> Taking It To the Maximum
>  by Autum Breeze
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Taking It To The Maximum



Prologue



___________________________________________________________




I cry out as I tumble forward, slamming my head into something, hard.

I slump down onto hard, cold concrete, groaning.

“Hey, what was that?”

“I dunno. Go look.”

“I ain’t lookin’. You look.”

I can hear a pair of voices, but I can’t make any distinguish of them.

I pull my hands to my head, holding it.

My head’s pounding like crazy and I can’t really think straight. What in the world just happened to me?

“What in the world is that thing?!” a voice says from… somewhere.

Opening my eyes and lifting my head, I can blearily make out two forms in front of me, but I’m still too out of it to make them out clearly.

“Well, whatever it is, it looks like nothing I’ve ever seen,” the blurry one on the right says.

“Me neither. Ya know,” blurry on the left says, “if she’s unique enough, we could make a fair bit selling her off as a rare creature.”

“Where? Klugetown? We’d just as quickly be sold ourselves, you dingus!” the right blurry says, moving closer to the left one, causing it to make a cry of pain. “Still, if we found the right buyer, they could take it there themselves. We’d still get paid.”

Okay, groggy brain or not, I can tell they’re talking about selling me into slavery.

“D… don’t you… fucking think about it… dicks,” I say, trying to sound tough… which really doesn’t work when you’re pulling yourself up to stand using a wall for support.

Something feels really off here. Well, aside from the two people just outright making it clear they plan to sell me into slavery.

My voice doesn’t quite sound right and my body feels… weird. I can’t tell why, exactly, my head’s not clear enough to figure it out yet, but something is definitely different with my body than it was before… whatever made me feel so out of it in the first place.

The two blurries look to each other, before snickering and start moving towards me.

“H-help!” I cry out, trying to back away, something definitely not easy when your brain and your body aren’t working in sync with each other yet. “Someone, help!”

The right blurry snickers. “Heh-heh. You really think anyone’s comin’ t’ help you, freak?”

“Well, they’re right!” another voice says and the two blurries are slammed to the ground by a third blurry.

I watch, shaking my head to clear it, then holding it as the pounding increases. That was not a wise move at all.

I watch as the two blurries are getting knocked about by the third… who’s fighting style seems almost like an animal, moving on all fours, sometimes seeming airborne, before hitting the ground again.

After a few tense moments, two blurries go down and the other turns to me.

“You okay… whoever you are?” they ask, seeming to pause, as if trying to figure out how to address me.

“Y-yeah,” I manage, before groaning as I lean my head into my hands. “Aside from this pounding headache that won’t let me think straight, I’m good.”

“I don’t know if that’s good or not,” the good blurry says, moving closer. “Can you stand?”

“I… I think so,” I say, using the wall to slowly push myself up like before.

I seem to bit the same height, if a bit taller than my saviour.

“Man, your kind are tall,” they admit. “Got a name?”

I’m not entirely sure what they mean by “your kind”, but my head hurts too much to think right now.

“Max,” I say, wincing as my head gives another painful throb. Fuck, this is the worst headache, ever. “M-my name’s Max.”

“Nice to meet ya, Max,” Savoir says, it feeling translating in my brain that she sounds female, moving closer, I guess to let me hold them to stay steady.

I do so… only for what little cognitive thought I’m able to manage to do an immediate nosedive.

I can feel fur. Moving my hands, I feel large ears and… are those feathers? The fuck?

“Uh… Max?” Savior asks, sounding confused. “What’re you doing?”

“I… I dunno,” I manage, wincing through another throb of pain. “Something about feeling fur, the ears and wings feels… off to me. Don’t ask me why.”

“Sheesh. How hard did those jerks hit you?”

“Whoa, Misty. What happened? Who’s this?” a male voice says from somewhere.

Misty. My saviour’s name is Misty. Well, that clears one thing up at least.

“Fire,” Misty says, her tone firm, “I’m taking this… kid to get some help. Some jerks ruffed ’em up real bad. Let the captain know I’ll be back late.”

“Got it,” this Fire says and we start moving in…whatever direction it is we’re moving.

I can’t tell. My head’s still pounding like crazy.

“I’d take you to a hospital,” Misty says, sounding a mixture between worried and annoyed, “but I honestly don’t know if they’d know how to treat… whatever you are, Max. What even are you?”

Well that’s a weird question.

“Human,” I say, trying to ignore the pain in my head. “Ya know, like you?”

“Hue-Man? Um, sorry to disappoint, kid, but I’ve never even seen a Hue-Man til today and that’s you.”

What?

We keep moving for a few minutes, before I wince as a banging sound comes from in front of me.

I find out seconds later it was just Misty knocking on a door, but it sounded more like a battering ram slamming into wood to me.

“Misty?” a surprised female voice asks. “I thought you and the team were doing a performance at the castle?”

Castle? Who the heck is this Misty if she’s performing at a castle? Where in the world am I?

“Sorry, cousin,” Misty hurriedly. “I am, but we just wrapped up today. We’ll be heading out in a few days back home.”

“And who’s your… interesting friend?” Misty’s cousin says, sounding intrigued.

“Her name’s Max,” Misty says as we move through the door. “I saved her from a bunch o’ thugs who were attacking her. She’s pretty out of it. I think she just needs some sleep and things will be a bit clearer to her. I know you’re only house sitting, but ya mind if she crashes here?”

“Of course. Of course,” Misty’s cousin says and I feel something flat take my hand. “Come, Max. We’ll rest you on the coach and see what we can do.”

“Thanks… um…?” I say, trying to clear my head with the lightest of shakes so as not to cause any more pain.

“Clear Skies,” she says, leading me until my hands touch what feels like a couch and I settle down, the flat thing no longer touching my hand.

I didn’t ask for the weather. I asked for her name.

“Thanks, Clear,” Misty says “suggesting it is here name?”, before I feel something flat touch my hand again. “I’ll be right back, Max. Just take it easy. See if you can clear your head so we can figure everything out. But don’t force it.”

I nod, regretting it instantly, holding my head as it throbs again.

I faintly here the sound of odd footsteps, more than I was expecting, before I faintly here a door close.

“Who else is here?” I ask, blinking as my vision finally starts to clear enough for faint colours to appear, suggesting I’m in a living room.

“Um… only you and me?” Clear says, walking over with someone else.

“But I heard several set of footsteps,” I point out as I feel someone sit down next to me. “There was even someone walking while you were walking just now.”

“Was there?” Clear sounds genuinely confused, turning what I guess is her head every which way. “I didn’t see them. Are you sure you’re not just hearing things?”

I groan. “Maybe I am? Stupid head pains.”

“Well, it’s late, so I recommend you get some rest for now,” I feel Clear move, before something flat touches my hand and guides me to lay down. “I’ll go fetch some blanks and a pillow. Come morning, maybe things will be clearer for you.”

God, I hope so. This not being able to think clearly thing is horrible.









___________________________________________________________








Conciseness returns to me and I yawn.

Man, that was one of the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.

Sitting up, I notice I’m on a couch instead of in my bed and I remember last night.

I pause, closing my eyes and trying to remember what happened before I found myself in that situation of confusion.

I remember I’d been leaving work early, angry about how things had gone because everything was just irritating me that day and my supervisor asking me to explain why I was angry, then expecting me to be working at the exact same moment before I even got the first word out… and that was all I can remember before hitting my head.

I was crossing the road, then that was all. After that, all I remember is the blurry evening.

Wait. I’d left work in the early afternoon. What the heck transpired between then and my confusion for it to have started at night?

I don’t drink, so I wasn’t suffering from that. I damn well don’t do drugs.

What in the world happened?

Shaking my head, I remember how something about my body had felt off too so I look down… my brain only just now registering a BIG difference.

My body feels… well, lighter, I guess is the best word. And slimmer. A LOT slimmer.

I mean, I’m not fat, but I do have a bit of a belly… or I used to, anyway.

My stomach’s flat as a board… though something else isn’t.

Why in God’s name do I have breasts?! Why in the world do I have—?

My blood goes cold.

I have a— I have a— Oh, sweet baby Jesus! What the flying fuck?!

I glance around, noticing a door that looks like it leads into a bathroom.

I bolt from the couch and stumble over, shoving my way through the door and looking around what is definitely a bathroom, my head turning this way and that until I see a mirror and—

I pause, just staring.

The face in the mirror stares back at me… but I know it’s not my face.

My cheeks are thinner, yet smoother. My hair is brown with blonde streak sand much longer than I remember, it being down to my neck in length and my eyes are brown.

I’m wearing some kind of white gown, kinda like those you’d wear in hospital.

I… I know this face. It’s not mine and it looks a bit younger than I remember, but I know it.

I’ve… I’ve somehow turned into Max from the Maximum Ride novels, specifically the Manga! What the fuck?!

I just stare at the face staring back at me for several moments, before I grab my head in my hands.

“Okay, okay. Calm. You have to stay calm,” I tell myself, averting my eyes from the mirror. “You don’t know what’s going on, but you can sort this out. You’re a logically thinking person. You can do this. Don’t. Freak. Out.”

It takes a few moments of deep breathing, but I do finally manage to calm my nerves at least enough to think a bit, finally noticing my voice, for some reason, sounds like Honey Senpai from Ouran Highschool Host Club, only more feminine. Was an anime for Maximum Ride in the works and she was going to voice Max? Never mind. Gotta focus!

I glance around, finally taking in my surroundings… though that in itself presents another problem.

Wherever I am… it’s not the real world.

Everything looks to clear in colour for it to be the real world. Wherever I am, it’s some cartoon world.

Ridiculous a thought as it is, I’m smart enough to be able to tell that’s what’s going on and, horrifying an idea as somehow ending up in a cartoon universe is, trying to reason to myself it’s not possible isn’t going to get me anywhere.

I do have a horrifying few seconds after coming to grips with being in a cartoon universe where I think I’m in some anime version of the novels and all that nightmares that would entail, but I quickly register that this world doesn’t look like an anime universe.

If anything… it kinda makes me think of My Little Pony’s flash animation.

“Urm, Max?” Clear’s voice calls. “Where are you?”

“Bathroom,” I call on instinct, before cursing myself.

I hear two sets of hard footsteps and… a bright purple Pegasus pony walks through the bathroom door.

We both just stare at each other, her clearly wondering why I’m staring and me… having everything from last night collide in my brain with complete clarity.

Misty, Fire and Clear Skies. Being called a rare creature that could be sold for money. Misty having no idea what a human is and pronouncing it “Hue-Man”. The multiples sounds of footsteps I heard last night after Clear Skies let us in.

I’m in Equestria.

I’m Maximum Ride… in Equestria.

What the flying fuck?!
> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 1


 


 



___________________________________________________________




The mare and I just stare at each other for several long moments.

“So… are you going to use the bathroom, or can I?” she asks, breaking the silence.

I cock an eyebrow, before blinking and blush, lowering my head and hurrying out.

She closes the door and, after a few seconds, I hear a showing running.

Slowly, I walk back over to the couch, taking in the décor.

It’s a decent apartment, with several doorways, suggesting more rooms. The living room is spacious, with enough room for two couches, a fireplace and a large coffee table between them.

Sitting down, I just stare at the empty fireplace for several long moments as everything fully hits me.

I’m in Equestria. Equestria… as Max? How in the world is that even possible?

I frown, scratching my head. Something is nagging me in the back of my brain, but I can’t properly remember.

Shaking my head, I glace around, noticing pictures of a smaller pony that looks like Clear Skies with a blueish colt with a dark blue mane and tail haphazardly placed above the fireplace, as if it wasn’t normally there.

I frown, looking more closely, before something clicks in my brain. Clear Skies? She’s that mare from Tanks for the Memories who was part of that Three Stooges reference joke. That mean, the colt in the picture is Open Skies.

I cock my head. This is too weird.

Shaking my hand, I focus on my reflection in the picture frame’s glass.

It’s so weird, not seeing my face staring back at me.

I start to study my features more closely. Aside from being longer and the blonde streaks, my hair’s not really any different than before. The eyes, on the other hand. I definitely didn’t have chocolate-brown eyes before this.

I frown. Wait. What was my old eye colour?

I blink, my panic threatening to take over.

I don’t remember my old eye colour. Shit! I don’t even remember who my family were before waking up as Max!

I put my hands on my head, my eyes widening in fear.

I don’t remember my mother, my father. I don’t remember any of my siblings! What in the world is going on?!

As if that isn’t enough, my panic is increased when I feel two large somethings connected to my back pull out, the sudden shift in weight causing me to fall backwards and crash into the coffee table.

Glancing back wildly, my eyes widen further when I see a large pair of pale tan wings with freckles and white streaks.

I just stare, my mouth hanging open as I register the feeling of my two new limbs and where they attach to my body.

Part of my brain is screaming at me that this can’t be real. That these wings have to be fake in some way.

…

But there is no mistaking that feeling. It’s as real as the feeling of my arm connected to my shoulder. These wings are mine.

“Max?!” Clear Skies worried voice calls from the bathroom, her voice muffed through the door.

“I-I’m okay… I think?” I call back, trying, and I’m pretty sure failing, to keep the uncertainty out of my voice.

I slowly get up, being careful off my wings and fighting the squirming feeling in my stomach as I feel them moving and the ease with which I can do it, just like my arms or legs.

Standing up straight, I glance back at my wings. They’re not fully outstretched, this room isn’t big enough for that, but they’re several feet long at the very least.

I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves so I can just think for a few minutes.

“Okay,” I tell myself, it unsettling hear Honey’s voice coming out of my mouth as I do. Hearing it without his signature joy is odd enough, but hearing it from the mouth I’m using makes it far worse. “Okay, just think. You left work and somehow you’re now in Equestria and you’ve turned into Max from the Maximum Ride books. That’s… not easy to explain, but you can’t get answer if you don’t assess the situation first.”

“What do you mean, you’ve turned into somepony else named Max from some books and—? Sweet Celestia, Max. You have wings?’

I whirl around, wincing as my wings knock a lamp over and launch my hand out to grab the photo I’d been looking at earlier, catching it before it hits the ground.

I just stand there uncomfortably, holding the picture as the purple Pegasus mare just stares at me, open mouthed.

“I… think I can explain?” I grin nervously.






___________________________________________________________










“So, if I’ve got this right, you’ve turned into a fictional character from a book series in your world, but you don’t know how it happened or how you ended up here in Canterlot last night?” Clear Skies asks about half an hour later.

I nod, fiddling with my hands on the dining room table.

I’ve finished explaining as best I can to Clear Skies what I am, who I am and what I can’t explain.

She’s also explained a few things to me that helped me figure out when I Equestria’s timeline I’ve landed, which is good, because that weird memory blank I’m having is also effecting my memory of the show.

From what I can gather from what Clear Skies told me, I’m somewhere in the middle of season 5. Her mentioning of visiting Rarity’s Canterlot Boutique tells me I’m in shortly after that episode, so I at least know that.

She shrugs. “Well, weirder things have happened.”

Knowing this universe, you have no idea. There’s a lot of things one episode characters wouldn’t know about.

Still, the fact she can so casually wave this away is… worrying.

“So, how come you live in Canterlot?” I ask after a few minutes.

She blinks, before shaking her head. “Oh, I don’t live here. I’m just housesitting for a friend. I live in Cloudsdale.”

Oh, yeah. I think I vaguely remember hearing something like that while I was out of it. I just didn’t connect the dots back then.

“Anyway, I don’t have any experience with… what did you call yourself again?” Skies cocks her head.

I sigh, resting my head on one hand. “I’m a human. Or, I was. I guess now I’m a human trapped in Avian-Human Hybrid’s body.”

Skies frowns, rubbing her chin as she looks me over. “How old are you?”

“Before?” I ask, frowning for a second. “I was almost thirty. Now?” I pull back, glancing down at myself. “I dunno. Ten or twelve, maybe? This body is definitely younger than Max was in the first book and... Wait.” My eyes widen as my hands fly to my head. “Shit! In the books, Max and the others look older than they really are because of their biology! Crap, am I actually six or something?!”

“Whoa. Whoa! What the hay have I come back to?”

I turn around to see another Pegasus walking in from the living room. She’s yellow, with a light-blue main and tail and a light-grey cloud and orange butterfly for a Cutie Mark.

Her mane immediately tells me she’s a Wonderbolt.

“Misty,” Clear Skies gets up, moving over and hugging the other mare. 

I blink and it clicks. Misty Fly must’ve been the Misty who found me and saved me from whoever those assholes were last night.

“Glad you’re back,” Skies says, pointing to me. “We could use a hoof. Max is better but, her memory’s… well…”

We both repeat the exact conversation we’d just had with each other.

Once we’re done, Misty Fly has a stern expression, deep in thought. “My cousin’s right. This doesn’t sound all too weird compared to other stuff that’s happened over the last year, but I don’t know how we could help.” She gives me a sad look. “Sorry, kid.”

I sigh, slumping in my seat.

Man. If the ponies at the castle she’d been performing at could help and weren’t, ya know, clearly royalty, I’d ask them if…

I raise my head, looking right at Misty.

“Misty?” I ask slowly. “That castle you mentioned performing at last night. That wouldn’t be Celestia and Luna’s castle, would it?”

She nods, seeming confused. “It’s the only castle in Canterlot. What’s your point, kid?”

I shoot up and rush to her, grabbing her forelegs and looking pleadingly at her. “Can you take me there, right now?! Maybe Celestia and Luna can help me figure out how I got here! Or maybe they could send me to Twilight and she could find out for me!”

“Whoa, whoa! Easy, kid,” she says, pulling out of my grip and looking me over. “I mean, I can try, but the princesses are pretty busy ponies. They can’t just drop everything for every… um, what did you call yourself again? Hue-Man?”

“Avian-Human Hybrid, if we wanna get technical,” I say quietly.

She nods. “They can’t just drop everything for every random Avian-Hue-Man Hybrid that asks.”

I actually pause, before folding my arms, deadpanning. “You really think Celestia and Luna wouldn’t be concerned about a being from another reality somehow just ending up in their world as a fictional character? What if I’m not the only one who came here? What if the rest of The Flock are here? Or worse, the Erasers?”

I actually get chills just saying that, as if my mind had been ignoring the possibility of those monsters being here too until I’d spoken the words allowed. As if doing so somehow made it more likely a possibility.

Misty’s expression doesn’t change for a moment, before it becomes concerned. My brief description of the Erasers and the possibity of them being here and what that could mean for everypony clearly only just that moment sinking in.

She shakes her head, before nodding. “Okay. Come on. We’ll fly there.”

She turns to leave, getting to the front door before noticing I haven’t followed. She pauses, glancing back.

“Max?” Clear Skies seems confused.

“You’re the one who asked, kid. Are ya coming or what?” Misty asks from the door, giving me a confused and annoyed look.

“Um, I will, I just…” I scratch behind my neck nervously. “I… don’t actually know how to fly? I’ve only had these wings for under twenty-four hours, after all, so...”

Misty blinks, before sighing and trots back over. “Then, before we head for the palace, you’re getting a quick crash course in basic flight.”

I wince. Oh, this is going to be painful.




 



___________________________________________________________






“If you’re stuck here a while, I’m asking the princesses if I can train you myself,” Misty says as we reach the castle. “You need it.”

I clumsily flap my wings, trying to lower my decent, before I flop face first into the stone floor outside the castle. “Ouch.”

When she said “crash course”, she didn’t know it would literally be a “crash” course.

“Misty Fly!” a grey male Earth Pony guard salutes her, his eyes trained on me with confusion and wariness. “Who’s this with you?”

“Her name’s Max,” Misty says, saluting back. “She needs to see the princesses, immediately. It’s a matter of national security.”

“Yes, ma’am!” he salutes, stepping back and letting us inside.

Within minutes, I’m standing in the throne room, staring nervously up at the princesses of the day and night themselves.

“This is very… confusing and troubling,” Celestia says, glancing to her sister. “Are you sure these Erasers, as you call them, are in our lands, Miss Max?”

I gulp, before taking a few deep breaths, clenching my fists at my side and look up at them, shaking my head. “I honestly don’t know, Your Highnesses. All I know is, with my being here, there’s the slim chance I didn’t come alone.”

“And you have no clue as to how you arrived,” Luna says.

I frown. She said that matter-of-factly, not as a question.

Celestia seems to have noticed this too, as she’s giving her sister a questioning look.

“I noticed an odd dream last night in the Dream Realm,” the Princess of the Night says simply, pointing to me. “It was her dream. I decided to investigate. Her mind is a jumbled mess of memories. However, she is speaking true when she says she is unsure of her situation and whether these Erasers are in our lands or not.”

Celestia frowns in thought, before looking to Misty Fly. “And you found her, Misty Fly?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Misty salutes.

Celestia nods. “Very well then. For the time being, whilst Luna and I look into these matters, would you mind having Miss Max be entrusted to your care?”

“Just Max, please?” I ask, rubbing a hand over my face. “The Miss part is really not helping me cope.”

Misty looks surprised for a moment, before she frowns and nods, saluting again. “It would be my honour, Your Majesties.”

“Very well.”Celestia returns the nod, before looking to me. “Max, you will be living with Misty Fly in Cloudsdale until we can ascertain where to go next and whether or not your theory of these Erasers being in our world is correct. Do you object?”

“Don’t really have much of a choice, do I?” I ask, shrugging.

So I’m going to be living in Cloudsdale for a while. This should be interesting.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2



 



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“Quit pouting, it looks cute on you,” Misty Fly says as I stand in front of the mirror, arms folded.

It’s been about an hour since we spoke with the princesses.

Just before we left the castle, Celestia suggested I get some new clothing, insisting to charge it to her.

I don’t really feel right having royalty pay for clothes I’m only going to be using til we figure out how I got here, change me back to normal and send me back, but Luna insisted I’d never convince Celestia out of it.

Guess, even if only temporarily, she truly does care about the wellbeing of all her subjects, even when they’re not from her own world.

Instead of that hospital smock I arrived in, I’m now wearing actual clothing… or what I guess counts right now.

I’m pretty much wearing a short pure white toga with golden lining and I’m not happy about it.

Sure, it’s a definite improvement over the smock and I’m at least now wearing underwear underneath, but I don’t like how open this feels. I need to clothes that actually feel like clothes, not something you’d go to bed in.

“I agree with Misty Fly,” Sassy Saddles says eagerly, the tall blue unicorn clapping her hooves reverently. “You do look quite adorable, for a creature I’ve never seen before, anyway.”

I honestly don’t know whether to take that as a well-meaning or unintentional insult.

“But, I’m Max,” I say, keeping my arms folded. “Max’s badass, not cute. I mean, I guess she’s cute in her own way, but that’s not the point of her and…” I blink, before facepalming. “Great. I sound like I’m talking in the third person, like Trixie.”

“Either way, you’ll have to make do with these for now, Max,” Misty says, following Sassy over to the register and making the arrangements for the charges to go to Celestia. “Sassy had to work with what she had. Until she and Rarity can finish some custom clothing for you, you’ll just have to wear those.”

I snort, turning away. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Misty pauses, glancing back at me. “Huh?”

I sigh, putting my hands on my hips and looking to the ceiling. “Nothing. Just an Earth phrase. I’ll explain later.”

The payments finalized, Sassy says she’ll have the other togas delivered to Misty’s house and we leave, myself really just wanting to get out of Canterlot.

Is this because I’m Max and she never felt good staying in one place too long? Have I acquired that too, like a tick?

I sure hope not. That wouldn’t really work well with the fact Misty’s now my legal guardian until I return home.

“So,” Misty glancing up to me as we walk through Canterlot, “you wanna get started on that flight training?”

“I can’t lie,” I say, folding my arms and looking up to the sky in thought, “part of me is kinda itching to give these wings a full try.”

I mean, I wasn’t able to really enjoy my flight from the apartment Clear Skies is housesitting due to the literal crash course in flying I’d been given and how it had been followed by the flight to the castle straight after, but, some parts of it did stick with me.

The feeling of not being bound to the earth, while still being in full control? It’s hard to not say that felt amazing.

Brief as it had been and distracted as I was at the time, that feeling… it was like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

I guess, if I was looking for just one simple word to describe it, it would be freedom.

Freedom from the bonds of gravity. Freedom from the limitations of the ground.

It’s not exactly something every human can say they’ve experienced. Closest I can think of would be those who sky dive and paraglide regularly and even then, they’re still limited by how long the air keeps them aloft.

When you’re the one flying, when it’s your own power keeping you in the air, the only limits are you own body. As long as you don’t get tired, you can remain airborne and free forever.

“Goodness! What is that?”

And now I remember the other reason I want to get out of Canterlot as soon as possible.

Stopping, Misty and I turn around to see a pair of unicorns I don’t recognize from the show.

The stallion is brown with a white mane and blue eyes. I can make out a golden bar for a Cutie Mark under the overly expensive looking tuxedo he’s wearing.

The mare has a white coat, two toned purple mane and a diamond for a Cutie Mark I can just make out under her overly elaborate red dress.

They’re both looking at me as if I’m some plague ridden beast about to soil their clothes or something.

“Can I help you two?” Misty asks and her tone tells me she is as keen to talk to these two obvious snobs as I am, which is none at all.

“Why don’t you have that… thing on a leash?” the stallion says, giving Rarity a run for her money is being overly dramatic, lifting his right foreleg and covering his mouth.

“Has it been vaccinated?” the mare mirrors his actions. “it could go on a rampage and must clearly be contagious.”

“Well, you two are a pair of fuckwits, but you don’t see me complaining,” I say, folding my arms.

Their eyes widen in shock, as if the concept I can speak is something they literally never even considered a possibility.

“I dunno what you snobby shit heads think I am, but you’re reactions show me you’re worthless empty ponies, with no love in your lives,” I point at them. “Here’s an idea, pricks. Next time you meet a unique creature, don’t outright assume their mindless beasts and maybe, just maybe, you’ll have some chance of pulling your heads out of your asses long enough to see there’s a world beyond just you too! Come on, Misty.”

I turn around and stomp off, the sound of Misty trotting after me following seconds after.

She catches up to me and I can tell she’s looking at me.

“People like them always irritated me,” I say, not looking at her. “And, it’s not like ponies don’t know there are other creatures in this world! Yet they treated me like I’m some kind of wild— ARGH!”

Misty says nothing for a few moments. “I agree with you.”

I almost stop in my tracks, turning and glancing to her, seeing a smirk on her face.

She nods. “Trust me, if what little you’ve told me about what you are now is anything to go by, some scathing remarks are the least you could’ve done. And snobs like them deserve a good tongue lashing every once in a while.”

I stare at her for a few seconds, before sighing. “Yeah. I’m gonna have to watch my temper though. I don’t want to cause an incident.”

She shrugs. “Eh. Come on, let’s fly.”

Her wings flap and she flies instantly.

I hesitate, glancing at my back, where Sassy had worked slits for my wings.

I take a deep breath, before running forward, extending my wings to their maximum and leap up, flapping them hard to rise up and join the Pegasus mare in the air.


 



___________________________________________________________






I sigh contentedly as I lay down on the cloud bed, feeling the puffy white stuff holding me gently.

Seriously, laying on a cloud is the softest thing you could ever feel. I can understand why Rainbow Dash napped so much throughout the early seasons.

It’s so hard to keep myself from drifting off as I lay in the puffy stuff.

Sighing with disappointment, I sit up and take in my surroundings.

I’m in a small room big enough for my wings, so a little more than ten feet in length.

There’s not much in here, just a closest, a table with a mirror and the bed I’m currently sitting on, all made of cloud.

I’m at Misty Fly’s home, or, I guess, my home for the time being.

Getting to Cloudsdale hadn’t been too hard after I finally got the basics of flying down, though we did have an unintended detour.

Due to the day being rather warm, I hadn’t really thought about it when I started feeling really hot, before I suddenly found myself rocketing through the air without any idea what was going on.

When I stopped and Misty caught up, I’d travelled several miles away from where we’d been going and she said I must’ve been going over two hundred miles per hour, something she wasn’t aware humans can do… and they can’t.

Max, on the other hand...

I lean forward on the bed, putting my hands together, thinking things over.

After my flight, Misty had insisted we stop somewhere, which I soon realized was the Junior Speedsters Flight School, the one Dash, Fluttershy and Gilda all wen to when they were little.

She’d wanted the instructor to measure my top flight speed. The fact I’d gone so fast really shocked and somewhat worried her, so she’d wanted to know just how fast I can go.

We wasted over two hours, with myself trying to push my wings to the maximum I could with my limited flight training, which has literally been less than a day.

Of course, it took a while for Max in the books to learn how to turn her Warp Drive, I think she called it, on and off on command.

We’d just been about given up when, while going into a dive, it happened. I accidentally shot right through several foal’s flight paths.

My top flight speed was registered at three hundred and fifty miles per hour.

With that learned, and my getting kinda miffed when I learned that barely puts me above an Average Pegasus’s Endurance flight speed, we arrived at her place and I’ve been in here since.

Misty’s getting dinner ready, since she now has to cook for two.

I’ll be sure to help out in the future, as I am a pretty good cook back home… at least, I should be. Sure hope I haven’t gotten Max’s bad cooking skills along with everything else. That would suck, when I used to be a good cook myself.

Sighing, I frown at my reflection in the mirror.

I can remember most of the rest of The Flock’s powers, but those aren’t any help to me since I turned specifically into Max and not any of them.

I wince. Yeesh. Actually, thinking that over, I’m glad I didn’t turn into Angel. Not only would I be even younger than I am now, but Mind Reading and Future Sight? They sound awesome on paper, but she was living proof in her universe that it can really suck ass.

“Max?” I literally jump through the roof when Misty calls from down the hall.

After fixing the hole as best I can, I push open the wood-like cloud door to my room and move down the hallway, passing two more doors, before coming out into an open space with a glass table in the centre, on which are two plates, one in front of an empty seat and the other the mare whom I’ll be living with for the foreseeable future.

Glancing around the house, I’m reminded again how interesting pegasi homes are.

You see Dash’s several times throughout the show, plus hers and Fluttershy’s parents’ too, but having another perspective makes things more interesting.

Cloud homes are an interesting blend of clouds and thicker cloud-like bricks. Unlike Dash, Misty Fly’s home isn’t as extravagant and unlike Dash’s parents’, more like a two story apartment in a complex despite being a single building.

The roofs are a darker shade of grey than the wall and floor clouds, with a more solid look that suggest it’s sturdy enough to hold those who can’t walk on clouds without them falling through, at least not right away.

I myself seem to be able to walk on clouds no problem, so it’s not too big an issue.

There are Greek/Roman style columns in the corners of each area of the house, keeping the ceiling up. The windows are an interesting type of glass made from clouds so thin you can see through them, but won’t harm any creature they may happen to fall down on or whom crashes through them.

The floor feels stable enough that non-cloud-walkers could walk on it without fear of falling through the floor and plummeting to their death, not that I think Misty has had too many non-flyers visit her house before.

Curtains, a few posters and photos dot around the house, letting colour in so everything isn’t all grey.

Sitting down, I’m a little taken aback when I realize, along with some potatoes, corn on the cob and carrots, there’s some chicken breast and bacon on not only my plate, but Misty’s too.

“I thought ponies didn’t eat meat,” I say, though it’s somewhat of a lie.

I’ve known for several years now that equines can actually eat and digest meat, but it was never fully expressed in the show or EQG movies whether or not MLP ponies eat meat. It was mostly just discussed within the fandom.

Best case scenario, they just don’t eat red meat.

“Equines in your world are weird, kid,” Misty says, using her wings to hold her knife and fork, cutting a piece of pototaos and chewing it. “All poniesh in Equeshtria eat meat.” She swallows. “Granted, we don’t eat red meat, but we do still eat meat.”

I nod. Thought so. Just had to clarify.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask about what you can really do,” Misty says as I cut some chicken and eat it. “We know you’re top speed and flight and you mentioned this Max character you’ve become is pretty strong, but what else, kid?”

I pause, the last piece of bacon inches from my lips. I frown, thinking. “Well, it’s been a while since I read the books, so let me think while… um...”

I trail off, looking away.

“What?” Misty asks, lifting a potato slice to her mouth, before she seems to notice my empty plate. “Wow. You were hungry.”

“Well, to be fair, this is the first time I’ve eaten since arriving here,” I say, scratching a finger against my brow nervously.

Misty nods quickly, taking my plate and flies over to the cloud kitchen counter, grabbing some of the remaining food and, apparently thinking ahead, piles twice as much as before onto my plate.

“So, Max’s skills?” she says after laying the plate in front of me, which I quickly tuck into.

I chew for several moments (seriously this chicken is brilliant, either the trope in fanfics that Equestrian food just tastes better than either food is true or Misty is just that damn good a cook) then swallowing, thinking.

“Well… best I remember, along with her abilities of flight and speed, I do remember something about fast healing and breathing underwater. Enhanced eyesight too, since I can zoom in on things far away, like a hawk or eagle,” I point to my eyes with my pinkie-finger while I shovel several chucks of potato in my mouth.

The eyesight thing is definitely something I know Max has and it not just something I got that she mightn’t have. It’s how Max first met her half-sister unaware in the first book. I remember that much.

Was there anything else though?

“Huh. Interesting power set there,” Misty looks up at the cloud ceiling. “Breathing underwater, huh? Must say, didn’t see that one coming. Breathing underwater isn’t exactly something you associate with flying.”

Just wait til… til…

I frown, looking down at my plate as I take another mouthful of chicken.

Something she said there just triggered something in my brain. I remembered something for a second there, but… it’s gone. Whatever memory I was just about to get has drifted back into the abyss.

“Um… Max?”

I glance to Misty, confused by her shocked expression, before glancing down at my currently empty plate, followed by my stomach growling loudly.

“Um… can I have some more?” I ask, blushing.

Apparently I’d neglected to mention the whole “Max eats like a tank” part.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3



 



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I’m aroused from sleep but an odd sound.

It’s like knocking, but… not.

Trying to think through the haze of half-awake, I’m aware something is very strange, but can’t put my finger on it.

The odd not knocking happens again and I try to snuggle further into my bed. Man, it’s never felt this comfy before and considering it’s still summer in Australia, I should not be enjoying feeling so cozy at this point.

I turn over when I hear… something? It sounds like a door opening, but, like the not knocking… not a door opening?

Man, I’ve never been this out of it when half-awake before. What the heck was I doing before bed last night?

“MAX!”

“YAH!” I yell, leaping up and… smashing my head through a cloud ceiling?

At once, I’m wide awake as everything snaps back into glaring focus.

After a moment or two pulling my head out of the roof and Misty fixing it, said Pegasus gives me a look.

“What?” I shrug. 

She just gives me a disapproving look. “I thought we agreed you’d be up at O eight hundred hours promptly so I could take you around the neighbourhood so you could get your bearings before I have to head off for work? It’s past nine now!”

I blink, blush, then shake my head and fold my arms. “In my defence, I’ve never exactly slept in a cloud bed before. How was I to know they’d be that comfy? Hardly my fault if my body decides, upon feeling the most comfy bed ever, to sleep in.”

Seriously, humans are missing out. When I head home, I’m going to really miss sleeping on a cloud bed. Won’t be surprised if I never get another good night’s sleep again once I return. No mattress in history will ever be as comfy as a cloud bed.

Misty sighs in exasperation, before looking to me. “If can get off early enough, I’ll show you around. If you want to explore a little, make sure the house is in your sights at all times. Last thing I want is to have to go looking for you because you got yourself lost.”

I frown as she turns and heads out my bedroom and down the hall, myself following.

We come out into the dining room, where she grab a saddlebag off the back of a chair, indicating to four plates piled with a lot of food on the table.

That does pull me out of my little peeved state at her tone earlier and I blush.

We learned our lesson after yesterday evening. I definitely have Max’s appetite now and that’s gonna mean a lot of food consumed. It’s a good thing the princesses said they’d compensate Misty for looking after me… but they clearly don’t realize how in over their head they’re getting themselves on my dietary needs alone.

I wave Misty off and she heads out the door, flying away to.... where would she be flying to?

I ponder this as I sit down and start devouring my breakfast that, to many, would seem more like a feast.

Obviously, Misty could be going to the Wonderbolts Headquarters for practice, but Rainbow Dash still worked as a Weather Pony before joining the bolts and… ya know, far as I can tell, she never stopped.

I blink. Wow. I suddenly have a lot more respect for Dash. Working two jobs, one of them being a Wonderbolt and still finding the time to do her own thing?

She’s more like Twilight than she gives herself credit. Pulling that off must require a lot of planning.

Finishing breakfast, I take my dishes to the weird metal-cloud sink and wash them, finding myself amused by the concept that the water is likely coming from the clouds all around me.

Having a shower last night had been an… odd experience. 

One, washing myself as a girl. HOO, BOI, was I self-conscious throughout the whole thing. Damn near passed out when Misty offer to help.

The showers work in a similar vein as the sink, a mixture of cloud and cloud-like brick and metal with a soft floor that made me feel very self-conscious of the water the entire time, having to constantly remind myself that I wasn’t actually wasting water, as it was just going back into the cloud structure and filtering throughout Cloudsdale… which is still a weird concept to get used to experiencing in person.

Setting the dishes aside to dry, I pause, wondering if I could meet Fluttershy’s parents.

I mean, Misty said not to wander off too far, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got that thing Max has in the books where she can just know where she’s going, like an internal compass or something.

And it’s not like I’m going to be having much fun here inside all day.

No TV, no comic books, no internet.

If I don’t get out of the house, I think I’ll go nuts.

Packing myself a small snack and in a backpack we got for me yesterday, I make sure to lock the front door with the spare key Misty gave me, though, as Silver Quill pointed out, Pegasus security stinks because one can literally just walk through the walls if they want to, I back up and look at the house proper.

I hadn’t really gotten a great look at it yesterday, what with it being so late in the afternoon by the time we arrived and my running on fumes due to not having eaten since arriving in Equestria, but now.

It’s nothing special from the front, really. 

A two story house, with three windows on the upper top floor facing outward, a side part to the house that I guess it where the living and dining rooms are, with three windows on them.

The house is separated from the one next to it by a rainbow coloured metal-like fence. I don’t know what it’s made it, clearly not cloud, but not normal metal either. 

While the interior of the roof looks like a normal one from back home on the inside, the outside looks like someone just dumped a heap of clouds haphazardly on the roof and didn’t bother to fix it up.

And, for some reason, she has a bunch of clouds in the front yard like bushes.

Surprised Misty would choose to live in such a non-flashy looking place.

Hands behind my head, I turn around and look at the neighbourhood.

Honestly, it doesn’t look all that different from the one I used to live in back when I was still living with my family.

You have your cloudlike footpaths moving around everywhere, leading to and front houses and off to other directions, rainbow fences separating each house and its front lawn.

I blink, frowning as I notice a flower growing out a small patch of cloud.

Walking over and bending down, it is indeed a flower… but not like any I’ve ever seen. Is this some kind of breed specific to Cloudsdale that can only grow in clouds? Because I don’t see any dirt for it to be growing out of.

“Can I help you, um… what are you, exactly?” a kinda gruff, kinda gentle voice says from behind me.

Turning my head, I’m looking up at a Pegasus stallion with a purplish-blue coat and very short-cut rainbow mane and tail, with fetlock hooves, wearing a green short-sleeve shirt over a yellow under shirt.

Glancing to his Cutie Mark, I see a right side up horseshoe in front of a rainbow with a small cloud on the end at it’s left… that kinda reminds me of G3 Rainbow Dash’s Cutie Mark.

I blink as it clicks into place.

“Hi,” I stand up and turn around, extending a hand. “I’m Max.”

“Bow Hothoof,” he greets back, putting his hoof in my hand and we shake.

“Sorry if that seemed weird,” I say, pointing behind me to the plant. “I was just curious about that flower. Wasn’t aware plants could grow on clouds.”

I mean, I think Fluttershy’s mother has a garden with a bit of dirt in it, but not in the clouds themselves.

The stallion nods, before cocking an eyebrow at me. “Not meaning to sound rude in anyway, Miss Max, but I’ve never seen any creature like you before.” He glances down at my feet. “How’re you even standing on the clouds?”

I simply extend my wings out to their full length.

Bow takes a step back in surprise, before returning to his previous position and looking my wings over. “Wow. So, you’re a flier? That explains the walking on clouds, but… what are you?”

I smirk, folding my arms and slacking my wings so they remain out, but not extended. “I’m what one would call an Avian-Human Hybrid.”

Bow looks confused. “Hue-man? What’s that?”

I’m about to answer bluntly, before a line from the first episode of Doctor Whooves & Assistant pops into my head and I get a shit-eating grin even bigger. “Oh, you know, hairless apes. Walks bipedal.”

He just gives me a blank look.

I pout. Man, what a waste of a good inside joke.

“So… what’re ya doing here, Miss Max?” he asks, clearly wanting to change the subject to something that makes sense again. “I doubt you came up to Cloudsdale to our front yard just to look at a flower.”

I nod, putting my hands behind my head. “I somehow ended up in Equestria with no explanation. I’ve been placed to live here til they can figure out how to send me home.”

He becomes worried. “Really? You got lost? Do your parents know where ya are?”

I have to hold back a snicker. I highly doubt that.

I hold up my hands. “It’s fine, Hothoof. I’m staying with a Pegasus mare who’s agreed to let me stay til things can be sorted out. No need to worry.”

I blink. Why did that feel like it should’ve set off an alarm bell, just now?

“Well, okay then,” he says, though I can tell he’s still a little concerned for me. Guessing my voice makes me sound more childlike to him and he picked up on that fast, his parental instincts wanting to keep any kid safe. “Do you need any help?”

I blink, before smiling. “Well, and as long as it’s not troubling you, would you be able to point me in the direction of Fluttershy’s family’s home?”

He nods, giving me the directions.

I thank him and head out, stretching my wings out as I walk.

In all truthfulness, I actually wanted to get away from there as soon as possible. Halfway through our conversation I remembered Dash’s parents aren’t meant to learn she’s a Wonderbolt until season 7 and if the timeline’s still in season 5, I gotta be careful.

That’s not til next season and… I grumble, putting a hand to my head. If my memories of both the show and my own life would just becoming clearer, I could figure things out better.

Kinda hard to keep track of what should and shouldn’t happen if you can’t even remember how it happens.

Last thing I want is to accidentally interferer with a key moment and derail the entire Equestrian timeline.

Shaking my head, I put that aside and return my attention to the path, feeling excited to meet Fluttershy’s parents, before halting and deadpanning.

I better be at a point where Zephyr Breeze is already off trying to get into that Mane Therapy thing so I don’t have to deal with him.

Pretty sure his episode was in season 6, but whether he’s already left for it or not is unclear.

Sighing, not nearly as excited as I was several seconds ago, I continue down the path, checking for the landmarks Hothoof suggested to me.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4



 



___________________________________________________________






“Fluttershy’s house should be… there,” I smile as I see the lopsided two story cloud house with four varying in size top floor windows and clouds on the roof that look like curly hair.

Quickly walking passed the rainbow fence separating the house from its neighbours, I walk up the front path and knock on the purple door.

After a few moments, it opens, revealing a yellow mare with a red mane and tail in a style that reminds me of those old sitcoms. She’s also wearing green square glasses over her red as her mane eyes and a yellow pearl necklace around her neck.

She blinks in surprise, backing up slightly.

“I… um… what’re— who’re you…?” she asks timidly.

Immediately I inwardly sigh. Yeah, with her parents being even more Fluttershy than Fluttershy, talking isn’t going to be as easy as one would hope.

“Hi, Mrs. Shy,” I smile, waving. “My name’s Max. I recently moved into Cloudsdale and was just wanted to meet you.”

I think my voice sounding so young makes her drop her guard, myself suddenly remembering that, to most ponies, I probably already look like I’m full grown, since I’m taller than an average pony already, because the tension in her body lessens and she gives a small smile.

“How old are you, dear?”

“Twelve,” I answer. I mean, it’s not quite true. I’m definitely more around six, but I look twelve, so better to just go with that.

We don’t get to talk further, however, as I hear a voice yell “Look out!” before I feel something slam into me and press me down.

“What’re you doing?!” Mrs Shy’s voice cries out in alarm.

“Don’t worry, Mrs Shy! You’re safe now!” I deadpan into the cloud sidewalk I’m being pressed into as I recognize the voice.

Shifting my head to glance over my shoulder, I see a brown coated stallion with short brownish-grey mane atop me, his hooves pressing firmly on my back. Good thing I pulled my wings in, or he’d have really messed them up.

“Thought you could go around and hurt innocent ponies, here, freak?” another voice says, Dumbell’s lackey, Hoops, coming into view.

I actually pause, before deadpanning up at the pony holding me down. “Oh, sure. Just chatting is so dangerous. I could’ve said something painful. Thank you for stopping me from my evil ways of friendly communication.”

“Did you think we didn’t know what you were when we saw you, Changeling?” Dumbell says.

I pause, actually taken aback by that, before rolling my eyes. “Yes, because, if a Changeling wanted to kidnap Fluttershy’s mother, they’d totally turn into a creature Mrs Shy has never seen before in her life instead of Fluttershy or her husband. Because random creatures are so much better disguises than family members.”

“Yeah. We’re pretty amazing,” Hoops says and I decide not to say anything… though I’m pretty sure that penny’s gonna keep falling.

“Well, this has been fun and all,” I say, my mood incredibly sour now thanks to these knuckleheads, “but, I think I’m done playing your stupid games.”

Before either of them can react, I extend my wings out with a thrust, the sudden motion taking Dumbell by surprise and knocking him off me.

I quickly stand up and turn around to face them, glaring. “Last I checked, even in Equestria, assaulting a minor is against the law.”

“You really are dumb,” Hoops says as he stands next to Dumbell. “Why would you say your job is mining if you give your disguise wings?”

I pause, before facepalming. Oh, good grief, these two are idiots.

“Once we turn you into the Royal Guard, we’ll get a nice reward,” I remove my hand to see the two of them moving towards me in what is clearly meant to be a sneaky fashion… as if I can’t actually see them right in front of me.

I growl. From what I remember of these two, trying to reason with them using my words is gonna do jack. So, I guess I’ll try tiring them out first. Maybe then they’ll somewhat listen.

“You want me?” I extend my wings out to their full length, before thrusting them down, hard, sending myself rocketing into the air. “Come and get me!”

I shoot back down, flying right past them, knowing it’ll throw them off.

I soar above the cloud pavement, eventually hearing the duo yelling and flying after me.

Now, I’m aware this could backfire on me, badly. According to the Junior Speedster Flight School, my top speed is barely better than the average Pegasus and that’s when I’m in a dive and using Warp Drive at the same time.

However, while I’m aware these boys did go to Flight Camp and the same school as Dash, I’m also aware that they’re your average Pegasus. So, with my more mauverable body and definite intellect advantage, I used be able to outpace them.

Seeing a group of ponies up ahead, I angle my wings and soar higher, flying right over their heads, causing confused cries, followed by angered ones as Dumbbell and Hoops clearly don’t avoid them as easily.

After a few minutes, during which it’s made clear these two morons are not going to give up, I realize I’m reaching the edge of Cloudsdale.

I almost stop, not wanting to risk getting lost if I leave the cloud city, but a glance behind me reminds me why that isn’t a good idea.

Just have to try keeping Cloudsdale in sight, I think to myself, before I pass over the edge and dive.

“It left the city!” Hoops voice yells.

“After it!” Dumbell’s follows.

I maneuver around several clouds as I continue my dive, focusing my sight ahead.

Thanks to my enhanced eyesight, I can see Cloudsdale was recently passing over a large lake near what looks like a small fishing town.

Not that I’m really given time to absorb too many details as I hear the yells of the two small minded stallions behind me.

I increase my diving speed, glancing over my shoulder to notice the two definitely look like they’re struggling to keep up.

My hunch was right. While my top speed, which I haven’t even reached yet, isn’t much faster than the average Pegasus, these two still aren’t that fast as flyers.

Turning my gaze forward again, I have to change my path instantly as a yelling grey blur shoots past me and I hear a collision behind.

“Oops. My bad!” a familiar voice says and I can’t help smiling.

I turn to look back, calling out, “Thanks for the assist, Derpy.”

“Any time,” a happy voice calls back.

“Hey!” Dumbbell yells, before I can tell the two have resumed their chase.

I head for the town, maneuvering around startled ponies as I try to lose the two chasing me, though they’re annoyingly insistent.

As I avoid a cart of cabages, followed a few seconds later by a crashing sound and a voice yelling “My cabages!”, I realize I’m close to the town’s docks… and get an idea.

Glancing behind me and seeing the two pegasi still chasing after me, I grin, giving them a two finger salute and say, “Catch me if ya can, boys!”

With that, I aim for the docks, angling myself so I start to rise as the docks get closer and closer, before going into a dive once I’m high enough above the water and as far out as I dare.

I hear confused calls from my chasers before I hit the water, it surrounding me all around.

Once I’ve slowed down from loss of momentum, I just float, looking upwards.

Hoops and Dumbbell are both hovering over the water, looking left and right, clearly not able to see where I am in the water.

Thankfully, my guess is write as I find myself breathing easily and able to see just fine.

I smirk. I can literally just wait it out here until they leave… which isn’t long. Turns out, when you chase after a random creature, yelling about catching a Changeling, you draw a lot of attention.

I snicker as I watch an exchange between the local authorities and what are clearly Cloudsdale’s own police, with the two dumbasses clearly trying to explain themselves and failing.

I wait until the area above the water is clear, then rise up to the surface and breathe in fresh air.

Glancing around, I wonder where I am and whether or not I should spend some time swimming.

A clearing of a throat startles me and I look around to see a Cloudsdale police officer standing at the edge of the dock, looking pointedly at me.

He’s a relatively strong build, have a brown coat and a familiar light-blue mane and tail, the former cut very short. He’s wearing a stereotypical blue police officer outfit.

I wilt a little as he looks firmly at me. “Would you please get out of the water? We’d like to hear your side of the story so we can make a police report.”






 



___________________________________________________________










“Well, I’ll admit, I was surprised to learn you’ve taken this young one in, Misty,” the stallion says as we sit around the dinner table.

It’s late afternoon now.

After I went along with Officer Brawny Build to the Cloudsdale police station, he asked me the usual questions you’d expect from police as well as asking for my specific side of the story… which, it turns out, made WAY more sense than it needed to be compared to the statements Hoops and Dumbbell’s gave.

Simply explaining them I’m new to Cloudsdale and they attacked me under the idea of was a Changeling was what I was expecting to have my story compared to… but, oh no. Those two apparently thought it was some huge, epic adventure.

To use their exact words, I was apparently an evil infiltrator intending to take Mrs Shy’s place, then attack Fluttershy and replace her so I could get to Princess Twilight.

And, when I was found out, I went on a rampage, them listing everything they damaged while chasing after me as if I’d done it as part of some epic plan and how they’d valiantly put their lives on the line trying to stop me.

Yeah, with the absurdity of it all, along with the numerous witness testimonies, their story fell flat fast.

Once all was said and done, Officer Brawny offered to take me home and, after everything I’d been through, I happily accepted.

Turns out, Officer Brawny is Misty’s dad.

“Perhaps you should ask somepony else to show you around Cloudsdale for a while, hey, Max?” Misty looks to me.

I pause, a huge chunk of fish inches from my mouth and nod.

“Well, at least you were able to confirm that theory of yours,” Misty says, taking a sip of orange juice. “You can breathe underwater.”

“Good chin, choo,” I say through my mouthful of fish, before swallowing. “If I hadn’t thought of diving in the water and been able to stay in there so long, I dunno how long I’d have been flying to keep away from those two morons before the authorities got to them.”

“Well, you won’t have to worry about those two,” Brawny says, shaking his head. “They’ll be doing community service for the next two weeks and have been informed they aren’t allowed to interact with you unless given your express permission.”

Considering how rough they tried to be with me, it feels like a light sentence, but this is Equestria, not Earth, so I guess I’ll let it slide.

Sure, they assaulted me… but they’re also idiots and were under the impression they were saving Equestria from a threat. I’ll let it slide… this once.

Derpy and Mrs Shy stopped by a little while ago, Derpy wanting to apologize for accidentally colliding with those idiots.

I explained to her she’d actually helped and thanked her, her offering to Misty to watch over me whenever she wasn’t able to.

Mrs Shy was similar. She apologized for not being able to stop me from behind attacked, but I told her it was totally fine. She also offered watch over me if ever it was needed.

It feels kinda demeaning to have others offer to look after you like your understandable to look after yourself when you know you can, but it’s sweet that they offered, so I didn’t say anything against it.

Plus, Derpy could even show me around Ponyville whenever I decide to go there.

Once Brawny leave, I decide to turn in early.

Please let tomorrow not be as crazy. Please.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5



 



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I stretch my arms above my head as I sit on a cloud and lean back, closing my eyes.

Things have been… actually, pretty chill in Equestria.

My time in Cloudsdale has been quite pleasant. I definitely think, despite how interesting it would’ve been, living in Ponyville would’ve been far more stressful and, still trying to fully under why I’m now Max, I think I’d have been wound too tight, staying in Ponyville, considering how crazy things get in that town.

That’s not to say I’ve spent all my time in Cloudsdale and not been to Ponyville.

Derpy lives here, after all and, what with her and I kinda becoming friends after that incident between those two dimwit excuses for pegasi, she brought me down from time to time to see the place.

Twilight’s reaction upon seeing a human in Equestria was… well, it’s Twilight Sparkle. She Twilighted like crazy.

It took a lot to get her to calm down and not panic that humans from the EQG world were randomly showing up in Equestria as humans, apparently not helped by my revealing my wings, since that just made her think I’d permanently Ponied Up.

It was quite exhausting trying to explain my wings are from genetic manipulation causing mutation, not magic.

Derpy had actually had to go get Fluttershy’s mother and Misty to help clarify my story.

It took several hours (partly because Derpy got lost on her way to finding Misty), but, by day’s end, Twilight had accepted things regarding me.

Of course, that was mostly due to a reassuring letter from Celestia and a quick communication between her and Sunset to confirm no one named Max had mysteriously vanished.

Misty had also, thankfully, been able to convince Twilight not to make me a new subject of study, mostly by pointing out what my being Max means and, therefore, how her making me a new study would essentially be putting me in a similar situation as what Max was put through in the books.

Twilight wasn’t exactly eager to perform experiments on someone who had already been used in them all her life.

Granted, it’s my body that went through all that and not me personally, but the sentiment is the same.

So, with that out of the way, Derpy had shown me around town, introducing me to everypony… which thankfully did not include a certain mint green mare whom I knew would have a huge reaction upon laying eyes on me.

I’m still dreading the day she and I meet and is why I’ve only visited Ponyville every once in a while and only for short periods of time.

It has been enough for me to get to know ponies and get caught up on current events.

The CMC have their Cutie Marks, Shining Armour and Cadance have announced they’re having their baby and Discord had his little lesson to Twilight about jealously, strengthening their friendship.

I do have a nagging feeling though.

Like, I can’t explain it, but, I feel like something’s gone wrong and I can’t figure it out.

Nightmare Night and Hearth’s Warming having happened before I arrived certainly didn’t help, since it meant I’d arrived after events of the show that shouldn’t have already happened before others, but I can’t shake the feeling something’s off about that.

I’ve been visiting Twilight whenever I can to ask about it and she’s told me it’s nothing to worry about, that I’m probably just imagining things… but I don’t think I am.

Max in the books had a keen sense for danger and, whenever her gut told her she was in danger, it was rarely wrong, so I’m trusting my gut right now more so than Twilight’s.

I mean, Princess Bookhorse’s gut hasn’t exactly been trustworthy on quite a few occasions, has it?

Regardless, it’s why I’m hanging on this cloud right now.

I’m fully aware that a bird’s eye view of Ponyville should let me see whatever danger it is my gut must be warning me about.

Plus, I should easily be able to spot a certain mint green unicorn long before she sees me.

Sitting up, I lean forward over the cloud, my stomach pressing into my knees as my legs dangle off the cloud.

Looking Ponyville over, I spot Spike and Twilight, the former pulling a rolling suitcase behind him.

I frown. That feeling of something wrong just got another tick.

Seriously, what am I getting so scared of?

Deciding that, since this might be one I can actually deal with, I slide off the cloud, gliding towards the two purple people.

As I get close, hovering several feet behind them, I suddenly get an image of Ryuk and Rem from Death Note pop into my mind, specifically how they’d follow behind Light and Misa and how, anyone watching the three of us, I’d look like I’m a cute Shinigami following after the two of them and I can’t help giggling at the image.

I stop giggling, however, when a flash of green appears in my peripheral vision and I zip behind the nearest building, peering out anxiously from behind it… only to sigh with relief as I see it’s just some random green Earth Pony with a trio of diamonds for a Cutie Mark.

I shake my head, returning to the air and fly quickly towards Twilight’s castle, shoving my way through the doors and not bothering to close them.

“… that sounds better than Starlight Glimmer coming back with a plot for revenge,” Spike’s voice says from somewhere up ahead.

The mention of Starlight Glimmer’s name triggers something in my head and my heart leaps into my chest.

Without even thinking, I go into Warp Drive, rocketing down the hall, following the sounds of voices.

“Welcome home, Twilight,” Starlight is saying as I reach the door, leering as she turns her attention to a scroll levitating next to her.

My eyes widen as it clicks in my head what’s going on… which makes me briefly forget them I’m still flying and still in Warp Drive.

Before I or the ponies and dragon can do anything, I’ve shot past Twilight and Spike, colliding with the magic from Starlight’s horn as it’s connecting to the spell.

I… honestly have no idea what happened next.

The next thing I know, my whole body feels like it does normally in Warp Drive, only times a billion, I hear a deafening booming sound and… Barbie screaming?

I have no time to properly process what all these things could mean before the world goes black.








 



___________________________________________________________










Ow. My head.

I groan, turning over, snuggling into the fluffiness of the clouds beneath me.

Wait. Clouds?

Oh, thank Celestia. I was dreaming.

That suddenly makes more sense.

“Is it waking?” a voice says from somewhere above me.

“Maybe? Perhaps it can explain what that unicorn was doing with it,” another voice says. “Then again...” 

I frown, but don’t open my eyes.

Really? Can’t these ponies have their conversation somewhere else? Can’t a girl get some peace and quiet while sleeping in her own bedroom?

…

Wait a minute.

Something doesn’t add up here.

Why are there ponies having a conversation in my room?

I don’t recognize the voices, plus, both are male, so neither of them is Misty.

I open my eyes… and am suddenly very aware that I am not in my bedroom.

Sitting up quickly, I can tell I’m in what I can best describe as a dungeon made of grey clouds.

Startled cries make me turn my attention to a door that is a more dark-grey clouds than the rest of the room.

There’s bars on the top of the door, through which I can make out two faces.

One is a kinda buff blue Pegasus, wearing either Roman or Greek armour, it’s hard to tell. He has light-blue eyes and a grey beard.

The other stallion is another Pegasus… who I think for split second is Flash Sentry, before I remember neither of the voices I heard sounded like Vincent Tong.

Still, the guy does look a lot like Flash Sentry. I mean, his coat look a slightly darker shade of yellow than Flash’s, but, otherwise, the two could be identical twins.

I do notice his armour is a different colour than the other Pegasus’ though.

While the Flash lookalike has silver armour, the buffer guy has golden, bronzish armour. The Flash lookalike’s superior, maybe?

“Well, at least it’s awake now,” the blue Pegasus says.

I frown, folding my arms. “Hey, I’m not an it, I’m a she.”

I blink, then inwardly snicker. Though that would be funnier if Twilight was here.

The two stallion’s eyes widen, before they get sad expressions for some reason.

“She isn’t mindless?” the blue Pegasus says, sounding heartbroken. “Her fate would have been kinder had she not kept her mind.”

I frown, returning my thoughts to the present. “Excuse me? Was that a threat?”

The Flash lookalike gets a frantic look and waves a hoof. “N-no, m’lay. He meant no ill to you. It’s just… with whatever spell that unicorn must have used to transform you into… whatever that is, we thought you would prefer not remembering.”

I glance down at myself… confused by what they mean.

“What are you talking about?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow. “This is how I’ve always looked.” Well, since coming to Equestria, anyway, but that’s not the point.

The two seem shocked.

“Truly?” the buff Pegasus asks, his eyes wide.

“Yes,” I say, getting a bit annoyed now, standing up. “Now, mind explaining why I’m in a worthless cloud dungeon? Since when were these even still a thing? Misty said they stopped using them shortly after Luna was banished.”

“What?!” the shout makes me flinch.

“Why would Princess Luna be banished?” the blue stallion said firmly, before narrowing his eyes at me. “Are you and this Misty friend of yours part of that group who tried to start that church worshiping Celestia alone?”

…

Okay. File that under Need To Ask Celestia About Later and WTF?!

“You know? Luna’s banishment after the whole Nightmare Moon thing?” I ask, folding my arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Nightmare… what?” the two look to each other, confused.

I frown. Where have these two morons been the last year and a half? How do they not know about Luna’s fall to Nightmare Moon, banishment to the moon and purification by the Elements?

“Please, just let me go!” a voice calls out.

My eyes widen. Starlight. Suddenly, everything comes back.

Starlight had just been about to use Starswirl the Bearded’s Time Travel spell to go back in time and stop Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six from gaining their Cutie Mark connection through the Rainboom.

I’d flown into the room just as she was casting it and… got between Starlight and the spell as she was casting it.

Holy crap! I’m in the past! No wonder these stallions are dressed in old armour and have no clue what I’m talking about regarding Nightmare Moon and Luna’s banishment.

Those things haven’t happened yet.

Shit, I could’ve just altered Equestria’s history by revealing what’s going to happen to Luna before it happens.

“That unicorn you mentioned,” I say quickly, putting the pieces together in my head as I hurry to the doors and grab the bars. “Did she have a scroll with her?”

The Flash lookalike, whom I’m now guessing is his ancestor, nods. “Yes, she did. We assumed it was the spell she’d used to turn you into… well…”

“Where is it?” I ask, my brain going a million miles a minute.

“Well, she’s several cells down that way,” I’m just going to call him Flash says, pointing to his right. “We put you in a cell too, since we weren’t sure the after effects of the spell and whether or not you were safe.”

“And, judging by your rambling, we weren’t too off there,” the other Pegasus says haughtily. “Banishing Princess Luna. Of all the nonsense.”

“No, not Starlight, the spell!” I say, though I inwardly thank Flash for that titbit of info. 

Flash blinks, before nodding. “Oh, it’s on its way to Canterlot. We couldn’t figure out the markings and, since we thought you were under a spell, we thought a unicorn there could figure out the spell and reverse it, but… I guess we don’t need to now?”

My heart leaps into my chest!

Fuck! Starswirl’s completed Time Travel spell is heading for Canterlot?!

I nod, giving a quick salute. “Thanks for the tip, boys. Now, I gotta go before the space time continue starts choking on its own blood.”

Before either of them can even process what I was talking about, I turn and charge at the wall to Flash’s right, passing through it with ease.

Seriously, Silver Quill was right. Pegasus’ security stinks!

“Starlight!” I yell at the top of my lungs, bashing through wall after wall of clouds. “Starlight, where are you?!”

“Wha— Yes! Here! Here, I’m in here!” a frantic voice calls out.

I make a sharp turn and, opening my wings, shoot through more cloud walls.

After about ten of them, I have to backtrack after a pinkish-purple blur passing by me.

Starlight is bound in cloud chains, what looks like a metal ring around her horn.

“Wa-wait,” Starlight’s eyes widen. “You-you’re that’s biped who’s been hanging around Ponvyille every now and then.”

“Yes. Name’s Max. Time’s short. Introductions later,” I say quickly, grabbing the chains and poofing them, before giving her a raised eyebrow. “And you didn’t do that because…?”

Starlight blushes heavily. “I… didn’t know I could do that.”

The sound of a bell ringing our suddenly catches my attention.

I look to the ring on Starlight’s head. It doesn’t look like you can just pull it off. There’s probably a key somewhere.

Still, now’s not the time to go looking for it.

Starlight yelps as I grab her, wrap her in my arms and charge at the wall as I leap into the air, flaring my wings.

Starlight screams as I angle downward and we smash our way through the cloud floors.

After twenty, we’re met with fresh air.

Glancing back, I see what looks like a medieval castle made out of clouds, pegasi flying to and fro.

I go into Warp Drive, hoping the pegasi will be too distracted by all the confusion to notice us and follow.

That armour they’re wearing suggests warriors, so their tops speeds are likely way faster than mine… or so I think.

Before Starlight and I know what’s happening, the world becomes a literal blur.

I think I heard Starlight start to scream, but then everything goes silent, save the loud rushing of air in my ears.

It takes a few moments for me to catch myself and I stop my Warp Drive… only to see we’re so far away from wherever we were, I can’t even see it anymore.

A look of the land tells me we’re above some kind of swamp.

How bloody fast and far did I just go?

Glancing down to ask Starlight if she’s alright, I blanch as the unicorn mare looks half dead, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, her eyes having rolled into the back of her head.

Um… whoops.








 



___________________________________________________________










“You’ll be just fine,” the blue Earth Pony mare says to the slightly green looking Starlight. “You just went way too fast, too quickly. Some rest will have you right as rain again.”

“Thank you,” Starlight slurs, slumping her head to the pillow.

After realizing Starlight was possibly dying, I’d flown down to the swamp, hoping to find somepony to help.

By luck, we were near a small village in this place named Hayseed Swamp and I’d found this nice mare who’d given Starlight some medicine that had woken her up, but she clearly is still recovering from massive jetlag.

The mare was even able to help us remove the ring around Starlight’s horn.

Though, that might also have been a reason for Starlight getting sick. Her body tried to compensate after the fierce speeds she’d been through, her magic returning amplifying that and… it was just too big an overload of information for her body to physically handle.

“Ah’ll leave the two o’ you,” the mare says, heading for the door to the small room. “Let me know if’n ya need anything.”

“We will,” I call, waving. “And, thanks again.”

She nods, closing the door behind her.

Once she has, I turn to Starlight, my expression firm. “Starlight, you seriously fucked up this time.”

“Ugh, can’t it wait til I don’t feel like my stomach is in my lungs?” Starlight groans, turning over so she’s not looking at me.

“Unless you want to fade from existence, no, it can’t wait!” I hiss.

There’s a long pause, before Starlight slowly turns around, meeting my eyes with a distant and unamused gaze. “Huh?”

I scowl at her. “You’re messing with Starswirl’s old Time Travel spell has gotten us stuck in the past, before Luna even became Nightmare Moon.”

Starlight just blinks lazily. “That… is ridiculous. I meant to go back to Cloudsdale…”

“To stop Rainbow Dash from making the Sonic Rainboom and thus stopping Twilight and the others getting their Cutie Marks, I know!” I hiss. “But, something screwed up and, instead of sending the two of us to Cloudsdale when Rainbow was still a filly, you somehow sent us to Cloudsdale over a thousand years in the past!”

She just blinks back. “Uh… how?”

“If I had to guess,” I growl, rubbing the bridge between my eyes, “it’s because I got between your magic and the scroll as you were casting the spell. I was using Warp Drive and, it must’ve briefly super charged it and I ended up going so fast I broke the Time Barrier, you getting pulled along with me.”

“So… it’s actually your fault we’re stuck here, then?” Starlight deadpans.

I snarl at her. “No, it’s your fault. We wouldn’t even be in this mess if you’d just fucking read a history book or read a newspaper once in a while!”

She shows slight confusion. “Huh?”

I growl. “If you actually bothered to do your research, you’d know that Twilight and the others are the ones who stopped Nightmare Moon. You’d know they stopped Discord. Helped stop the Changelings from taking over Canterlot. Helped stop Sombra from taking over the Crystal Empire when it returned. Stopped Equestrai from being overrun by Discord’s old Plunder Vines. And, finally, stopped Tirek from taking all the magic in Equestria and ruling it! Without Twilight and the others getting their Cutie Mark bond from the Rainboom, Equestria is fucked!”

There’s silence for several long minutes, before Starlight gives a slight scowl. “You have got to be kidding me, right? What’s so special about Princess Twilight’s friends? How can a group of ponies that are so different be so important?!”

“Because that’s how fate works sometimes, Starlight?!” I scowl, standing up and indicating to myself. “Look at me. The same question you pose about Twilight and her friends being so important can apply to me as well! Why was I turned into Max? Why was I sent to Equestria? I don’t know, but you wanna know what won’t help me get answers?”

Starlight rolls her eyes. “No, what?”

I grit my teeth. “Trying to ignore the issue and just doing whatever I want without thinking of the consequences. For example,” I indicate around us, “because you didn’t think to simply talk with Twilight instead of trying to rewrite her personal history to make her suffer, the consequence is that you and I are now stuck over a thousand years in the past and all of time and space might soon implode from the paradox you’ve unleashed.”

Starlight looks confused again. “What paradox?”

I fold my arms and reply sarcastically, “Oh, nothing. Just that several ponies now know about Luna’s fall to Nightmare Moon and banishment possibly years before it’ll happen and Starswirl’s completed spell is now headed to Canterlot, where Starswirl will no doubt read it before he even started the original version of the spell. Not a big deal, right?”

Starlight blinks. “What?”

I scowl. “Eeyup. Those pegasi that were holding us prisoner? They thought the scroll was for a spell you’d used to turn a Pegasus into what I am, so it’s on its way to Canterlot, where its original creator is supposed to study it, even as we speak.”

Starlight just stares as the information processes, before her eyes slowly widen and her face turns to pure horror.

I nod. “Eeyup. Thanks to you, Starswirl is going to be given a completed version of a spell he likely hasn’t even created yet and, since he’ll have a completed version, he won’t need to make his own, meaning he’ll never have made the incompleted spell to begin with, meaning that spell will stop existing and the universe will die choking on its own blood, all because you couldn’t be bothered to read a fucking newspaper!”

“I… I…” Starlight stuttered, her eyes widening further and further in horror with each passing second.

“I mean, did it never once occur to you that the Princess of Friendship and her friends might’ve had some significance to Equestria’s history?!” I ask, waving a hand in the air, before making my voice high pitch to imitate Starlight. “Oh, gee, I wonder if being an Alicorn princess means Princess Twilight might be important. After all, Princess Celestia controls the sun, Princess Luna controls the Moon, Princess Candace rules over the Crystal Empire. Maybe Princess Twilight, the Princess of Friendship and her friends, might have some importance. Naw, I won’t bother looking that up. I’ll just mess around with the freaking space time continuum and risking dooming all of reality because I’ve my head too far up my ass to stop and think for more than two seconds!”

I stand there, panting heavily, glaring at the bedridden unicorn as she just stares back at me with a mixture of shock and horror.

After several minutes of panting, I take a deep breath, sit back down on the chair next to the bed and glare at the wall.

“Luckily for us, since we’re around a thousand years in past, mail should travel a lot slower than it does in our time. Since that Meadow mare said you should be fine come tomorrow, we’ll wait til morning, then you can use a scrying spell to find the spell, we’ll get it and then you can take us back to the future so you can fix this whole mess!”

Starlight just looks at me with annoyed guilt. “How old are you again?”

I rest my chin in my hand as I leave my elbow against my knee. “Six.”

She looks down, before rolling over. “Then why does your scolding me make me feel like I’m the six year old and you’re a scolding adult.”

“Probaby because I’m Max,” I grumble, sitting up and stretching, before folding my arms and leaning back against the wall. “Comes with being leader of The Flock.”

Even if I don’t have a Flock to lead.






 



___________________________________________________________










“Now turn north by north-west by a thirty degree angle!” Starlight yells over the rushing wind.

Soon as we woke up and Meadow had given Starlight the all clear, the unicorn had used a scrying spell to locate Starswirl’s Time Travel spell.

Luckily for us, it seemed like it hadn’t gotten too far from Cloudsdale.

While she hadn’t liked the idea of my holding her, Starlight knew, even though she demonstrated she could levitate herself with her magic like Pumpkin Cake can, she could never keep up with my speed, especially since we arrived in the past.

I even tested it a few times. Somehow, Starlight zapping me while she was also casting the Time Travel spell has magnified my speed, both regular and Warp Drive.

We had to hide for a while after I accidentally caused several sonic booms, alerting nearby ponies, several of them pegasi wearing armour like those who’d been in that cloud prison Starlight and I were in.

Anyway, it meant that, catching up to the group delivering the scroll to Canterlot was proving way easier than we’d originally thought it would be… which, considering the entire space time continuum is on the line, isn’t exactly something I’m willing to complain about.

Starlight also modified her levitation spell slightly so that the push of the wind wouldn’t be so rough on her, plus, I’d still be able to hear her when she directed me on where the scrying spell was telling us to go.

As I bank, my eyesight allows me to see we’re nearing a convoy of unicorns and Earth Ponies.

A quick scan and I can tell which of them is carrying the bags that likely contain the scroll, a grey unicorn with a short black mane and tail and a tornado for a Cutie Mark… who feels oddly familiar.

He’s the one wearing a saddlebag with a crest of the sun on it.

Granted, the other ponies are wearing saddlebags too, but theirs all look like supply bags. His looks more likely to hold other items.

I drop out of Warp Drive, Starlight shaking her head to clear it as the world catches back up to us. “Remember the plan?”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like it’s that hard to forget.”

I roll my eyes in turn. “Just making sure, Glimmer. We can’t mess this up. The longer we’re in this time period, the more we risk messing with history.”

“Which is why we can’t let too many ponies see us, blah, blah blah,” Starlight groans, giving me a deadpan look. “I get it, okay? I know I’m an idiot for doing this without thinking it through. I’m sorry. How many times do I have to say it?”

“Oh, you aren’t even close to getting started with the “sorry”s, Glim Glam,” I snort. “Once we’re back in our time, you’ve got a lot more ponies to apologize to.”

Starlight gives a loud groan, before lighting her horn.

A puff of pink and blue smoking sifts out from her horn and moves towards the group of ponies.

As the cloud falls onto them, the unicorn with the tornado Cutie Mark looks alarmed. “Somepony’s casting a spell!” he yells in a voice I can swear sounds familiar, before his eyes, like all the others in his group, droop.

He lights his horn, before flopping onto the ground at the same time as the others, all of them fast asleep.

I come down, letting Starlight go and we start searching all their bags.

Well, Starlight searches the others’ bags, anyway. I’m pretty sure this Tornado unicorn has the scroll, but she’s going to check the others anyway.

“Yes,” I say after searching through the stallion’s bag, pulling out a scroll and opening it to reveal Starswirl’s finished spell.

“Okay,” Starlight sighs with relief and we walk several feet away from the group. “I’ll cancel the spell and then we’re outta here.”

She lights her horn and all the ponies flash with light, groaning.

I take Starlight’s tail with one hand and hold up the scroll with the other.

She zaps the spell and a portal with ticking gears appears above us.

There’s a forceful pull and we’re yanked up into the portal, heading back to the future.






 



___________________________________________________________










The unicorn stirred, hearing a pair of voices he didn’t recognize. It sounded like a mare and filly.

He opened his eyes, noticing he was laying on the grass.

A look at his side revealed his saddlebag’s contents had been strewn on the ground.

Looking around, his eyes widened as they locked onto a unicorn mare with a pinkish-purple coat and a purple mane and tail, both with a stripe of light-blue down the middle.

However, that was all he noticed about the unicorn, as it was the other creature that drew his attention.

It was some hairless… thing. It seemed bipedal, reminding him of something he’d read in one of Starswirl the Bearded’s journals.

However, the odd thing was this biped had massive wings. They almost reminded him of an eagle’s wings.

He didn’t get much time to ponder this, however, before his eyes widened as the unicorn zapped a scroll the biped was holding, the same scroll he realized they were supposed to be delivering to Starswirl in Canterlot so he could study it!

Soon as the magic hit the scroll, a hole seemed to appear in the air above the two.

It had what looked like gears around it and the two were sucked up into the hole, which closed the moment the both had passed through, leaving the air still, it as if the two hadn’t been there at all, taking the scroll away with them.

The stallion just stared, dumbfounded.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 6



 



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I wave as Twilight flies by with Rainbow Dash, before they’re joined by several of the Wonderbolts, singing a song about having got something, I haven’t been paying attention, having too much fun.

It’s been a few weeks since Starlight and I made it back from the past and, thankfully, far as we’ve been able to tell, our presence in the past hasn’t caused any changes.

Although, the fact we’d been in the past might explain why Celestia and Luna were so willing to listen to me when I first got to Equestria.

Sure, I’d had a Wonderbolt to speak for me, but I’d always thought it a little odd how unfazed by my appearance they were.

Guess somepony made a report about us and, minor as it had been and mostly forgotten about, seeing me had triggered the faint memory and they’d kept it to themselves.

Though, that does mean they were fully aware I was going to wind up in the past before Luna’s banishment and said nothing.

Getting Twilight to not leap into action the moment we arrived back in the Map Room hadn’t been easy, but I’d somehow managed.

Starlight turned herself in, expecting a severe punishment for his misguided actions, but, instead, after having debated with the rest of the Mane Six, Twilight had decided to take Starlight on as her personal student.

It was a bit rocky, still is, to be honest, but Starlight seems to be settling into life in Ponyville at least well enough. She even was able to pluck up the courage and return to her old village and apologize to all the ponies there.

As for today, a week and a half after we returned from the past, the princesses had sent a letter to Misty and the other bolts about a festival they were planning on hosting, a Friendship Festival, with the Wonderbolts expected to perform during the day’s festivities.

This works out well for me as, when the other princesses arrive, I intend to speak with Celestia and Luna about keeping my trip to the past a secret from me.

Yes, in the grand scheme of things, it was probably better they said nothing and allowed events to unfold naturally, as telling me could very well have prevented it and caused a paradox, but it still bugs me they didn’t even give a small warning.

As for what happened to my regular flight speed and Warp Drive.

We went back to the Cloudsdale Flight School and I took the test again… with shocking results.

I knew I’d gotten faster after Starlight accidentally zapped me with her magic as she cast Starswirl’s Time Travel spell, but it was still pretty shocking.

While my original top speed had been three hundred and fifty miles per hour even in a dive, my top speed now when not in a dive is now three thousand eight hundred.

Starlight had somehow multiplied my base top flight speed by more than ten times my absolute max, allowing me to reach Mach five speeds. The fuck?

And that wasn’t even my top speed. When I went into a dive, I created a sonic boom, with my top speed reaching speed of seventy-six thousand miles per hour, meaning I was reaching Mach ten speeds.

That is just freaking insane. The only other being who’d ever done that was Rainbow Dash herself.

Starlight somehow made me as fast freaking Rainbow Dash, by accident!

Thankfully, Rainbow Dash hasn’t taken that as a challenge. If anything, she’s glad there’s another flier in the world who can keep up with her.

Regardless, as I’ve no plans on joining the Wonderbolts like her, I’ve just been enjoying the rush of flying so freaking fast.

The only drawback, of course, is I’ve had to increase my calorie intake. The amount I’d burn through on a daily basis was already pretty high, but now, it’s way higher.

“Hey, Max,” I glance down to see a pinkish-purple unicorn waving up to me.

I head down, landing lightly.

“How ya liking the festival?” I ask, folding my arms.

“I like it…” Starlight says, rubbing her right leg.

“But…?” I indicate for her to go on.

“Well…” Starlight looks away. “I… I just feel odd, ya know? Less than a month ago I was plotting to alter all time and space for a ridiculous revenge scheme… and now I’m at a festival for friendship.”

I put my hands behind my head. “Yeah. It is a bit weird. But, then, that’s life in Equestria, right? Weird is just par for the course.”

“You feel uncertain too, Max,” Starlight says firmly, causing my smile to vanish. “We may not know each other well, but Twilight’s told me how you were anxious in the time leading up to the day I went to Ponyville. I can tell, you’re still as anxious now.”

“I… I don’t know what you mean,” I fold my arms, looking away, but bitting my bottom lip.

Much as I am trying to enjoy the festival… Starlight is right. I literally can’t explain why, but, despite everything, I’ve been on edge since waking up this morning.

Like the day of the season five finale events happening out of order, even though I’d been told about this festival in advance… it’s left me on edge.

I have this really, really bad gut feeling that something is going to happen that is definitely not good.

We keep moving through the festival, it not escaping my notice Twilight and the others are stilling singing whatever song it is they’ve started.

We stop by a small fireworks show Trixie is putting on, before Starlight and I find ourselves roped up in the song and just go along with it… until Starlight tapes me on the shoulder and points.

“Is that why you’ve been on edge?” she asks, pointing to a large cake that is falling from the sky and lands on Twilight, three layers thick.

I cock an eyebrow at the oddness of it, before shaking my head and folding my arms, looking away. “I really wish I knew why this feeling won’t leave me alone. Would whatever I’m so worried about just happen already so we can get it over and done with?!”

“Um… be careful what you wish for, Max,” Starlight says apprehensively, pointing behind me.

Turning, I see a large bank of dark storm clouds forming on the horizon… and that feeling intensifies.

“Guessing that’s it?” Starlight asks nervously, no doubt it being obvious to her how my body has tensed.

“Eeyup,” I say through gritted teeth.

It takes about another minute or so, plus a loud thunderclap, before anypony else seems to take notice of the clouds.

A dark dirigible emerges from within the clouds, moving closer and coming down to land, breaking several spires in the process.

A ramp falls down, squashing a pink balloon animal.

“Brian! No!” Party Favour yells in anguish from somewhere in the crowd.

Starlight glances quickly at him, then me, whispering fiercely, “I didn’t know Party Favour was going to be here too!”

We wait as a somewhat hedgehog looking creature comes down the ramp, sets up a megaphone that makes the sound the transformers do with they transform and clears his throat.

“Ponies of Equestria,” he calls out, his voice echoing loudly, “we come on behalf of the fearsome, the powerful, the almighty Storm King.”

As he says those last two words, a banner unfurls on the dirigible, revealing an image of… some kind of yeti, I think?

“And now,” the hedgehog continues, “to deliver the evil, evil message—” 

I can’t help but deadpan. Wow. Not even going to pretend are they? Just gonna outright say they’re evil… and yet they’ll likely be confused if we don’t all surrender, wondering how we knew they were evil in the first place.

“Is that a unicorn?” Twilight’s voice pulls me from my thoughts and I see a unicorn has stepped out onto the ramp… who I can best describe as edge lord.

She’s got a dark-purple coat, fierce blue eyes, a short cut mane, a scar over her right-eye and a broken horn that’s sparking.

“I… think so,” Spike says, sounding uncertain. “But, what happened to her horn?”

“Wait a minute,” Starlight says, her eyes showing recognition. “Is that Fizzlepop?”

I can’t hold back the snort that escapes me, causing several ponies to give me odd looks.

What? How can you not laugh at such an edge lord looking pony having as silly and cartoony sounding a name as Fizzlepop? How in the world am I supposed to take her the least bit seriously with a name like that?

Seconds later, Celestia, Luna and Cadance land in front of all the gathered ponies, the former addressing the unicorn. “Tempest, is it? How may we help you?”

Wait, I thought Starlight said her name was Fizzlepop. What’s this Tempest thing about? Her name’s Fizzlepop Tempest? Or is it Tempest Fizzlepop? Either way, it’s still too hilarious a name to be taken seriously as a threat.

Tempest smiles. “Oh, I’m so glad you asked. How about we start with,” her expression darkens, “you’re complete and total surrender?”

I roll my eyes. Called it. Now one of the princesses is gonna say no and Tempest will get confused why nopony is immediately cowering and agreeing to that demand.

“Oh, goodie. All four princesses,” Tempest says after Twilight says we can probably work things out and she starts walking down the ramp. “Here’s the deal, ladies, I need your magic. Give it up nicely please, or we make it difficult, for everyone.”

“And why should we cower before you?” Luna asks sternly. “There’s one of you and hundreds of us!”

My gut drops as that worried feeling from before is back. Why do I feel like Luna just set this Tempest pony up for a “Gotcha”?

Tempest chuckles. “I was hoping you’d choose difficult.”

As she speaks, the a large group of muscular bipedal creatures, the Storm King’s soldiers I assume, step in into the doorway of the balloon as more balloons start to appear out from the dark clouds.

I sometimes hate it when I’m right.

The Storm King’s soldiers start dropping from the balloons, ponies running in terror while the guards move to defend. Wait, where’d the guards come from? And how are they going to be of any use? They’ve proven themselves pretty useless in the past.

I don’t get to see much else though, as I’m dragged along with the crowd.

By the time I’ve been able to pull myself out of the crowd, I’ve lost track of Starlight.

A quick scan of the area, however, make my gut drop as my enhanced eyesight lets me see down below as Celestia is turned to stone.

I see Luna take off into the air as the Tempest unicorn kicks some kind of glowing green orb in her direction.

I don’t even think about it.

I leap into the air and go into Warp Drive.

I slam into Luna, barely missing the green orb, which shatters against a trio of the soldiers.

“Hippogriffs!”

I stare wide eyed as I feel myself held in Luna’s magic and she stares me in the eyes. “Go to the Hippogriffs!”

Before I can even ask what she means she tosses me up, back towards the terrace, a flash of blue light obscuring my vision for a second and my eyes widen in horror as she is revealed encased in stone.

I can barely right myself and skid on the pavement, before feeling my back hit something solid and turn around to see one of the soldiers, it being about my size.

It blinks in confusion, before grabbing my wrist.

“Hey!” I snarl, curling my free fist and socking him in the face.

It throws him off and, using the momentum, I yank my wrist free and kick him in the chest, hearing a loud wheezing.

Glancing around quickly, I see ponies still running from the soldiers, trying to escape.

I snarl. Oh, fuck this. I am not letting some edge lord group of wannabe villains just overrun Canterlot easier than Queen Cheese Legs.

A shout from behind me causes me to turn to see the soldier from before charging at me.

Without thinking, I run forward and find my fist suddenly slammed so hard into his stomach, I can feel his ribs.

He makes a pitiful wheezing gasp, before collapsing to the ground.

I blink, staring down at my hand. Did I just…. go Warp Drive while not flying?

Is that even possible?

I mean, Max in the books never really thought to experiment with her abilities like that, so, I guess it’s possible in short bursts.

I suddenly remember the quick movement effects from Dragonball Z fights, where the character seemed to vanish, then appear closer to the screen a second later, then closer and closer and…

My eyes widen. This could work. But, I certainly won’t be able to win this on my own.

Spreading my wings, I grab the soldier I beat and take to the sky, look around at all the ponies, specifically, those with wings.

I toss the soldier down, his slamming to the ground drawing eyes of both ponies and the other soldiers in the immediate area to me.

“Pegasi!” I yell, barely able to hear myself over the screams, but enough that I know they can hear me. “Are we just going to let these invaders take this land without a fight. We are creatures of the air. We control the skies, not them. Show your ancestry to the warriors of old and fight for you home. Let’s show them we won’t let them take Equestria without a fight!”

I shoot down, aiming a spin kick at several of the soldiers, moving so fast I still catch them off guard, sending them tumbling into each other.

“Max is right!” Misty shouts, flying up into the air. “These skies belong to us! If they think we’ll sit back and let them take our lands, they’ve another thing coming.”

“I’m with Misty!” Soarin yells, flying up to join her.

“Count us in too!” Spitfire calls, the remaining Wonderbolts and other pegasi flying up with her.

There’s a yell as the pegasi all dive-bomb the soldiers, them clearly not expecting this and not being prepared for it.

“We can’t let the pegasi be the only ones to fight!” Starlight calls out, charging, her horn lit. “Unicorns, let’s show them what we’re made of!”

More yells come as the unicorns charge, a spectrum of coloured auras shining from lit horns.

“We can’t let them all have the fun!” Big Mac calls out, thrusting a hoof forward. “Earth Ponies, let’s show them our stuff!”






 



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Tempest growled as she glared around at the city of Canterlot as ponies were running to and fro, some being captured by the soldiers, while others prolonged the chase.

What was taking so long? Why was Grubber not back with the princess yet?

If he didn’t come back with her, all the extra planning before the invasion they’d done after hearing about a strange and powerful creature in Canterlot would have been for nothing.

“Tempest!” she winced, turning around as the tall form of the Storm King stepped out from the dirigible, staff in hand. “What’s taking so long?”

“We will succeed, Your Excellency, I assure you,” she bowed to him. “Just a temporary setback.”

“I held off this invasion so you could get this stick thing,” he said, holding it out, “so I’d better not have been mistaken in trusting your judgment, or else.”

“That’s the Staff of Sacanas, sire,” Tempest said firmly. “It will channel the magic of the four rulers of this land. You’ll soon have the power of a hundred armies.” 

The Storm King was about to respond, when the sounds around the suddenly changed.

Yes, there were still screams of terror, but, there was another sound mixed in with them now.

Screams, but… not of fear.

Frowning, Tempest and the Storm King looked to the upper area of the city… to see something they had not expected.

There were ponies flying up and then going down.

What in the world were they doing that for?

It took a few moments of watching for them to realize it wasn’t just ponies going up in the air, but their soldiers too… but not in the same way.

While the ponies were rising up and then diving down, the soldiers were going up as if being thrown up, before tumbling through the air and falling out of sight.

“What in the world is going on over there?” The Storm King frowned, both annoyed and confused.

Suddenly, a figure shot down from the sky and, moving so fast it looked like it was blinking out of existence, the four soldiers nearby fell, before the creature landing in a kneeling position right in front of them.

The Storm King thought it looked a little like a young female of his own species, only bald and with no horns… but with large brown feathered wings sticking out of her back.

“Word of advice,” she growled, shooting forward almost too fast to see, hitting Tempest in the side of the head with a kick, her eyes glaring daggers at the Storm King, “don’t mess with Equestria.”






 



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I soar into the air and glance around as the battle rages on.

All three tribes are working together, pushing back the tied of the Storm King’s soldiers.

Pegasi are attacking from the air, unicorns are stunning, distracting and outright blasting targets and the Earth Ponies are using their brute strength to overwhelm the enemy.

I don’t know how many minutes have passed since I first rallied the ponies, but I don’t want to take too long.

I noticed a bridge explode a little bit ago and know I saw a flash of prismatic colours.

As my eyes scan the area, I see Tempest standing in the area she landed in, a being that is clearly the Storm King standing by her, some kind of staff with a gemstone at its tip held in his hand.

That can’t be good. Best not give him a chance to use that.

I look around and spot Misty knocking a soldier aside and meet her gaze.

We nod and I hit Warp Drive, diving for the two leaders of this invasion.

I don’t leave Warp Drive, rushing the four soldiers near the duo, knocking them out and land firmly, glaring at the two. 

“Word of advice,” I growl, shooting in Warp Drive, hitting Tempest in the side of the head with a kick, glaring daggers at the Storm King, “don’t mess with Equestria.”

Don’t care if Starlight knows you, Fizzlepop, you’re working for the enemy. For the moment, that makes you the enemy too.

“You think you can beat me, little satyr?” The Storm King asks in a half joking, half annoyed tone. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

He swings the staff at me, but I catch it easily, causing his eyes to widen.

“I honestly don’t care,” I growl, glaring at him and snarling. “You attacked us and now you’re going to pay for it.”

“Think so?” he yells, grabbing the staff with both hands and yanking back, getting the staff out of my grasp.

Perfect.

I leap back, flaring my wings and go into Warp Drive, shooting forward.

His arms still in the air, he’s totally unprepared and I slam into his chest and we rocket forward and over the edge of the city, going down.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” he yells, struggling to shove me off, but I keep a vice grip around his waist. “Pull up right now and end this farce, you freak!”

I leer up at him. “You asked for it.”

“Huh?” he asks, before crying out in alarm as I angle my wings so we’re shooting up into the air, before swerving.

“What are you—? Wait, stop!” the Storm King yells as he realizes I’m angling towards the nearest dirigible. “Are you insane?! Stop, now! That’s an order!”

“I’m Maximum Ride, asshole!” I yell, going Warp Drive with everything I have. “I don’t take orders! I give them!”

“Stop! Stop! STOP!” the Storm King yells as we collide with the dirigible.












 



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The Storm King’s forces were being pushed back, the ponies were winning, even more so after Princess Luna came out of nowhere, her having apparently faked turned to stone to throw off the invaders and joining the fight.

“Stop! Stop! STOP!”

The loud scream rang out in the air, causing some pegasi to pause, hovering in the air as they looked for the source of the cries.

“Look!” Scootaloo yelled, pointing.

All heads turned too late to see what the filly had been pointing towards, as an explosion from one of the Storm King’s dirigibles docked furthest from Canterlot drew their attention instead.

The giant balloon had become a giant floating ball of fire after someting pushed it to collide the nearest to it, causing a domino effect as each dirigible hit the next in line, exploded and fell too, hitting another, causing a repeat effect.

After the last one had caught aflame, they all tumbled towards the outskirts of the city.

“EVERYPONY, RUN!” Princess Luna called out with the Royal Canterlot Voice, glancing to the pegasi. “WONDERBOLTS AND ANY ABLE PEGASI, TO ME, NOW!”

Unicorns and Earth Ponies fled, a large group of pegasi rushing to Luna’s side as she lit her horn, teleporting them all to where the flaming diriglebls were falling.

“GATHER EVERYPONY YOU CAN, QUICKLY!” the night princess ordered.

The pegasi shoot around the area as quickly as possible, gathering a few ponies who’d been captured or hiding and rushing them to the princess, who lit her horn and teleported them all away as the wall of flames roared down towards them.

As everypony watched the dirigibles crash to the group, the winced as they exploded, one after another as each on crashed.

A cry and pointed hoof made all, even the Storm King’s soldiers, look up as something shot out from the explosion, whirling around and hovering in the air, large wings spread out.
















 



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The bent and broken metal around him, the Storm King shouted in exasperation as he pushed a plate of metal aside, before collapsing on the ground, laying amongst the blazing wreck of what were once his unstoppable war ships.

A sound from in front of him made him open his eyes to see the thing that called itself Maximum standing over him, wings outstretched like some deity from those long lost mythical societies, eyes burning with a rage fiercer than the inferno around them.

He gave a wheezing gasp. “Maybe, we can make an arrangement?”

She just snarled, grabbing him by the neck and lifting his face to hers.

“I told you,” she said coldly, “don’t mess with Equestria.”

With that she quickly let go then brought her fist hard on his face, slamming him to the ground.

His last sight being her standing there, glaring down at him with those fierce brown eyes, her hair and wings moving in the winds caused by the flames around them, making her look like a goddess of war.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 7



 



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I narrow my eyes as I see a town in the distance, the hoof and claw prints I’d been following leading in that direction.

After The Storm King was defeated, his minions surrendered pretty fast.

Seeing your entire platoon of war balloons being destroyed in a blazing inferno and your leader being knocked out by a creature less than half his size kinda kills any hope you’d have of overcoming a nation that was already starting to regain their footing.

Of course, soon as the battle was over, I realized there’s a major downside to how I was using my Warp Drive so rapidly.

Killed my energy reserves and passed out.

When I came to, it was a couple hours later… and starving doesn’t even begin to begin to explain how I was feeling.

I pretty much ate what Luna equated to twice that of an endurance racing Pegasus, though Misty pointed out that Rainbow Dash would eat around the same after practicing her Sonic Rainbooms and doing several in quick succession, though still less than what I was eating.

So, I can use my Warp Drive in different ways, but, at the cost of more calories. Makes sense, though it means I’ll need to be wary of when I use it like that.

As I’d been eating, Luna and Misty had filled me in on everything that happened after I’d passed out.

After The Storm King’s forces surrendered and were imprisoned, Luna went into Fizzlepop/Tempest/whatever she wants to call herself’s dreams and figure out why the unicorn had been willing to help the yeti-like creature enslave her own kind.

When she was a filly, her horn had been broken by an Ursa Minor after those she’d thought of as her friends had insisted she go into a cave their ball had rolled into and, when her horn reacted badly due to her not having been trained how to use her magic like when it wasn’t broken, her so called friends had outright abandoned her.

I could kind of see why she’d think a land that talks about friendship is worth subjugating when those she’d considered friends ditched her the moment she seemed the least bit inconvenient to have around… though that didn’t make what she did justifiable either, since those ponies should’ve been the only ones to be punished, not the entire population of Equestria.

The reason she’d served The Storm King is because he told her, with the magic of all four Alicorns, he would have to the power to restore her horn… which was clearly a big ass lie, but, she was clearly desperate enough to get to horn back and unaware that, with proper training, she could cast spells like normal, that she agreed to serve him.

Of course, even with The Storm King no longer a threat, things aren’t fixed yet.

Despite her disapproval, Luna choose to send me after Twilight and the others, as, upon reflection, Twilight had probably been listening when Celestia had told Luna to go get help from the hippogriffs, but, due to being cut off by being turned to stone, Twilight likely misunderstood and thinks Celestia wanted help from the Queen of the Hippos, nor Hippogriffs and, as I’m the fastest, I’ve the best chance of catching up to the seven before they go too far. 

Plus, Luna was curious what had happened to the hippogriffs, as she had yet to learn how affairs between their kingdoms had gone since her banishment over a thousand years ago.

Far as she could find out from the records in the castle, there hadn’t been any contact from their current queen, Queen Novo, for over a year now.

So, as I near the really unpleasant looking town, I keep in mind that I’ve two missions: 1. Get Twilight and the others and get them back on track and 2. Go to the Hippogrifs and find out what’s been going on with them.

I land a bit out from the town and fold my wings in, hiding them.

Even from a distance, the anthropometric animals I’ve seen in this town don’t look friendly and my wings might make me stand out too much.

Without them out, I look less intimidating, I mean, I be around six years old, but I’m the height of a ten to twelve year old human, but, then again glancing around, I’m about the size of most the creatures in this grungy town.

I do get glances from those I pass by… though they’re not what I was expecting, honestly.

There’s confusion and intrigue, those I expected to see, but I also see fear.

Hmm. It could be my body shape is similar enough to The Storm King’s that they might fear I’m connected to him.

I do hear murmurs that suggest he is in control of this place, well, was, but they don’t know that yet, so maybe I should use that to my advantage.

I pause, rubbing my chin.

I’m trying to remember if Honey Senpai’s VA ever played a villain. Since I have her voice, if I channel my memory of how that character speaks, I might be able to get some information.

I blink, before smirking. Medusa from Soul Eater. That should work.

Clearly my throat, I practice a bit, before looking around.

“Hey, I’m looking for a little purple pony? She had five other ponies and a dragon with her. Anyone know where I might find them?”

“You think we’re going to fall for this again?” a blue fish creature says, walking towards me, looking down.

Good. Normally, looking down would make me less intimidating to another being, but, playing the role of Medusa, it should work better this way.

Though his choice of words confuses me slightly. Ah, I’ll roll with it.

The fish continues. “I dunno what kind of scam you’re working with Capper and the rest of your friends, but—” 

Capper? The name doesn’t ring a bell, but this dolt just gave me something to work with.

“Poison or no poison,” the fish growls, “You’re. Gonna. Pay!”

He thrusts a fist at me… but it’s so slow I easily dodge it and uppercut him in the jaw, then, using the momentum, whirl around and slam my food down on his head, pressing him hard into the ground.

Everyone quickly backs away as I step onto the fish, ignoring his grunts before pressing down on his back right below the neck, flaring my wings.

The fish guy comes out of his stupor and glancing back at me in terror as I curl my fist, leering maniacally down at him. “Now, about this Capper?”




 



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Please tell me they weren’t really that dumb to fall for this? I can’t help thinking as I land by a wagon with a large cage.

It’s parked in front of a house by what I think is a windmill or sorts.

It’s being pulled by some type of creature I don’t think I ever saw in the show, but it’s clearly used like humans use horses.

Standing in the doorway of the windmill house is what I can best describe as a naked mole rat wearing a black suit and a top hat, both rather ratty looking.

The fish had told me where to find this Capper the ponies and Spike are with and, by the looks of it, I got here just in time before he’d sell them to pay off whatever debt it is he owns the rat, who goes by the name Verko.

“Brought the big… cage?” Verko says, turning to indicate the cage and seeing me, confusion clear on his face even with his eyes covered by those think lenses.

“Max?” Twilight looks quite confused.

“Look here, Verko, is it?” I ask, still talking like Medusa instead of myself and moving my body in a firm I’m In Charge kind of manner, “whatever your deal is with this cat and these ponies, I’ve a greater interest. So, whatever debt he owes, they’re paid, now.”

The confusion on Verko’s face turns to anger. “Oh, you think so, you… whatever you are?” He points at the anthro cat wearing nothing but a red jacket that goes down to below his waist, a styled mop of purple hair on his head, wide green eyes and a bandage around his tail’s begining. “His debt is long in need of payment and I want these ponies for my show.”

He walks up to me and glares up, him only reaching up to my chest.

“What makes you think you can just say the debt’s paid and that’s that?” he demands, shoving a plump finger into my chest. “Maybe I should cage you too. Hmm? What do you think of that?”

I just stare down at him. “You wanna know what lets me say the debt’s paid and that’s that?” I ask, my voice cool and the shiver I see from Capper telling me the tone I used worked.

Verko sneers up at me. “Uh huh.”

“This,” I say, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and shooting into the air, Verko screaming all the way.

I get a thousand feet in the air, then hold him out, making sure he sees I actually am having trouble holding him up like this.

“The debt’s paid in full and those ponies go free, or I might just lose my grip,” I say coolly. “We clear?”

“Y-you— You wouldn’t drop me!” Verko practically squeals.

“My arm’s getting tired,” I say. “Not sure how long I can keep my grip. We got a deal or…?”

Verko looks from my blank expression, to the very distant ground and back several times, his face a mask of pure terror.

I let my grip slacken the tiniest bit.

“Okay! Okay! The debt’s paid!” Verko screams, staring at me with pleading eyes. “Please, just take me back down! Please!”

I land a few moments later, tossing Verko down.

He scampers to his wagon and they hightail it out of here.

As the dust settles from Verko’s sudden departure, Twilight approaches me. “Max, how’re you here? Did you escape The Storm King too?”

I snort, folding my arms and dropping the Medusa voice. “Escaped. Twilight, we beat him.”

There’s blank stares from all eight present.

“Um… can you repeat that, little… urm, Max?” the cat asks.

I cock an eyebrow at him. “Exactly as I said, we beat him. He and his soldiers are in prison waiting on trial. And you, Capper, are going to help us get a ship that will take us to the Hippogriffs.”

“Wait, how do you know that’s where we’re going?” Rainbow asks, confused.

I sigh. “Luna filled me in, obviously.”

Twilight blinks. “Luna? But, wasn’t she turned to stone like Celestia and Cadance?”

I shake my head. “I got her out of the way in time and she made and illusion to fool The Storm King’s forces. I’ll explain in full on the way. Now,” I turn to Capper, “about travel to the Hippogriffs?”

The cat fiddles with his fingers. “Well, see, about that. Grateful as I am you cleared my debt with Verko, little missy, I… don’t have a ship you can use.”

I smirk. “That’s alright. I’m sure the Ex-Storm King won’t mind us using one of his delivery ships?”

Capper looks from to the ponies giving him stern glares, before sighing and points to the docks, where one ship I can see that’s getting ready to leave is. “Though, getting there before it leaves may prove quite the challenge.”

I roll my eyes. “Everyone, bundle together. Twilight, grab everyone in a magical hold and you hold onto me too.”

Twilight looks uncertain, but does as told.

The moment I feel her magic holding onto me tightly, I flare my wings and go Warp Drive.

We rocket through the air, everypony, even Dash, screaming (though for Dash it’s likely just the shock).

Doesn’t help, I guess, that Twilight loses her magical grip almost instantly, though that was part of my plan.

The momentum from how fast I was going sends them all flying and they all land haphazardly on the back of the airship’s deck. 

Applejack and Rainbow Dash quickly gather us all behind some crates as two silhouettes with beaks can be seen just beyond.

“You hear somethin’?” a male voice asks.

The other silhouette replies with a squawking sound.

The first one growls. “Probably just the rats. If we find ’em, we’ll eat ’em.”

“Rats?” Rarity whispers in disgust.

I can’t help deadpanning at her. We’ve bigger things to worry about than rats right now, Rarity.

We sit and quietly discus current events and our plans.

According to Capper, this is one of the transport ships The Storm King uses… well, used to use to transport goods based on himself.

Dude really has a massive ego, selling merchandise of himself to those he enslaves as if they want that kind of stuff.

The crew seems to be just five, all of them anthro parrots.

We’re able to get names for the crewmen, the male with an eyepatch is called Mullet and he’s the first mate, the rotund female bird is called Lix Spittle who looks like she might be the ship’s cook, the tough looking male with a missing hand is called Boyle and the other male is a seemingly mentally challenged guy named Squawk and, while we don’t see her, we learn their captain is a female named Celano.

We’ve barely made a plan when one of the boxes hiding us is moved, Boyle being the one having lifted it up.

He chuckles upon seeing us as crouched. “Hey, guys, come check this out.”

“Looks like a pack of stowaways,” Mullet says as he comes over, leaning in.

“What’re we s’pposed to do with ’em?” Lix says, fork in hand.

I jump when Squawk pops his head in right above me, doing his name sake.

“I think we tie ’em up,” Boyle says and Applejack gasps… for some reason.

“Nah,” Lix says, “we clip their wings.”

“Nah!” Mullet says. “We scar ’em,” Rarity cries at that, “emotionally.”

Fluttershy whimpers.

I glance at Capper, who shrugs. This feels… weird. Do these parrots not know Alicorns have powerful magic? They’re talking as if they can just do whatever and we couldn’t fight back.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Mullet sneers, turning to look behind him. “What say the book, Captain Celano?”

It is now we get a look at the captain. She’s tall, though not much taller than me and has a peg leg.

She’s carrying a book with The Storm King’s symbol on it, which she opens. “Storm King’s rulebook says…” she sneers “throw them overboard.”

I loudly scoff, which does not go unnoticed.

“You think tossing you overboard in the air is funny… whatever you are?” Mullet asks.

I’m about to extend my wings to make a point when a loud whistle goes off and Captain Celano yells gleefully, “Alright! That’s lunch!”  

I… genuinely don’t know how what happens after that happened.

We’re quickly led, not forcefully either, mind, to what is clearly the galley, where we’re all served some kind of gloopy birdseed based food, kinda like runny porridge.

“Whoa, whoa whoa,” Dash says, holding up her hooves. “So, you were about to toss us overboard—”

Which wouldn’t have even worked, since four out of the nine of us can fly.

“—and you stopped for a lunch break?”

Twilight leans forward, giving Rainbow a very “shut up” look, which, since Dash did just remind them of something they’d stopped doing, I can kind of understand.

“The Storm King only allows one break a day for meals, then it’s back to hauling goods,” Boyle says dejectedly, taking a spoonful of seed goop.

“So, you’re delivery guys?” Spike asks.

“And gals,” Captain Celano says. “These uniforms aren’t exactly doing us any favours.”

“Then, can you deliver us to Mount Aris?” Twilight asks a little eagerly, levitating up a map.

“Sorry,” Celano shakes her head, holding up the book from earlier. “We do as The Storm King orders or suffer his wrath.”

I blink, before snickering, folding my arms. “Well then, speaking of favours, how about you get us to Mount Aris in exchange for the favour I did for you?”

That has all heads turn to look at me in confusion.

I laugh. “Thanks to him foolishly thinking he could take our kingdom, The Storm King has been dethroned.”

There’s a very long silence.

“You’re… you’re being serious,” Celano stares at me with bewilderment. “Why would you say something so… unlikely?”

To demonstrate, I simply leap up and use Warp Drive to be right in front of her face.

“Dude never saw it coming.”

“That’s right!” Dash says excitedly. “Our Princess, Luna, sent Max to get us to tell us our kingdom stopped The Storm King.”

“But… but how could you manage that?” Boyle is staring around in bewilderment the same as his captain. “Even ignoring his army, he has multiple war balloons. How in the world could you have beaten all of those?”

I put my hands behind my head, snickering. “Those balloons popped pretty easily once we had them crash into each other.”

“So… so, you’re saying, The Storm King’s army is beaten… just like that?” Mullet is just staring, his brain clearly not processing what he’s being told.

“Max is a totally trustworthy gal,” Rainbow flies up and hovers by me. “If she says The Storm King’s been beaten, you can trust that he’s been beaten. So, you don’t have to serve him anymore and can go back to…”

Celano looks a little uncertain, before she pulls back a picture of The Storm King to reveal a skull and crossbones.

“Ooh, I met that guy in the desert,” Pinkie says eagerly.

…

Nope.

I am not even going to ask.

“Whoa,” Dash is shocked. “You used to be pirates?”

“Um, we prefer the term swash buckling treasures hunters,” Mullet says a little uncertainly.

“So… pirates,” Dash deadpans.

I narrow my eyes. “What kind? Did you pillage villages or what?”

Mullet scoffs. “Nothing like that. We went after other pirates mostly and only if they came after us first and, even places we docked were having issues with criminals, we’d deal with the criminals and take their ill-gotten gains so long as it didn’t inconvenience the villages.”

I can’t help just staring at him. Wow. So, like the Straw-hat Pirates from One Piece, who were pirates in the sense of adventure only.

Have to admit, I did not see that coming.

“Still, even if you’re telling the truth and The Storm King is finished…” Celano looks longingly at the pirate flag.




 



___________________________________________________________








“We’ll wait here til your return, friends,” Captain Celano calls, her, her crew and Cappter waving to us as we head through the gates that look like a pair of Hippogriffs facing each other.

After I’d fully explained The Storm King’s downfall and why we needed to get to Mount Aris, Dash sang a long that got the pirates to embrace their past and be pirates again and, as thanks for Dash helping them get their drive back and myself for making it possible for them to get it back without fear of The Storm King’s wrath, Captain Celano agreed to bring us to Mount Aris and then take us back to Canterlot when we’re done.

Walking through the gates, however… that might be sooner than she expected.

You know those abandoned towns in scary movies where it’s revealed either a mass murderer or monster caused everyone to leave or vanish overnight?

That’s what it’s like walking through this place.

Houses are in disrepair, moss and other planet have overgrown areas.

Whoever had lived here before, they’d left a very long time ago.

“Luna’s gonna be pretty disappointed when we tell her this place is basically abandoned,” Dash says, flying down from yet another rundown house. “What could’ve done this?”

“Something bad happened here,” Spike says, standing by a moss covered hippogriff statue. “Something that turned this whole place into a ghost town.”

“A G-g-g-ghost town?” Fluttershy hides behind her mane.

I’m about to tell her he doesn’t mean actual ghosts… when a voice comes from somewhere, making us all look around.

We head for what looks like it used to be the entrance to some kind of hall, maybe an entertainment building, like a theatre?

As we enter (Twilight having to teleport me in because I’m too big for the only opening we could find), the sound becomes clearer. It sounds like… singing?

As we look over the edge of what could’ve been a hallway, we see a large room with a pair of hippogriff head statues, water trailing down from the front of each into a pool below.

In the centre of that pool is a large pink flower like crystal, with something glowing yellow inside.

At once, alarm bells start going off in my head.

Water, singing and glowing crystals? Anyone else getting Siren vibes?

Before I can warn the others not to get closer, Twilight accidentally dislodges a loose bit of gravel on the stairs.

The glowing thing in the crystal moves, gasping. “What was that?”

Before we can react it moves, diving into the water and going out of sight.

“Hey, wait up!” Pinkie calls, bouncing down the stairs and plopping into the water, calling out, “Cannonball.”

We all rush down, only for Pinkie to surface and tell us whatever we saw is gone.

“Now what?” Twilight facehoofs.

Pinkie starts blowing bubbles into the water, before she’s suddenly yanked back, all of us being pulled along with her as the water in the pool starts swirling and the crystal folds into itself, revealing itself to actually be a flower on a stem them goes down.

We’re all pulled down the spiraling water vortex, being dumped out into an underwater cavern, the hole we’d come from closing up.

I quickly look around at everyone. I can breathe underwater, but they can’t.

What do I do? I need to find an exit and get them all out of here, but where do I start?

I need to move fast before they all drown and…

I find myself confused as bubbles magically appear around each of the others’ heads… and my own? I mean, I clearly can breathe underwater without it, but talking might have proven a challenge, so I’ll go with it for now, I guess.

“Way to leave it… to the last minute, Twilight,” Pinkie gasps.

Twilight shakes her head. “I didn’t make these bubbles.”

“Then… who did?” Fluttershy asks.

A few minutes later, we’re traveling through the underwater tunnels with a Seapony named Skystar.

At first she hadn’t trusted us, but after Twilight mentioned The Storm King invaded our land and we’d been sent to find the Queen of the Hippogriffs, she’d perked right up.

She takes us to a large underwater cavern, where a huge glowing city seemingly carved into the stone from the ceiling down is revealed.

Skystar leads us into what is clearly the royal building, what with how extravagant it is, where we see another Seapony sitting on a throne.

“Mother!” Skystar says excitedly, swimming up to the Seapony on the throne, saying in a singsong voice, “Look what I found.”

“Is it another shell?” her mother asks, sounding a little exasperated.

“Mm-mm,” Skystar shakes her head.

“Because I am telling you, if it’s another shell, I am—” she gasps loudly upon seeing us, then rounds on her daughter. “Princess Skystar, whata you done?! You know outsiders are forbidden here! Guards!”

Four Seapony guards with spears swim forward quickly, surrounding us.

“N-no-no-no! Mom, please!” Skystar swims in front of her mother, putting her fins together pleadingly. “It is so not like that! The Storm King is trying to destroy their home too.”

“Actually, he already tried and failed,” Spike points out.

The queen narrows her eyes. “What?”

“Okay, so, long story short, The Storm King invaded during our Friendship Festival and turned two of our princesses to stone, but we stopped him by crashing one of his war balloons into another, causing a domino effect, destroying all of them and we beat him,” I say quickly.

The queen looks questioningly at me. “And what exactly are you?”

I bow… as best one can in water, anyway. “My name is Max, your highness. I, along with the Princess of Friendship, her son and friends, were sent here to try to figure out why we haven’t heard from hippogriffs kingdom for over a year now and hope to find their ruler, Queen Novo.”

“Son?” Spikes sputters.

Confusion enters her eyes. “What are you talking about? I sent word to your Princess, Celestia, back in Spring. Are you telling me you only just got the message?”

“Uh, message?” Spike asks, all of us looking at each other and shrugging.

“Urm, beggin’ yer pardon, yer highness, but, why would you send word for the queen of the hippogriffs?”

“And, do you know what happened to them?” Twilight asks anxiously.

“Well, of course I know, I’m the queen. I know everything,” she says, before frowning. “So, The Storm King’s really been defeated?”

We all nod. 

She seems to think it over, before nodding.

It’s then we are given yet another surprise. The queen is Queen Novo.

The Hipogrifs have a magic pearl that allows them to take on the Seapony forms we’ve been seeing this whole time.

As for the confusion of the message she mentioned… that’s an uncomfortable subject.

It turns out that The Storm King attacked Mount Aris and the Hipogrifs fled down here, to what they call Seaqustria, where they used to go between, Queen Novo using The Pearl to turn them all into Seaponies and they’ve been living down here ever since.

She’d had one guard sent to Canterlot to get aid from Princess Celestia… but it turns out that happened during the days leading up to Shining Armour and Cadance’s wedding and, since the guards didn’t report a hippogriff being detained… the Changelings must have gotten to him first, since their Queen had already taken Cadance’s place.

Poor bloke. Hope he didn’t have to suffer long.

So, thanks to Queen Cheese Legs, Equestria had no clue about The Storm King’s invasion of Mount Aris.

After we finish all the talks, we agree that Queen Novo, Princess Skystar and a small group of guards will accompany us back to Equestria so we can get relations between the kingdoms back up again.

Hopefully, either Luna will have figured out how to free Celestia, Cadance and Derpy from their stone prisons or Discord will finally get off his ass and help out.

Man, this has been exhausting. Maybe, once the Friendship Festival is over, I’ll go pay Sunset Shimmer a visit and chill in that world for a while.

The Friendship Games should be starting soon and Id love to stop any of Cinch’s douchbagery before she mentally scars Sci-Twi.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 8



 



___________________________________________________________






“Sir!” a scientist ran into the dimly lit room.

“What is it?” the man replied, his back hunched over as he read several papers. “I’m busy trying to understand the figures we’re getting from subjects G1-26 and A-19. Nothing like this is logical. We need to know why those two are the only ones like this.”

“That’s just it, sir,” the scientist said, pulling out a tablet and tapping it several times.

“What’s “it”?” the man looked over his shoulder angrily.

“They’re not,” the scientist held out the tablet. “There was one other, before them.”

The man took the tablet and watched, his eyes slowly widening as the video of a humanoid female with wings flew past a security camera that clearly picked her up by chance.

“We got a notification of a military report,” the scientist said. “They’d gotten a warning of an unidentified small object flying into the airspace at a high speed and thought it might be a missile, but…”

There was silence for several moments, before he looked firmly at the scientist. “Locate where this was filmed and investigate the area. And be sure the military report is deleted. We can’t have this getting out into the public.”

The scientist nodded quickly and rushed out the room.

The man returned to his desk, setting the tablet by the documents he’d been reading, the video pause on a frame of the firm expression on the face in the video.

“Well, M1-24,” he smiled, folding his fingers together. “It seems you weren’t as much of a failure as we’d first written you off. Perhaps you can help us understand the other failures who survived.”








___________________________________________________________








I cry out as I burst from the quicksand, immediately turning around and side kicking the giant man-eating plant before it can properly process my arrival.

I whip out the can of weed killer and spray it right in the damn thing’s mouth as I charge in.

The plant shrieks in pain for several moments, before withering and dying.

Pushing myself out of the plant, I launch into the air and, after a quick scan of the horizon, go Warp Drive and rocket across the sea,



It’s been about a week since the events of the Friendship Festival and the late Storm King’s failed invasion.

Yeah… turns out, while I’d been off with Twilight and the others, the Storm King managed to escape and tried to turn Luna to stone… but it backfired when Luna unintentionally knocked the sphere with a wing flap and it turned him to stone instead… and his momentum at the time sent him falling down a great height before Luna could realize it and his statue form smashed to pieces.

Yeesh.

Upon our return, Discord finally showed up and helped reverse the petrification.

Twilight spent the next couple days helping re-establish relations between the Hippogriffs and Equestria.

Then, a few hours ago, she and Fluttershy set off on a Friendship Mission… Twilight being so preoccupied she’d failed to notice Sunset’s Journal vibrating and, a quick read and test of the portal, told me Friendship Games was well underway, with Sci-Twi already having taken the portal’s magic, closing it.

Realizing that, and how Twilight and Fluttershy might not return for days, I decided I’d use my knowledge of Equestria Girls and headed straight for the Everfree to find the natural portal.

Not really sure how I know there’s a natural portal in the Everfree, but my memories of what should and shouldn’t happen haven’t been too clear since I got here.

Either way, after Pinkie Pie stopped me and handed me a rucksack full of cake bars she said were to give me tons of energy for Warp Drive and a can of weed killer she’d said I’ll need, I flew straight to the Everfree, relying on that compass power Max has to know where she’s going to find it.

Now, I’m heading fast as I can towards Canterlot High. I wanna get there as soon as possible.

It takes maybe two hours, I couldn’t exactly keep track of the time, but I manage to get into Canterlot and, choosing to forego stealth, seeing as the girls never cared about it, I shot like a missile through Canterlot, startling a lot of people.

As I near Canterlot, I can see the giant plants from the second round are flailing around… but there’s two more than I remember form the movie.

I increase my speed and slam into a plant that had just been about to eat Dash, who’s eyes widen upon seeing me.

“Wha—?” she starts.

“Questions later!” I shout, spin kicking the head I’d collided with down. “Stop killer plants now!”

The rainbow haired girl stares at me for a second, before nodding and dives down to follow after Sunset, before moving to save Indigo Zap as a plant aims to munch on her, myself drawing the attention of the remaining two others and tricking them into twisting themselves into a knot.

It takes a bit, but the plants eventually go back through the portals as they shrink into nothing, indicating Sci-Twi’s closed her pendant.

“Is everybody alright?” Applejack asks as the rest of the group gathers, before noticing me flying down with Dash. “Wait. Who or… what in the world are you?”

“Huh. You must be Max,” Sunset takes off her helmet and holds out a hand, which I take. “She’s mentioned you a few times. What’re you doing here?” She blinks at something pretty obvious suddenly catches up with her. “Wait. HOW are you here? The portal’s closed!”

“That portal is,” I say, putting my hands behind my head and nodding in the direction of the statue. “But there’s another, permanently open one on a remote island.”

“Then… how’d you get here so fast?” Rarity asks, quiet puzzled.

I do a quick Wrap Drive rush to behind her and back.

Her nod tells me that’s enough of answer.

“Regardless, somebody could’ve been seriously hurt!” Sunset says, folding her arms. “The magic is going haywire and I have no idea how to fix it.”

“Um, excuse me,” we all turn to see Sci-Twi and Spike standing there. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to learn about the strange energy coming from your school. I had no idea it was magic or how it works.”

“That’s alright,” Dash starts walking over to the lavender girl. “Neither do we.”

At once, I realize I’d slackened and forgot what happens here.— WE!”

The entire scenes plays out, but I step in just as Sci-Twi asks about Equestria in confusion.

“Whoa, whoa! Let’s take a second and calm down.”

“Calm down?!” Sunset looks at me incredulously. “Because of her, our magic is gone, the only viable portal is closed and she put the lives of my friends in danger in her quest to understand instead of just asking us to explain things to her!”

“Maybe because her bitch of principal wouldn’t have let her!”

There’s a slight pause, but it’s quickly interrupted by a loud “WHAT did you just call me you freak of nature?!”

We all turn as Principal Cinch stomps towards us, her eyes narrowed and aimed at me.

At once, the Twilight goes ridged, before backing behind Sunset, Spike standing firmly in front of them, growling at the woman.

“Did I stutter?” I ask, turning to face her, flaring out my wings.

She pauses, clearly not sure what to make of this.

Good to know the flaring wings for intimidation thing works on humans as well as animals.

“I will not stand for a CHS student insulting me like that!” she points firmly at me.

I smirk. “I’m not a CHS student.”

She hesitates. “Pardon?”

“I smirk. “What, are you deaf, as well as stupid?”

Dash and Pinkie Pie hold back snickers.

“Like I said,” I fold my arms, lowering my wings a little, “I’m not a CHS student. I can call you a bitch if I want, especially when you very much are exactly that.”

The temple of her head twitching gives me joy as she snarls. “Why you wretched freak! Do you have any idea who I am?”

I sneer. “Yeah, a bitch. I thought we made that clear? Do you have a bad memory as well as being a bitch?”

Rarity and Sunset can’t help snickering now too.

Cinch looks like she’s about to pop a blood vessel.

A clearing of a throat causes all of us to look and see Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna and Dean Cadance coming over, their eyebrows raised.

Cinch seems to put my insults aside, before pointing at Dash and myself. “You can’t possibly call that a fair race.”

Principal Celestia just gives Cinch a “really, bitch?” look. “Principal Cinch, we all saw what happened. You can’t think CHS had some kind of advantage.”

Cinch looks offended. “Can’t I? Even without your trained attack plants, your students have wings and this one isn’t even a student and still chose to interfere,” she indicates to myself.

“If by interfere you me save your students!” I cut in glaring. “In case you missed it, when Rainbow sprouted her wings, she stopped being in the race. Sunset is the one who crossed the finish line, not Dash. Why? Because she, I were saving your students’ asses! Hell, it was one of your students who, admittedly accidentally, unleashed those plants on the field, not ours! If anyone had the unfair advantage, it was your school, Cinch!”

“Well, the race certainly had some... extenuating circumstances,” Celestia holds up her hands, clearly wanting to keep things from escalating. “Perhaps we should end the games now and declare a tie.”

Cinch scoffs. “A tie? Was this your strategy all along? To force us into accepting you as equals? I think not. The games will continue and Crystal Prep will prevail despite your antics and whatever performance-enhancing regimen your students are on.”

She looks like she’s about to demand Sci-Twi go with her, but a glare from all of us seems to make her think otherwise and she walks off.

Sunset sighs. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop all this from happening.”

Principal Celestia shakes her head, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Sunset.”

Sunset pulls away. “Isn’t it? I should know how to control the magic I brought here. But I don’t. I let everyone down. And now Principal Cinch thinks we’re cheating.”

Principal Celestia’s expression becomes stern. “It doesn’t matter what Principal Cinch thinks.”

Sunset shakes her head. “But it does. The students here at CHS don’t just wanna win. They wanna beat Crystal Prep. It isn’t gonna count if the other side doesn’t really think they lost. Crystal Prep is never gonna believe we won fair and square if there’s magic around. And that magic is only around... because of me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Sunset,” I say firmly, turning to her. “Magic is and has always been around because of the portal. All you did was help it manifest, which is not a bad thing.”

Applejack frowns at me. “And just how would you know that, missy?”

I shrug. “I live in Equestria. You pick up this kinda stuff.”

“I wish I didn’t have to keep competing against you all in the next round,” Sci-Twi looks to the girls “I never really wanted to be in these games and now I want to even less. I just want them to end.”

We all nod.

“So, now that that’s out of the way,” Spike walks up to me and sniffs my feet, “why do you smell like a bird?”

I snicker, folding my arms. “Boy, are you all in for a treat.”