Spike snatched up the fruit and took a bite. With a mouth full of the fruit, he said, “Plus, I was starving.”

Twilight went white. “Spike! There could’ve been more I needed to know about that!”

Spike swallowed and coughed. He thumped on his chest while his cheeks gained a shade of green. “Like it tasting like someone poured an outhouse down your throat?”

Twilight’s face grew red and she glared at Spike. A bit of sweat formed on Spike’s brow.

“Well, you got more information now at least.”

Usopp sighed at Spike and then peered down at the remains of the fruit. He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin. Hmm, where ha—”

A ball of pink up beside Usopp and locked him into a hug.

“I knew some dragons were back in town!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Oooh, you gotta tell me all about it! How were the other dragons?”

“C-chocking!” Usopp coughed.

“Oops!” Pinkie unleashed Usopp but kept her face pressed close to his. “So come on! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!”

Usopp shook his head and sighed. “I swear you are worse than my captain.”

Pinkie’s arrival had broken Twilight and Spike away from their argument. Twilight chucked and looked down at Spike.

“Well, sounds like you caught a break,” she said. “We’ll talk about your punishment after the party.”

“Okay…” Spike let out a nervous chuckle and raised up one of his legs to scratch at his side. Everyone was already streaming out of the room, so Spike didn’t have time notice the oddity of his new quirk.

◆◆◆

3D2Y

“You there! Woman!” a portly thug in a straw hat bellowed. “Don’t drink alone! Come over here!”

Nami closed her eyes and sighed. “No thanks. I’m waiting waiting for a man.”

The barkeep paled and drew close to the Nami. “Hey, listen! That’s Straw Hat Luffy!”

Nami propped her head on her hand. “Really?”

Her expression remained unchanged when a the muzzle of a gun was shoved right in her face. She look up to see it held in the hands of woman in cheap polka dot dress with a head like an egg.

“You got two choices. Accept Captain Luffy’s invitation or die,” the woman hissed. She jostled the gun a little and smirked. “By the way, I have a bounty too. I’m the Cat Burglar. I’m Na—

“Blue Star: Discordant Vines!”

Thick black vines appeared out of nowhere and coiled around ‘Nami’ like massive snakes. While she screamed for help and her crewmates also became ensnared in the vines, a young man with a bushy head of hair partially covered in a wide brimmed hat took a seat next to her. A purple husky with reptilian eyes took up the seat next to him. Nami blinked at the display, but a massive smile came to her face when the man raised his hat, fully revealing his face and lengthy nose.

“Hey,” he smirked. “Will you have a drink with me?”

“Usopp!” Nami flew out of her seat and pulled Usopp into a hug. “It’s really you! You’ve really grown!”

“So have you,” Usopp said, his voice muffled by having his head shoved into Nami’s chest.

“This is the one Rarity would like?”

Nami broke off her embrace and stared at the dog. It was looking straight at her with its head corked to the side.

“I mean, it’s more than ponies, but she’s not wearing that many clothes,” it said.

“Usopp…” Nami looked back and forth between the dog and Usopp. “Where exactly have you been training?”

“It’s a long story.”

The thug in the straw hat burst free of a enough of the vines to lunge at the group. “Hey! Hold it!”

“Nevermind.” Nami clasped Usopp’s arm and pulled him towards the exit. “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Spike bounded after them but took note the black bubbles filling up the air. He sped up when he saw some of them crackling with electricity. Just a few paces outside of the bar, he felt the air buzz a second before thunder tore through the air. He looked back to see the bar was now a crumbling shack with smoke flowing out the windows.

“Usopp!” Spike barked. “You lied. She’s way more like Rainbow Dash!”

~~~

“So you’re not actually a talking dog?” Chopper asked with Nami and Usopp peddled along on their bubble bike with Chopper and Spike at the rear.

“I mean, right now I technically am,” said Spike. “But Usopp and Twilight both said if I looked like a really did, it might cause trouble and I already had to make a lot of promises just to come here.”

“So what are you really?”

Spike grinned. “A dragon.”

Chopper’s eyes glistened like stars. “Really? Can you shoot fire?”

“I can, but Twilight said only in an absolute emergency.” Spike glanced over at Nami. “I heard she likes to scold people if they break the rules.”

“Yeah, Nami is scary if you make her mad.” Chopper tilted his head to the side. “Or if you walk into the bath on her.”

“Huh, is that just a human thing?”

“I’m not sure. It’s only when one of the guys does but she’s fine when it’s Robin or me.”

Spike shook his head. “Weird.”

~~~

“Fire!” a marine captain ordered from the shore of the Sabaody Archipelago.

A few leagues out at sea, a grand ship with a lion masthead was sinking below the waves. At first, the marine and his platoon had thought that their cannon support was a good backup plan, but an unnecessary one with all the forces stationed on the island plus the battleships encircling it.

Then the calls had come in. Perfectly precise rain and lightning soaking one platoon. Another platoon utterly crippled by depression. A group of girls with bizarre powers and some unholy fire spewing hellhound going toe to toe with Sentomaru and his forces. Pacifistas taken out like scrap metal by the reunited Straw Hats. A legion of crossdressers descending on another platoon. It had been the perfect storm of chaos to annihilate the marine’s plan to finally capture Straw Hat Luffy and his crew. The marines stationed by the sea had been a final line of defense, save for the battleships.

For a moment, all the marines at the shore could do was stare slack jawed as the Pirate Empress herself had cruised into the path of the battleship’s fire. The captain had managed to regain his wits and shot out a slew of orders and had the cannons trained on the Straw Hats’ ship.

The fuses connected with their payload and the salvo blasted out at the ship. They didn’t get more than a few meters before claws snatched them out of the air. The marines all paled while their minds raced to understand how an entire army of dragons had swooped down and caught every one of the cannonballs.

Ember chucked the ball she had caught up once and then tore a chunk out of it like it was a ripe apple. She scrunched up her face and then spit out the chewed up bits iron. “Like I’d let crap like this take out a former Dragon Lord.”

~~~

“So everyone was a magical horse?” Robin asked while the Sunny flowed along through the deep depths of the ocean.

“Well, not everyone,” Usopp answered. “Like I said, I was a dragon and there were all sorts of other crazy creatures.”

“It’s quite hard to imagine such a place without seeing it,” Brook commented. “Even though I have no eyes! Yohohoho!”

“Keep it down, Brook!” Usopp shouted and pressed finger to his lips. “Who knows what sort of deep sea creatures you’ll wake up?!”

“I wouldn’t mind keeping one as pet,” Robin stated.

“Don’t get started, Robin!” said Usopp.

While the Straw Hats searched from Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy and tried to navigate through the lightless sea, a barrel creaked open and a man literally oozing filth peeked out at the Straw Hats and grinned.

“Kehihihihi! Treating me like a regular pirate. Fools! I’ll wait for my chance. The Straw Hat will never see it coming!”

“Oh, are you going to surprise them too?”

Caribou turned to his left and was greeted with a young girl in a white blouse poking her head out of the barrel next to his.

“Sweetie, get back down,” came a voice with a drawl from inside the barrel.

Another girl in an orange t-shirt popped up and shoved her head down on Sweetie. “Yeah, they’re gonna se—”

The girl paused and stared back behind Caribou. He glanced back to see Franky staring at all of them.

~~~

“Gah! Let me out!” Caribou shouted from within the sealed barrel. “I’m sorry! Really!”

“What an idiot.” Franky gave the barrel a kick. “We got lucky though. He could’ve been trouble otherwise. As for you three…”

Franky and the other remaining Straw Hats turned their attention onto the three girls sitting on the ground with their head lowered. Staring at them too long without blinking produced an odd effect where their bodies appeared to waver or a horse’s leg or head would replace a part of their body.

“We can’t turn back,” said Nami. “The currents won’t allow it.”

“So we’ll have to go to Fishman Island no matter what.” Usopp shook his head. “You realize your sisters and friends are worried sick about you right now, right?”

“Yeah,” the Crusaders all whimpered in unison.

“We just wanted to see what it was like on a real pirate ship though,” said Apple Bloom.

“And it was so cool how you stopped that avalanche!” Sweetie Belle added.

“And the huge attack your captain used!” Scootaloo’s eyes shined bright with excitement. “Your crew really is the coolest, Mr. Usopp!”

“Well, obviously.” Usopp smiled for a second before shaking his head. “That’s beside the point though. We’ve still got no way to contact everypony else or get you back to the surface for a while.”

“Perhaps that Jinbei fellow Luffy mentioned could help,” Brook suggested. “Maybe he co—”

The air in the middle of the deck crackled. Everyone jumped or scooted back before a burst of purple aura momentarily blinded everyone. When it cleared, four women were standing on the deck. The one dressed in a skirt with wings draped at her side went to her knees and gasped for breath.

“Made… it,” she huffed.

The other three women darted over to the Crusaders and glared down at them.

“”You are in a world of trouble, little missie,” said the woman in the stetson hat.

“I’ll double whatever punishment father and mother give to you!” the woman in bedazzled jeans and a glistening white shirt growled.

“Hope you’re ready, squirt.” The rainbow haired woman cracked her knuckles. “Cause you just earned yourself a week of elite Wonderbolt level training. And trust me, it’s exactly the opposite of how awesome it sounds.”

“And one more thing,” said all three women.

The Crusaders bunched up against each other. “W-what?”

The women reached out and pulled the Crusaders into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re safe!”

The fourth woman had recovered her breath and managed to stand up. “Are we good to go then?”

“Yes, let’s.” Rarity glanced out ocean. A fanged fish with glassy eyes stared back at her. “Please.”

“Okay.” The area around Twilight’s forehead grew bright and the rest of the girls gathered around her. She caught sight of Usopp and smiled. “Sorry for the trouble, Usopp.”

Usopp smiled back at her. “I’m just glad you managed to get the girls back.”

“Right well have fun,” said Applejack.

“Best of luck, Mr. Usopp,” said Rarity.

Dash gave him a thumbs up but stared at it and then at Usopp. “This is what humans do when they’re leaving, right?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo raised up a thumb as well.

Sweetie smiled. “Come back some time, Mr. Usopp.”

“You’re always welcome as an honorary Crusader,” Apple Boom exclaimed.

“Oh and be careful of that volcano,” said Twilight.

“And you all be safe too.” Usopp gave them all a wave.

There was a great flash and then all the girls were gone.

Chopper stared at the spot where they had all vanished and then up at Usopp. “Usopp, they smelled kinda like horses but they looked human.”

“Well, when I explained everything to the— did she say volcano!?”

Set Adrift: Navigator in the Storm

View Online

“No, you gotta kick up otherwise the ele—”

The sky flashed white and Rainbow Dash’s ears popped from the blast of thunder that echoed through the air. Rainbow Dash felt parts her fur lift up while static buzzed around her. She blinked and then bit her lip while she looked down at the peach colored mare crumpled by the foot of her house. A bit of smoke trailed up from the burnt tips of her fiery orange mane and past the fresh hole in Dash’s house. Tank cautiously lifted his head out of his shell and peered at the dark clouds rimming the new view into the house. A crackle of lightning looped through them, forcing Tank back into his shell.

Dash sighed, ran her hooves over the thunderclouds, and returned them to the fluffy and white state they had been in before she had started this morning’s "training." Drifting down to the clouds that made up the ground around her house, she reached out to the pegasus and helped her up.

“I told ya.”

Nami glared at Dash and coughed up a bit of smoke. “I knew about the charge! It’s the way these stupid hooves interact with everything that’s the problem!”

Dash pursed her lips. “I can’t tell if that’s wherever you come from talking or the zap messing with your head. Either way, just sit down, take some water, and watch how a pro does it.”

Dash guided Nami over to a small ridge of clouds and used her leg and wing not supporting Nami to craft the clouds into the rough shape of a couch. Setting Nami down, she zipped into her house and returned a second later with a glass of water. She then smirked and spread her wings.

“Now pay attention.”

Dash bent down and scooped up some clouds with her wings. Clasping them between her hooves, she jumped into the air while cradling them close to her chest. A bit of the clouds trailed off but the majority stayed in Dash’s grasp until she spread them out and folded them into the wall. There was a brief moment where the old and new clouds met and darkened, but a quick brush of Dash’s wings turned them a uniform white. When she ran out of clouds, she darted back down, scooped up some more, and repeated the process until the hole was completely filled. All in about twenty seconds.

Dash smiled at her work and then flew back over to Nami. “You catch all that?”

“I did,” Nami sighed. She bent back a hoof and kicked out a small bit of cloud from her couch. It floated in front of her and she snatched it up with another hoof. Pushing it back and forth, it slowly dissolved into mist. Darn this stupid magic! It’s even crazier than Skypeia!

Dash noticed Nami clenching her teeth and took a seat beside her. “Don’t get too strung up about it though. I mean, even ponies that did get basic pegasi training would have a hard time keeping up with me.”

“Hooray,” Nami huffed.

Dash scrunched up her face. “Hey, that’s not the attitude I’m looking for. So you got zapped. Happens to everypony. Even the Wonderbolts mess up a stunt every now and then. I mean, they look awesome even while recovering but still...”

Nami furrowed her brow at Dash.

“Anyway…” Dash blushed and scratched the back of her head. “You’re making good progress and cumularchitecture is a step up. So buck up!”

Dash delivered a playful slap to Nami’s back. She spun out of her seat when her hoof passed straight through Nami. Nami’s body wavered and then dispersed into the air. Dash’s wings unfurled and she managed to catch herself before hitting the clouds. The relief on her face turned to annoyance when Nami poked her head out of the clouds and booped her on the nose with her Clima Tact.

“Gotcha,” she said with a smirk.

Dash looked bright red. “One hundred push-ups, stat! Another one hundred if you tell anypony! And give me that darn thing!”

Dash snatched the Clima Tact away from Nami with one of its rounded ends pointed at her chest. A small yellow ball of energy popped out of it and connected with Dash’s stomach. Sparks exploded off of her and she collapsed next to Nami. She managed to raise her head with a glare that could peel off paint.

“Not a word,” she coughed.

~~~

“You’re probably one of to pe-ponies I know of that could take grass, dandelions, and wild mushrooms and make it all work,” said Nami. She then took another bite of the quiche in front of her.

“Oh don’t be silly, Nami,” Rarity chuckled. “Anypony with basic cooking skills can make this… though I suppose coming from my family it’s saying something.”

“You’ve got me there. Even my captain couldn’t burn and liquify toast.”

“But he and the rest of your friends sound quite delightful if a bit eccentric.” Rarity took a bite of her meal. “Oh, I do hope we’re able to meet them once Princess Celestia gets all your travel issues sorted it.”

A small lie was on the tip of Nami’s tongue when the distant rumble of thunder cut her off. She glanced out the window and looked up at the clear sky. Only a tiny spot, hidden between the buildings and some distance away from Ponyville was black and heavy with clouds.

“My, those thunderstorms over the Everfree are quite violent, aren’t they?” Rarity commented. “It’s a good thing we’ve got ponies like Rainbow Dash to ensure it doesn’t spill over into Ponyville. Imagine, weather running absolutely amok.”

Nami kept her eyes on the distant clouds, watching lightning light up parts of them. Cyclones, massive waves, and gales that could tear the wood off a ship flashed through her mind. In the midst of those squalls though were friends furling the sails, sailing the violent currents, and grinning through the thunder and the rain. Nami smiled.

“I think I can.”

“Oh…” Rarity bent her head down. “Sorry, I forgot that things are different where you’re from.”

Nami waved a hoof back and forth. “No worries. Anyway, how’s business going?”

“Oh quite well.” Rarity smiled but let it drop after a moment. “I mean, it is getting warmer out so it’s not practical to wear gems even if all the fashion magazine say diamonds are simply the musthave of the season, especially if you’ve got the garnets or amethysts to match.”

Nami glanced to the side. “Sorry.”

“Oh no, no, no, dear.” Rarity placed a smile on her face but the cheeriness didn’t extend to her eyes. “It’s not like you control when the gems are ready in the field. Beside, one mustn't rely solely on magazines for their fashion sense. No, one must understand what the public wants and I’m sure what the public wants is some nice muslin with a splash of color and, if necessary, I’m sure I can scrounge up some gems.”

“I’m sure you will,” said Nami. “Maybe if I finally get the hang of shaping clouds outside of their normal shapes, I can help you tomorrow.”

“Really?” Rarity’s smile widened. “Why that would be fantastic, and I’m sure Spike would love hearing more of your stories. For not living in the clouds, you’re quite good at spinning tales about ponies living up there. You’d probably give A.K. Yearling a run for a her money if you wrote it all down.”

“Yeah…”

Rarity took a sip of her tea and didn’t seem to notice the thin sheen of sweat on Nami’s brow.

~~~

“So the pegasus functions as the primary energy source and catalyst for the phenomena but once a sufficient reaction is built up, the weather acts of its own accord?” Nami asked while she scribbled down notes and peered at the the text in front of her.

Twilight’s grin widened. “Yes, right on the mark. The reverse is also true: a pegasus can stop any phenomena by directly interacting with it and interrupting its cycle. Of course, in both cases, the pegasus needs to be careful in the handling of all that energy otherwise it won’t flow properly.”

“Or take the easiest path to escape,” Nami muttered thinking back to her morning training.

“Correct once again.” Twilight lit up her horn and floated a piece of chalk in front of her face. “Unicorn magic operates on the same principles, but without a physical byproduct for the energy to go into, which usually leads to an improperly cast spell simply failing and the energy dispersing, though a large enough spell can lead to a backlash.”

Nami nodded and jotted down some more notes while Twilight put the chalk back. “And what about Earth Ponies?”

“Their magic manifests in their endurance and strength. It also allows them a much greater connection with the land than what pegasi and unicorns have. In cases of high enough magic, they can even manifest abilities similar to spells that can aid in planting or other geological phenomena. It’s a lot more passive magic, but still vital to Equestria.”

“Hmmm…” Nami tapped her pen against the paper. “So if you placed all three on a spectrum, Earth ponies would be the most physical while Unicorns are the most adept at directly handling potential energy, an pegasi are somewhere in between.”

“That’s the prevailing Theory of Magical Dissemination Among the Three Races for you.” Twilight shut the textbook on the stand she had set up by Nami’s desk and pulled out a stack of papers bound by a glossy cover. “I’m hoping to add addendums to it though in regards to draconic magic as well as unique manifestations that blur the lines, like Fluttershy’s connection to animals, or Rarity’s connection to gems.”

“And whatever Pinkie does?”

Twilight paled. “Not Pinkie. Trust me, some things are best left alone.”

“You’re sure you don’t wanna run a few more tests?” Pinkie pressed her head close to Twilight’s. “I like wearing the silly science hat.”

Twilight yelped and jumped into the air. She found herself clutching the chandelier and looking down at Pinkie and Nami. Nami shut her book and sighed.

Pinkie looked up at Twilight and giggled. “Wow, that’s a new record, even better than Nightmare Night!”

“And here I was enjoying the afternoon,” said Nami.

A pink hoof wrapped across her back and Pinkie pulled up close to her. “Aw, come on, Nami, you think I don’t notice that I remind you of a certain somepony?”

“I never…”

“Ah-ah-ah, you don’t need to say it, I can just tell!” Pinkie’s grin widened. “Is it one of your crazy work friends?Ooh, do they like sweets? How about parties? Wha—”

A claw gripped Pinkie’s muzzle shut. Spike looked up at her and tapped his foot. “Don’t get me wrong, I wanna hear all about Nami’s friends too, but some of us enjoy Twilight Time or, as I like to call it, Spike’s Afternoon Nap Time.”

Spike pulled back his claw and Pinkie blushed. “Oh, sorry.”

Twilight floated down from the chandelier covered in the glow of her own magic and let the aura fade once her hooves touched the ground. “It’s fine, did you want something Pinkie?”

“Oh right.” Pinkie turned to Nami. “So Applejack’s getting really excited for Apple Bloom’s birthday, but you know how things are on the farm, and even I can’t do too much without asking for pay. Apple Bloom’s gotten some good friends now and Applejack is hoping maybe this birthday will be a really big one for it, maybe even getting her cutie mark big… and seeing something really super extra amazing spectacular could do that.”

“So a performance then?” asked Nami.

Pinkie got on her knees held up her forelegs. “Please? Please with extra icing, sprinkles, chocolate chips, and a cherry? I normally don’t ask like this but since I lost my coin purse…”

“I swear that drinking competition was a disaster for everypony,” Twilight muttered.

“I’ll do it,” Nami answered.

Pinkie sprung on her. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“He-help!” Nami coughed.

~~~

Taking a deep breath, Nami shut the tome in front of her. She took a glance at her notebook and rechecked the trigonometric formulas and rough sketches before she closed it, noting that the pages were already dwindling down. Moving out of her seat, she tucked the tome under a wing and then placed it back onto the shelf.

“Done for the day?”

She turned to see Twilight emerging from the basement. “Yeah. I think I’m making good progress on my cartological research. I may even be able to get back to my friends sooner than I expect…”

“Getting a ship and supplies will be another issue but the less I have to deal with that princess, the better.”

“Great.” Twilight got closer and stared up at the shelves. “You know, it is nice to have another dedicated scholar in town.”

Nami blushed. “Twilight, you’re too kind. I’m just a good navigator, you’re the real scholar here.”

“I only wish I knew cartography like you though.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Or oceanography. It’s not a subject most ponies deal with.”

Nami felt her heart quicken. “Well, my hometown does fish a lot.”

“I really need to ask Princess Celestia more about this when she has the time.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “You’re sure you can’t tell me a bit more about life back where you come from?”

“The, uh, princess was very clear about the, um, diplomatic policies about discussing my hometown. Just a little bit about my job and friends and that’s it,” said Nami. “Well, it’s getting late and I should get going!”

Nami launched into the air and bolted out the door. Twilight blinked while papers swirled around her. Spike poked his head out of the bedroom and glanced down at the slight mess the bottom floor had turned into.

“I think Dash is rubbing off on her.”

“Not if her study habits are anything to go by.” Twilight lit up the papers around her and compiled them back into orderly stacks. She then pulled some books out of the shelves and reordered them as well. Her pace slowed when her brow furrowed and after she set the rather hefty copy of Hipporodotus’s works back in place, she glanced over at the door. “But I don’t recall Dash saying she’d gotten that fast.”

~~~

“Guh, not good,” Nami complained to herself while she climbed upwards through the sky. “I’m getting sloppy.”

The distant rumble of thunder cut through the air. Nami glanced in its direction and felt something icy press against the back of her mind. A massive amount of thick clouds as black as soot covered the entirety of the Everfree and stretched past the horizon. Lightning whizzed through the dark clouds, highlighting the way they curved around each other like a massive spiral. Just imagining the force of the wind contained in that storm sent a bit of a chill down Nami’s spine.

Yet the late afternoon sun and few fluffy clouds that hung over Ponyville stood right beside it. Although the barometric pressure and temperature had shifted slightly due to the storm according to the instruments Nami had “borrowed” from Twilight, the weather still remained as sunny as the schedule Dash kept said it would. Nami still couldn’t decide if the weather here was more or less chaotic than the Grand Line.

After a few more minutes of flying and watching the storm churn over the Everfree, Nami crested over a rather bulbous cloud and came upon Dash and Fluttershy standing in front of Dash’s house.

Fluttershy looked up at Nami and then back to Dash. “Oh, I should probably get going. Thank you again for the help with the animals today. Just remember what we talked about, okay?”

Dash glanced over at Nami while she landed. Something in her eyes made a few hairs stand up on Nami’s neck. “Yeah. If you need anymore help finding them shelter, I’ll be right over.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy bowed her head and took to the air. “Be safe.”

Dash gave her a wave and a smile. “You, too.”

Fluttershy waved as she flew off and stole a brief look at Nami. Nami waved back and then turned to Dash.

“Everything going okay with Fluttershy?” she asked.

“Yeah, she’s just been a bit busy lately setting up extra shelter space for animals since all that activity over the Everfree has driven a lot of them out of their homes. Not that it’s much better up here. I mean, we can totally handle anything, but just to be safe, Tank’s gonna be enjoying a little reunion with his friends back at Fluttershy’s too.”

Nami followed Dash when she turned and entered her house. “Back where I’m from, we’d consider that pretty big accomplishment. Just from the looks of it, even Canterlot would be in trouble if that storm blew into it.”

“Well, luckily, Canterlot’s got the Princesses and Ponyville’s got me!” Dash flashed Nami a smile but then sighed when she fell onto the empty couch. “Even I can’t be there for everything though and we’re getting calls from all around about the weather messing things up. Apparently, Applejack and her family even have a few Zap Apple Trees going off early.”

“And I’m sure you’ll scoop up every bit of jam they make from them,” Nami chuckled.

“I would, but unless they’re prepared right, those things are a hundred times worse than any shock some clouds or your crazy sticks can give. I wish that was all that was wrong though.” Dash pulled a hoof behind her back and then produced a few gems. Nami’s pupils shrank. “I think the storm must’ve uprooted some hidden gem field and launched them all the way up into the clouds. Bet you’ve never seen weather like that before.”

Nami kept her eyes to the floor. “No… the wind and pressure needed to send gems those size up this high is monstrous.”

“Yeah, monstrous.” Dash snorted and blew up a tuft of her mane. “It did give me inspiration for our training tomorrow. I was planning to just teach you about reinforcement and stability measures, but since my house is already taking some damage, we’re gonna need to do a full sweep of the cloud.”

Nami gulped. “We are?”

“Yep.” Dash stood back and closed the distance between herself and Nami. She raised and hoof and pressed it into Nami’s chest. “This is gonna be you’re first serious assignment, so I’m gonna need to you give it your all. My house and your room are on the line. So, can I trust you to be ready and to give it your all tomorrow?”

“Of… of course,” said Nami.

Dash brought her face a little closer to Nami’s. “And you’ll be honest with me if you see anything and it looks like you can’t handle it?”

“Y-yeah, wouldn’t want to get zapped like this morning.”

“And if there’s anything you’re worried about, you can tell me. I know you’re new to flying and weather crafting, but I know you’re also a hard working pony with some great friends, so you can tell me if there’s something bothering you… about training I mean.”

Nami slowly swung her head back and forth, nearly skimming Dash’s nose. “Nope, all good here… but thank you Rainbow Dash, I’m glad you think of me like that.”

“Yeah.” Dash pulled her head back and marched over to the kitchen. “Sure.”

For a moment, Nami was alone in the living room. She glanced at the gems glistening in the glow of sunset and sighed.

Okay, at least it was only a few the gems… She looked over at Dash setting up the table. I’ll just move things after she goes to sleep.

~~~

Rain cascaded down the outside of the window while Nami’s reflection stared back at the inside of her room. Nami had nearly choked on her pasta when Dash had brought it up over dinner: a late night sprinkling to balance out the temperature and pressure fluctuations the Everfree was causing. Nami kicked herself for not having skipped town earlier, but that would have meant less gems and bits to make the trip to the coast and getting it boat. It would have also meant less time at Twilight’s making the best guesses she could as to her rough location. The option of flight had been her failsafe, but Dash’s gushing about the multiple exploits of the Wonderbolts and their dual nature as performers and elite agents of the crown quashed that idea. The rain was just the cherry on top.

Nami clenched her jaw. Dash was onto her and Twilight probably wasn’t far behind either. She had underestimated ponies and gotten greedy. But if Dash knew about the trove currently resting below her hooves, there was no doubt in Nami’s mind that Celestia would be summoned. She was still skeptical of the whole “controlling the sun” bit, but she didn’t doubt the power Celestia had over the island.

Taking a breath, Nami fell back and collapsed on her bed. If Dash was telling the truth about the rain, it would probably let up around three. In that case, there would be at most an hour to wake up, move as much of the loot as possible, and then get back to bed and wait for Dash to come in and get her up for breakfast. Nami reached out and tinkered with her alarm to set it back an extra hour and a half and then closed her eyes. She’d have to look the part of at least having gotten some sleep.

~~~

The sharp crack of glass shattering followed by water pelting her coat thrust Nami out of her sleep. She snapped her head back and forth, taking in the broken window and the wind and rain now pouring into the room. Something whizzed by her face and smacked through the wall on the opposite side of the room. Nami lept back when another object careened into the room and slammed into the spot on the bed where she’d been. She looked down and saw that a golf ball sized hunk of hail had torn a deep hole into the bed.

“Nami!” Nami spun around to see Dash at her door with her eyes bulging out of her head. Dash darted over to her and grabbed her by a leg. “C’mon, we need to get to ground level stat!”

“Wait a second!” Nami wrenched her leg away from Dash. “What’s going on?”

Dash spun around and grabbed her again. “No time to talk! Somepony slipped up and the Everfree Storm is getting out of control.”

“Hasn’t it been that way?”

“Yes, but… gah!” Dash pulled Nami over to a cabinet and pulled out a two sets of hardhats and goggles, four pairs of boots, and two sets of tube-like pieces of some sort of thick yet flexible material with vein-like extensions trailing down them. “Just get this all on. You’re about to get one Tartarus of a lesson.”

While Dash raced to put on her own gear, Nami darted back to her room in the blink of an eye and grabbed her Clima Tact as well. She quickly suited up and made her way over to the door behind Dash. Taking a deep breath, Dash put a hoof on the door.

“This is gonna be the weather they tell you to run from in flight school.” Dash sharpened her eyes. “Flight school never said anything about protecting Ponyville though. On the count of three, I’m gonna open this door. Grab my hoof and for the love of Equestria don’t let go. Ready?”

The whole house creaked and groaned around Nami. In another room, glass shattered. She checked to make sure the pieces of the Clima Tact were secure around her waist and then clasped Dash’s leg. “Let’s go.”

~~~

An uprooted tree hurtled through the air like a piece of garbage. Its roots and branches smacked against rooftops and walls, tearing away tiles, smashing windows, and scraping the paint off the walls. Its destructive tumble came to a stop when it smacked into a shimmering shield that surrounded Town Hall. The shield pulsed with magic while the tree pressed against it before the combined pressure from the wind and the shield snapped the tree’s trunk in two. The broken pieces disappeared into the howling winds and torrential downpour tearing through Ponyville.

Inside Town Hall, sweat dripped from Twilight’s face. She looked to her left and saw that Rarity was breathing harder and the other unicorns in town with their horns alight were showing similar signs of fatigue. Her gaze drifted over to Applejack and Big Mac hammering down planks over the windows before her horn burned again. She shut her eyes as did many of the other unicorns and they focused their attention on the shield.

Behind the perimeter the unicorns had set up near the wall, fillies, colts, and at least one of their parents huddled closer together. From the windows that weren’t fully boarded up yet, they could see the storm raging outside of the shield, sending bits of homes and the forest through the air and to who knows where. Every now and then they caught a glimpse of color streak through the sheets of rain and thunderclouds. When lightning flashed, the tiny silhouettes of pegasi dotted the sky.

Outside, the wind tore at Nami from all directions. She could feel the gales ripping at her wings, but the guards Dash had given her helped keep the wind from pulling her feathers off or worse. Her vision was framed in water droplets that swayed back and forth along with the wind. They also pelted her body like she was being assaulted by miniature slings.

She held on tight to the grey pegasus Dash had left her with. She was a bit slower than the other pegasi, but with a flap of her wings she was able to shift through the maelstrom of currents and guide Nami over to the edge of the clouds. She scrunched up her offset eyes and let loose a kick that sent sparks flying and dispersed a bit of the clouds into a mass of water that vanished into the storm.

Nami swung her Tact at the clouds, unleashing a flurry of red and blue balls. Parts of the clouds quivered before they unleashed several bolts of lightning and then collapsed on themselves.

“You’re really good, Ms. Nami,” Derpy lisped. One of her wings flapped up and vanished into a cloud. Electricity coursed through Derpy’s body and Nami gave thanks again to the rubber insulating her hooves. Derpy’s eyes focused for a brief moment before she coughed and her eyes returned to their normal skewed positions. “Oops.”

Nami shook her head and looked around. Other pegasi buzzed around them, all of them linking legs with at least one other pony. The most lithe and aerodynamic of them pumped their wings and flew against the howling winds, funneling off their force into slightly weaker gales. The bigger pegasi brought their rubber coated hooves down on pieces of the thunderclouds with all their might. Lighting roared out of the clouds when struck a second before the damaged piece exploded into a mass of water that crashed to the ground.

Dash was smashing clouds left and right while also tearing through the whirlwinds. Yet all around her, ponies were getting zapped and smacked with debris. Dash herself was showing a few welts and cuts along her body and a bit of her coat and mane had been singed. She gritted her teeth and rocketed toward another cloud and plowed her hooves into it. The area right in front of her face crackled and turned bright.

A wall of yellow static shot up in front of her. The lightning bolt exploded over the cloud and washed over the yellow construct before splitting into several smaller bolts. She turned to her left and Nami flashed her a smile.

“Close call.”

“I’ll say.” Dash turned her head down and spotted Derpy waving up at them from a good distance away. She then looked back at Nami. “When did you get so fast?”

“I, uh, used the currents.”

Dash narrowed her eyes but then shook her head. Her face dropped taking in the scene around them. Less and less pegasi were in the air and those that were were showing off bruises and burnt fur while they limped through the sky. All while the storm continued to tear through everything around them. Dash’s could feeling the pit in her stomach dragging her to the ground.

“This isn’t working,” she said in a tone void of her usual bravado.

“We don’t have enough power to turn back the outer rainbands.” Nami’s eyes widened. “If we could push into the eye…”

“You just said we don’t have enough power for even the outer rainbands!” Dash yelled over the wind. “There’s no way we can pierce the eye wall!”

“We can!” Nami clasped Dash on the shoulder. “The snow cloud buster formation plus that move you’re always bragging about.”

“What!?” Dash yelped. “Have you lost it? That formation only works after days of wrapping up the rest of winter and you want me to add a Rainboom to that?! That… that’s…”

“What I know the best flier in Ponyville can do.” Nami held her Tact up to Dash’s face. “You’re the only pony that can lead the formation with enough force to break through. As for conditions, I’m predicting a localized cold front perfect for pulling this off.”

The fire in Nami’s eyes ignited Dash’s as well. A grin returned to Dash’s face and she gripped Nami’s hoof tight. “I gotta shape up. You’re giving me a run for my bits as Ponyville’s craziest pegasus!”

The pair flapped their wings and bolted over to the closests group of pegasi. Doubt crossed their faces hearing the plan from Nami, but when Dash backed her up, they nodded and flew off to relay the message. This continued until every able flyer had gathered together. Dash surveyed them and then raised a hoof high into the roaring winds.

“Alright, everypony! Time to show this storm what we’re made of!” Dash spun around and planted her hooves in front of her. “Form rank!”

“Time for a little magic then.” Nami zipped up over the group and shot off blue spheres all around them. A chill filled the air and the rain came down in thicker sheets until it suddenly shifted into tiny icicles that drifted onto everypony’s goggles. “Winter Tempo!”

“Charge!” Dash shouted and then dove straight ahead.

The other pegasi raced after Dash in a cyclone of wings. The clouds were still thick and crackled with lightning, but the drop in temperature in the immediate area had forced them to stiffen, locking in their icy water. With their combined might, the pegasi tore through them.

Nami breathed deeply while Twilight and Dash’s lessons played through the back of her head. Use wings to sense the air and gauge the pressure. Feel the currents trailing around your hooves. Taste the moisture blanketing the sky. Nami concentrated and shot out volley after volley of cool balls. She sensed the air charging up to the left and sent out a wave of static. Lightning flashed and bounced off her shield while the ponies behind in continued to race forward.

Every couple of seconds, her attention shifted to the front and she shot a burst of cool and heat balls toward Dash. The pressure tugging at Dash’s wings faded just enough for her to flap them a little harder while the cone of air forming in front of her remained steady and continued growing. Everypony behind her pushed with all the strength and watched as the clouds scattered around them.

The cone in front of Dash then ground into a mass of clouds so dark and massive it appeared like a void. Lighting lashed out from the point of impact and crashed down on the pegasi behind Dash while the pressure in front of her diverted the bolts away from her. Nami now matched her cool balls with thunderballs, but ponies were still getting shocked and dropping to the ground. Yet the ones still flying continued to keep the formation even when their wings were clipped by bolts or when the rain fell upon them again, no longer in sheets but like a full waterfall.

“Come on!” Dash shouted.

“We got this,” a pegasus huffed while he fought against the gale pushing him and everypony else back.

“Just a little more,” said a mare.

Dash glanced back and felt the pit return in her stomach. Even with Nami’s plan, even with everypony’s help, even with all her power, the wall still wouldn’t budge. The cone in front of Dash shrank. I… I can’t do this. I ca—

“We can do this!” Nami yelled, having appeared at Dash’s side and pushing forward with all her strength while sending out more and more balls. “My forecast is never wrong and I know you never give up!”

Dash dug deep and pushed her wings even harder. Nami raised a hoof up even while the storm tried to pull it back and clasped the top end of her Tact. With one great tug, she brought the two upper pieces of the Tact together and disconnected them from the bottom piece. The pressure dropped immensely around her and Dash, pushing back the Wall. The air trailing off Dash glistened and gained a glow to it. Nami bent back her leg and then threw the combined pieces of her Tact forward.

“Cyclone…” she shouted.

“Rainboom…” Dash yelled.

Streaks of color raced around everypony swirling behind Dash. A mighty rumble of thunder roared out of the Wall and tendrils of lighting whipped out of it, but they couldn’t pierce through the rainbow of air and light surrounding everypony. The shimmering tip in front of Dash shot forward.

“Breaker!” everypony screamed at the top their lungs.

The formation exploded in a burst of light and pressure and drilled straight into the center of the clouds in a blaze of color. The clouds were sent flying in all directions before they vanished into the air. For a brief moment, the entire sky was filled with every hue a pony could possibly imagine and then the stunning display expanded out into a ring the raced out to the horizon leaving only a clear blue sky in its wake.

~~~

Nami opened her eyes to find herself resting on top of some grass. She got up, shook her head, and saw that everypony was scattered around her in a similar state. She yelped when a blue hoof slapped her across the back and Dash pulled her into a hug.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Dash squealed.

“I can’t believe it worked!” Nami said, taking a chance to glance and marvel at the sunny sky.

“Wait…” Dash pulled back and stared at Nami with wide eyes. “What?!”

“Well, it all sounded right in my head, but it’s not like I’ve ever done anything like that before.” Nami winked at Dash. “It all worked out though, right?”

Dash shook her head and chuckled. “And you make it sound like you’re the normal one with your friends.”

Nami grinned. “What do you think that says about my friends?”

“That I definitely need to meet them if they’re as awesome as you.” Dash gave her a pat on the back and then took to the air once again. Everypony looked up at her. “Everypony, listen up! We just pulled off a stunt that would make even the Wonderbolts blush, but we’ve still got some work to do. If you can still fly, we need to check for anypony that got scattered while we were in the storm, and we need to get everypony back at Town Hall to help too. There’s probably a lot of damage in town, so be careful!”

“Right!” everypony responded.

~~~

Tears welled up in Pinkie’s eyes staring at the crumpled massive cupcake in front of her. The three birthday candles that had poked out of its vibrant magenta frosting lay scattered around it, with one wedged into the wall of some unfortunate pony’s shop.

Mrs. Cake laid a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Oh dearie, it’s not the worst that could happen. Afterall, we were thinking about adding that expansion for the twins.”

“I know,” Pinkie sighed. She looked down at the ruined top of Sugarcube Corner again and her lips quivered. Tears shot out of her eyes. “Why couldn’t it have actually been made out of a real cupcake though!? Everything I know is a lie!”

Mrs. Cake sighed and went back to work picking up the debris. All around town, ponies were scooping up tiles, glass, branches, and everything else the storm had thrown at Ponyville. The paint had been wiped off a number of houses, and parts of the roofs and walls of some buildings were missing, but there were only a few shops and homes that had been fully devastated by the storm. Everypony felt a small sense of relief even if a few eyes twitched taking in the damage, particularly a certain fashionista that had failed to properly secure the dyes she used for clothing.

A lot of the pegasi wished some ruined wallpaper was their only concern. Cloud homes were easy to reform, but the items held inside weren’t so easy to retrieve if lost. Dash’s heart sank seeing the entire top of her house shaved clean off and the base torn apart at places but still standing.

“Knew I should rechecked the texturing,” Dash grumbled.

“Guess I’ve got my next few lesson plans cut out for me,” said Nami.

“Yeah, I guess you d—”

Dash shut her mouth and zipped over to one of the tears as the base of her home. Nami’s pupils shrank when she saw something glint from nearby Dash. With a gulp, she came down near Dash, but made sure to stay out of her hooves’ reach.

Dash pulled something out of the cloud but kept her back towards Nami. “I don’t even wanna think what could’ve happened today without your plan.”

“It was mostly you and the other pegasi,” Nami said in a low voice.

“No.” Dash tightened her grip on whatever was in her hooves. “We may have the skill, but we don’t have the experience dealing with weather like that. Nami, what you did helped a lot a ponies, especially me. So…”

Dash turned around faced Nami. In her hooves were two pouches, one with a trio of diamonds and the other with a trio of balloons sewn into it. Behind her were more pouches embedded into the clouds. Gems glistened all around them and a few scientific instruments could be seen as well. Nami inched back one of her legs.

“You’re gonna work back double what you took from everypony, plus lessons are gonna be a lot harder now that I know you’ve been keeping your real speed a secret from me.”

Nami blinked. “What?”

“I mean, we’ll probably need to talk to Twilight about it,” said Dash. “Make sure you don’t get thrown into jail or something, but I think we can arrange things so we get everypony back their stuff without you actually being charged with anything.”

“It seems my student’s cleverness has rubbed off on you, Rainbow Dash.”

Dash and Nami both went white. They turned around and were met with Celestia floating up by the edge of Dash’s home.

“P-princess!” Dash yelped and shoved the money pouches behind her back. “I can explain!”

“I don’t think that’s your responsibility.” Celestia looked at Nami. The sun might as well have been crashing down on her. “We need to talk.”

“Wait!” Dash cried out. “I know Nami messed up royally but sh—”

A flash of golden aura forced Dash to shut her eyes. When she opened them again, she was alone on her cloud. She sunk to her haunches and sat in silence for a moment before she clenched her teeth and took off for Ponyville.

~~~

Nami found herself at one end of a long hallway, Stained glass lined the walls and the light seeping through them colored the hall in a vast array of colors. Celestia stood beside her and glared down at her. She stuck out one of her legs.

“Let’s walk, shall we?”

Nami gulped and nodded.

“Quite a day,” Celestia said while they walked. “It’s been some time since I’ve had to open the emergency relief fund, but I’m glad the amount I’ll be sending to Ponyville will only be small. I really should get to updating the coverage to include magical beasts though.”

Nami remained silent and kept her head bowed.

“From what Twilight says though, it was quite an impressive feat all the pegasi pulled off. I never would have thought a human creation would be so vital to protecting my subjects. A shame it came in the hands of such a greedy human.”

The words stung like a slap across Nami’s face.

Celestia shook her head. “This is quite a mess. At the least, I’m putting your departure on indefinite hold. If it were up to me alone, I’d slap you with every violation I could find in the book, but I’ll have to consider your contributions in saving Ponyville as well. Combined with this, I think the extension and a movement to Canterlot so I can keep a closer eye on you will do for now.”

Celestia’s horn flashed and a newspaper floated over to Nami. She gasped taking in the solemn picture of a man with a straw hat placed over his chest. She read over the headline story and then reread it just to be sure. She placed a hoof over her mouth.

“Luffy,” she muttered, feeling her eyes grow wet.

“I’m sure you must want to comfort your captain in his time of need,” said Celestia. “But you broke my kingdom’s rules, and for that you will b—”

Nami wiped her eyes and then looked straight at Celestia. “I understand, and I’ll accept this punishment. I promise, I’ll work as hard as I can to make back every bit I took and more.”

Celestia blinked and then frowned. “While I admire you admittance, to so easily abandon your captain is equally disappointing.”

“I haven’t,” Nami replied. “It’s just my plans have changed, so now I’ve got the time to fix the mess I made in Ponyville.”

Celestia stared at Nami for a moment before she pulled the newspaper up in front of her face. She looked over the article and the picture and then teleported the paper away. “He sent you all a message, didn’t he?”

“Yep.” Nami raised a leg up and flexed it front of her face. “No matter what, I have to stay here a little longer, so I’m going to use that time to get stronger. Whatever other punishment you come up with, I can take it. If Luffy can still get up after everything he’s gone through, then who am I to complain about punishment for theft?” A smile crossed Nami’s face. “That being said, there is a certain time I’ll need to get back to him and my crew. He’s so reckless. He’ll get killed if I don’t watch out for him. He’s a stupid pain in the neck.”

“Such enduring words for your captain,” said Celestia.

Nami’s smiled widened. “That’s why I have to help him.”

“That’s all well and good bu—” A swirl of smoke and green embers flew into the hall, cutting Celestia off. It circled around her horn and coalesced into a scroll. Celestia peered and squinted at the words on the parchment. Nami stayed quiet while she read before Celestia floated the letter over to her. “I think you’ll do just fine under Rainbow Dash’s wing.”

Letters were scrawled in crude shapes across the parchment and there were grammatical and spelling errors in abundance but after a few read throughs Nami managed to decipher the message:

Dear Princess Celestia,

Please, please, please don’t banish Nami to the moon! Yeah, she messed up big time and I should’ve been able to stop her, but I guess I got too caught up in having a student of my own and having fun teaching her about flying and weather and everything else that’s awesome about being a pegasus. I’d been thinking something was up for a while with the way she sometimes acted and maybe I should’ve told you when I found the gem yesterday. If I’d done that though, Nami wouldn’t have been able to help save Ponyville. If she was really that bad of a pony, it wouldn’t have been that hard to run away during the storm, but she stuck through it like the friend I know she is. So please, if you’re going to punish her, at least let her stay in Ponyville. I’ll even take up part of her punishment. I deserve it for not stopping her sooner.

-Rainbow Dash

I’m sorry Princess, I have no idea what Rainbow Dash was talking about but it sounds like Nami has gotten into a bit of trouble. She’s an odd mare for sure, but I’ve enjoyed her company as well and she has my thanks for her part in dealing with the storm. Anyway, Dash wrote this letter in such a hurry that it’s barely anything but scribbles so I’ve enchanted to make it at least a little more legible.

Your Faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”

A wide smile framed Nami’s face and her eyes glistened by the time she was finished reading. Celestia drew a little closer to her.

“It doesn’t take much to spoil trust,” she said. “And you’ve certainly put yourself on the spot with most of Ponyville.”

Nami folded her ears.

“But having friends who forgive and trust you even when you do something wrong is more valuable than all the bits and gems in Equestria.” Celestia glanced up at a mural depicting a white alicorn and a night blue alicorn circling around each other. “Therefore, by royal decree I sentence you to community service until at least twice the debt you stole is made back to your victims. After that, you are still bound to be an upstanding citizen of Equestria until the day of your leaving this fair land.”

~~~

“I don’t like it,” Dash grumbled. She pressed a hoof into the cloud in front of her and then retracted it. “It just doesn’t feel right.”

Nami pouted her lips and waved her Tact at the cloud. “It’s a cloud. Does it matter how we made it? Or would you rather wait for the delivery like everypony else?”

“Or you could just turn around.”

Dash’s heart skipped a beat when she spun towards where the voice had come from and found Spitfire standing on the edge of her home with a massive cube of clouds floating behind her. Nami stared at her and raised an eyebrow. Spitfire flashed them a cool grin and made her way over to them.

“Your work saving Ponyville is gonna be one for the books.” She elbowed Dash in the side. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had an applicant be as crazy as to actually plow straight into a storm wall. You’ve got a lot of guts, kid.”

Dash’s entire face had gone hot pink from blushing. “T-thank you, M-ma’am.”

“Not that you’re the only one that’s been making a name for themselves lately.” Spitfire turned to Nami and lowered her shades. “Even though nopony bothered to send your actual name up to HQ.”

“Nami.” Nami stuck out a hoof and Spitfire clasped onto it. “Nice to meet you.”

“And good to meet an innovative young pegasus like yourself.” Spitfire’s gaze drifted over to the Tact. “A lot of ponies have the misconception that the Wonderbolts are all about shows and handling the emergencies nopony else can handle. That’s a big part of our job, but as the fastest and toughest pegasi around, we’re always testing the limits of flight and weather manipulation. So on top of everything else, we value ponies that can think outside the box and trust me, using some sort of stick to craft the weather is so far from the box, you’ll need to ship it.”

Dash and Nami stared at her for a moment.

“That was the part where you at least chuckled,” Spitfire sighed.

“Ahahahaha!” Dash forced out.

Spitfire shook her head and then looked back at Nami. “Anyway, from what I’ve heard you’re good friends with Rainbow Dash already, so if you get in on the applications process, you could even be in the same class. This is strictly between the three of us, but we’ve got cadet selection coming up soon and we look very favorably on town savers.”

“Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!” Dash said in the lowest voice she could muster while containing her excitement.

Nami brought a hoof to her chin. “Sorry, I don’t know how much you know about me, but I’m still learning a lot about pegasi in Equestria, how long does this process take?”

“If you really keep at it and show us you’ve got what it takes, you can be a full member within a little over a year,” Spitfire answered. “Provided you pass through the application and cadet process.”

“And you say that besides flight and official duties, you work with weather a lot too?”

Spitfire smiled. “Yep, some of Cloudsdale’s most vital operations had their start with the Wonderbolts.”

Nami thought back to a time when she was crying into the dirt. Her treasure had been taken, her family was marching to their deaths, and blood spilled from the gash where she’d tried with all her might to cut out the tattoo that had stained her skin.

Luffy… help.

She could still feel the straw hat atop her head while she looked straight at Spitfire. “I have someone I need to meet in two years time, so I can’t stay after that. Is that okay?”

Spitfire tapped her chin, glanced at the Tact, and then looked back at Nami. “You’d better be ready to work your flank off then. Everypony that’s joined the Wonderbolts has left their mark on Equestria’s history. Prove you can too.”

Spitfire spread her wings and with one flap of her wings, she was already zipping off to the horizon. Dash’s smile exploded into an uncontained grin and she clasped Nami by the shoulders and shook her in excitement.

“Oh. My. Gosh!” Dash exclaimed. “We’ve got Spitfire’s personal recommendation! I’ve never heard of anypony getting that!”

“Sounds like we’ve got a lot of work to do then,” Nami mused.

Dash pulled back, coughed into her hoof, and straightened up. A fire danced in her eyes. “You’ve got that right. If what Spitfire said is true, we’ve got until the end of summer to get you up to shape for the Academy and to get me even better than before. We’re gonna have to eat and breath training until then.”

Nami smirked. “You don’t already?”

Dash grinned back at her and extended out a hoof. “Let’s prove to Spitfire that we’re not just gonna make the Wonderbolts. We’re gonna be the best Wonderbolts ever!”

Nami shot out a hoof and locked legs with Dash. “Deal!”

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3D2Y

The gunshot still echoed through the bar. Everyone had been trading glances at the imposing man in the straw hat ever since he had lumbered in with his half of his crew. No one had dared to stare too long at him until he had unloaded a bullet into some unfortunate pirate. When the man sneered and leaned back to talk with his crew, everyone quickly turned their heads away and tried to ignore the fresh puddle of blood on the floor.

“You there, woman!” the man called out and pointed a grimy finger towards the bar. “Don’t just drink with that twig! Come over here!”

The woman in the green striped bikini and jeans at the bar closed her eyes, sighed, and placed a hand over the clenched fist of her partner at the bar. She could feel the static radiating off the other woman’s fist and saw a few strands of her prismatic hair standing up. It even looked like the rainbow thunderbolt emblazoned on the woman’s sports shorts was glowing.

“No thanks,” said Nami. “We’re waiting for someone.”

Everyone else in the bar turned white and those close by backed away. The barkeep hurriedly bent close to the two women with sweat dripping down his face. “Hey, listen to me, that’s Straw Hat Luffy!”

“Right,” huffed the rainbow haired woman.

Nami glanced at the table the man and his cronies were seated at. One of her hands slipped underneath and bar and clasped a blue rod. Rainbow Dash forced her grin to remain small while she watched a tiny black ball form out from the rod.

“You’re not good enough to drink with,” Nami said with a bored expression on her face. “Understand? Straw… what was your name again?”

The bartender threw himself over the bar and scurried over to a corner of the room. Everyone else either fled the bar or moved as far away from the two women as possible. A vein throbbed on the man’s head and he stood up and cocked if gun.

“I said I’m Straw Hat Luffy!” he roared.

Before he could level his weapon at Nami, she found another gun inches from her face. The squat woman holding it sneered, forcing her lips to stretch across her football shaped head. She cackled when she shoved a second gun into Dash’s face as well.

“You’ve got two choices. Accept Captain Luffy’s invitation… or die,” she hissed. She didn’t seem to notice when the air buzzed around them, causing her hair to frizz up. “By the way, I have a bounty on my head too. I’m the cat burglar. I’m Na—”

The woman exploded in a burst of electricity. A bit of smoke escaped from her mouth and she collapsed onto the floor. Lightning crackled from Dash’s hand before she set it back against her side. The woman’s other crew members all turned red in the face and then charged at Nami and Dash.

“Special Attack: Green Star!” rang a voice that perked up Nami’s ears. “Devil!”

Vines appeared out of nowhere and latched onto the “Straw Hats.” While the bar devolved into chaos and people ran right and left to escape either the vines or the pirates’ wrath once they freed themselves, a man in a wide brimmed hat that failed to cover his elongated nose took a seat next to Nami and Dash.

“Looks like you’ve made friends with another weathermaker,” the man mused. He grinned and tipped his hat up, revealing a mostly familiar face, although the goatee was new and his curly hair now reached past his neck. “Mind if we share a drink?”

“Usopp!” Nami flew out of her seat and hugged Usopp tight, burying his head in her chest. “Look at you! You’ve grown a lot these past years!”

“You’ve grown too…” Usopp said, his voice muffled a bit by Nami’s breasts.

Nami then pulled back and looked over the vines consuming the bar. “Did you do that?”

“Yeah!” Usopp leaned back and propped himself up with an elbow on the bar. “It’s my new weapon, the Pop Green. Sorry to say, but I’m not part of the weakling trio with you and Chopper anymore.”

“Hey!” Dash left her seat and got right in Usopp’s face. “I’d like to see you make the Wonderbolts in record time!”

Usopp raised an eyebrow. “The Wonder-what?”

Nami took note of the black bubbles filling the air and clasped Usopp and Dash’s arms. “C’mon, let’s talk someplace else.”

“Already?” Dash scanned over the bar and matched her pace with Nami while Usopp trailed behind him and out onto the street. “That’s a new record!”

“What are you two ta—”

The shade under the yakuiman mangroves right by the bar turned bright with the flash of lightning while the rest of the grove turned dark from the shadows cast by the trees. Thunder rent the air asunder while bolts zapped over Usopp’s head.

Dash grinned. “Yep, definitely a new record.”

Nami turned her head to Usopp while keeping a brisk pace. “So I have this new technology…”

Usopp eyed Dash. “And a new crew member?”

“As awesome as that would be, I’ve got my own crew.” Dash jabbed a thumb towards her chest. “We may not be after the One Piece per say, but you’d better consider the Harmony Pirates your new rivals!”

Usopp turned to Nami. “Is she serious?”

“Let her have this,” said Nami. “Dash and her friends are doing more of an exploratory mission, but doing it while raising the black flag was the only way to get her to come along.”

Dash crossed her arms. “And Pinkie and I are the only reason we’re gonna do anything fun. Maybe Rarity might have gotten into treasure hunting, but Twilight would never do half the stuff we have planned otherwise.”

“Sounds like you’ve got quite the crew too,” said Usopp.

“Hay yeah!” Dash exclaimed. “Just you wait, before you know it we’ll be making just as many headlines as you did!”

“Geez, you’re almost as bad as Luffy,” Usopp sighed. “So what’s your deal anyway? That power of yours almost looked like a Devil Fruit.”

Dash’s smile widened. “Oh, that’s right, Nami said you’re the one that likes to fib and make up stories. Well, let’s see if you can beat this…”

~~~

The Sabaody Archipelago rang with the sounds of battle. Massive beatles stomped over Marines, crossdressers assaulted them with their martial arts, ghost had turned hardened soldiers into sniveling heaps, and even the Pirate Empress and the Dark King had blocked all the Marine’s attempts to stop the Straw Hats escape.

In retrospect, the fourth platoon had gotten off easy. Some soldiers threw their soaked muskets to the ground while others kicked the mortars, shaking loose a few drops of water which were instantly replaced by the downpour that surrounded them.

“Dammit, men!” their sergeant roared. He brandished his sword and swiped it through the rain. “I don’t care how we do it but we’re taking the Straw Hats’ ship! We can still charge them!”

The marines all grabbed their weapons and lifted them up, but before they could let out a battle cry, the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. They all looked up through the mangroves at the strange solitary cloud that had destroyed any chance of using firepower. It was curling into its center like it was turning into a cyclone. As it did, its black color gave way to stripes of red, orange and yellow. A swirling cone of air emerged out of the cloud angled straight down at the Marines. Lightning arced around it while green, blue, indigo, and violet joined the other colors trailing off the stunning phenomenon, forming a full rainbow spiral.

Out at sea, the Thousand Sunny had taken advantage of Hancock’s intervention and was slipping away from the Marines and below the waves. Everyone on board took one last look at the island when a burst of color exploded out of it and raced across the sky. Luffy and Chopper’s eyes glistened like stars taking in the dazzling event.

“So cool!” Luffy managed to say while spilling tears of pure joy from his face. “Who’s friend was that?”

Nami put her hands on her hips and sighed. “She’s always so showy.”

“‘She?’” Sanji’s eye lit up and he leaned over to Nami. “Oh Nami, you just have to tell me what sort of paradise you were in and what sort of fine mademoiselles you trained with!”

Zoro crossed his arms and tilted his head back to look down on Sanji. “Didn’t you embarrass yourself enough nearly missing all of us because you were helping those women?”

The air around Sanji grew hotter and his hair spiked up. He rushed over to Zoro and grabbed him by his robe. “Excuse me, Mr. ‘Let me just cut up a ship because I can’t follow directions!’ I happen to pride myself as a gentlemen and would gladly help those lovely ladies again if I didn’t have to keep you crappy ass from starving!”

Zoro edged for one of his swords. “That a fact, curly brow? Cause I don’t quite feel safe with some idiot that’s gonna bleed to death every time he lays eyes on a woman."

Sanji’s leg shot up and Zoro unsheathed his sword but a set of arms sprouted up and held Zoro and Sanji in place while Nami shoved herself between the two of them and pushed them back.

“Seems some things never change,” she sighed.

Robin smiled at the trio from the upper deck and dispelled the arms she’d summoned. “I think it’s cute.”

Sanji’s eye morphed into a heart and throbbed. A bit of blood trickled down his nose. “Robin, you’re too kind! You almost give those sweet girls from the island a run for their money.”

“Tch.” Zoro sheathed his sword and slumped his down against the Sunny’s railing. “Wake me when we’re at Fishman Island. Dealing with that idiot for the first time in two years has made me sleepy.”

Sanji huffed and pulled his hands over his suit, straightening it out. He smiled seeing that Nami was still standing next to him. “Is something the matter, Nami sweet?”

“It’s just those girls, did they happen to tell you their names?” Nami asked.

“Oh they did!” Sanji gave a small twirl. “Fluttershy and Rarity! Such sweet and suitable names for such stunning beauties! I admit, seeing real women for the first time after that black hell I suffered through threw off a bit of my charm, but they barely seemed to notice.” Sanji took a breath, placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head to Nami. “Not to say they could ever fully match you or Robin though.”

Nami tried to contain a chuckle but it escaped her lips. “By your standards, I think not.”

“Why?” Sanji raised his eyebrow but then his eye widened. “Oh, were they friends of yours too? Nami it seems you were in an even greater paradise than even Luffy was!”

Someone tapped Nami on the shoulder and she turned to see Usopp cracking up and forced to hold a hand over his face. He managed to bring his head close and snickered, “Should… should we tell him?”

Nami shook her head. “I don’t think his heart could take it right now.”

To the New World!

A Call Rings Out Across the Seas! Until that Promised Day!

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Twilight yawned and stretched out her wings. She flinched when one of them bent out a little too far. They clenched back against her sides and she flipped a hoof around to scratch at her back.

“Note to self, be careful of pulling stuff.” Spike scribbled down some notes and then glanced at his back. “Whenever I get them.”

“Spike, just because I got wings doesn’t mean everypony will,” said Twilight.

“Yeah, everypony, but everydragon I’ve met has had wings.” Spike looked down at Twilight from atop the stairs and grinned. “Plus you’re giving me a whole lot of pointers and stuff to avoid. Though apple trees seem like a no brainer.”

Twilight blushed and then furrowed her brow. “Well, Spike, now I hope you do get wings soon too, and you can tell me how it goes when a current catches you and pulls you into a nosedive and your friend comes at you like a wall of bricks so you both wind up sore and covered in the worst way to make applesauce ever!”

Twilight slammed her hooves into the table. The towers of paper flanking her creaked and teetered back and forth.

Spike gulped and scratched at his spines. A stuttered chuckle escaped his mouth. “Uh, maybe I can wait… how about I get you some tea?”

Twilight blinked and slipped back into her seat. “Sorry, Spike. I think you’re right, a break would be good.”

Spike made his way down the stairs and over to the kitchen. He paused and looked back at Twilight. “You know, I’m sure the girls could help out too.”

“Really, Spike, it’s fine.” Twilight glanced at one of the stacks. “I mean, it’s a bit more of a workload than I’m used to, but I can’t let Cadence handle everything, she’s already got enough on her plate handling things back in Canterlot. I know the girls could help out a little, but a lot of these decrees, rulings, and legislation require a thorough knowledge of the law.”

“What about some of the mayor’s aides then?” asked Spike.

“If I was assuming somepony else’s duties, maybe, but it wouldn’t take long for a skilled aide to notice that all this work can only be authorized by a Princess.”

Spike tilted his head to the side. “And?”

“And what do you think happens when somepony starts questioning why a unicorn, even a Princess’s personal student, is suddenly authorizing documents only Celestia normally should and maybe Luna and Cadence do if Celestia is unavailable? Or when they ask why the cloak I’m now wearing every time I go outside somehow moves without a breeze? Or where Celestia and Luna have been in general?”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” said Spike. “Still, you can’t hide those wings forever. What are you gonna do then?”

“I… I’m sure I can handle it.” Twilight lowered her head. “I just hope we find Celestia and Luna before then.”

Spike watched Twilight slump in her seat. He took a deep breath. “I know we’ll find them Twilight. And you’re right, I think you can handle it fine.”

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight smiled for a second but then looked back down. “I wish it were only the Princesses I was worried about though. Mr. Rayleigh may be a powerful person, but I wish Luffy had had more time to recover.”

“If his dancing was a sign of anything, I think he’ll be fine.” Spike made a fist and jabbed at the air. “Plus Jinbei is with him too! I bet even Tirek would be afraid of them.”

“Good point.” Twilight smiled and managed to keep it on her face this time. “Now, about that tea?”

“Right.” Spike wandered into the kitchen, filled up and kettle, and lifted it in front of his face. A tongue of flame shot out of his mouth and lapped at the bottom of the kettle. Just as small wisps of steam started rising out of the spout, the back door burst open and a royal guard flew into the room.

He looked left and right and then spotted Spike. “Where is Princess Twilight?”

Spike pointed into the main room. “Over there, but there’s a lo—”

The guard darted out of the kitchen. Papers swirled around him as he hastily bowed to her. “Princess, we’ve found them.”

~~~

The crowd in front of the Canterlot Hospital was a teeming ocean of color and flashes. A thin golden line of guards kept them away from the doors while a platoon of pegasi guards buzzed through the air above them. Fluttershy bit her lip and pulled her head away from the edge of the chariot.

“Geez, I’ve seen Wonderbolt shows less crowded,” said Dash.

“Try Grand Galloping Galas less crowded,” said Rarity.

One of the guards pulling the chariot looked back at the girls and Spike. “We’ve tried to keep everything under wraps, but their appearance was so sudden… and you can imagine what it was like seeing as they were the ones to bring back the Princesses.”

Twilight said nothing and just clasped the railing tighter while the wind whipped her mane around. Spike reached out and laid a claw on her shoulder but Twilight remained tense. As soon as they had landed on the roof, everypony rushed into the stairwell, down the halls, and past the waves of guards lining them. Finally, they burst into the room and came to a stop. Everypony’s heart caught in their throats. Twilight’s stomach turned into a lead lump.

Celestia rested on the bed with the raised mattress keeping her propped up. Bandages stretched over the right side of her face and a plastic mask provided her extra air to take in with tiny breaths. The tip of her horn was blackened and the base had small cracks in it. Only her left eye remained uncovered and served to highlight how sunken in it was and how much her cheekbones stuck out. Her mane now only reached to the middle of her neck and hung limp, pink, and frayed. IVs and thick tubes trailed out from under her sheets and connected her to a series of drips and machines that filled the room with a squeamish melody.

At the sight of Twilight though, she managed to smile. “Twilight…”

Tears flooded down Twilight’s face. “Princess Celestia!”

She raced across the room and draped herself over the side of Celestia’s bed. Celestia tried to lift a leg to hug Twilight but was unable to. Twilight froze when she did feel something bandaged brush against her leg. She managed to lift her head to see a thin stump straining to try and reach out to her.

“S-sorry,” Celestia coughed. “I’m… used to wrapping my wing around you.”

Dash and Fluttershy both shuddered and their wings bristled.

Celestia glanced at them. “It’s okay.” She paused to take some shallow breaths. “Half capes…back in fashion.”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “That’s why those were in fashion?”

Celestia managed to bend her head a few degrees toward Twilight. “Have to… talk.”

“It’s okay, Princess.” Twilight reached out and took hold of one of Celestia’s legs. “I’m just glad you’re back. We can wait.”

“Luna…” Celestia called out. “Luna will explain.”

Celestia let her head flop back and then she was out. Twilight clasped her leg tightly, sniffled, and then turned to the guards standing by the door.

“Princess Luna is next door, right?”

~~~

Luna rested on the bed and, unlike Celestia, wasn’t in need of a mask to aid her breathing, which allowed her soft snores to escape unabated. Her entire body was still covered in bandages though and a multitude of IVs stuck out of her legs. Her face was uncovered but gauze wrapped around her head, hiding whatever was left of her mane. A few of the girls felt their stomachs roil seeing how flat the left side of her head was where there should have been an ear.

Twilight glanced at the pair of chairs by Luna’s bed and then at the guards. “Could you get us some extra chairs please?”

“Of course,” the guards replied in unison.

They gave a salute and then rushed out of the room. They returned seconds later with the chairs. After setting them down, they backed away and assumed their positions at the door once more. All the girls took their seats and looked to Twilight. A faint glow radiated off her horn.

“Everyone just take some deep breaths and relax. If this works, I’ll see you after I get a guard to cast the spell on me too.”

Everyone did as Twilight said and leaned back in their chairs. The glow from Twilight’s horn spread across the room. They all took a breath and closed their eyes. When they next opened them, they found themselves floating in the night sky. Stardust glimmered under their hooves, occasionally fizzling and sending out tiny sparks that shot off into space. Most of the sky shimmered with constellations but patches of it were barren or the stars glowed dim like old lights.

A collection of nearby stars shimmered and swirled around before coalescing into the shape of a pony. With a flash, Twilight materialized beside everyone else. Her head shot up and she looked around.

“Good, it seems sister regained consciousness long enough to guide you here,” Luna’s voice called out. Everyone turned around to see that Luna had emerged out of the stars in her shrunken form. “Forgive me for not being awake to greet you, but with my magic and body as they are, it took most of my strength to maintain this space.”

“It’s fine, Princess,” said Fluttershy. “You’ve done more than enough. Thank goodness you made it back.”

“And thank goodness you appear to have prevailed over Tirek. I sensed some great torrent of magic even from afar, but I wasn’t sure until I felt the great multitude of lives still within Canterlot.” Luna honed in on Fluttershy’s shortened mane. “Did you suffer any serious injuries?”

“Nothing a few days’ rest couldn’t fix, but Twi…” Applejack looked over at Twilight and paused. “Uh, Twilight? Why are a unicorn again?”

“What do you mean why am I a uni—” Twilight spun her head towards her bare back. “Where’d they go?”

“Normally, your appearance under my influence is the same as in reality unless I will it, but with the state I’m in, you’re left more to how you perceive yourself,” Luna explained. “Were you grievously injured, Twilight Sparkle?”

“No, but now I’m…” Twilight shook her head. “It can wait. I’m fine though and so is everypony else.”

“And Straw Hat and his brother?”

Everyone tensed up. Twilight took a breath. “There’s a lot that happened and a lot we need to explain, but Luffy is going to be fine.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You should have seen the way he danced last night! I gotta ask him if he knows any other crazy moves when he gets back.”

“Back?” Luna asked.

“As I said, a lot to explain,” said Twilight. “What about you and Princess Celestia though? We heard some things, but we still don’t know how you beat Blackbeard.”

Luna lowered her head, veiling her face in shadow. “We didn’t beat him. At best, we could have called it a stalemate. If things had continued as they had though, I’m not sure we would have both made it back…”

Luna clenched her teeth and lit up her horn. Light flared up beneath everyone, replacing the stars with an overhead view of a vast and desolate landscape. The dusty grey and red plane was pockmarked by gorges and rocky ridges. Pinkie stretched out a hoof to poke at a desolate plateau and the image rippled like a pool.

“Please,” Luna huffed, “remain still and watch.”

Something glinted in the middle of the wasteland. A second later, a great fireball ballooned outwards, turning sections of the rocky plane glossy and black. Even though no one had moved, the entire plane shuddered, chasms opened up, and the ground either jabbed upwards or sunk into the abyss. Lightning arced across the newly formed canyons and mountains. Blasts of plasma joined it, turning the scene into a deadly light show. Spots of pure darkness swallowed up the blasts here and there, all while day slowly gave way to night. Soon though, the cycle of the sun and moon slowed.

“We fought ceaselessly,” Luna explained. “We traded blow after blow while the wastes around us bore the brunt of our attacks. It was only thanks to Blackbeard’s inexperience with his powers that their damage wasn’t narrowed down to just myself and sister. His ability to engulf our magic in his darkness made up for that deficiency. And so, it became of battle of attrition with each of us slowly wearing the other down, waiting until we were too tired to deliver one final blow.”

An earthquake ripped through the wasteland but split at one point that glistened like a miniature sun. When the dust settled, the earth had been trisected into vast chasms.

“I probably could have withstood that attack, but I know how sister thinks of me.” Luna frowned, but then steeled her face. “I would have also fought to the last breath to protect her as well. Yet even that resolve faltered for a second at the battle’s climax.”

The battlefield wavered like a stormy sea and reformed to show Blackbeard learing up at everyone. Blood soaked his coat, patches of his fur were singed off, and gashes and burns marred his body. His breaths came out ragged and he slumped forward while teetering slightly, but a chilling gleam still shined in his eyes, even if one was nearly swollen shut. Behind him, all his men but Burgess were strewn across the ground and even Burgess was wobbling a bit.

Suddenly, the air near them churned and swirled in on itself. The vortex twisted and then ripped open a void. Out of it stepped a battered draconequus with his paw clenching his crooked claw.

“What the hell?!” Blackbeard snarled. “Shiryu! You were supposed to wait at the ship unless I gave you an order!”

“There’s trouble,” Shiryu hacked.

Blackbeard clenched his teeth and then turned his attention forward once more. “Ze… haha… good fight.”

“Wait!” rang a distorted echo of Luna’s voice.

Blackbeard pulled back a leg and smashed it into the air. The air cracked and the ground roiled. A large section of it flew upward and the entire image rolled and went into a tumble. Blue hooves shot out and snatched an unconscious Celestia out of the chaos and then everything went black.

Everyone looked up at Luna.

She let out her breath. “When the dust cleared, Blackbeard and his men were gone. I wandered through the waste, using the magic I could muster to stave off the worst of Celestia’s injuries and bring about day and night. I probably could have held out a few more days, but when help arrived, I finally allowed myself to give in to fatigue.”

“Even considering who rescued you?” asked Applejack.

“What matters is that they brought us back to civilization.” Luna furrowed her brow. “I am familiar with second chances, and with recent events, we may consider this a sign of good faith.”

“I… I agree,” Fluttershy murmured. “I mean, given what we’re going to do, we should give them a chance.”

“And what exactly are you going to do?” Luna asked.

“Well…” Twilight sucked at her lower lip. “We should explain what happened here as well.”

~~~

“By Starswirl’s beard,” Luna said after having listened for some time. “I can’t believe sister taught you that spell. And to think you would ascend… although that does explain why I thought sister was joining us when you arrived.”

Luna paused and looked down. She then bowed her head. “You have my deepest thanks for bringing Straw Hat back from the brink and saving Equestria once more.”

She took a breath and raised her head. “That being said, I find freeing Discord highly dangerous. It’s not just in his nature to be chaotic, it is his very being. The normal rules of magic don’t apply to him and conventional imprisonment is impossible, even with anti-magic stone.”

“Is it really okay to keep him in stone forever though?” said Fluttershy. “It sounded like that was one of the reasons he was so mad in the first place.”

“Discord would get mad at ants for not dancing a gig when he passed by,” Luna replied. “I can never forgive Discord for what he did to Equestria in the past and I only see him in that light though. Perhaps Discord has lived in a similar manner, only seeing ponies as toys and never knowing of friendship or kindness. While freeing Discord threatens all Equestria, if I believed that anypony could reform him, it would be you all.”

Dash scratched at her mane and blushed. “I guess we are pretty awesome.”

“We don’t know when Luffy will be back, so you can rest until then, Princess,” said Twilight. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”

“You have done more than enough already,” Luna replied. “I imagine our rescuers would like to discuss things with you though. I know it may be difficult, but see to it that they are treated well.”

“Of course.” Twilight gave a small bow.

“Oooh, I can finally test my cupcake idea too!” Pinkie squealed.

The stars swirled around everyone and their vision grew blurred. Luna’s body started fading away into space. She smiled and said, “Then I shall see you when it is time to free Discord. Goodbye, my friends.”

~~~

It was a quick trip down the hall. Away from the Princesses’ rooms was one other occupied room on the floor. A collection of guards stood around the door. Twilight glanced back at her friends, gulped, and then opened the door. Two more guards stood inside the room. On the other side of the room, three changelings were huddled together, all of them bound with an anti-magic on their horns. One was smaller than the other two and had a mane that resembled a wilted lillypad. Her ears perked up and she stared at Twilight and her friends with overlapping circular and slitted pupils.

“Element Bearers,” she murmured.

“Er, yes,” said Twilight. “I’m Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike.”

“I’m…” the changeling bowed her head, hiding her face behind her mane.

Pinkie raised a hoof to her ear and shrugged. “Anyone get that?”

“I think she said her name is Pupa,” said Fluttershy.

Pupa pulled back in response and tried to hide herself behind the two drones.

Dash eyed Fluttershy. “You, uh, have any distant relatives you want to tell us about?”

“Wouldn’t that be a twist?” Pinkie chuckled.

“Girls, time for jokes later.” Twilight took a step forward and Pupa moved back further. The two drones got up and blocked Twilight’s path, revealing the tips of her fangs. Twilight rooted herself where she stood. “Okay, I know changelings and ponies don’t have the best history, but you have our thanks for saving Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I promise we won’t hurt you.”

Pupa pressed at the drone’s legs and took a shaky step forward. “Mother is gone. We were waiting like she ordered, but when the Sun and Moon fought so close to us, I disobeyed her. We… we can live here now, right? Mother said that was the deal.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Deal?”

“Celestia hadn’t been very explicit about what happened during the war.” Twilight lifted a leg and extended it out. “There’s a lot we don’t know about changelings, but if you just want a place to live and you don’t want to hurt anypony, Equestria will always have a place for you.”

Pupa shuddered, took a breath, and then tightened her muscles. She raised her leg and clasped Twilight’s hoof. “Thank you.”

“Soooooo…” Pinkie slid beside Pupa and draped a leg across her back. “How do changelings feel about cupcakes made with lots and lots of love?”

~~~

A few days later Fluttershy received a knock at her door. She gasped when Luffy stood there with a wide smile on his face despite a few fresh cuts and bruises. Rayleigh was a little roughed up as well, but sported a grin. The girls all quickly gathered at Twilight’s.

“I can’t believe it.” Rarity looked up from the newspaper Rayleigh had provided her. Everypony wore similar shocked expressions as they scanned over the article. “Are all pirates this insane?”

“I think the word you’re really looking for is awesome!” Dash grinned at Luffy and Rayleigh. “That was a pretty smooth trick you pulled. At least Daring Do worthy.”

“Well, Rayleigh was the one that came up with it,” Luffy chuckled. “Glad to hear the Princesses made it back too. And what about the bug-ponies? I didn’t really talk with them that much except for that creepy queen.”

“I’m starting to think that Chrysalis was just a bad apple,” said Applejack. “Them drones can be a little odd, but Pupa’s taken to life in Equestria like a fish to water.”

“And the business at Sugarcube Corner is booming because of her and the hive!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Luffy’s eyes widened. “They haven’t eaten everything, have they?”

“Don’t worry.” Pinkie grinned. “I made sure to work extra hard so we’d have a reserve stock ready for when you got back. Plus, since Mr. Jinbei left, there’s extra for you and Mr. Rayleigh!”

“Alright!” Luffy cheered.

Rayleigh scratched at his beard. “Well, you eat what you can on the way to Canterlot, but we’re not taking anything with us when we go…” Rayleigh turned his attention to the girls. “... assuming you’re okay with unleashing Discord.”

A silence fell upon the room. Twilight gulped. “We want Luffy to get stronger, and we want to get stronger too. Discord may be strong, and the idea of reforming him seems impossible, but I know Luffy will succeed and so will our friendship!”

Rayleigh let out a hearty laugh. “Ah, you’re making me nostalgic for my old crew. I’d best be careful and not inspire new rivals for Luffy.”

A wicked grin spread across Dash’s face. “Now there’s an idea.”

Pinkie saddled up next to her with an equally devious smile on her lips. “Yeaaaahhhh.”

“Don’t ya girls think we’ve got enough responsibilities at home?” said Applejack.

“Psh, relax, Applejack,” Dash replied. “I mean, we would totally be the most awesome pirates ever, but making Wonderbolts is still top priority for me.”

“And we’ve got way too much new business at the Corner for me to leave now,” said Pinkie.

“Aw,” Luffy sighed. “A magic horse pirate crew would be pretty cool.”

“Don’t encourage them!” Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack said in unison.

Rayleigh coughed into his hoof. “Anyway, shall we be off?”

“Yes, no point in wasting anymore time…” Twilight trailed off and looked over to Luffy. “We do have one stop to make before Discord though.”

~~~

Trees and a few statues dotted the field. Some of the sculptures depicted ponies in armor while others simply stood looking off to the horizon. If a statue didn’t mark a grave, then the tombstones were inscribed with ranks and honors. Lacking those, the stones contained a short description of a pony’s deeds in service to Equestria. The majority of the cemetery was covered in a grass that lightly brushed the hooves of visitors, but the earth was still fresh by the grave everypony had gathered around. An orange hat with two smilies buttoned to it was draped onto a corner of the tombstone. At its base was a collection of blue, orange, and red flowers resembling a bonfire. Its epithet read:

Portgas D. Fire Fist Ace
Though his time in Equestria was short, the fire of friendship was strong within him.

Luffy sat in front of the grave and was silent for some time. Nopony else said anything until he smiled and opened his mouth.

“Ace,” he said. “I’m going to get stronger now. Much stronger. Just watch, I’m gonna be King of the Pirates.” Luffy got up and marched closer to the grave. He took his hat off stared down at it. “Rayleigh says where we’ll be training is going to be dangerous, so until I get back please take care of this.”

Luffy placed his hat on the corner opposite of Ace’s. He stood there for a moment longer and then stepped back. He wiped an eye and then found himself wrapped in a hug by Fluttershy with tears spilling down her face.

“Hey, don’t cry that much,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “I can’t help it.”

Luffy reached out and gave her a pat on the back. “Well, thanks.”

Applejack laid a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s what friends do.”

“And we’ll make sure nothing happens to your hat either!” Dash gave Luffy a light punch in the shoulder. “Not that anything is gonna mess with it anyway.”

Luffy smiled and then turned his head toward Twilight. “Okay, I’m ready to go.”

~~~

Celestia and Luna were waiting by Discord’s statue when the group arrived. One of Luna’s hindlegs was in a cast and the rest of them were bandaged up along with a majority of her torso and a bit of her head around where she’d lost her ear. Celestia was confined to a wheelchair and both her forelegs were in casts. She had to lean a bit to the left so that the stump where her wing had been didn’t grind into the back of the seat. Her unbandaged eye widened at the sight Rayleigh.

“Master?!” she called out.

“Oh boy,” Rayleigh muttered.

Luna hobbled over and peered at Rayleigh. “Hmmm, Twilight Sparkle was not jesting when she said you resemble Master Starswirl.”

“Luna?” Celestia swiveled her head back and forth. “What in Equestria is going on? Why is our master back from the dead and here of all places?”

“Oh…” A little bit of sweat rolled down the side of Luna’s face. “I was worried I forgot something.”

“Princess Celestia, you look even younger than when I last saw you,” Rayleigh chuckled and then bowed to her. “It’s an honor to formally meet you though.”

“That’s not…” Celestia furrowed her brow. “How have you come to know me, human?”

“Well…” Rayleigh scratched at his beard. “My captain just got a crazy idea one day and that may have led to us wandering around the island for a bit, taking a bit of cider, and finding some ancient treasure. Usual pirate stuff and the like.”

“Now wait a minute.” Applejack jabbed hoof at Rayleigh. “You were the cause of the Great Cider Disappearance?”

Rayleigh let out a nervous chuckle. “Can you forgive an old drunkard for youthful mistakes?”

“Ya did get that Blackbeard varmint to leave so I guess that makes up for a few barrels of cider.” Applejack leaned close to Rayleigh until their muzzles were almost touching. “Don’t you ever, ever dare touch our cider again though, ya hear?”

Rayleigh quickly nodded his head. “Yep, you’re definitely that farmmare’s grandchild. I’ve seen Sea Kings less scary than you two.”

“Darn tootin,” said Applejack and then backed away.

“I still can’t believe Roger managed to slip in.” Celestia pressed a hoof to her head, sighed, and then looked up. “That’s in the past now and matters little compared to what you are about to do. Are you absolutely certain freeing Discord is necessary?”

“Well, if my captain were still alive, no,” Rayleigh answered. “Without him or Discord though, it would take too long to get to where I want to train.”

“I see.” Celestia looked over everypony. “Were this in anypony else’s hooves and were it not for the great debt I owe both Straw Hat and Fire Fist, I wouldn’t allow this in a thousand years. Yet, while I feel Discord deserves to remain in stone and watch as friendship blossom around him, perhaps there could be no greater victory over him than having that very friendship grow within himself.”

“It does also help to have two notorious pirates as backup,” Luna said with a wink in Luffy’s direction.

“Then let’s get started.” Twilight stepped toward the statue and her friends lined up behind her.

First, Twilight’s horn lit up, followed by her tiara. The rest of the Elements followed suit. Bands of rainbow light flowed out of them and linked them together while lifting their bearers off the ground. The bands spiralled upward towards Twilight’s tiara and then exploded in a cyclone that washed over Discord. Cracks and pops filled the air. A paw burst out of the statue, followed a claw, then a donkey’s leg, then the tip of a serpent’s tail. Light streamed through the cracks running through Discord’s torso and head and then a flash went off.

When everyone’s eyes cleared, Discord loomed over them while fanning a polaroid photo until it cleared up, revealing everyone blinking and in varying states of temporary blindness. He frowned at the photo, crumpled it, and threw it behind him. It then exploded and left a crater, marring the very small area of the statue gardens still standing.

“You know, when I make an entrance, I usually expect a better reaction,” he sighed. He vanished in a pop and then reappeared at Celestia’s side and stroked her chin with a talon. “Ooh, but if the wait wasn’t worth it to see you like this, Celestia. It brings back such fond memories of when you and Lulu were putting up your little resistance.”

Celestia pushed Discord’s talon back with a hoof. “Don’t act like you haven’t been watching already, Discord. I know how the Elements affect you.”

Discord snorted and with a sarcastic tone growled, “Yes, and it was oh so much fun watching my failure of a creation cause absolute pandemonium and not let me join in on the fun.” He then leered at Fluttershy and snapped his talons. There was a flash and Fluttershy now stood with her three bats on her flank, her wings leathery, and fangs poking out of her mouth. “Quite a shock seeing sweet little Fluttershy fling him from here practically back to Tartarus on her own. Probably would have gotten a good laugh if I wasn’t, you know, imprisoned in stone!”

Dash flew up between Discord and Fluttershy and glared at him. Discord yawned, and made a motion to stretch his arms above his head, but he backhanded Dash while doing so and sent her flying across the courtyard.

“Ah, nothing like a good stretch before unleashing the daily morning chaos.” Discord glanced up at the sun. “Hmm, or maybe I should make it a middle of the night stretch.”

“You jerk!” Luffy bent his knees and prepared to throw himself at Discord, but Rayleigh raised a leg and block his path.

“Oh-ho,” Discord mused while the girls rushed over to check on Rainbow. He looped through the air and floated around Rayleigh. “Well isn’t this quite a treat. The Dark King himself, come to free little old me. Come on, tell me the plan. Overthrow Equestria and make your title literal? Steal the Elements and sell them on the black market? How about some good old chaos? Never hurts to just go with some basic chocolate rain, barking cats, or reversed gravity. Don’t wanna do anything too extreme at first, gotta get in the groove and all.”

A flamboyant red open faced shirt materialized on Discord and two maracas appeared in his paw and claw. He then danced around Luffy and Rayleigh.

“Actually I’d just like to spend some time on Ruskaina if you wouldn’t mind,” said Rayleigh.

Discord came to a halt. The clothes and maracas vanished off of him and he bent backwards to stare upside-down at Rayleigh. “Oh, you even visited my vacation home. I suppose from one chaos maker to another, I could send you there. I believe the fire rain season is just around the corner.” He then twisted his neck in a full circle and glared at Luffy. “I have no reason to send Straw Hat though. He’s just a goody two-shoes masquerading around like a pirate.”

“Am not!” Luffy shouted. “What kind of good guy doesn’t share his meat?”

“Tell it to Goku,” Discord hissed and then crossed his arms. A vicious gleam glistened in his yellowed eyes. “Besides, I intend to pay you and everyone else back for sealing me… again. Ooooh, Celestia and Tirek throwing their temper tantrums distracted me for a little, but once I get back in the swing, I’ve got so many fun ideas to try out!”

Something poked at his donkey leg and he looked down to see Fluttershy staring up at him. Her fangs gave her a lisp when she spoke. “Maybe we’th could hath fun doing sumthing elth?”

Discord snicked and then let loose with a round of laughter. He snapped his talons and Fluttershy returned to her normal form. “Fluttershy, you really are full of surprises. How’s it feel knowing Celestia and all your friends think you’ve lost it trying to make nice with me? After all, what’s to stop me from turning you into a wild bat-pony that’ll be the stuff of campfire tales for ages?” Discord leaned down at tapped at the dull grey butterfly jewel resting in the middle of her Element. “Especially when you’ve worn down your backup plan.”

“Hey, I’m still here!” Luffy yelled and flexed a leg. “And I’ll kick your butt as many times as it takes for you to stop being such a jerk!”

“Ah-ah-ah.” Discord waggled his paw at Luffy. “Last I recalled, you wanted to go to my vacation home, which, now that I think about it, does sound like a wonderful idea after all. Seeing you torn apart by the weather and the beasts will be quite the show. I may need to even dust off my toga for it.”

“So will you take us there?” Rayleigh asked.

“Hey, wait a minute!” said Luffy. “Weren’t we gonna make sure he doesn’t cause too much trouble first?”

“He’s a tricky one, I’ll give him that.” Rayleigh looked up at Discord. “I get the feeling though that with the right ponies around, he’ll get better. And if he doesn’t… well, you’ll have a good way to test the fruits of your training.”

Discord cackled. “Ha-ha! Pirates really are a riot! You want to give me all that time to make Equestria mine again— plenty of time to get back to full strength so I don’t get sucker punched again— and your best bet are these foals? Without their Elements?”

Rayleigh smirked. “You may be laughing now, but I have a feeling the magic of this land can affect even you.”

“He’s right,” said Twilight. “I may not be fully sold on freeing you yet, but the bond I've made with my friends has overcome challenge after challenge.”

“And you almost undid it all on your own,” Discord sneered. “Maybe I can just sit back and wait until you create another big mess, Princess Twilight.”

“You’re right, I did screw up.” Twilight lowered her eyes and sighed. She then stared back up at Discord with a look that made him reel his head back. “But my friends still stood by me and forgave me for my mistake. That's one of the most powerful friendship lessons I've learned so far.”

“And an excellent one at that,” Celestia commented.

Discord scrunched up his face and bared his fangs. “Well now I just feel like crawling back to sleep.” He glared at Luffy and Rayleigh. “Have fun dying. Bye.”

Luffy and Rayleigh vanished in a flash. Discord twisted around and grinned down at everypony. “So you think being forgiven for mistakes is a great friendship lesson? Well, let's see how you feel about making the mistake of freeing me!”

Discord opened his mouth to cackle, but Fluttershy spoke up. “And what if it wasn't a mistake? What if it was a chance for you to make up for your mistakes?”

One of Discord’s eyes twitched and he pressed himself up to Fluttershy’s face. Sparks fizzled off of his eyes and smoke curled out of his maw. Fluttershy stared straight at him.

“You listen to me, you weak little toy,” he snarled, “I don’t make mistakes. I make chaos.”

“Well, just because you do, doesn't mean you have to be mean or hurt ponies,” Fluttershy retorted.

“Oooh,” Discord seethed. “I'm going to have fun showing you just how wrong and foolish you and your stupid friends are.”

~~~

Hot air whipped around Luffy. Sweat had already collected on his brow. He raised an arm to wipe off some of it, paused, and stared at his hand. He looked over to Rayleigh to see that he was fully human again as well. All around them was a thick forest filled with the sounds of wild beast prowling through it. Smoking volcanoes poked up above the canopy and dark clouds rumbled in the distance.

Luffy flexed his hand. “Always feels weird not having fingers.”

“Don’t get too comfortable,” said Rayleigh. “This island sits at a nexus between Equestria and the rest of the Calm Belt. You’ll find pockets of magic that can do all sorts of things to you. The weather rapidly fluctuates with a different season each week and only the most ferocious of creatures have survived here. In fact, there’s a few nearby.”

“How do you know all that?” Luffy asked.

Rayleigh blinked. “Nopony told you? Ah well, before we get started let me tell you about an ability called Haki...”

~~~

Across the seas, for what was perhaps the first time since ancient days, a call had rung out that both human and pony had responded to. A shipwright toiled in the burnt remains of a lab while an apple farmer fought against pony eating apples. A navigator studied hard while a pegasus tried to regain the speed Discord had stolen from her. Both a sharpshooter and a party pony tried to work off the massive weight they had suddenly gained. An archeologist conversed with revolutionaries while a fashionista tried to maintain her dignity even while bound to lewd caricatures of clothes. Both a trio of fillies and a skeletal musician tried new things and vowed to make their way through a crazy world. Somewhere, a swordsman threw away his pride and two princesses made fools of themselves to distract Discord and give their friends a brief reprieve from his madness. A young dragon struggled with constantly shifting sizes due to a nefarious prank and a chef fought for his manhood against an army of crossdressers. A doctor poured over text after text in an ancient library while an animal caretaker endured the unending torment her “guest” bestowed on her, making note of the way he sometimes hesitated and restrained himself around her. In both Equestria and on an island not so far away, a newly ascended alicorn and a pirate greeted each day with a smile no matter what chaos was thrown their way.

They all knew that no matter what happened, in two years, it would be time for them all to meet once more.

3D2Y

Romance Dawn! The Harmony Pirates' Grand Adventure Begins!

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Two years have passed since the Navy and the Seven Warlords clashed with the Whitebeard Pirates in what became known in the Paramount War. It has also been two years since the Elements of Harmony sealed Tirek away. On a certain island not far from Equestria…

A man squinted his eyes and moved his finger across the etched-in marks on the cliff face. He had just finished counting them for the third time when something flashed behind him. He turned to find Discord floating in the air with a smug grin on his face.

“It’s time, Straw Hat,” he said. “Time for me pay you back and have my rev—What is that?”

Discord pointed a claw at the mass of roughly cut trees (some still with their leaves on them), pig iron, and globs of tar.

Luffy smiled. “It’s my ship. Since nopony came, I had to make my own to get back to the Archipelago.”

“Was the really the best you and your ‘master’ could scrounge up?”

“Well, Rayleigh left six months ago when the sea was frozen.”

“What? You were going to try and get back alone in that? Boy, am I…” Discord clamped a bear paw over his mouth and turned away from Luffy. He hunched his back and snickered. When he turned around, the smug grin was back on his face. “As much as I would have loved to see your pathetic excuse of a ship sink under the waves, I have something much more fun in mind.”

Discord snapped his talons and engulfed himself and Luffy in light. Before Luffy’s vision could clear, he felt himself now standing on four legs rather than two and a tail rested near his flanks. When he could see once more, he was greeted to landscape filled with melting structures, cotton candy clouds, taffy lightning, and marked like a checkerboard.

Discord leaned over and laid his claw around Luffy’s back. “Like what I’ve done with the place?”

Luffy glared up at him. “Where is everypony?”

Discord reached behind his back and produced a scratched up necklace with a faded gray butterfly jewel in the middle. He then crushed it into dust. “With your brother, of course.”

Discord then let out a cackle that reverberated across the chaotic landscape. His body swelled upward and grew muscular while his eyes turned black and wreathed in flames. Luffy shifted his stance while his glare remained unchanged.

“Now, Straw Hat!” Discord bellowed. He stretched his bear paw up to the sky and extended claws out of it. “Time to die!”

Luffy raised up a foreleg and flexed it back. It expanded near his shoulder and then pumped up to his hoof and then back into his body. His skin turned crystalline and pink with steam trailing off of him.

“Gum-Gum…”

Discord roared and brought his claw down on Luffy. Luffy sidestepped and launched himself into the air so that he was level with Discord’s face. Discord snarled and opened his mouth with a hellish glowing roaring up from his throat. Luffy spun in the air so that his hindlegs were aimed straight at Discord’s head. His legs flew out at Discord, a bubble of air amassed around his hooves, and then exploded in a burst of pressure and sound before they slammed into Discord’s snout.

“JET Buck!”

Discord’s face deformed like it was made of jello. The ripple spread down his entire body rippled while stream of confetti flew out of his mouth. The blow knocked him off his mismatched legs and flying into the sky. Rather than careening off into the horizon, he was driven into the cotton candy clouds and kaleidoscopic sky until it cracked under his weight.

The entire landscaped then shattered in a dazzling display of light. A blue sky now adorned an Equestria filled with lush grass, towns, and a few ponies off in the distance. A rebuilt Canterlot Castle shimmered in the morning light as did a new castle that had grown out from a certain library in Ponyville. Discord crashed back into this picturesque view with a thud. He had deflated back to his ordinary size and was clutching the swollen lump that was his head now.

“O-okay,” he sputtered through his shattered teeth. “You’re good.”

“Oh, I knew this was a bad idea,” came a voice from behind Luffy. His ears perked up and he smiled.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, sugarcube, you tried to warn him.”

“Plus, did you see how awesome Luffy looked? Totally worth it.”

“Totally! Discord was all like ‘Muhaha! Evil meany-pants!’ and Luffy was like, ‘Ima punch you!’ He really has gotten good at acting, and Luffy, you’ve gotten stronger than ever! ”

“But look at his vest! It’s all in tatters! Thank Equestria I crafted some new clothes for you!”

The air popped in front of Luffy and a purple alicorn now stood before him. She was a bit taller than him now and the tips of her mane flowed even without any wind. She smiled at Luffy and produced a straw hat from behind her back.

“I think this is the most important thing to give back,” she said. “We can discuss the other stuff on the way to the archipelago… and after we get Discord some first aid.”

Luffy’s eyes lit up and his grin grew. He took the hat out of Twilight’s grasp and placed it atop his head. “All right. Let’s go!”

~~~

“Yohoho!” Brook exclaimed and looked over all his band members backstage. “Is everyone ready?”

“Of course, Soul King!” they all shouted backed.

“Backup?” Brook asked.

“Check!”

“Chorus?”

“Check!”

“Dancers?”

“Check!”

“Flugelhorn?”

The pink haired woman with a wide smile gave the instrument in question a toot. “All good, Mr. Soul King sir!”

“Alright, then we…” Brook paused and stared at the woman. He bent his skull to the side, taking in the combination of what appeared to be a base drum, an accordion, and a tuba strapped to the woman’s back while a harmonica and a banjo rested beneath her neck. “Sorry, today must be making me a little scatterbrained… even though I don’t have a brain! Yohoho! What exactly is your position again?”

“Well you see…” The woman waved her hand, signalling for Brook to come closer and lend her an ear. Well, lend her where an ear would have been. Brook leaned over and she whispered, “I kinda sorta snuck in. I’m sorry! I just had to see this concert!”

“Oh my, that’s a bit of a problem. I know I’m quite popular, but you still need to buy a ti—”

“I also really wanted to meet all of Luffy’s friends and you seemed like the hardest one to get to.”

Brook was silent for a moment. He stood up and stared down at the woman. “So is that why you have come? Well then…”

The woman gulped.

“You’ll have to play with all your soul today then!”

“Woohoo!” Pinkie exclaimed.

~~~

“So I’ll look like this as long as I’m wearing this cloak?” Luffy asked.

Luna nodded. “Yes. If what sister said is true, the Marines will be stop at nothing to apprehend your crew. We still don’t quite know how these rumors started.”

“Phooey, they must’ve figured out the message.”

“Sister didn’t recall them mentioning that, but it may be best to assume they did.” Luna leaned a little closer. “Now, is there anything else I can do for you, Straw Hat.”

“I think I’m good.” Luffy smiled. “Thanks for helping out so much!”

A blush crept up Luna’s face. She opened her mouth to say something, but a guard poked his head into the cabin.

“Princess, we’ve arrived.”

~~~

A man stepped off a tacky pink ship and took a long drag of his cigarette. He dared not look back at his shipmates with their frilly dresses and expertly maintained hair that did nothing to hide their muscular bodies and stubble. He took in the scene before his uncovered left eye locked onto a rather well endowed woman in a white shirt with frills running down the center and skin-tight violet pants. His eye morphed into a heart and a bit of blood dribbled out of his nose and past his wagging tongue.

“A woman!” he shouted in joy. “A real woman! Viva Sabaody!”

He then pounced at the woman. Her eyes turned to pinpricks and she slapped him down into the ground. It felt like he’d been bucked and the red impression of a hoof was left on his face.

“S-so nice to feel the touch of a r-real woman again,” he stuttered on the ground.

The woman put her hands on her hips and pouted. “I should have known not to trust Discord. At least he was lying about the picture. Well, come along then.”

The woman bent down and pulled Sanji up. His eye maintained it’s heart shape. “Oh, my fair mademoiselle, how I would love to go off galavanting with you, but I’m afraid there are other ladies I must attend to.”

“I’m quite aware,” said the woman. “I’d just thought it would be nice to meet up with the chef, maybe hear about some cooking techniques before you and the rest of Mr. Luffy’s crew set out. I fear I may have made an error.”

Sanji refocused his vision. “It sounds like you know a bit about me and my crew then.”

“Oh yes, my friends and I have been quite excited to finally meet all of you.” The woman smiled. “And it’s a chance for me to see all this human fashion! Why if I lived here, I’d make a killing.”

“Human?” Sanji blinked. A little more blood trickled down his nose. “Oooh, you wouldn’t happen to be a mermaid would you?”

“Please tell me the rest of Mr. Luffy’s friends aren’t as debase you.” The woman shook her head. “And no, I’m not a mermaid. We had to promise not to show our real forms except in an emergency, but suffice to say, I’m a long shot from a human.”

“Ah, but I’m sure you’re still a superbly stunning mademoiselle no matter what you look like! May I at least get your name?”

“Rarity,” she sighed. “Now, come along, Rayleigh said it would be best to get you all to check in at Ms. Shakky’s place .”

~~~

The atmosphere in the bar was tense. Everyone kept their voices low save for the bulky man decked out in a straw hat and the ruffians gathered near him. Everyone else kept their heads turned away from the group. That is, until a gunshot rang out. A man that had been keeping his head bowed in front of the man in the straw hat fell to the ground with a fresh bullet hole in his side. He was hastily flung out of the bar to a round of laughter from the man in the straw hat and his goons. He stopped when the doors opened up an a woman stepped in.

She was adorned in daisy dukes and a white shirt along with a plaid vest. She looked around the bar and then tipped her hat. Everyone was silent as she strolled past the man in the straw hat without even glancing at him and made her way over to a stool by a woman in a striped green bikini top and jeans.

“Mind if I take a seat?” she asked.

“Actually, I’m waiting for someone,” the woman in the bikini top replied.

“Think I have a good feeling who it is. He should be getting to the island any minute now. We just wanted to get here a little early and check in on ya’ll.”

“I take it you’re the ones he trained with then?”

“Well, kinda. Mr. Rayleigh handled his actual training, but he’s still a good friend of ours.” The woman then extended out a hand. “Where are my manners. Name’s Applejack, nice to meet ya.”

“Nami.” Nami clasped Applejack’s hand and smiled. “Why don’t sit down and have a drink? It’ll help kill the time.”

Applejack took up the seat and grinned. “Thank ya kindly. I’ve been hankering to try all these human brews.”

The hammer of a gun clicked. Applejack and Nami turned to see a squat woman holding the gun up to Nami.

“Hey,” the woman sneered. “I don’t like that name of yours. I’m the only Nami around here. Nami, the Cat Burglar. Got it?”

“Don’t be too rough on them,” the man in the straw hat bellowed. “Come and join us. There’s always room on my crew for more women like you!”

Applejack glanced at ‘Nami’ and then back at the man in the straw hat. “So are you like some sort of fan of Luffy or something?”

A vein throbbed on the man’s forehead. Everyone else in the bar backed away. “I am Straw Hat Luffy.”

“Knew he made a name for himself but this is taking it a bit far.” Applejack shook her head. “Now look, you’re gonna make people confused if you keep fibbing like that.”

The man clenched his teeth and stood up. His gun shook in his hands. People scattered and fled the bar. “I said I’m Straw Hat Luffy! Nami! Kill that fool! We’ll take the other one with us!”

“Special Attack: Green Star!” a voice rang out just as ‘Nami’ squeezed the trigger. “Devil!”

A giant venus flytrap sprouted out of nowhere and snapped down on ‘Nami.’ She yelped as it lifted her off the ground and thrashed her around. At the same time, vines wrapped across the floor and ensared the man in the straw hat and his goons.

One of the goons wearing a sun-shaped mask with a protrusive paper mache nose lunged through the vines at Nami and Applejack. Applejack planted her one foot and kicked with the other one. Nami almost swore she saw Applejack’s boot morph into a hoof when it caught the man in the chest and sent his flying back and through the wall of the bar.

A man with a long nose looked at the new hole in the wall, muttered something to himself about the mask the man had worn, shrugged, and then strolled over to Nami and Applejack.

“Care to have a drink with me?” he asked while turning up his hat.

Nami’s eyes lit up and she pulled the man into a hug. “Usopp! You’ve really grown!”

“Y-you too,” Usopp murmured from between Nami’s breasts.

“So that’s how humans say hello when they’re really happy,” Applejack mused and then looked down at her chest. “Huh.”

Nami then grabbed both her and Usopp’s hands. “C’mon, let’s talk someplace else.”

“Shoot, I wanted to see if your cider was up to snuff,” said Applejack. Her hair then raised up and she noticed the bubbles filled with black clouds filling the bar. “Woah nelly. Yeah, let’s, uh, talk somewhere else. Sheesh and all the stories we heard made it sound like you weren’t one of the ones to do that much collateral.”

“Training on a sky island can do that to you,” said Nami.

“Oh, a sky island?” Usopp smiled. “Guess they had some pretty good weather technology then.”

Nami looked back the bubbles, which were starting to pop and fizzle with electricity. “Well…”

Nearby, the man in the straw hat had managed to pull loose from enough of the vines to leer at the group just as they made it out the door. “Get back here, yo—”

A massive blast of lightning cut him off. What the lightning didn’t incinerate, the crash of thunder shattered. It only took a second, but the bar was left a tattered partially collapsed shell of itself.

Applejack lifted her hat up and then turned to Nami. “Maybe Rainbow Dash should’ve been the one to meet up with you.”

“Oh yeah.” Usopp peered at Nami. “She a friend of yours?”

“Just met,” Nami answered. “Sounds like they’ve got people meeting our crew all over the island.”

“Well, I wouldn't exactly call us ‘people,’” Applejack chuckled. “Still, we owe Luffy a lot for what he’s done for our island and it wouldn’t be a proper Equestrian goodbye to just watch him sail off… I just hope Pinkie doesn’t get too carried away with things.”

~~~

“Reporting from Sabaody Archipelago,” a man in a black suit with the World Government symbol emblazoned on it said into a Den Den Mushi. “We’ve located Nico Robin.”

The eye and ear attached to a nearby building vanished in a flourish of flower petals. A woman tried to keep her breathing quiet while she pressed up against the wall and deeper into the shadows. She then glanced down at the poster in front of her and stared at the gaping skeleton on it. She then looked at the other poster in her hands which showed a black skull and crossbones decked out in a straw hat.

“What’s going on?” Robin wondered aloud.

“I know, right? I mean, I was expecting this island to be a little crazy, but thi—”

Robin spun and sent out an array of hands that clamped down on the stranger’s limbs and around her neck. Rather than pressing into skin though, Robin felt her hands buzzing against some sort of shimmering purple shield the enveloped the woman’s body.

“S-sorry!” the woman coughed.

Robin dispelled her hands the the woman glided back to the ground rather than falling to it. Her dark sapphire hair with its rose and violet streaks seemed to dance in the air despite the lack of a breeze. She kept her head down and drew a circle in the ground with a foot.

“Guess I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that,” said the woman.

“It’s fine,” Robin sighed. “Just forget what you’ve seen here and move along.”

“Actually I wanted to talk with you for a little, maybe get a few book recommendations.” The woman flashed Robin a smile that was framed by the sweat collecting on her face. She took a step back and nearly tripped over her legs. “Oh, sorry, sorry, I’m really not good at introductions.”

She then extended a hand out to Robin. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. It’s great to meet another scholar and a friend of Luffy’s.”

Robin’s eyes widened. “Is Luffy on the island yet?”

“He should be,” Twilight answered. “Luna really wanted just a bit more time with him though and to make sure his disguise was okay.”

“I see.” Robin took Twilight’s hand and gave it a shake. “Well, I’d love to talk with you, but I’m afraid I’m a little inconvenienced right now.”

“Oh right, the Marines.” Twilight’s hand glowed and a bubble of aura expanded around her and Robin. “It is looking a little dicey, but we’ll be fine in here. So, it okay if I ask you a bit about your archeological work now? I’ve been dying to hear about it!”

“Sure,” Robin chuckled. “That’s an interesting ability you’ve got, so I’d like to hear about that as well.”

~~~

Chopper strolled along, playfully swiping at the grass in front of him with a stick. A group of rather grimy thugs marched ahead of him, barely paying him any attention even when he kept calling them by name and recounting events they had apparently been at or questioning how the past two years had been. Just as a thought struck them and they pulled out an old wanted poster with Chopper’s face on it, Chopper felt something tap him on the shoulder.

He looked up to see a woman in a yellow sweater bending down toward him. She wore a warm smile across her face that only slightly clashed with the scar running from her right eyebrow to temple. Her pink bangs helped cover it up though.

“Uh, excuse me?” she asked in a low voice. “You’re Mr. Chopper, right?”

“Yup!” Chopper replied. His hands then shot up to his mouth. “Wait, I should be careful about my identity. You might be a Marine!”

“That sounds like something Discord would find funny,” the woman chuckled. She then extended a hand to Chopper. “I’m Fluttershy, nice to meet you.”

“I’m Chopper.” He shook her hand and the pulled back. “Ack! I said it again!”

“Oh, this is wonderful,” Fluttershy cooed. “You’re just like Discord said. I was worried since he pulled a few pranks on everypony else, but you really are just too cute.”

Chopper blushed. “Shut up, you idiot! I’m not cute at all!”

“W-what?” Fluttershy pulled back. “Why would you say that?”

“Ha-ha!” Discord’s voice echoed in her ear. “I forgot to mention he has one bad habit. Don’t take it the wrong way, he’s just a bashful sop.”

“Oh, okay,” said Fluttershy.

Chopper corked his head at her. He then took a whiff of the air. “What exactly are you, Ms. Fluttershy? You don’t smell like anything I’ve ever met before.” He then took another wiff of the air and his eyes widened. “Have you been with Luffy?!”

“Huh?” All the ‘straw hats’ said in confusion.

“Incredible,” Fluttershy said with a giddy grin. “I knew reindeers had a good sense of smell, but yours is absolutely amazing, Mr. Chopper. Oh, I can’t wait to see the rest of your crew too!”

Before Chopper could respond, a man with a mop of spiky blond hair pulled Fluttershy away. The rest of the ‘straw hats’ gathered around them with ‘Robin’ squatting low beside Chopper, ignorant of the fox she had just kicked away and had now sunk its fangs into her head.

“Hey, girl, you’re messing with our pet,” said ‘Sanji.’ “Don’t you know we’re the Straw Hat Pirates? The most feared pirates in all the Grand Line? Our boss took on Navy Headquarters, you know.”

“Don’t be too rough on her, ‘Sanji,’” said a rotund green haired man. “I’m sure Big Boss Luffy will be happy to have her on board.”

‘Robin’ produced a cucumber from somewhere and dangled it near her waist. “Come here, Chopper. Have a cucumber.”

“Um…” Fluttershy glanced at ‘Robin’ and then back at ‘Sanji’ and ‘Zoro.’ “You know, it really isn’t nice of you going around saying you’re someone you’re not. Mr. Chopper is just looking for his friends, and you’re trying to trick him. I don’t appreciate that.”

“Shut up, girl!” ‘Sanji’ yelled. “Who the hell do you think you are calling us fakes?!”

He moved to slap Fluttershy across the face. She shot up an arm and easily blocked it. ‘Sanji’ recoiled in pain and clasped his tingling arm. It felt like he’d struck solid steel.

“I’m going to ask nicely…” A small breeze kicked up around Fluttershy. “Leave Mr. Chopper alone and stop lying.”

‘Zoro’ pulled out a rather brittle-looking sword while ‘Robin’ dropped the cucumber and pulled a knife out of her skirt. She darted forward and pulled it across Chopper’s neck.

“Robin?!” Chopper cried. “What are you doing?!”

“Shut up!” ‘Robin’ hissed and then glared up at Fluttershy. “Now you back off. This here is our pet!”

“Let him go,” Fluttershy stated. ‘Robin’ pressed the knife closer. Fluttershy closed her eyes. “I said…Let him go!”

Fluttershy opened her eyes. Their calming aquamarine had been replaced by an icy blue. Pressure exploded off her and shot up into the sky, blowing back the tree branches above her. The nearby buildings creaked and hats, glasses, and loose papers went flying off of anyone close by. All of the ‘straw hats’ stood frozen for a moment before their eyes rolled to the back of their heads and they collapsed to the ground. The fox that had been with them yipped and then scurried off into the groves. Fluttershy’s hair writhed in the air for a second before it fluttered back down.

“Woah,” Chopper muttered.

Fluttershy flew at him and pulled him into a hug. “Thank goodness! If you or any of Luffy’s friends had been hurt, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself!”

“Wait!” Chopper pushed off of Fluttershy and then jabbed a hoof at the unconscious ‘straw hats.’ “You just hurt all of them. I mean, they were acting a little strange, but still!”

“Mr. Chopper, they were faking,” said Fluttershy. “My friends have gone off to meet everyone else, so they’d be with them if those were your real friends.”

Chopper assumed a fighting stance. “Why should I believe you?”

“Well, do they smell like your friends?” Fluttershy asked.

“No.” Chopper looked down. “But it’s been two years, a lot could change.”

“Did Mr. Luffy’s scent change?”

A little sweat formed on Chopper’s brow. “Well, I mean…”

“Hey, Chopper!”

“Hey, Fluttershy!”

Both Chopper and Fluttershy turned their heads up and saw Usopp, Nami, and Applejack peddling over to them on a bubble bike.

“Applejack!” said Fluttershy.

“Nami! Usopp!” Chopper’s body shifted and he went onto all fours as his legs lengthened and his horns and muzzle grew out until he stood as a young buck.

The groups converged on each other with Usopp, Chopper, and Nami all coming together to trade greetings while Fluttershy and Applejack stayed at the side.

“It looks like it went really well for you, Applejack,” said Fluttershy. “I was worried since we were short one.”

“Well, all’s good here, but hoo-wee, Luffy’s pals have gotten even crazier than what we heard about in these last two years.” Applejack jerked a thumb at Usopp. “Mr. Usopp there's pretty much got an arsenal made up of the Everfree and if Nami could fly, she might give Rainbow Dash a run for her money.”

“And Mr. Chopper is even more adorable that I imagined.” Fluttershy’s eyes twinkled looking over Chopper. “And he can change too. Discord and Princess Celestia didn’t mention that. Oh, he must make such a wonderful pet.”

Usopp and Nami’s heads jerked away from Chopper and over to the girls.

“Wait,” Usopp snickered, “you only thought Chopper was our pet?”

Nami eyed Usopp. “You think that means…”

There was a gleam in Usopp’s eye. “What exactly do you think Sanji looks like?”

“Well, we don’t really know, since all there is is that drawing,” said Applejack. “Why, is there something different about him?”

Nami and Usopp let out a round of laughter.

“What I wouldn’t have given to see your friend’s face when they went to find him,” Usopp said while struggling to breath.

“And I’m not a pet,” Chopper sniffled. “I’m a pirate too and a brave doctor!”

“Um…” Applejack raised up one finger. “You’re gonna need to fill us in.”

~~~

A few minutes later, the Straw Hats and the girls had peddled off to another grove. Two suited government officials surveyed the scene and looked down on the unconscious ‘straw hats,’ particularly ‘Robin.”

One of them clicked the shell on a portable Den Den Mushi. “Sir, it appears to not be Nico Robin after all. How should we proceed?”

“Leave them,” came a voice from the other side of the line. “If our intelligence is correct, these are just small fry acting like the Straw Hats. If PX-0’s return is any indication though, the real Straw Hats on somewhere on the island. We’ll keep watch on where the main gathering is happening, but continue searching through the groves. No pirates, especially the Straw Hats, will leave this island today.”

The other official’s shadow grew a pair of yellowed eyes and contorted into a serpentine form that was nearly doubled over with laughter.

~~~

The man in the straw hat and his group lumbered through town. The smell of burnt cloth and singed hair clung to them, but no one dared approach them and ask why they looked like they’d just been struck by lightning on clear day, especially with the wild look in the captain’s eyes. Those fears were backed up by the man with a pointy nose and a Stetson hat and a woman with long hair bleeding out a few paces behind him. Luckily, it sounded like paramedics were on the way, but that did little to relieve the terror anyone in the man’s path felt.

He stopped to glare out at the town and then at his crew members. “Find those two! Find them and execute the—”

A massive bag bumped into the man and threw him to the ground. He snarled and glared up and was met with some sort of tiny beige pony carrying the bag. It looked like it had been through quite a bit with the massive X-shaped burn on its chest and the smaller scar under its eye. It was hard to make out the rest of it though due to the cloak draped over its back and the aforementioned pack which looked like it would burst at any moment.

“Stupid horse,” the man growled. He got back onto his feet and pulled out his gun. “Well, I needed to relieve some stress anyway, and looks like your dumb master left you with some supplies before he lost your stupid ass. Consider it an honor to have been of service to a pirate worth four hundred million!”

The man pulled the trigger. Onlookers turned away. Rather than the final whinny of a pony filling the air, only the echo of the gunshot rang. The pony had somehow pulled its head back in a split second, almost like it could sense the bullet. Its eyes sharpened and a wave of pressure exploded off it. It took a step and then the man and his cohorts fell to the ground. Everyone’s jaws dropped.

“What!?” they cried.

Had they been a little more observant though, they may have noticed that when the pony’s cloak fluttered, it lifted up, revealing a straw hat wearing skull with an X mark behind it adorning the pony’s flanks.

~~~

The harsh ring of metal clashing against metal rang through the groves. A ring of spectators had formed around the source of the commotion but everyone kept their distance. A man wielding two katanas with third sheathed at his side swung his blades down at a rainbow haired woman with vibrant blue wings extending out of her back. When they clashed, the wings’ feathers turned black and shiny where they met the swords.

“Jerk!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Idiot!” Zoro shot back.

They moved to strike the other once more but a leg stopped Zoro and a shimmering wall of diamonds made of aura stopped Dash.

Sanji glared up at Zoro. “Oi, moss-head, these past two years strip away what little decency you had? Where the hell do you get off striking a woman like that?”

“And you haven’t changed at all, curly-brow,” Zoro huffed. He then backed away and sheathed his swords.

“And how could you even think of attacking one of Luffy’s friends, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity chastised.

“He started it!” Dash replied. “I was just trying to get him from doing something stupid and missing the boat!”

“I would have been fine.” Zoro then crossed his arms. “Tch, as if getting on the wrong ship for fishing would’ve changed anything.”

Dash bristled but was held in place by Rarity.

“Rainbow Dash, I don’t care what happened between you two.” Rarity turned her head up and dispelled the barrier. “On top of everything else, you’re drawing attention to us.”

“But I…”

“No buts!” Rarity jabbed a finger at Zoro. “Now apologize!”

“You too, moss head.” Sanji pointed at Dash. “Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness.”

“Can it.” Zoro shoved Sanji out of the and he and Rainbow Dash stared at each other.

Dash lowered her head. “Sorry.”

“I guess I can get fish down on the island,” said Zoro. “Good job blocking my swords though.”

“Hey, I had to look good in front of Luffy’s friends.” Dash gave her wings a flap and then they vanished in a flash of light. “Glad you’re not the navigator, but Luffy definitely made the right choice having you on his crew.”

“Hey, did you hear that?” someone whispered.

“They’re talking about Straw Hat Luffy like it’s nothing.”

“And that guy…”

“You don’t think.”

“He’s got three swords.”

Everyone’s ears perked up and they looked at each other.

“We’d best be going,” Rarity suggested.

“Yes!” Sanji cheered. “To food and then Nami and Robin!”

“Idiot,” both Zoro and Dash sighed. Rarity just shook her head.

~~~

“Oh my gosh!” Twilight swooned.

Before her was a grand ship, fashioned out of the finest wood and proudly displaying the flag of the Straw Hats. From its large dining area to its lion head masthead, the massive sloop glistened with a prismatic glow in the late morning light. Twilight's eyes shimmered as well taking in the whole ship.

“It’s nice to be back after keeping her waiting for two years,” said Robin.

“It’s incredible!” Twilight exclaimed. “The design is even more amazing than the pictures or the books made out ships to be. And the magic! It’s almost like it’s alive!”

“Well, well,” came a voice from below the deck. “Seems some of the visitors have already arrived.”

“Told ya,” came another voice. “Twilight is never late.”

“And who could the woman next to her be?!” A massive man dressed in only a speedo and a Hawaiian shirt jumped onto the railing beside where Twilight and Robin stood. He locked his enormous toy-like arms over his shaved head, forming a star with his blocky forearms. “Is that our archaeologist extraordinaire Robin?!”

There was a moment of silence where all three of them just stared at each other. Then, a teenage boy reached up and pulled at Franky’s shirt. Due to the height difference, he had to extend his arm out of its jacket sleeve, revealing that the top of his forearm was covered in thick purple scales.

“Okay,” said the boy, “think a simple hello would have done.”

“No!” Franky said with a roll of his tongue. “When a man finally sees a friend after two years of training, he greets her with a don as my master would say!”

The boy covered his ears while Franky’s voice echoed through the groves. He then looked over to Twilight and Robin. “Twilight, please tell me the one you met is a little more quiet.”

“Be nice, Spike…” Twilight glanced and Franky and flashed him a jittery grin. “You are a, uh, quite spirited though.”

“You haven’t changed, Franky,” Robin mused.

“Oh, I’ve changed a lot!” Franky boasted.

“You gotta check this guy out thought, Twilight,” said Spike. “He may be loud, but all the stuff he’s done to his body and this ship is crazy. You could probably spend days with just him.”

“A shame we’ve got to depart so soon.” Franky raised his hand to his head and another, smaller hand shot out of it and wiped his eye. “To think I’d get to meet an actual legendary dragon. What man hasn’t dreamed of that as a boy?”

“Spike?” A pair of wings materialized out of Twilight’s back and she glided onto the deck. “What exactly did you tell Mr. Franky?”

“You know, just the basic stuff, gave him the presents, maybe told him a bit about the amazing adventures of a certain former Dragon Lord.”

“Well, I suppose that’s okay.” Twilight reached out and ruffled Spike’s mop of green hair. She then moved over to the mast and touched the translucent membrane coating it. “Fascinating.”

Robin joined her in analyzing the coating. “It’s almost like jelly.”

“Rayleigh really did a good job,” said Franky.

“He seemed in good spirits when we checked in with him,” said Robin.

“So what number are you?” Franky asked.

“Eight,” Robin answered. “According to Twilight, Luffy will be last, but he could already be on the island.”

“Super!” Franky exclaimed. He then fell into a nearby chair and took a swig from a giant bottle of cola. “I’m still a little worried about Brook though. With all that fame and attention, he may not want to be a pirate anymore.”

“Aw.” Spike frowned. “Pinkie better not be the only one to see him perform.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” said Robin. “Brook may have hit it big, but he’s still a member of this ship.”

Twilight smiled. “I’m with you on this. He may not have been on as many adventures with you, but a friend is a friend.”

“And what about you?” Franky flipped up his glasses and grinned at Twilight. “Spike here says there’s a whole bunch of you running around the island meeting up with us. What happens when we all get here? You planning on joining our crew?”

“Well, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie probably would, but for now we’re just here to say our goodbyes and make sure you have a safe voyage to Fishman Island.” Twilight glanced off into the distance. “I’m hoping things will go smoothly, but with those fake Straw Hats and the Marines gathering up, things could get a little messy.”

“You and the girls could handle it.” Spike then turned to Franky. “Not like a legendary pirate crew needs help though, right?”

“After two long years, no way!” Franky exclaimed. He then leaned back some more. “But just ‘cause we can handle whatever the Marines throw at us, doesn’t mean some help isn’t nice. And from what you’ve told me, you and your friends have some super abilities!”

“I just hope we don’t have to use too many of them,” said Twilight. “This is our first big chance to meet humans, and if we have to fight the Marines, they might start asking questions.”

~~~

‘Sanji’ and ‘Zoro’ darted through the streets with ‘Robin’ scuttling after them.

“You, idiot,” ‘Sanji’ huffed. “Why’d you have to tell the boss about the pet?

“Well, he would’ve wondered why we took so long otherwise,” ‘Zoro’ panted. “Plus the boss got knocked about by some weird horse too, so why’s it so hard to believe some scary girl did it to us?”

“Yeah, but he’s the boss and you know how he gets when he’s angry.”

“Still why bother with the pet? It’s not like that’s what sells our act.”

“We can try luring it out with a cucumber.” ‘Robin’ wagged the vegetable around.

“Shut up, Cocoa!” both ‘Sanji’ and ‘Zoro’ hissed.

“It’s your fault that girl knocked us out in the first place,” ‘Sanji’ muttered.

“Hey.” ‘Zoro’ pointed ahead of them. “Look.”

The cloaked pony with a massive pack was trotting in their direction. Its eyes lit up when it spotted them and it galloped over.

“Hey guys!” it exclaimed. “Great to see you again! Boy, you sure look different after two years!”

The ‘straw hat’s’ eyes all exploded out of their sockets and they keeled over backwards.

“Oh right,” the pony said to himself. “Probably should have explained why I look like this.”

“Don’t worry, Straw Hat.” A shadow slithered across Luffy’s cloak and up to his ear. “Anyone would be shocked seeing you like this. Just wait for them to get back up and they’ll lead you to everyone else.”

“Are you sure I can’t just go straight to my ship?” Luffy asked.

“Oh no, no, no,” Discord hummed. “That won’t do at all. Not since I sent the girls to ensure your crewmates make it to the meeting spot. I mean, I’m not surprised Rainbow Dash already told your swordsman friend about the meeting place but kudos to Rarity and Twilight for telling the cook and the archeologist. Best hurry and get there when they wake up though, they were probably looking for you.”

“Can’t you just take us all there?”

“I would, but I’m still in a bit of excruciating pain from getting clobbered by a certain pirate,” Discord retorted.

‘Sanji’ twitched and struggled to open his eyes.

“Now look sharp, Straw Hat. And maybe wait until you’re at the meeting point to say anything. Oh, just imagine the surprise when all your friends see you again!”

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

It certainly does, Discord thought with a chuckle. Now, do I want cheese steak popcorn or the miso popcorn for the show?

~~~

Shots rang out through the concert hall. The music stalled and the audience turned to see that a wall of Marines had blocked off the exits. The artillery division had their guns trained straight at the Brook.

“Oh fiddlesticks,” Pinkie cursed and blew a melodic raspberry through her harmonica. “Right at the final song.”

“This concert is hereby canceled!” the marine captain barked. He then produced an aged wanted poster of a man with a familiar afro and a wide gaping grin. “Replacement captain of the Rumbar Pirates, also known as ‘Humming Swordsman’ Brook! You are suspected of being a pirate worth a bounty of thirty-three thousand berries! On top of that, you are believed to be a member of Straw Hat Luffy’s crew! ‘Soul King’ Brook! Brook, the pirate! You are under arrest!”

“It’s over, Brook!” Brook’s long armed manager and his cohorts emerged onto the stage with guns aimed at Brook. “Your popularity is still climbing! To have you retire is unthinkable! But you betrayed us! So now, let’s all di—”

A condensed torrent of confetti, cupcakes, and streamers barreled into the manager and his cohorts and sent them flying up into the air. The mass of party favors then exploded in a dazzling display of fireworks. Brook and everyone else turned to stare at Pinkie while she blew upwards into the muzzle of the cannon that had sprouted out of her musical contraption. It then folded back into the device and she smiled at Brook.

“I hate partypoopers,” she proclaimed. “This is your last chance to make all these people smile! Let’s make it count!”

“Stop!” the marine captain barked. “That’s an order!”

Pinkie blew a few notes into her harmonica and then the cannon from before and two turrets loaded with streamers and fireworks popped out of her instruments. “And this is the Party Cannon Mark XV. It’s got enough party favors to take on at least two Grand Galloping Galas.”

The Marines all gulped but kept their guns pointed at the stage.

Brook took a breath and marched up to the mike. He glanced back at Pinkie and his band. “Shall we play one last song?”

All the them gained smiles and resumed their positions.

Brook now faced the audience and the Marines. “This island holds memories of my crew’s defeat. I’m sure we all have regrets about that day… but this is also an island of new beginnings! I’ve brought you joy and entertainment these past two years and you brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it. I thank you all. My true dream though lies in bringing greater excitement to my crew’s adventures!”

Brook paused and closed his mouth, giving him a reflective look for a moment. “I’ve heard the rumors. Straw Hat Luffy, dead? That’s ridiculous! I’m going to tell the whole world! Straw Hat Luffy is alive!”

“Oh, this is gonna be good,” Pinkie squealed, barely able to contain herself.

“He’ll be King of all oceans!” Brook continued while the crowd went wild and reporters went from covering Soul King’s final concert to breaking the biggest story of their careers. “A calm, quiet departure doesn’t fit him at all! Now listen to my last soul!”

Brook let loose a blazing riff on his guitar. The crowd exploded in cheers. Those near the back swarmed over the marines. The band and the dancers performed with all their spirit. Pinkie played her instruments harder than she’d ever played before.

“Yeaaaaahhhhh!” Brook sang. “The New World!”

~~~

“Well, well,” Rayleigh mused looking over the Sunny. “Seems almost everyone is here.”

“Oh, but only half of us are here now,” said Fluttershy.

Rayleigh scratched his beard. “Well, Sanji stopped by the bar to check in, but when he heard Zoro was out, he immediately went after him despite Rarity assuring him Rainbow Dash would get him. Brook checked in a little early due to his concert, but I’m sure he and Pinkie Pie will be here as soon as that wraps up. That just leaves Luffy and he’s already here.”

Everyone’s faces lit up.

“So you want us to do anything else?” asked Applejack.

“It should all be fine.” Rayleigh turned to Nami. “Most of the marines are gathering around that meeting in Grove Forty-six, but they’re setting things up to make getting off the island difficult, so it’d be best to move the ship to Grove Forty-two so you can sail immediately.”

“We can go and get everyone else,” Twilight suggested.

“Maybe we could go to Groves Forty-three and one,” said Fluttershy. “That way we can keep the Marines away.”

“You’re free to do what you wish,” Rayleigh chuckled. “Things may get a little rough, but the time has come to set sail!”

~~~

“You’re not Straw Hat!” Sentomaru roared and brought down the flat side of his ax on the man in the straw hat’s head. “You piece of trash!”

The ax burst like a balloon and drenched the man in green slime. Sentomaru stared at the bare end of his weapon as did the man until a cackle drew their attention down. Their shadows had morphed into a serpentine shape that was howling with laughter. The shadow then bent upwards and assumed the form of an elderly man in mismatched clothing with a half a mustache branching down the side of his face and a wild trail of white hair jabbing out of his otherwise slick hairstyle. The bandages covering up half of his head only served to further highlight his asymmetry.

“The… the looks on your faces!” he wheezed.

“Bah.” Sentomaru kicked the man in the straw hat and sent him flying. He then glared at the odd mismatched man. “PX-5, identify him.”

One of the hulking androids looming beside Sentomaru gazed at the man and produced a series of beeping sounds. “Subject Unknown. Critical Error. Subject reading as Fleet Admiral. Error. Proceed. Error. Input order. Cotton Candy Error.”

“What?!” Sentomaru gasped.

“Oooh, I could have fun with these things,” the man mused. “Maybe I could pick up some on the way home.”

Sentomaru stomped his foot and faced the man. “You’re obstructing justice! You and all the pirates here are coming with me.”

“I don’t think so.” The man vanished in a flash and reappeared on the shoulder of one of the Pacifistas. “Besides, what’d I do wrong besides have a little fun with that faker? Now, the genuine article on the other hand… wanna play of game of spot the Straw Hat?”

“Where is he?” Sentomaru growled.

“Who knows?” the man chuckled. “I mean, he’s here, like here here, but I don’t want to give away everything.”

The pacifista reached up and tried to clamp down on the man, but he vanished once again. His voice then rang out throughout the grove. “Oh and Straw Hat, I seriously can’t believe you’re that gullible to think those fakers were your friends. In my opinion, you got yourself into this mess. On the bright side though, this is going to be more fun to watch than that time with Tirek and Fluttershy.”

The man’s laughter echoed through the grove and left both Marine and pirate feeling somewhat sickened. On the scaffold that had overlooked the great gathering of pirates, the pony stomped a hoof to the ground.

“That jerk tricked me.”

“PX-5!” Sentomaru shouted. “Respond.”

“Command registered,” PX-5 stated. “Awaiting orders.”

“Target Straw Hat’s signal and fire at him.”

“Commencing attack.” PX-5 then opened his mouth and sent out a beam that struck the scaffold.

The entire left side of the structure was consumed in a ball of fire. A figure leapt out of the explosion and landed on what remained of the scaffold. His own speed tore the cloak off of him, revealing a young man where a pony had been. His red vest and yellow sash swayed in the wind and against his scarred torso. Everyone’s eyes bugged out of the heads taking in his straw hat, the scar below his left eye, and a face that exactly matched the one on the wanted poster.

“Hey! How’d you do that?” Luffy called out. “And be careful! This backpack has everything my friends cooked for me in it!”

“It’s him!” Marines and pirates cried out in unison.

“You can’t hide or run away this time, Straw Hat!” Sentomaru shouted.

“Hey! I promised I wouldn’t get in trouble!” Luffy yelled back at him. “Plus it’ll make it hard to leave!”

“You’re not going anywhere! You’re under arrest!” Sentomaru jumped back and let PX-5 get in front of him. “Get him, PX-5!”

PX-5 launched a laser blast at Luffy but it curved around him and formed into the outline of a man. In a flash, the mismatched man reappeared. He shook his head down at Sentomaru and the Pacifistas.

“Tut-tut,” he muttered. “I would have thought those hadn’t gotten any modifications.”

“Hey, Discord! What’s the big idea?” Luffy stretched out a hand, grabbed Discord by his ratty collar and pulled him over. “Now I’m gonna get in trouble because of you!”

“Oh please, Celestia probably just made you say that because she was worried about Twilight.” Discord sighed. “I swear, that mare coddles everypony too much. Besides, how was I supposed to know it would see through Luna’s spell? Spoiled at least five good minutes of fun. I swear, you humans really come out swinging from left field sometimes!”

“PX-5, PX-7, target them both!” Sentomaru ordered.

The pacifistas launched a volley of lasers at Luffy and Discord. Half of them spiralled around Discord and zoomed into his mouth. He slurped them up and let out a small smokey belch. The other half Luffy effortlessly dodged.

“You mind taking these bozos out?” Discord put a hand on his stomach. “I don’t think those lasers are sitting well with me.”

Luffy raised an eyebrow. “You just wanna see me hit ‘em, don’t you?”

“Well, that too.” A box of popcorn slathered in miso with bits of cheese steak sticking out of it materialized next to Discord. “And I’ll have you know it was very agonizing choosing what to eat while I watched.”

Luffy dodged another laser and then lifted up an arm. It bloated up near his shoulded and then expanded down to his hand before pumping back into his body. His skin turned pink and steam rose off of him. Just when he crouched down to leap off the scaffold, some familiar voices called out over the battlefield.

“Hey, Luffy!” Zoro shouted.

“Luffy! I knew it!” Sanji yelled. “You better apologize for getting these fine mademoiselle's wrapped up in your madness!”

“Oh, can it, lover-boy,” Dash said while she soared next to them. “We were ready for something like this to happen anyway.”

“Though getting smack dab in the middle of these ruffians’ meeting is a bit much,” Rarity commented.

“You guys must be the real ones this time!” Luffy smiled as his friends rushed at him. “Long time no see! Zoro! Sanji!”

Before more words could be shared between the five of them, the Pacifistas rushed at Zoro, Sanji, Dash, and Rarity with the palms and mouths aglow. An array of beams forced Rarity and Zoro to go left while Sanji and Dash went right. In the blink of an eye, Dash slashed at the PX-7’s legs while Sanji sent a flaming kick straight into its chest. Its legs went flying away in a shower of sparks. Circuitry fizzled and cracked inside the smoking crater Sanji had left in its chest and smoke burst out of its mouth before it crashed to the ground.

At the same time, Zoro cleaved through PX-5’s torso, leaving a massive gash that made the pacifista wobble violently. It still managed to aim a hand at Zoro, but before it could fire, the ground below it opened up into chasm that shimmered with an array of colorful gems all sharpened into spikes as long as a man. Rarity knelt on one knee nearby with both arms spread wide and her hands aglow. PX-5 plummeted into the hole and Rarity slammed her hands together. The ground mimicked her movement and swallowed up PX-5. A second later, it rose up and a bit of smoke escaped through some cracks.

“Oh man!” Dash squealed. “You haven’t done that since Grogar.”

Rarity got back to her feet and swept back her hair. “Well, we can’t waste any time.”

“Speaking of which…” Zoro pointed at Luffy. “Luffy, you’re number nine.”

“Shut it!” Sanji snapped.

“You’re really on that, aren’t you?” Dash muttered. A few bullets whizzed by the group. “Less talking, more getting to your ship!”

Luffy nodded. “Right!”

All five of them made a break for it, but Luffy came to a halt half-way across the battlefield.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” asked Sanji.

“C’mon!” Dash yelled. “We got— holy buck!”

Everyone looked over to one of the grove’s massive roots. Rayleigh stood atop it. Many of the Marines broke out into a cold sweat. They could practically feel the immense power pouring off of both him and the woman standing beside him. Her scintillating deep blue dress stood out amidst the battlefield and her hair swirled and shimmered like a galaxy. Even from afar though, the Marines could make out her piercing turquoise glare that softened when she looked at Straw Hat.

Sanji’s eye popped out of his head. “What a woman!”

Rarity and Dash both groaned in embarrassment.

“Rayleigh, Luna!” Luffy called out.

“Ha ha, just came to check up on you,” Rayleigh chuckled.

“And I suspected Discord would somehow turn this into a complete fiasco,” Luna sighed. “But Straw Hat, you truly have become an even stronger pirate than even I could have imagined.”

“Aye,” Rayleigh added. “Now hurry up and get to your crew.”

“Yeah!” Luffy exclaimed. “And thanks for the last two years and everything before that!”

Luna felt her eyes grow wet. “Oh, we don’t have time for formalities, Straw Hat. But know that you will always be welcome in our land.”

“I have to take everyone some day!” Luffy flashed Luna and Rayleigh the biggest smile he could fit on his face. “But first I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”

Tears brimmed on the edge of Rayleigh’s eyes now too. “Go all the way to the top!”

Luffy nodded and then he and his friends were lost in the haze of battle. Both Rayleigh and Luna wiped their eyes and then jumped over to where the marines were chasing after Luffy. The soldiers all gulped when Rayleigh drew a line in the ground with his sword and a chill air swirled around Luna.

“It’s my student’s farewell,” said Rayleigh. “I want it to be proper.”

“And we shan’t have you ruining it,” Luna added. “I caution you to not step over that line.”

Go, Straw Hat, she thought. Become an even greater man than I’ve known you to be. And, maybe one day…

“We can live happily ever after,” Discord cooed while forcing his uncovered eye to appear extra big and sparkly.

Luna blushed deeply and clenched her teeth. “Hold your tongue!”

Discord reached into his mouth and pulled his tongue out like it was made of taffy. Luna screamed up to the heavens while Rayleigh had a good laugh.

~~~

Everyone on the Sunny looked up some type of brightly colored rocket careened overhead and exploded in a burst of fireworks. Brook and Pinkie flew out of the colorful blaze and parachuted down onto the ship.

“Yohoho!” said Brook. “What a finale! And it’s so good to see everyone again! Oh Nami, Robin! May I see your pa—”

A tiny black cloud shot out and electrocuted Brook. His parachute crumpled and he crashed onto the deck. Pinkie landed nearby and shrugged.

“I don’t get it. He was just asking to see those weird clothes under your clothes.” Pinkie snapped the strap of her underwear, showing off the trio of balloons emblazoned on it. “Do some humans not like that?”

“Sheesh,” Nami sighed. “Taking advantage of travelers, that’s a dirty move, Brook, even for you.”

Pinkie then looked around. “Oh hey, where is everypony?”

“They went off to secure the nearby groves,” Robin answered. The echo of gunfire and swords clashing rang in the air. “Sounds like things have gotten rough.”

“Oooh, this is tough choice.” Pinkie crossed her legs and shifted around in place. “I really wanna help everypony, but I just need to wait and little and then we’re all good. Gah, I wasn’t ready for decisions like this!” Pinkie wrung her fingers through her poofy hair and groaned. She then straightened her head and rushed over to Robin with a wide smile on her face. “Oh, almost forgot, I’m Pinkie Pie!”

Robin grinned and shook her hand. “Twilight certainly wasn’t exaggerating about your enthusiasm. You could give our captain a run for his bounty.”

“Everypony keeps saying that,” Pinkie chuckled. “Oh and we still need to settle who’s the best cupcake eating champion. Or candy eating champion. Or, or… aw, why do you always think of all the fun things you still need to do when somepony has to say goodbye?”

“There there.” Usopp gave Pinkie a pat on the shoulder. “From the sound of things, you’ve been a great help to Luffy. And trust me, he’ll be back to see you again. There’s no way he’ll pass up on food. He just needs to become King of the Pirates first!”

“I know!” Pinkie cheered.

Usopp looked out into the groves. “Now for him to just get here.”

~~~

“I swear, Luffy,” Sanji growled, “you better have been actually training!”

“Of course he did,” said Dash. “Discord even showed us a few times. That was some brutal stuff he went through.”

“Surrounded by some of the finest ladies on the seas!” Sanji wept.

“How many time they gotta tell you, curly brow?” said Zoro. “They only look like that because of some sort of spell. Did the last two years really make you so desperate you’d fall for ponies?”

Sanji grabbed Zoro’s robe. “You don’t know what I’ve gone through! Is it too much for me to just be happy that there are nice women here that sound like women, smell like women, and feel like women?”

Dash inched away from Sanji and over to Rarity. “We’re absolutely sure we want Luffy sailing with this guy?”

“Um, everyone?” Rarity pointed ahead to a thick wall of marines. “We may have an issue.”

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Dash grinned and race toward the marines. A few yards away from them though, they all collapsed, muttering about being reincarnated as snails, dust mites, and other quite depressing scenarios. Smiling ghosts emerged out of them, humming a tune of “Negative, negative.”

Luffy’s eyes widened. “Oi, isn’t that…”

A woman dressed in a gothic style holding a ghoulish teddybear in one arm and a parasol in the other floated over to them. “I should’ve known you’d start something.”

“The woman from Thriller Bark!” Sanji cheered.

“You realize the last time you saw her, she stole your shadow and almost stole our ship, right?” Zoro looked up at Perona. “What is it?”

“Just wanted to clear out the path,” Perona pouted. “There’s a warship nearing the island with a bunch of battleships in tow, so you’d better hurry.”

“Got it!” said Luffy.

The group raced forward, but Rarity lingered a bit, pulled a few sheets of paper out of her pockets, and handed them to Perona. “You outfit is simply divine, my dear. When the Marines aren’t breathing down our necks, you simply have to write to me about how you came upon such designs. When you want to send it, just chuck it into some fire and the spell should take care of the rest. Toodles.”

Before Perona could respond, Rarity raced off to catch up with her friends. Perona blinked and looked down at her bear. “You didn’t get any of that either, right, Kumashi?”

~~~

As Luffy and his friends sped through the groves, the number of Marines grew thicker until they were completely surrounded. Sanji set down the food he’d bought, Zoro pulled out his swords, Dash unfurled her wings, and Rarity lit up her hands.

“Looks like we’re gonna have to plow through them,” said Zoro.

Dash pounded a fist into her palm. “Let’s do this.”

The Marines let out a battle cry and charged at them. Part of their ranks were then sent flying from behind. Another portion was thrown into the air by a blast of purple aura. More were consumed by a blaze of emerald fire and then found themselves falling into the sea miles away from the island. A few of the Marines that remained standing were knocked out by a wave of Haki and collapsed to ground. That left only the strongest of them able to fight.

The air wooshed around Luffy’s group and Fluttershy and Twilight swooped down. Applejack leapt towards them, and Spike ran over to join everyone else.

“This is even worse than I thought,” said Twilight. “We need to get you to your ship now. Dash, Fluttershy, we’ll get the over. Spike, Rarity, Applejack, can you hold off these Marines?”

Applejack flexed her leg back and forth.“You betcha!”

“And you already took care of so many of them. Rarity looked around at the marines advancing on them. “We can handle the rest, Luffy, get to your crew!”

“And hold on tight!” Dash sent out her wings and jumped into the air. She snatched Luffy and he hollered in excitement.

“Are we rea-”

Fluttershy lifted Sanji off the ground before he could finish. His eye traced over her body, notably the way her sweater worked to contain her chest.

“I don't think I ever wanna land,” he slobbered.

“Please hold on!” said Fluttershy.

“You know, was expecting Luffy to get into trouble, but this isn't what I imagined,” Zoro mused while Twilight guided him through the air.

“Tell me about it,” Twilight chuckled. “I'm glad he’s got a crew that can keep up with him though.”

Back with Rarity, Applejack, and Spike, the Marines looked over them. Rarity’s hands glowed and her arms grew as colorful and hard as gems. Applejack’s boots and legs blackened as did Spike's hands. Smoke curled out of his mouth.

Applejack pressed down on the hat. “This is gonna be one hay of a throwdown.”

~~~

“Hey!”

Everyone looked up. Huge smiles formed on their faces. Luffy waved down at everyone. Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight swooped down and deposited Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy onto the Sunny. Sanji then caught sight of Nami and Robin and was launched back off the boat by the explosive force of his nosebleed. Fluttershy zoomed off and picked him out of the water, still bleeding heavily from his nose.

“Oh dear, oh dear,” Fluttershy gasped.

Chopper rushed over and shoved some powder up Sanji’s nose. The bleeding stopped and Sanji went limp.

“What happened to him?” asked Usopp.

“Tch, idiot’s been drooling over every woman he’s spotted,” Zoro snorted.

“What kind of training must he have gone to cause such a reaction?” Twilight pondered.

“Well, he’s here now and that’s what matters!” Pinkie threw herself into Luffy and pulled him into a hug. “You finally made it! Rarity, Spike, and Applejack on the way?”

“Present,” Applejack huffed.

Everyone looked to the shore to see Rarity, Spike, and Applejack looking a little roughed up, but still standing just fine. All three of them then leapt on board.

Dash grinned. “Wow, you guys finished that up fast.”

“Had a bit of help,” Spike panted. “Never been so happy to see giant beetles.”

“Or such, um, unique people in such fine dresses.” Rarity shuddered. “It's Big Mac all over again.”

A round of cannon fire sent water flying nearby.

“Okay time for this later!” Twilight pulled Luffy out of his daze from staring at Franky. “Luffy, do whatever it is that a captain does for a ship to set sail!”

“Alright!” Luffy looked over everyone and smiled. “There’s a whole lot of stuff I’d like to say, but never mind! Thanks for listening to my selfish request two years ago! Set sail!”

Twilight’s hands glowed and she turned to the warship plowing toward them. “And I'll take care of th-”

Just as another volley of cannonballs raced toward the Sunny, a golden aura encompassed them and sent them pummeling into the sea. A fine caravel crested over the waves and blocked the warship’s path. Its wood shimmered like gold and it sails were as white as snow. A grinning pony skull with six colorful gems circling it graced the sails and the lone black flag that flapped atop the mast. Celestia stood at the helm with her half-cape flowing over her back. She glared at the Marine commanding the warship.

“And who dares sail a warship in my path?” she asked.

“W-warlord Celestia,” the marine stuttered. “We…we’re in the middle of trying to apprehend Straw Hat Luffy. P-please, move!”

“And why should I care about your petty human squabbles?” Celestia huffed. “This is the maiden voyage of my kingdom’s newest exploratory vessel and I intend to make every second it is on the seas count.”

Behind Celestia, the top of a barrel lifted up and three teenage girls poked their heads out.

“Wow, Princess Celestia can be scary when she wants to,” said the girl I the white dress with creamy pink and grape colored hair.

“Let's just keep quiet so she doesn't get mad at us,” said the girl in a yellow shirt and overalls with a bright pink bow tying up her crimson mane.

“But Discord said we’d be fine.” The final girl with purple hair grinned. “Relax, Apple Bloom.”

“Do you really trust Discord?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Do you really think it was a good idea to sneak onto this ship?” asked Celestia.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders screamed at the top of their lungs and sent the barrel rolling onto its side. It spewed them out and they all flopped onto the deck, knocked out completely. Celestia let out a wistful chuckle.

“Well, I think scaring the living daylights out of them will be punishment enough for now." Celestia stared over at the Sunny as a bubble formed around it. “Well, looks like things are just about finished.”

Back on the Sunny, Pinkie had snuck below deck along with Spike and returned with two large bags and one big cask. The rest of the girls gather around them.

“Yohoho.” Brook tilted his skull to the side. “What's this?”

Twilight straitened up and coughed into her hand. “As the designated representative of Equestria and Princess of Friendship, it is my honor to establish ties with the people of the seas. We are aware that you are commonly called pirates, but we know that many of you display the values Equestria uphold and s-”

“And so we brought you a lot of presents!” Pinkie exclaimed. She then rushed over to Brook and gave him a thick stack of records tied up in a bow. “These are like the super best albums ever!”

“Yohoho! New music? Delightful! Almost as delightful as your pa-”

Nami slapped Brook across the ship. She then found Rainbow standing beside her, holding a big jug of some sort of prismatic liquid. The colors remained separate, even when Dash swirled the jar around.

“Heard you can pull off some pretty crazy weather stunts.” Dash smirked. “But for now, here’s some liquid rainbow, courtesy of the Wonderbolts!”

Fluttershy crouched down and handed Chopper a cloth package with a thick scent coming off of it. “Since you're actually the doctor, this is the best gift for you. It's some of the local herbs and notes on how to use them for medicine.”

Chopper blushed. “You idiot! You didn't have to do that!”

Twilight floated two books over to Usopp and Robin. “A first edition copy of The Compendium of Equestrian History and an autographed copy of Equestria’s Greatest Myths and Legends.”

Usopp raised an eyebrow. “You guys have myths when you’re already magical horses?”

Robin slapped Usopp on the back of the head. “These are wonderful, Twilight. This book alone could revolutionize historical studies.”

Twilight’s cheeks turned bright red. “Well, I mean, maybe just a bit.”

Spike walked over to Zoro and gulped. He reached into the bag and produced a thick block of stone that glistened like a diamond but was as black as onyx.

“Dragons can cut through almost anything with their claws and teeth,” Spike explained. “But this is the stuff we use to sharpen them, so maybe you could use it for your swords too.”

Zoro grinned. “And all the stories say dragons are gready.”

Nearby, Rarity advanced over to Franky. She held out a folded stack of cloth that glistened with an ethereal glow. “As the shipright, it's probably important to keep repair supplies well stocked. This should keep your sails nice and in tact for a good while and give this wonderful ship an even greater flourish.”

Sanji stated at Applejack’s thighs when she placed a boot to the cask. She wiped some sweat of her brow, causing a bit of blood to dribble down Sanji’s nose.

“Now listen here, fella,” she said. “I don’t quite know what's wrong with you but I heard you're the cook, so I got for you here some of the finest cider in Equestria and I'm willing to bet on the entire seas, so you’d better sa-”

“Let's drink it now!” Luffy shouted.

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Or that.”

Glasses were bright out and filled with with the frothy cider. Everyone gathered around and raised their glasses.

“To the New World!” Luffy cheered.

“And to new adventures!” said Twilight.

“Aye!” Everyone shouted and then clanked glasses.

A set of flashes went off and everyone spun around to seen that Discord now stood on deck beside an camera on a tripod. He held four photos in his hands but sent two of them elsewhere in a puff of smoke.

“Fantastic!” Discord cheered. “Oh, you all looked wonderful! Now care to have a look… provided I can have some of that cider too.”

Applejack smiled and poured Discord a mug too. Everyone gathered around him and looked at the pictures. Luffy, Pinkie, and Dash broke out into laughter, Usopp and Zoro stroked their chins, Nami and Robin smiled, and Sanji fell over in shock.

“Super!” Franky declared.

“Oh my, I've never seen anything like this, even though I have no eyes! Yohoho!”

Both pictures were almost identical. Everyone still had their glasses raised with wide smiles on their faces. I one picture, everyone was as they currently appeared, but in the other, in place of humans were a colorful collection of ponies with a wide array of cuties marks that glistened brightly.

“Oh.” Discord peered out and saw that the Sunny was almost fully underwater now. He guzzled down the glass and the smashed the cider into his ear. “Best hurry, everypony.”

“Okay, we can finish our ciders back on the Archipelago.” Twilight floated her glass to the side and walked over to Luffy. Her eyes were a little damp as were everypony else’s. “Guess this is goodbye for now.”

“Yeah.” Luffy smiled. “But we’ll see each other again. There's way too much fun stuff in Equestria to not show everyone else.”

“And we've got a whole new world to explore,” Twilight sniffles and managed to smile. “So just you wait, because this is just the start of the Harmony Pirates!”

Twilight’s hands glowed and her friend gathered close.

“Be the best pirate king ever!” Pinkie shouted.

“You got this!” said Applejack.

Dash grinned even while a few tears rolled down her face. “By the time we get back home, I'll bet you'll already have gotten the One Piece!”

“Stay safe,” Fluttershy sniffled.

“And do take care to not get too dirty!” said Rarity.

Spike waved at everyone. “Be sure to write!”

Twilight looked over Luffy and the Straw Hats one last time as the glow around her and her friends grew brighter. “Goodbye, everyone! See you again some day!”

“Of course!” All the Straw Hats cheered together.

And then in a flash of light, the Harmony Pirates were gone. The Straw Hats looked at each other and then raced to their positions. They unfurled the sails, manned the wheel, and braced themselves as the surface disappeared beneath the waves. Romance and the thrill of adventure beat in everyone’s hearts. Fishman Island and the New World beyond that awaited them.

Luffy jumped onto the top of the Sunny’s lion head and stretched his arms out above his head. “Let’s go!”

The End

♠♦♣

Dressrosa
A few days after the news broke about the Straw Hat’s return.

Doflamingo reclined back in his chair and admired the Flame-Flame Fruit. Spread out across his desk were the various reports, born public and confidential, that detailed the chaotic events that had unfolded on the Archipelago. His grin widened and he cackled to himself.

The door to his office then exploded inwards. With a flick of his fingers, he stopped the door in the middle of the air.

Lao G coughed and collapsed to the ground covered in burns. Jora stumbled by him in a similar state.

“Young… young master!” she wheezed. “Forgive us. We tried to keep her calm bu-”

A blast of fire slammed into Jora and knocked her into a wall. Her assailant glared at Doflamingo with piercing eyes that looked aflame. She raised a shaking fist clenching a wad of newspapers.

“What the hell is this, Doflamingo!?” she hissed.

Doflamingo frowned at the assailant and cracked his fingers. “I believe it's some of the recent papers. Do you really think that justifies attacking my family? Your family?”

“Don't give me that crap!” the assailant snapped. “It all adds up now, you lying son of a bitch!”

The assailant’s hands glowed and the papers spread out and and shoved themselves into Doflamingo’s face. They were kept at bay by his powers though. Mixed in with the articles were pictures showing the seven mysterious people that had been spotted aiding the Straw Hat’s escape. The picture of woman with deep blue hair and stripes of rose and magenta had been burnt pretty bad and was almost unrecognizable.

“You went!” the assailant growled. “You went and all you got was that damn fruit! You had the chance to get rid of Celestia or at least get the Element of Magic and you did nothing! Now those stupid girls know about the land beyond Equestria. I knew I should ha-”

Something constricted around the assailant’s neck. Doflamingo flexed his fingers and lifted her off the ground. While she struggled to breath, the smile returned to his face. He strutted out of his chair and tussled the assailant’s crimson and gold hair. He stared at her with a sadistic smirk highlighted by his glasses.

“You should have what?” he asked, his voice like a piercing blade of ice. “Don't get ahead of yourself. Stealing the Element of Magic would just draw unwanted attention from Celestia. And, last I checked, you’ve barely got enough strength to handle an Element Bearer. So, Sunset, what are you going to do?”

Sunset Shimmer dropped to the floor gasping for breath. She glared up at Doflamingo, who sneered down at her. “I’ll kill them all. They don't deserve that power. I do. And no one will stand in my way, not even you.”

“Fufufu, I always love it when you’re mad. Still…” Doflamingo looked over Jora and Lao G. “You need to remember your place.”

With a flick of his wrist, Doflamingo sent Sunset through the window and down into the palace’s courtyard. Doflamingo strolled over to his chair and leaned back.

“Time for the real fun to begin.”

Author's Notes:

And we're done. What a journey it's been. And what perfect timing too, since I just finished seeing Film Gold (it's awesome, go see it, and try not to think too hard about how the economy in One Piece is able to function). I hope you've all enjoyed this and, as you can guess, the story will continue some day, but I'd like for things to play out a bit more in One Piece first. For now though, there's a bit of IRL stuff I'll be busy with, but I hope I can finish up Of Monsters and Girls relatively soon. After that, there's still A Heavy Crown. I do have one idea for a future project though. With all the years I've spent glorifying pirates, I think it's time I focused on something a little more… heroic.

Thank you all again for reading, favoriting, and commenting!