> The Psychopath Interviews > by The Psychopath > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Interviewing Stephanie and Raging Inferno. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The two interrogated are from TenshuraX) The sun rises powerfully and casts its warm rays of pure brightness upon the castle of Canterlot. The yard is brimming with green, the statues are well polished, pegasi are falling from the sky while trying to scratch their backs. Yes. this is the perfect setting for Psycho’s first interrogation. The interrogation shall be starting within the highest tower of the castle. A room rarely ever used, and pretty much empty, save for the accommodations that the colorful stallion has added. A desk as simple as always, and plenty of carpets and colors in the room. Today we have not one, but two who shall be called upon to be interrogated. First came Inferno. Full name: Raging Inferno. Standing at about 3 feet, her demonic horns are razor-sharp, and her hairless tail ships back and forth as she walks, her leathery wings are folded along her back and her slitted red eyes gleam in the light. Her red coat attracts some attention away from her razor-sharp teeth as she smiles, and she seems just a bit on the chubby side, though no pony would DARE mention that to her, her unsheathed claws seemed to gleam in the light. And flying around her head is a very very small creature, what could only be described as a demon, with horns, wings, teeth, tail, claws, and eyes just like Inferno’s. Her humanoid form is easily differentiated from that of ponies. Psycho smiled maliciously as his pink, swirly eyes locked themselves upon his two invitees. He threw a pipe out of his mouth at an incoming pegasus guard, hurling said guard to the ground. “What I’ve called you here for, is to learn more about you. Like, where do you come from, chubby?” “HEY, i’m NOT chubby, and I just come from ponyville.” she responded, glaring. “No. I’m sure you’re not. You just have quite the oversized bits of calcium and marrow. Alrighty then. What, is your quest?” “I’m also not big boned, but I won’t explain to you, I don’t have a quest.” “Then what is your favorite color?” “... do you even have to ask? It’s red.” “Oooo. Somepony has anger issues. Alrighty then. Now to be cereal. What do you like to do? Do you like to annoy those guards out there who are too uptight? Or do you like to do other things?” “I don’t really have any specific things I like do.” she says with a shrug. The tiny demon, apparently noticing Psycho for the first time immediately began flying around his head. Psycho jumped on the desked and screamed:” AH! A demon fly! Meet my giant fly swatter of doom!” he yelled as he pulled out a giant fly swatter from his hat. The tiny demon’s horns then glowed red as she morphed into an exact copy of Psycho, and pulled out her own flyswatter. Psycho pulled out some sunglasses and swooped them on. “It seems we have...a copycat! YEEAAAAAHHH!” he shouted as he threw a gray vial on his copy and turned it into a cat. “Now to be more serious. Why do you have an evil fly with you?” “Uhh... that’s my little sister, not a fly.” “Do you consider her a...pphbth...maggot?” Psycho muffled his laugh with the gray cat as said grey cat turned back into the tiny demon. “No, no I don’t.” “Why is your sister so small?” Psycho followed the tiny thing with his eyes until he pulled out his hat and a strong gust of wind came out. “Because she’s about 5 days old.” stephanie just giggled and kept flying. “That makes no sense to me...I LIKE HER ALREADY! So are you sure you come from Ponyville? You aren’t exactly ponies to me? Are you...evil?” “Actually no, we do come from ponyville, but we’re not evil...well Blackluck might be.” “Who is Blackluck? Your brutha?” “Yes, and he’s as old as Stephanie.” “What does he look like? Is he GREEEEEN?” “He looks EXACTLY like stephanie, and Everberry.” “And Everberry is a delicious Berry...of EVIIILLLL?!” “No. Everberry is actually nice.” “Awww. So could you tell me exactly where you come from?” Psycho yells as he pulls out a lamp from nowhere and blinds Inferno as he dons a cop costume.”Answer the question, or I shall bring out...the soft cushion.” Inferno doesn’t seem to be affected by the sudden change of light as she replied: “We’re from ponyville, as I said before. if you like i could get all my sisters and brothers and bring them here, but, there are 7 of us total, so it’d be hard to investigate anything, especially with BB, Melody, and Heart around.” “Sounds fun. So what is your purpose? Taking care of your brothers and sisters of microscopic proportions?” “Actually BB, Heart, and Melody are already fillies, and no.” “Then what are you here for? Who are your parents? Why am I starting to think like someone from...space?” “1: I don’t know. 2: You probably don’t want to know and 3, That’s up to you..” “And five-” Psycho was Interrupted by Raging Inferno who corrected him. “You mean 4.” Psycho cursed to himself: “Curse the instructions of the holy hand grenade. And four: Yes. I DO want to hear more about your parents.” Psycho jumps into Raging’s stretched out forelegs and holds a lollipop. “Tell me a story.” “First of all, that’s way too cliché.” Inferno dumped Psycho onto the ground “And which ones.” Psycho gets up with a nerd costume. “Duhrrr. Geez. I don’t know? Both? Will this be on the test?” “Stereotyped, and I have 3.” Inferno seemed bored. “That’s a mean thing to say.” Psycho walked to the wall holding the window, and flicked it with his hoof, blowing the thing away and taking some more guards with it to the hard below. “Wow! Your parents must have had FUN!...unless...*gasp*. You are THREE genders?!” Psycho threw himself into the wall and melted into it. “Uhh... technically yes... but I was before my mom and dad got together, my mom was kinda with another mare, who could change into a stallion.” “So you have two parents.” Psycho said as he began to chomp on some corn-on-the-cob through the wall”But one can change gender, so that makes three? My head hurts. Too much logic.” “How about I explain it like this, mom had me before she was married, and with a different stallion than my dad. but the stallion she was with before wasn’t really a stallion, but a mare that also had stallion parts.” “I see.” Psycho said to the tiny demon flying around his head as he adjusted his new glasses, paying no attention to what he was just told. “WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME!!!” Inferno yelled as she burst into flames. “WHAT?!” Psycho shouted with a loudspeaker. “WERE YOU SAYING SOMETHING?! YOUR SISTER WAS TELLING ME SOMETHING NICE.” Inferno deadpanned “She only knows 6 words.” “Exactly. Eheheh. The Illogic can do things you can’t.” Inferno walked over to Psycho and grabbed him, pulling him back to his seat “Now I’LL ONLY EXPLAIN THIS ONE MORE TIME BEFORE I FUSE THE CHAIR TO YOU!” Psycho plainly stared at her with a plain look. “Yes yes. Your real ‘father’ is a hermaphrodite and your father isn’t the one that you really consider your father, biologically speaking.” “Yes, finally.” Psycho slowly lift his foreleg behind him and high fived the tiny Stephanie very discreetly as he adorned a face of innocence while looking at the ceiling. “Fine, fine, was that all?” Inferno said as she tapped her hoof impatiently. “Hmph. Do you have any powers, besides a generous size?” Psycho mocked while he ate some chocolate. Inferno was obviously pissed off “I’m NOT overweight. I can control and create fire obviously.” she says indicating that she is currently on fire “And I can use magic as well as fly.” Psycho’s eyes widened.”Oooo. What kind of magic? Becoming really tiny?” Psycho suddenly exploded into a cloud of smoke, revealing a tiny version of him riding on a tiny hot-air balloon. “No. Mainly teleportation and fire, as well as a few others” she was looking around impatiently “OH! Also, I can read minds.” “Really? What is your sister thinking of right now?” “... You REALLY don’t want to know.” “Mmmm. She’s thinking about burning everything to the ground and eating pies.” “Nope. Though my biological mother DID almost burn ponyville once...” “Umm. She’s thinking about rainbow ponies?” “No.” “Uhh...UHHH...ZIP ZOP ZOOBITY BOP?!” “Also no.” “Then what is she thinking about? Tell me. TELL ME!” Psycho shouted as he shook Inferno. “You really want to know?” “Ja.” “Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you” inferno smirked “She’s thinking of you plus rope plus bed.” “Mmm...hide and seek?” “Not quite, but I suggest you don’t be near her for a while.” “Rrrriiiiight.Oh. Do you mind us roasting these marshmallows over you while you weren’t paying attention?” Psycho pulled in a stick and took off a marshmallow and started to chew on it. “Yeah, I WOULD mind.” she turns her fire off. “Now if you don’t have any more questions then can we go?” Psycho has the costume of a cavepony and is frantically hitting Inferno’s hooves together to make sparks to light his wood fire. Inferno did not look amused. “If you don’t stop I will set stephanie on you.” “Come at me then. We shall fight like gentlecolts.” Psycho praised as a mustache twirled upon his face. Inferno smiled evilly and said “Well that fits Stephanie more than me.” “What, no fun then? You are no fun. Atleast your sister knows how to amuse others.” Psycho pouted. Inferno laughed “Not technically ‘sister’.” “Then what is she? An evil bee you called a sister, and do you have any real backstory?” “You missed something, Stephanie can’t be classified as ‘she’, but she is my sister slash brother.” “Ewww. Anything about your backstory?” Psycho said calmly as he put his sunglasses back on and crossed his forelegs on the desk. “Jees. I need specifics okay. SPECIFICS!” “Um. Where were you born? Where did you grow up? What’s the name of your three parents? Where are your other brothers and sisters?” “I was born in Ponyville. I grew up in Ponyville for the most part. My parents names are Rage, Berry, and Toast. Everberry and Blackluck are at home, while BB, Heart, and Melody are at school.” “I thee. Well then, why ith your appearanth tho demon like?” Psycho now had a loyal guard costume. “Still stereotyped, and Rage was a demon, and she turned Berry into a demon through a process I won’t explain, but I was... well... made when Berry was still part-demon.” “Did they use quality materials or were you just slapped together?” Psycho adjusted his glasses that gave off a gleam of light. “Still stereotyped, and I’m not a doll, though you seem like you’d know the most about them.” Psycho is trying to found a pull string on Inferno’s back when she finishes, and quickly scampers back to his seat. “No. I don’t like dolls. They’re creepy. Do you know of any worlds other than Equestria?” “Well then you and dolls would be a perfect match, and yes.” “Well that’s lovely, doll. But you aren’t my type.” Psycho joked as his chin grew thrice its size.” And what worlds?” Inferno opened her mouth and a whip-like thing shot out and wrapped around Psycho’s throat “I’m already taken, and 2, the one in pinkie’s mane, and the pseudo-hell that Rage created”.” “Ewww. I’m not into the kind of relationship.” Psycho said as a huge chunk of ice slipped from his hat and slammed on Inferno’s tongue.” Those are also interesting worlds, but I know quite the hoof full of them.” Inferno pulled her tongue back and glared at Psycho: “Is that all doll-guy?” “Yes it is, enormous-boned one.” Inferno got up and glared at Psycho “C’mon Stephanie” stephanie resumed flying around Inferno’s head. “One more thing.” “What now? If it’s more of your cliché’d costumes and stereotyped personalities, I don’t want to hear about it.” “Does your sister like melted caramel sauce?” Psycho smiled as he threw his head from side to side. “I don’t know, she’s never had it before.” “Well then, THERE’S ALWAYS TIME TO FIND OUT! DOWN THE HATCH!” Psycho yelled as he pulled a lever from nowhere which covered Inferno in a delicious amount of melted caramel. A trap door then opened underneath her. Psycho smiled as he looked in another direction. “Hey.” Inferno said as she appeared next to Psycho “I said that I can teleport” Inferno then burned the layer of caramel off. Psycho exploded into another batch of melted caramel, but this time, he didn’t reappear. His voice simply echoed through the room:” We are now done. Tahtah.” “Finally, but, just one more thing.” Inferno once again burned the layer of caramel off. “I’m not overweight OR big-boned, I’m pregnant.” and then teleported away with stephanie. While the broken wall repaired itself, one block appeared with Psycho showing a horrified appearance, like he just saw the most terrifying thing ever. > It spreads to Arewon > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Arewon is from Cheese Bread Eddy. Did you know that he's made of bread...and cheese...and crushed up eddies?) Today, there were a bit of clouds. Not too dark, but not too bright. The few rays of light that erupted from the clouds gently shone upon the racetrack of the Wonderbolts, giving lovely heavenly dots of sunlight upon the otherwise dark and humid track. Unfortunately for a stallion cleaning up the track, a huge desk fell from the sky and nearly smashed him as it landed with a loud bang. Psycho found himself tilted diagonally in the ground. “Welp, best start a new interrogation. Now who is it this time?” Psycho said as he ripped out some strands from the shocked stallion.”Puh puh pum. Ah! Air Eee wen. Argobon....Billy...Whatever.” the stallion tossed the strands away, turning them into sunflowers upon landing, and in front of him appeared Arewon. The stallion before Psycho was of a medium toned build. His coat was a white color with an off-tone of grey. His shaggy mane was mostly black with red stripes mixed in. Atop his head he wore a pair of brown goggles with blue tinted lenses.His eyes were amber in color. Around his neck was a necklace with a strange symbol of a ‘R’ and a ‘1’, both combined to form one solid black shape. His cutie mark was the strangest part about him. It looked to be a group of 3 grey tuning forks touching at the middle, with a grey circle surrounding them. The initial shock of Psycho’s sudden appearance stunned Arewon, causing his vision to cloud up momentarily. As his eyes cleared up, before him sat a stallion most strange. Where the desk came from never occurred to Arewon. There was just one detail about this stallion that he cared about. Pointing with a hoof toward Psycho, Arewon said the first thing that came to his mind: “Sick lid, bro.” “And what is YOUR name again?” Psycho’s head bobbed as he asked the question. “Uh, Arewon?” “Arlywoon?” “Are...Won” “...Herring?” Psycho asked as he held a herring he took from his hat. “Shrubbery?” Arewon replied, pointing toward a oddly placed bush. “Ni. You’re here so I can know more about you. What’s with your necklace?” “Oh this old thing? Lets just say that it’s my ‘model’.” He replied, giving the necklace a good ego rub with his hoof. “Ahhh. Is-a there...ahhhh. Chocolate inside?” Psycho asked while taking in massive gasps of air. “Ya’ll alright there, fella?” “Mmyes. Why do you ask?” Psycho suddenly has a pipe that blows bubbles as he sits comfortably in a massive chair made of marshmallow. “Oh, I dunno. Maybe the lack of breathing? Plus what’s with all the bad stage props? Is this ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’?” Arewon replied with a tone of annoyance. “Bad props?” Psycho looked insulted. “I dunno. Ask the other me behind you.” Arewon turned around to see a second Psycho waving at him. “Dude, I must be tripping.” Arewon said with his head in his hooves. “Yes you are.” the second Psycho said as the desk in front of Arewon disappeared and Psycho pushed the stallion over a rock, making him trip onto the floor. The crazed stallion then started to dance around Arewon yelling: “Whadadadye! Pizza pizza pie! By the way, where were you born. It’d be interesting to know.” “Appleloosa. I figured the accent woulda’ given me away.” Psycho started to speak with a very Indian accent. “What accent.? I have not heard it.” “Story of my life.” “How’d you grow up there? Wasn’t it too small for you and another?” Psycho chuckled. “Bro, you lost me again. Who and what are you? And what’s with the 20 questions?” Arewon shot back. “I’m Psycho the Psychopath. I am a herald of the World of Illogic, and I’m asking these questions to know more about everypony of interest in Equestria.” “Oh, I’m a pony of interest? I’m flattered to say the least.” “I’m sorry. Were you saying something? I was looking at this cloud...” Lowering his head, Arewon muttered, “And that, fillies and gentlecolts is rejection.” “Who are you talking to?” Psycho asked with his face now turned into that of a griffin. “A wall.” The off-white stallion replied matter o’factly. “We’re in the Wonderbolt race track stadium. There are no walls, but that makes no sense, so I like you already!” Psycho tore off his griffin face, stuffed it back into his hat, and put his normal face back on.”Now about those questions. Any brothers or sisters? And where’s my answer to the previous one?” “Alright, alright, I’ll play your little game. Did I grow up there? Yes, until I was 18. Did I have any siblings? Only one brother.” “Who vas he?” “About 398.6 CC’s less of a stallion! Oh um, I mean Aresix...” Psycho stared at Arewon plainly. “Gender change?” “I like to call it a ‘deficiency’.” Arewon said with a straight face. The Psychopath rolled his swirly pupils and pulled out a vial filled with pink and blue. “Give him this and it’ll properly allow the change. Should I throw it? If I do, and it breaks, it’ll happen to you.” Psycho began to smile maliciously. Cutting his eyes at the chaotically colored stallion, Arewon said in a steady voice, “You wouldn’t...” “Mmmm. I would, but that would ruin our interrogation.” Psycho looked sad and swallowed the vial. Arewon watched in horror as Psycho ate the ‘dangerous’ substance, vial and all. “That can’t be safe.” “My potion. My rules. So, do you have any powers?” “Other than with the mares? Nah, just your average run of the mill earth ponies-Oh wait, does playing the piano count?” Psycho grabbed Arewon, showing his teeth grating together and with his eyes widened. He shook the stallion as he yelled: “NOOOOOOOOOOOO! No it’s noooot!” the dropped him back on his chair...which somehow had reappeared along with the desk. Arewon crossed his arms in annoyance, “Everypony’s a critic...” He said with a harrumph. “Any backstory? Any? WHATSOEVER?” “Oh there is a backstory, although I hope you aren’t expecting some sad tale about how much my life sucked. Because it didn’t.” “Oh? I’m sorry. I was talking to this mouse.” Psycho lift a mouse sitting on his hoof.” “What was that about your backstory?” Arewon rolled his eyes at Psycho’s antics. “Welp, as you can probably guess, Appleloosa isn’t the most advanced of places in Equestria- If you know what I mean.” He said, giving Psycho a nudge on his shoulder with his elbow. “It isn’t very far from Equestria?” “I meant that they aren’t as technologically advanced as the Rest of Equestria, as well as they aren’t as... Smart? I mean they fought off a Buffalo invasion with pies... I mean who does that?” “The Pie People from the planet with a boring and unimaginative name, like Galaxor six.” Psycho swiped the air calmly with his foreleg. Arewon facehooved, “Uh, yea, sure. Lets go with that.” “What else is there? Hmmm. Who are your parents?” “I was getting to that! Who is telling the story here?” “The Pie people.” he said firmly. “The Pie People know everything.” “I’m pretty sure they are dead and gone now. If not? Introduce them to Soarin, then they will perish.” Arwon replied with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. “So, about your a-pair-ants.” “Right, right. Anywho, I was born into a simple south western family in Appleloosa. My mum was a small framed pegasus, and my pop was a big old earth pony. Weird combo, am I right?” “No. I’ve seen weirder.” “I have no problems believing that...” “Prease to be continuing.” “Domo arigatou gozaimasu!" Arewon replied with a mock bow. “Anyways, twas a simple family, my pop was an Applebucker, my mum was apart of the local pegasus weather team. They met, fell in love, got married, some stuff went down and BAM, I was born into a happy family.” “Anything special about them? Besides size and stature? Any bad apple?” “Nah, my pop was just an all all around goof stallion. Since he was so big, it wasn’t uncommon for him to ruff up the local hooligans. Mom was a sort of rarity herself, pegasi being a little more uncommon ‘round those parts.” “That all?” “Well what else do you wanna know?” “That was aboot it. Oh! Where do you live?” “Once I figured out my special talent and turned 18, I high tailed it to Canterlot, where I have been for the last 4 years. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved my home. But I needed a change of scenery. Especially since there is more opportunities here in our fine capitol.” Arewon replied with a gesture of his hoof at the surrounding city. “Well, this is all over. You wanna get to your house as quickly as possible?” Psycho asked as he ended up one millimeter from the opposing stallion’s face. “I...Need an adult...?” “I am an adult. One twenty years older than Tia-Tia.” Psycho said as he threw an apple at the hooves of Arewon, turning it into a cannon, with the said stallion being used as a projectile. Psycho stood on it with an old officer’s uniform and holding a sword out. He spoke in a strange highlander accent. “So. Yu want tae git up dere as fast as possible?” “Uh, Do I?” Was Arewon’s only response. “Yes. ye du. Fire!” With a loud bang followed by the cannons sudden backwards sliding, Arewon found himself flying back towards his house.”The target’s been subdood. To the next!” > Double the fun > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The two interrogated are from Samaru163) In Equestria’s more northern regions, there lies the small settlement of White Pine. The town is so named for the large forest of identical bone white trees with skeletal limbs, fittingly called the White Wood. Ever since their discovery they’ve been an enigma to the inhabitants; they do not grow, yet they do not wither away, almost like they’re in a state of between death. Even the ground around them is white and cracked, and no birds fly between the trees. No beasts wander among them. To the west of the White Woods - separated by a small river - the land is normal and beautiful to behold. This land is shadowed by the Broken Mountains - so named because they appeared to be smashed apart by some great beast of old. Some nights the locals claim to hear great noises coming from their depths. From these broken mountains bellowed a loud scream. It sounded like somepony was laughing. It was quite an obscure occurrence, but from the sides slid a strangely colored stallion on a pogo stick who fell vertically into the ground, only to jump back up and unfold his pogo stick into a desk. The stallion took out a tissue and blew his nose on it, then unfolded it to check his list. “Who is it this time?” he wondered with a sly grin. Just then a snowball came flying from the sky and impacted with the side of his head, followed soon after by a light giggling. “I think the problem was your swing was too strong,” a playful voice said. “Try loosening it this time.” “I’m really beginning to question your abilities as a golfing instructor by this point.” a second one replied. Psycho readjusted his lower jaw and took out a beard and stroked. “What’re your names again.” he spoke with a type of spittle in his words. Directly above him were two bright green pegasi with pine green manes and tails standing on a cloud. “Oh, hello there,” one of them spoke. She had blue eyes and her mane came down around her head like the frill of a lizard. Decorating her legs were golden bracelets fixed with large sapphires. Her mark was a chess king riding inside of a chariot. “Are you referring to us?” “Do you see anyone else?” the second one asked, tossing away the golf club she was holding. Her eyes were fiery red, and her mane and tail were both tattered and unkempt. the bracelets around her legs were silver, and fixed with large onyxes, rubies, and undefinable pink and yellow stones. Her mark was a black die being tossed from a silver goblet. “Mmyes. I was, ahhh, referring, to you, ahhhh.” Psycho took in a gasp that made his whole body shrink. “Bless you.” the red eyed one said. Psycho put on an oversized armor that made him disappear within. “Who be ye? What are your names?” he said before face-planting into the ground and sinking into it. “I’m Games Master,” the first one said happily. “And this is my twin Festivities.” “I shee that.” Psycho was within Games Master’s eye and speaking through a microphone. “And where do you live now?” “Nowhere,” Games said, completely unaffected by this. “We move from place to place. Seems ponies don’t like us hanging around them. Why, I have no idea.” “Me neither.” Fest said, taking a small black die from behind her ear and kicking it into the air. she caught it on her back leg and tossed it up again. Psycho appeared from the ground a took up a black cup, catching the die. He then slammed the cup on the table and yelled:”Yankee!” Fest giggled happily and held her hoof out in front of her expectantly. A small green fire appeared and when it went out the die was back in her hooves. “You’re an interesting stallion, you know that?” Psycho ignored her as he drooled on his spot, staring into the air, then he snapped back and asked:”Do you have any relatives, besides yourselves and yourselves?” “Well we do have our father and brother, but we’re not seeing them at the moment,” Games answered, staring at a chessboard in her hooves. “Not sure why, but they also don’t like us being around other ponies.” “Vhat about your maja?” A somber feeling quickly fell onto the area. Games looked up from her board slowly and Fest’s cheerful appearance seemed to vanish. “We...don’t like to talk about it.” Games said finally. “Mmmm.” Psycho’s head began to spin, then he started to smile again.”What else is there? What does your faja and brother do?” “Oh! Oh! Can I say this one?” Fest asked as she jumped in place, her good mood suddenly back. “I DON’T KNOW!” Psycho yelled before throwing a piece of chocolate cake at her face. She arched her back and ducked completely under it before knocking the cake from his hoof and catching it in her own. “I was voted most flexible in the Young Flyers Competition,” she said proudly. “Anyway, we can’t really say what they both do, something about sciency things I think. They never let us come with them or help them work.” “What kind of sciency things? Do they make vials like mine?” Psycho threw a green and blue vial into the forest that created a tornado of goop that threw said substance all over the place. The second the colors touched the trees, though, it withered away into nothing. “Again, not sure. We never get to see.” Fest said, bringing a hoof to her mane and petting it affectionately. “Say, do you like to play games?” “Yes. BUT, do you have any powers?” Psycho got close to Festivities knee, pulled out a massive hammer and poked her knee with it. “Does being born with a rare condition that causes the magic levels in your body to swell to dangerous and possibly life threatening proportions and then your mother finding a way for you to expel said magic in ways similar to - but not the same as - a unicorn count?” Games asked with a curious smile. “I dunno. Does being a herald to another dimension count as having an ability?” “I’m not sure,” Games pondered for a moment before sliding two pawns across her board. Suddenly two large tokens made of stone shot from the earth. “Hey, do either of you think it should count?” “Um, sure?” “Why not?” “Thanks boys,” Games said as she took the pawns off the board, causing them to sink back into the dead earth. “I guess that answers that...sort of.” “Not really.” Her twin said with a giggle. “AHHH! EVIL EARTHWORMS!” Psycho pulled a gatling gun from his hat and began to fire into the ground. The bullets were...pieces of exploding corn? ”YATATATATATA!” “Corporal, it seems the enemy is upon us!” Games declared, suddenly dressed as an army general. “You lead the defensive, I’ll remain here and hold the flank.” “Aye, captain!” Festivities saluted before vanishing in a green light.” “So, anything else you want to ask?” “Yes. VHERE IZ DOCTOR?! Doctor! Mediiic! Also, what do you like to do?” “Me and Fest play games with ponies. Fun little games where you can ask us for anything if you win - with the exception of our items or any harm against us or our family,” Games explained like she had a thousand times already. “If you lose though, me and Fest get to make some...changes.” “What were your lives before you became like this?” Psycho innocently asked as he held a giant earthworm under his right foreleg and was punching its face with the left one. “Life wasn’t that bad, we didn’t see dad that much because of his work, our brother despised us, and our condition greatly hindered our abilities in and outside of school. But mom was nice and always around.” “Yep.” Fest said, stepping out from Psycho’s shoulder with a painted worm around her neck like a scarf. “She’s the one who made us these.” Both twins held their items up in perfect unison, causing a small spark of green magic. “These sort of act as an ‘artificial horn’, a way for us to release all that magic inside of us.” Games added on. Psycho flicked off the pony on his shoulder and made it land in a jar of jam.”Cool. Anything else you want to add?” “Um...I don’t think so. Unless you want to hear about some of the things we’ve done?” Fest asked. “Why not. I’ve got time to kill.” Psycho pulls a lever as he stares at the sky. A clock is slowly being moved towards a wide saw. “Hmm, ever heard of the Banana Cream Incident?” “No.” “That’s because you never will,” Games said, giggling with glee. “Oh, that was such a fun time. Though strangely enough, it was after that ponies stopped wanting us to come near them.” “I guess they’re just sore losers.” Fest said, leaning onto her twin. “That’s nice. Well, I guess that’s that. Unless you have just one more story to share.” “How about the story of the stallion with wings for legs?” Fest asked. “Never heard of him. Were his wings made of wheels?” Both twins nodded to each other and giggled in unison. Fest then tossed her die towards Psycho and it landed on a four. “Hmm...yep, they seem to be.” She said before falling back in a fit of giggles. “Okay then. See you later.” Psycho stood on his desk and saluted the two mares as a siren blasted its alert and the desk began to sink into the ground until it and Psycho completely disappeared. Games helped Fest back to her hooves and she quickly retrieved her die. They then turned their heads to the village and grinned mischievously. “Let the games begin-” Fest started. “-May the festivities commence.” > Special 1: Impaling (Out of date) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The character being interviewed is from Nova Shino) One of the most dangerous places of Equestria was not a desert with burning sands, whose intense heat can melt your flesh off your bones, or a sea of strong gusts and waves high and powerful enough to cut steel. No. It was a forest. A simple forest. Something bland and typical, but this was no ordinary forest. It was Everfree. Known for its dangerous creatures and rich fauna and flora, the Everfree forest was the next location for an interview. In one of the rare clearings stood nothing but stood nothing. There was simply soil covered in a green moss, along with the terrifying beasts surrounding it. Why did they not step here? A green stallion was sitting in the middle, waiting for something. His triangular pupils spinning in anger and frustration as he waited for his first guest. “Look out!” Just then, a blue pegasus came spiraling down, smashing into one of the trees and knocking said tree down. “Ow.” He pulled himself up and shook his head to clear it from the fog that had set in. He was a simple water blue with a brown mane. Said mane had a white streak running through it, leading to the end of his slightly ragged tail. All he wore was a simple white and black flight suit and white stetson hat. On the suits flank was a red circle surrounded by spikes. The green stallion cracked his neck and tilted his head to the pegasus.”You are the invitee?” he spoke in a sinister tone. “Yep. Nova Shino’s my name.” The pegasus said with a playful tone in his voice. “Do not speak like that to me. I do not like those who try to act ‘joyful’ within my prescence. Now, I’ve been told to ask you a few questions, correct?” Sociopath growled as he threw a pilum at a tree, breaking it in half and taking a beast with it. Nova stared at the place Sociopath threw the pilum at with wide eyes and a few less than nice words running through his head. “Uh... okay. What do you want to know?” “Do you have any family that I might need to know about?” Sociopath’s breathing was becoming more and more pressed, indicating his anger despite a lack of any exterior appearances. “I didn’t really associate with any family before. Most of the people you would want to know about are either friends or simply acquaintances.” Nova Sighed as he looked up at the night sky. “Dead?” Sociopath smiled. “Not really. Just... far away.” “Damn.” Sociopath cursed under his breath.” So, where do you live?” “I travel around. Though I mostly have stayed in Canterlot.” Nova said as he smiled. Sociopath was standing around, with several spears sticking out from the ground. He found the time to chuck them at the forest openings in the trees, constantly cursing despite the sound of painful roars erupting from the green mass. “Have you ever managed to impale more than five beasts on a spear?” he asked Nova as he continued to throw his weapons. “I don't really use spears. If and when I do use a blade weapon I prefer swords.” “Hmph. I remember, back during the wars. ALL the griffons that I impaled on a stick. We sometimes roasted ‘em and ate them. Gave you proteins.” Sociopath shook his hoof with a smile. “So what about you? Any stories of war and battle to share?” “I fought off 50 changelings with this bad boy.” Nova said as he took of his hat, reached into it a bit farther than normally should be possible, and pulled out a small device that looked like an oddly shaped box. “Does that count?” “Changelings? I’ve heard of them. Apparently the modern Council’s Militia is just as useless as the new ‘princesses’. If my militia was still around, you’d be eating changeling soup.” Sociopath stomped the ground, and several thorns erupted from the ground to impale a boulder several feet away. “Don’t bad mouth Celestia in my presence.” Nova said, his eyes taking a sudden red glow to them. “Especially considering my profession.” Sociopath glared at the pegasus.”Watch your words, colt. I am much older than you, I’m the chief of the council’s militia, and I know just how irritating those little ‘alicorns’, as Psycho named them, can be. Speaking of which, do you have any powers?” Nova suddenly glowed a brilliant white, blinding all that looked. When the light faded, a unicorn colt with dark blue fur and snow white hair was standing in his place. The unicorn wore somewhat bulky white armor with red streaks here and there. “I’m glad you asked. I’m... not exactly a normal run of the mill pegasus.” “No. You seem to be one who sucks up to the winged brats. What kind of power was that? Morphing? Psh. Changelings can do the same.” Sociopath was finding pleasure in irritating his guest quite a lot. A slight glint appeared in Nova’s eye as he pulled out a large device with a small missile in it. He pulled the trigger and the missile went flying away into the forest. a small mushroom cloud was seen where it striked. Then another flash appeared where Nova was, replacing the one unicorn with two pegasi. The first was the normal Nova Shino, the other was a bone white with tattered and frayed wings, a golden shield with a skull on it, a rather large sword in a sheath, and an eyepatch over one of his eyes. “Your soul?” “No. This is Medievil. My silent side and the element of selfishness. Oh yea, i forgot!” Nova suddenly knocked off his hat, and stuck almost half his body into it, with ‘Medievil’ rolling his one eye. When Nova came back up, he was holding a chest. “The elements of chaos.” “Hmph. Chaos. Do you have any backstory?” Nova set the chest down. “I remember waking up right on a road. No idea how I got there. I was close to canterlot, so I went there. Got up to the palace, asked to see the head of the place. Guards wouldn't let me in. So I... made them let me in. Went straight up to the princesses chambers, knocking guards out as I did so. I think I took out fifty or so by the time I got up there. Princess didn't take too kindly to that.” “When they discovered how terrible their guards were, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Sociopath tossed another spear into the woods, then cursed again.”Only four.” Nova pulled a glass out of his hat and sipped some of the drink inside. “The princess took me down in about... nine? ten minutes? Frankly that’s a new record. She threw me in the dungeon until she could figure out what to do with me. WITHOUT execution.” Nova shot a sideways glare at Sociopath with that last part. “...and then, Discord got loose.” “Ha! You were defeated by Celestia? You must be a poor fighter.” Sociopath smirked. “Have you seen that girl fight? She controls the damn sun for christs sakes! I could have taken her down sure, but I held back because I didn't want to cripple one of my only chances of figuring out what the hell happened to me!” “Yeah. Okay. So you really have no connections left with your family, and is there anything else to your story here?” “Lets just say I’ve met some gods in my life. Apparently, I was sent here to act as a balance for chaos and harmony. The Yin to the Yang so it would seem. after a while, I wound up becoming Celestia’s handy man so to speak.” Nova Sighed as he picked up the chest and set it back in his hat. “Now, do you have any more questions?” Sociopath approached the stallion’s face with pure determination. “Do you wish to join the World of Insanity? Think about the strength you might gain.” “What's the cost?” Nova asked with one of his brows raised. “There is no cost. You will simply obey the heralds words, like me.” “Hm...” Nova starting thinking, gaining strength, and only having to follow the words of these so called ‘heralds.’ “...nah. I have my own brand of crazy to think about. Besides, No cost? Theres always a cost. You're skimping me on the deal.” Nova said with a look in his eye. “You’ve already past the requisites.” Sociopath grinned. “All but one.” “Which would be?” “I’m not a murderer.” Nova Shino grinned like a madman, and pulled out a stun grenade. “See you in hell Sociopath.” The grenade went off, blinding The Sociopath. When the light cleared, Nova Shino was gone. Sociopath just stood firmly in place, then began to chuckle. “Insanity never dies.” > A skippee > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The character here is from Art Inspired) This interview was happening within Bone Peak. Contrary to its name, this fine and “soothing” area is actually a very thick forest filled with white trees and greyish grass. This same grass produces a dense fog which obscures all sight, be it in front, far away, or very close. This forest was named such as it is situated high in the mountains, but is still a very wide forest nonetheless. One of the trees began to bend and twirl until it turned into a door. A small light above it constantly flickered on and off, going higher as it did. With a loud “ding”, The Psychopath walked out, wearing a business suit, glasses, and fake, gigantic eyebrows. He sat on a patch of grass and looked at his papers. “Ah. Here’s a new guest. Who is it?” he spoke with a deep, nasally voice. Through the haze, our interviewer could just barely detect a unicorn, slowly trotting towards the area. everything about his aura told our host this wasn’t a normal guest. His jet black mane tied back into a medium sized, slim line. The coat he donnes was roughly worn with small tints of dirt upon the grey pigmentation. Those eyes stared deep into the colorful stallion and spoke dark thoughts, mainly ones of cruel, mental schemes. Finally arriving to stand in front of The Psycho, his guest asked, “So, what’s all this about?” his voice was deep, almost enchanting with the depth it took. Psycho threw off his costume, which, somehow, turned into a giant coconut that started to fly away with screeching. “I am The Psychopath, and I’m here to interview you and learn more about you.” he said with a grin and a bow. The guest snickered, bowed back and ruffled his hooves in the dirt. Looking back at this plotter of possible evil, he explained, “Well, I’m not good with interviews, but... for a certain... infamous one like yourself, I can, of course, oblige. my name is Art... just Art.” Psycho suddenly appeared smug, with his muzzle unusually large, allowing one to see within the nostrils...as gross as that was. “Not...modern art, I hope?” he spoke, looking down upon Art. “Oh, no... More... how should I put it...? Unique and, for the most part, disturbing to others, hehe. Psycho returned to his normal self, with a wide smile, and floating gently in the air. He spoke with a sly undertone:”Do you have family? Like brothers, sisters, something?” Art simply cleared his throat, looked around and contemplated upon his reply. “Well, actually, yes... but they’re very far away. I haven’t seen them for... my alicorn, ages, at least... Anyways, family ties are pointless in this world, right?!” “You sir, insult me.” Psycho slapped art with a glove that was of no apparent use to him.”Of COURSE it’s useful! Why, without me, what would have happened to Tia-Tia and Woona? I was somewhat of their only family.”Psycho grinned.”In my world. Why do you not like families?” Rubbing his blistered cheek, Art giggled at the sting. Pain, to him, seemed pleasurable. Chuckling at the reaction of his host, Art adjusted his frame and returned his pleased gaze at The Psychopath and uttered, “Because... they never really showed me kindness, or worried about my well being. That’s why I’ve never cared about such a thing like family.” the last word was muttered like it was a curse upon his mind. “Hmmm. Well, thinking of it like that...I would understand, but I don’t want to. Hmhmhaaaa!” Psycho started to hop on the branches, then hung upside down on another.”What about their names? Do you remember their names?” “They were known as Modern Day and Black Sight. Modern, my mother was always trying to be... more clingy about me, but in the end, she merely used me like some sort of child slave. Day in and day out, they just sat back and observed my tortured life as I bid to their every request... and demand!” Psycho grimaced, one of the few moments he ever did so. “I see. I have several vials in my hat that could help you with such things...but I guess it’s too late. Where do you live now?” Psycho shook his head, with the sound of glass chittering against each other coming from his hat. Art pointed his horn upwards, flickering the dull, grey light of enchantment on the trees and revealed his home atop the distant mountains. “The very summit, where the snow rages. Having a cold heart, and mind, I find it necessary to live in harsh environments like that to match my ways.” The puff of leaves were put back in their original position, blocking the sight of Art’s jagged, but gorgeous domain. Psycho, with a bland face but with widened eyes, suddenly held out a red vial. It was bubbling at the thin opening.”You seem a bit cold.” “As I like it. Heat never suited my likings.” Psycho tripped a bit as he stood, dropping a teeny drop on the floor. Said drop melted through the ground with a little trail of smoke.”Hmm. Ten skull tabasco sauce seems mild. What else be there...do you have any powers?” The grey unicorn scoffed at the burnt gravel, stared at his lunatic host and said, “Devilish concoction you have, and yes. my powers of archan skills are... impressive in my personal opinion.” the being began to form a sinister smile, still gazing at the psycho like the mixture that was sure to kill him was nothing more than a child’s prank. Psycho just drank his tabasco sauce like soda. “Mmm. Sour.” he tossed the vial into the background, which managed to trigger a rather large explosion. Psycho didn’t budge.”Hm. Note to self, use less gunpowder in sauce. Do you have a full backstory, or is it just about your mother?” “Do you want my life story, or just certain details about my personal experiences?” “Omnomnom...How about certain experiences you find are the most interesting, like when I got a griffin diplomat to join the Illogic. Whowee. That was fun!” Wind rustled Art’s mane, trickling it to the side. His head bowed slightly, shielding his eyes in shadows while The Psycho sensed his remembrances. “Once... a dragon invaded my home... He looked a lot like some... demon from hell itself... not normal, something that was spawned from the darkness. He was in search of a home, my home... my sanctuary. I had no choice but to attack, to defend the only land that is suitable for me. In the end, I won, yes... but the devastation on my grounds was devastating. I had to spend... bare minimum, five years...? rebuilding and tending to the place I considered my area... even now, I feel cramped... pressured by the warmth of these woods.” Psycho seemed to have put on a plumber suit. “Awww. That is-a so sad. Why not-a have lots of spaghetti? Is-a very warm.” “Warmth is like cancer to me, Mr.Psycho. I prefer the harsh, unforgiving snow than anything else.” Psycho turned back around, then calmly took hi flamethrower off his back and kicked it back into his hat. “Is there anything else you wish to share?” Art shrugged and asked, “Well, there’s nothing much else, is there, unless you wish to discuss something like... oh, I don’t know, the downfall of this world in approximately fifty-nine days, then no... not much else, hehe.” Psycho shrugged and smiled. “Who cares? I’ve gone to many dimensions before. The Illogic has no limits. Now you are done?” the colorful stallion showed a glint in his eye as his smile widened. Art stretched his left hoof and claimed, “Basically, yes.” Putting it down, he finished, “I appreciate the time we’ve had to talk, my friend.” The Psychopath now had the costume of...an American football player? “Then back to your house! HUT!” he yelled as he smashed into Art, casting the stallion back to his house.”YEAAAAAH! Now to get out of here.” The colorful psycho stallion started to swing on the trees from branch to branch, and claimed:”I am a gazelle. Neigh.” he spoke with a straight face. > Special 2: Biped > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The character her is from TenshuraX) All around the world of Equestria, there existed small abandoned labs full of horrors of unspeakable abominations. These labs have either been destroyed by time, or they have simply been blocked by nature. One of them, in particular, was deep underground, and it was one of the worst yet. Strange mutated creatures that seemed forcefully mixed with different parts roamed the halls, and every now and then, one could find some sort of brown splatter on the wall which tried high and low. The center possessed a face that moaned in unending agony to its existence. One of the experimentation rooms, in particular, held great interest to one creature who had found this place. A shadow moved among the experiments of a desolate lab, its form hidden in the darkness. it seemed to not fear the abominations of creatures which roamed the halls, and was instead more interested in the experiments. The experiments within this room were either in small, dusty vials, or within cracked or damaged containers against the wall. This place had cobwebs everywhere, and the amount of dust was enough to cause anypony to die of respiratory problems. There were strange machines that ornated the wall, sometimes making a little click before going “back to sleep”. A soft laugh broke the stillness of the lab as the shadow stopped, gazing upon the experiments. The room shook a bit, as the sounds of something tearing and drilling filled the air. The dust kicked up in an attempt to flee, but, alas, dust has no mode of transportation. “What kind of moron drills into a lab?” a soft voice carried through the halls, it was high-pitched with a hint of annoyance. The drilling suddenly stopped, giving a tone of suspense to the room, until the wall next to the damaged containers blew open, with strange copper-colored spikes pushing against the thick metal and locking it in place. In game a green stallion. “Oh? Another experiment?” he plainly spoke. The shadow moved into the green stallion’s vision, revealing itself as a young human girl with long black hair, wearing a plain white dress. “And who, pray tell, are you?” she spoke, her voice was soft with an undertone of malice. “Oh? One who speaks? What’s your name? You tell me your name, and I’ll tell you mine. “What assurance do I have that you will, in fact, tell me your name after I tell you mine?” Sociopath cracked his neck. “Fine. You prefer death as a quicker alternative?” “Perhaps, now if only you could, but I may as well give you my business name, I am DJ.” “I am The Sociopath, who was once known as Impaler. Why are you in these labs?” “Because I was seeing if there were any experiments I could use to my advantage.” “Hmph. I suppose you have some backstory to go along with your little treasure hunt, then?” “Yes, but why should I tell it to you?” “Stories can light rooms, and I love a good blood bath.” “Hmm, well then, I may as well tell you who I am. I am DJ Bl4ck0ut. I am a scientist, and I am also known as the Blackout Butcher.” “Why Blackout? Ponies blackout from your appearance?” Sociopath smirked. “No. Blackout because that’s what happen to ponies vision as they die: they see nothing but darkness.” “Mmmm. You kill, then? The World of Insanity might have a place for you. WHY do you do what you do, though?” Sociopath was wandering about the room as he spoke. “Because I have no reason not to.” as she spoke, she grinned. “And using parts of them for experiments is … satisfying, more so than simply torturing them” she continued, her grin becoming unnerving as her eyes followed Sociopath’s every movement. “Heheh. I know quite a few of the lesser inhabitants of the World of Insanity that would take a liking to you. Any family?” Sociopath started to fumble with the machines, pulling a small thorn out of the ground and messing around with the circuits. “No, none to speak of.” she shrugged and continued “I do know who my parents are, but they never speak with me, so I simply ignore them most of the time.” “Do they have names?” Sociopath was grinning evily, but discreetly. “Yes, and you would most likely know them.” as she spoke she reached behind her neck, rubbing something. “Might want to get rid of that lump.” Sociopath continued” What ARE their names?” She smirked “Two things, first of all that’s not a lump. second of all my mother’s name is Blazing Willow, and my father’s name is Heart Surge.” “Anything about them that is interesting? Is one in the army, or other things?” “No, my father is a doctor and my mother is a fire specialist but that’s about it.” Sociopath growled as he messed up a wire and caused a small explosion in the machine.”Do you live anywhere?” “Yes, but I won’t tell you where.” she looked at Sociopath unamused “You’d probably do something stupid and mess it up.” “I don’t destroy buildings. That’s underneath me.” he said as he wiped away all the dust. She laughed, her soft voice carrying a slightly grating tone “Says the one who drilled his way into here instead of using the front door.” “Drilled? The thorns just had the sound of scraping as I scraped off those disgusting horrors on the wall and impaled them on the spikes.” “Hmm, I see, well then, still no, because I have many delicate instruments there, and a few runnign experiments.” “Not my problem. Do you have any powers?” “Not really, but I use science to give myself powers.” Sociopath’s hoof broke a vial he was holding, and he glared with his teeth at the creature.” Do you make vials and rink the contents?” “Sometimes, but I prefer syringes.” Sociopath’s eye twitched a moment, then he readjusted himself. “Hmm. Any purpose in killing?” “I already answered that question, now what about YOU, who were your parents?” “Someponies of a weak constitution. They are unimportant to my lineage. Now excuse me while I look for more important things in this place. You obviously have no powers, and, therefore, are of no interest to me.” “I mentioned before that I gave myself powers, and you never elaborated upon the question.” Sociopath facehoofed.”Then what powers do you bestow upon yourself with the drugs?” he was exasperated. She laughed madly “One is this.” she reached behind her neck again and started to get larger, her entire form changing to that of a 8 foot tall man wearing a black lab coat and surgical mask. Sociopath just frowned as he stared at the new form, then stomped the ground, creating an earthquake.”Anything impressive?” he mocked. DJ’s voice had become deep and grating, and his laugh was similar to a thousand nails on a chalkboard “Yes, but a few require a... subject.” Sociopath slammed his foreleg into the ground a pulled out a frightened stallion with his mouth sewn shut, then tossed him helplessly to DJ’s feet.”There. I brought you some work material. Impress me.” he grimaced. DJ reached behind him and pulled out what looked like a large pistol, pointing it to one of the abominations that happened to wander too close “This first one requires a more... expendable subject at first.” he pulled the trigger and the thing exploded, sending body parts and blood everywhere. “...I did bring an expendable subject.” The sewn stallion was muffling something, but couldn’t get it out. “Yes, but this next one would have been impossible to tell on that thing, and it was annoying.” DJ returned the pistol and pulled out a syringe “This is just annoying, but I find some stallions are quite annoyed at it.” he said as he glowered down at the stallion. Bending over DJ injected the odd liquid into the stallion’s arm. and as the onlookers watched, the stallion changed into a mare. “It’s just a simple little thing, and more for annoyance than combat.” “And what does it do?” Sociopath stomped the ground with his hind leg and locked the sewed mare in place with thorns.”Besides the gender change? I’ve seen The Psychopath do it too...with is...accursed vials.” Sociopath grinded his teeth in anger. “Well, it also implants a little chip into their muscles, so I can do this.” he pulled out a remote as he spoke and the mare’s arm ripped free of the thorns, seemingly of its own accord.” “Hmmm. Interesting. You could turn them into sleeper agents. Anything else?” “I also have a normal weapon. OH! Also, catch.” as he spoke, he pulled a vial out of something and tossed it at Sociopath. Some new thorns caught the vial and formed a type of bowl to hold it. “And what is this?” the stallion poked the vial with his forehoof. “That, is water.” “And?” DJ laughed “Normal water, but this,” he takes out another vial, filled with a blood-red mixture “THIS is something different.” “...Blood?” “No. It just looks like blood. Its actual effect is much more... interesting.” “Show me.” Sociopath gave a faint smile. “Very well.” he tossed the concoction at the mare “Good night little one.” as the vial broke, spilling the mixture upon the mare her flesh began to bubble and peel away. “Hmhm. Torture potion. Any particular name?” “Flesh-ripper.” “Simplistic but fitting. Any way to finish ‘her’ off?” “I have 2. Another vial, or simply me using my weapon.” “You already used your weapon. I still prefer my spears. What is the other vial?” DJ laughed “Bloodsurge.” He took out a vial, black stained glass and a skull adorned the vial, and he moved behind a large piece of metal after he tossed it “I suggest taking cover.” “The Insanity doesn’t fear pain.” Sociopath firmly stood his ground. “I warned you.” the mare’s entire body began to puff up and grow, until she exploded, sending shrapnel-like shards of bone everywhere, moving at high enough velocity to pierce into steel. These shrapnels ripped and tore through the green stallion, who barely reacted without so much as a shrug. ”Hmmm. I like it!” he forced his muscles out, causing his body to regenerate the missing pieces. DJ stepped out from behind the steel and looked at the pieces of bone scattered throughout the room and embedded in every single surface “Good, and that is all I have, besides Boston.” “What?” DJ pulled a large blade, easily 7 feet long from behind him, setting it point-first in the ground next to him “This is Boston, my sword.” “Eh. A sword.” “Yes, but surprisingly effective. It also seems to terrify several creatures, such as ponies. Well, normally that is.” “Hmmm. We have many creatures in the World of Insanity who possess bizarre weapons not seen in Equestria before. Anything you want to add? I have much to do, such as looking for a new test subject.” “No, not really. The only other thing I have is regeneration, but that’s about it.” “Good. I’ll discuss the possibility of you joining the Insanity in an eventual future. I’ll be leaving now.” “That is assuming I accept, and that is another discussion entirely.” The green stallion ignored this remark and passed onto the hole, taking care to create more thorns to block any access to him. “Hmm, this will do.” he picked up one of the surviving vials and changed back to a little girl. The little girl walked out of the lab, whistling and holding a dusty vial, the torn and weathered label upon the vial indicated something called ‘chimera X’. (may the feasting green turkey bless your bowels) > Forests and goblins > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The characters here belong to Hydra) The deep green of the tranquil forest enamored many who would see it, sometimes considering the flora as a great canvas of nature. As the stallion continued through his path, bushes would shake. As his house came into view The grey stallion pondered the vision he’d had while visiting Ponyville. “Why can’t the elements leave me be during such great days.” he said, sighing as he took in the sights and sounds around him. Out of nowhere, a bell sounded. Not a typical bell, but the ones usually found on small bikes, and the source of this bell came out from the very low, leaf covered branches of the Everfree trees. It was a large bush on a tricycle. It stopped in its path as the stallion stared at it, while the bush seemed to stare back. “What in the hay?! Maybe I’m becoming delusional again.” He said, trying to avoid looking at the strange bush. With the sound of ruffling leaves, the plant just said:”I’m just a bush on a tricycle.” before ringing its bell and disappearing back into the forest. “Now I know I’m going crazy” “Not at all.” said a familiar voice next to the stallion. “Thinking I could get a single day of rest. What do you want?” the stallion said expecting the technicolor pony from his vision. However, next to this stallion, there was just a monkey holding something behind its back. With a stunned expression on his face, the stallion knelt for a better look at the small monkey. Squishing the concealed moss pie in his face, it hopped around with its arms waving in the air before swinging away into the forest. Wiping his face, the stallion gave chase, jumping over fallen logs and dodging the occasional rogue branch. Finally losing sight of the monkey he stopped in a clearing, closing his eyes the world took on another form as he felt for the monkey’s presence. Finding nothing the stallion opened his eyes and jumped back when two swirly eyes suddenly appeared two millimeters from his own and yelled:”Herro!” “So you decided to show yourself finally.” taking a defensive stance he prepared for the worst. Since seeing his first vision, most of them had been about dangerous events and this could be another. The swirling eyes melted to the ground and reformed into the pony from his vision. “I don’t shupposh you have shomething to drink?” the stallion forced out of his dried up mouth. “Not on me but a creek is nearby if you need it so badly.” the grey stallion said, his suspicion rising. “Okay!” he shouted. The technicolor stallion slammed his hoofs into the ground and looked like he was digging. In reality, he was pulling the stream towards himself with a smile, and drank from the water of that portion pulled to him. As he wiped his mouth, he asked the stallion, while grabbing his foreleg and throwing him up and down:” What’s yer name?” “The name’s Paradox. How about telling me yours.” hearing it come from the side he turned to see Paradox standing a few feet to the side. Looking back at his hooves the fake stallion slowly dispersed into glowing blue symbols. “I am Psycho, also known as ‘The Psychopath’.” the stallion jittered quite a lot as his smile remained stationary upon his face. “So why are you here in the Everfree forest? A vision told me of your approach but it makes me wonder why?” staying on his guard, he was growing curious about the other pony’s background. Psycho simply stood upright on his hind legs, took on an unimpressed and bored expression, pushed something that ringed, leaned against the air and began to slowly levitate upwards. He got out of whatever he made and began to walk on the air with a large smile. “I just like to go around and ask ponies things, like if you have a family.” “Well yes and no, I was created by the Elements of Harmony. Some of my extended family, I guess, would be the bearers of the elements and my partner, Lupus.” he answered, surprised that he’d answered the indirect question so quickly. “Mmmyes, very much so.” Psycho was stroking some newly formed beard as he smoked from a pipe. “Quite the strange dimension I must sayyyyy.” he had a haughty tone of voice.”Care to,mmm, elaborate on how you were made?” “I have little memory of how I was created. I only found out after Celestia and Twilight’s dad discovered my connection to the elements. About Lupus though... I had found him near my house, near death from being abandoned due to his sickliness. Doing much better after getting a mark of Ehwaz. It allows me to communicate with him. Wasn’t until recently that he became Alpha of his old pack...would you like some help down?” Psycho was facing a tree high in the air. He stuck out his tongue in concentration, pulled his foreleg back, then punched the tree yelling :”Kugi punch!”. The tree burst into pieces. “Haha! This is fun!” he said as he jumped back down to the floor like a tree leaf.”The Illogic doesn’t need help. It helps others.” Psycho smiled. Finally deciding that there was little to worry about, Paradox strolled over to the smashed trunk and placed a forehoof on it. As a glowing blue horn appeared on his forehead, a new tree began to sprout from the broken remnants. “Try not to destroy everything here Psycho, please.” Psycho peeked over his shoulder and gave an innocent smile as he turned back around and threw an empty vial into his hat. The land behind him was completely scorched. Gritting his teeth, Paradox forced a hoof into the ground. As the horn appeared again the surrounding forest withered as his mane and tail took on the appearance of various foliage. Finally pulling his hoof from the ground none of the flora around the two ponies remained. “Maybe this will help? It’ll take some work but I’ll fix this mess later. Kinda makes me wonder what you had in that vial to cause such large devastation.” he said, eyeing the other pony’s hat “Any backstory to your life besides the...piece of alpha peach?” “Alpha peach? Not sure what you mean by that. Most of my life has been spent here in the Everfree forest. After Celestia deemed me safe, I had left the Canterlot castle to prepare for the upcoming war I had envisioned. Needing a quiet place I chose the forest because of the calm. Eventually I met up with the Twilight and her friends when they searched for the elements. Since then I’ve been training them and helping where I can... Oh there also was that thing with Luna.” he said, remembering how nightmare night had turned out. Apart from the strange behaviour, Paradox was starting to enjoy this conversation with Psycho. “Yes. Now, what do you see in this picture?” Psycho held out a piece of white cardboard with an ink stain on it. He was sitting on a red chair while Paradox suddenly found himself on a chaise lounge of a beige color. Deciding to play along, Paradox glanced at the inkstain trying to make sense of it. “Times up!” Psycho shouted before hitting the cardboard. The ink stain flew off the cardboard and landed on Paradox’s face and making him temporarily blind. “Aahhh, it burns! What is this ink made of!” Trying to get the ink out of his eyes, Paradox fell out of his seat and tried to sense the water Psycho had brought forth earlier. “What was I thinking?” Psycho walked around as he tapped his chin while Paradox continued to scream in agony.”What powers do you have if you were made from this world’s elements of harmony?” Finally finding the water Paradox dunked his head into it, opening his eyes to clear out the ink. When the pain finally became bearable he turned to Psycho before answering through gritted teeth,”How about I show you.” As the glowing blue horn appeared so did a pair of translucent red wings. “Impressive... What are your powers aga...” Psycho’s response was cut short as he disappeared, narrowly avoiding a hoof to the muzzle. “Just the Illogic.” Psycho said from behind Paradox’s eye.”It’s quite empty in here.” “Bad Idea Psycho.” Paradox said as a blue glow surrounded his body. His hair slowly changed from floral designs to a similar color as Psycho’s hat. At the same time a crazed smile crept onto his face. Reappearing in front of Paradox, Psycho’s hat seemed faded. “Now why is it such a bad idea pally.” Psycho lifted his hoof and somehow made the noise of snapping fingers. “I believe you trying to steal my hat, which caused me to take control of you. None control my hat. My hat is my hat that I hat. Let us riverdance!” Psycho and Paradox began to riverdance. seconds later Psycho’s hooves turned to lead making him fall forward. With a laugh Paradox fell on his back. “You should see the look on your face... taking control, not likely,I simply absorbed some of your power. Sorry for trying to hit you before, I can see how funny that prank was.” he said between breaths, as his laughter subsided. Psycho was laughing right next to Paradox.”I know, right? Besides, why’d you attack a monkey?” he said with a frown. “He made me go bananas.” Paradox replied “Here’s one other to go to. Squish!” Psycho picked a banana from his hat and squished it against the other stallion’s face. Wiping the banana off his face, he grabbed a creampie from his mane. “I ain’t the one creamed at least.” he said before squishing it in Psycho’s face. Both of the stallions proceeded to bring out bigger and bigger pies before Paradox was stuck under a pie labelled ‘Fat Albert’. Taking a spotlight out of his hat, Psycho jaw line became square. “Spill the beans. We know you’re hiding secrets from us. What powers are you hiding?” Sticking his head out of the center of the pie plate, Paradox jumped out of the pie completely clean. Taking on a foreign appearance he pretended to cringe under Psycho’s gaze. “Alright I’ll talk. I can use magicz, fly uzing myne wings and I can takez the powers of otherz by using age and energy absorption or repulsion. I also can control my density.” Paradox said in a bad foreign accent, as ‘Fat Albert’ was crushed by his growing weight. Ironically however, Psycho began to float away from the stallion that brought about much Illogic. Psycho was quite happy. “Illogic might just need somepony like you. Well, I’ll be leaving now. EXCELSIOR!”he yelled as a flock of tiny salamanders came from the air on boats and took him away. As the Psychopath flew away on his salamander driven boats, Paradox’s mane reverted back to the color of foliage and he started to think normally again. ”Guess it’s time to clean up this mess.” Planting a hoof in the ground, the pent up magic was released ,which quickly revitalized the surrounding flora back to normal. The sounds of oars splashing came back, and from the sky, the salamanders and Psycho on the boat were all holding tiny vials filled with a red liquid. “Bob-ombs away!” Psycho yelled. The vials each fell randomly in the forest, but the area around Paradox was the most affected. Everything was black, scorched, and smoking. The boats left with Psycho holding up a marshmallow on a stick. “PSYCHOOOOO!” Paradox yelled after the cackling stallion. > Dreams and minds > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The characters here come from Jet_Black1980. Keep in mind that Jet_Black likes to write in First person and that he still only used one character, technically speaking) I lay my head back against the pillow after I have wished myself good night. Score one tiny victory for yourself H.B. You turned off a light. Kudos. Now if you can actually get along with the others and just get through this stupid fucking year. I wonder what will happen. Will I get taught by each of the Mane Six as the year progresses? I have Applejack now, who will I have next? I don’t want Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy might be nice. Well that’s almost a given... As I ponder these things, my mind becomes more and more clouded my thoughts fewer and fewer until finally... “And I say that we were being an insufferable snit.” Yu said. “Yu, you mean a Bitch. That’s the Right word for what we were being. A Bitch.” Mi replied. The human male and female pony were sitting at what looked to be a coffee shop of sorts. Mi was in his late 30’s and had a mess of wavy-curly hair that mopped his head, his skin was slightly a shade of olive, and his face bore a goatie. Yu on the hand, or better yet, hoof, looked almost like Heartbreak in the waking world. With the exception of her cutie mark being broken in half. She glared at her counterpart. “We can’t say that word out loud so I am not saying it here.” Mi rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever. This has to be one of the stranger dreams I’ve had-we’ve had. I didn’t think that we would ever see each other again.” “Why not? We’re of the same mind, you and I. Or is that Yu and Mi?” She rolled her sparkly blue eyes. Along with the state of their hair and ‘cutie marks’ this was another trait the two shared in common. “That might be, but the Creativi-tea is gone. Out of our system. We should be...normal now.” He grimaced. “Mi, we’re never normal. You ought to know that.” Yu replied. A small smile formed on her face. “A-a-are you smiling?” He asked. “Wait! Did you make a joke?” “We can do that, right? This is a dream isn’t it? It would be logical to assume that we are -mostly- safe here.” Yu replied. “Mostly being the key word here. Dreams are like moods, they are like the seasons of the soul. A ever changing multi-coloured expressive mind-spolosion.” He said, trying to let his inner poet out. Yu rolled her eyes. “Pffffft, you know that silver tongued hippy nonsense isn’t going to get to me, Mi. Besides we both know that dreams are nothing more than the minds way of recycling through memories and creating situations that may never happen in the waking world. There are evolutionary advantages to dreaming you know.” “My way sounded prettier.” Mi stared at his counter part. Back on Earth he had dreamed of talking to a pony, or even being one. But of course that he was talking to one or he was one? All this was a different matter. He frowned for a moment and shook his head. He wasn’t going to accept what happened to him as of yet. But Yu was right about this being a dream. Anything could happen in dreams... He eyed Yu’s hoof laying on the table. Reaching forward he cautiously touched it. Yu glared at him. “What are you doing?” She asked. “I’m curious about what this feels like.” He explained. “You can feel it when we wake up. One of the things that we both actually agree on is that we aren’t ready for any sort of, ‘self exploration.’ I would like to keep it that way, Mr. Mi.” Yu said recoiling a little. Mi smirked and folded his hands. “Then I guess it is wrong to love ourselves isn’t it?” Yu gawked and looked sickened. “Mi! That’s just!” “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Miss Yu. I wouldn’t think of myself in that manner. That’s just... gross and horribly narcissistic. But Yu can’t blame Mi for getting touchy feely sometimes. After all, I am the emotional counterpart here.” He explained. “Truth.” Yu replied, sticking her hoof through the handle of a glass and drinking from it. “I found youuuuuuuuuu!” shouted a tiny voice above the two characters. It seemed to just be fairy wings with dust sprinkling all over the place, then it landed on the table they were sitting at, quietly moving its wings forwards and backwards as it “sat” in place. It made no sound afterwards, as if taunting one’s curiosity or need to smash it with a ripe fury just freshly picked. The two of them looked at what just landed on the table. There was a look of repulsion on both their faces. As if they had just smelled something horrible. “What the fet/fuck are you?” They asked in near unison. That wings fluffed up a bit and placed themselves side by side, scattering a bit more dust everywhere. It was not fairy dust or pixie dust. It was just dust. “You don’t recognize me?” it said in a saddened voice. Mi frowned. “I can’t say that I do. And not to be insultive, but both of us have been rather soured on fairies, thank-you-very-much!” “Mi, don’t be mean to the fae thing, after all that’s how we got in trouble the last time. Remember? One of the rules of the Fae is...” Yu egged. “Never forget a dept, pay all in kind. A good deed for another, a slight for a slight. An eye for an island, a tooth for the tooth fairy. Fine. But I am not making any bones about not liking our conversation being interrupted!” He said glaring at the floating thing and crossing his arms. “Problems? You mean like Titanic rear-end and the eight davincies? Don’t ask me where I got that name. Traveling through worlds is so much fun...I could just-” the fairy spun in the air a bit, before exploding as it shouted:”COLD COFFEE FOR EVERYONE!” Several gallons worth of the bitter beverage spewed everywhere, and those who didn’t touch Mi and Yu hopped up and began to move around like brown slugs. On the table stood a smiling, colorful pony wearing a top-hat. His pink, swirly-eyes just stared straight forward as the Illogic had just arrived for some fun. The two halves of the same whole just blinked and stared. Then they looked at the other. “I’m blaming you for this.” They said in unison again. The colorful stallion suddenly wore a suit of samurai armor and began to speak with an accent from Nippon:”You insurt eachother. That is dishonorable. You RACK DISCIPRINE!” Yu looked at Mi. “Alright, I don’t remember watching any horribly racist things targeted towards Japan when we were young. Did you?” Mi looked at the swirling vortex of madness in the form of a stallion. He pushed Yu behind him protectively and glared at it inquisitively. “That’s be...cause... We didn’t...” He said pausing and mock poking at it. “Yu...Remember how I knew Hosi wasn’t part of us?” He glared at the strange swirling insanity before him. “I don’t think this is either...” Psycho approached Mi’s face with the utmost limit of distance and spun his eyes:”Tis but the Illogic, Hyuuuumaannnnnn.” the colorful stallion immediately back-flipped off the table and splashed into the ground as if it were made of water. Yu pulled close to Mi. “You think this is Hosi? I didn’t like Hosi. He was laughing at the fact that we were about to die and I’m pretty sure was the cause of said dying.” Psycho put his forelegs around the two and had a face of concern...a mask of concern placed on his face and told the two: “Wow. What a jerk. Reminds me of The Sociopath. It’s a good thing he can’t get into dreams, huh? Aha.” the stallion slowly moved away without moving his legs and reached the side of the coffee shop. Again the both of them look totally confused. “Yu, I am totally lost...” Mi responded. “Of course you don’t.” Psycho shouted”How can you understand the Illogic?” he now spoke from inside of Yu’s head.”The Illogic is fun, and I know about your fairy problem. In-fact, I know a few others with your predicament, but just not with the same causes. Isn’t this fun?” the colorful stallion rotated gently upwards as he curled up and giggled. “Fascinating. Mi, I think we would like to wake up now.” Yu said frowning. “I couldn’t agree with yu anymore...” Mi replied. “Who said I was part of your dream world?” Psycho went close to both characters and jammed hot sauce into their mouths, making them scream as the spiciness actually managed to affect their tongues.“See? That’s not a dream.” The two of them screamed in surprised pain, gagging and sweating slightly. Mi glared at whatever this thing in front of them. “That means nothing! Besides, he’s here. Logically he’s here.” “Yu, remember the whole no taunting?” Mi asked. “Yeah, we should stop doing that.” Mi looks at the Psycho. “What the fuck do you want?” “Such a foul language.” Psycho mocked with a nun’s clothing”I think we can come to an agreement. I hate fairies quite a lot. They can be fun, but they are too evil.” Psycho smiled as he disappeared behind a ray of light. The both of them frown. “What sort of ‘deal’?” Yu asks. “Yu, another rule of the fae? Never make deals.” Mi says glaring at Psycho. “A member of the fae? I’m being swindled by a frog.” Psycho said as he tightened a strange tie while standing on Yu’s head.”I am not a fae, I assure you. I am a herald of the Illogic, and I know what happened to you. I was told by another member who witnessed everything. The Illogic knows everything because it is illogical .Remember colorful T.V.s? Uh-oh. SEIZURE!” a few screens blinking rapidly in many colors appeared in front of the stallion, making him foam tremendously from the mouth, only to shave some weird gotee that just grew with it. The both of them look at each other. “Is he dead?” Yu asked. “Could Delirium die, Yu?” Mi asked. “Well... Dream died... and Death died once in awhile, Despair was hinted at dying, and we did get to see Destiny die too.” Yu replied, thinking of obscure Sandman the Dreaming references. “There should have been another member of the Endless..” “Really, and who do you think that would be?” Mi asked. “Doubt.” Yu replied. “Really? Doubt was Despair’s territory. There didn’t need to be another member, Yu. But speaking about doubt, the issue at hand...” Mi said. Yu glared at her male counterpart. “What?” “I hate you sometimes...” She replied, pointing at her hoof. “We can have hoof problems later Yu, right now.... This ...thing...” Mi said. “You haven’t answered our question. What do you want?” Psycho formed a wider smile on his face as he wiped the foam away. “I just want some questions answered. Simple questions, and in return, I’ll prank all those fairies that did this to you. There are so many to prank. Maybe use a bell and some itching powder, or glue their legs to their heads. So many things!” Psycho threw his arms in the air with joy. The both of them looked at the other. There was a mix of emotions that was drawn on their faces. Mi looked like he was about to open his mouth.. Yu glared at him. “Give us a moment...” Yu said. “Don’t worry. I don’t know what their powers are, but if they can read minds, they can’t here. Even if they are trying, and looking through a screen, I’m pretty sure they are being turned into popsicles with all the snow they’re getting.” the stallion suddenly got caught in a tremendous blizzard which pushed him back with immense strength as he held onto his winter coat.”Kinda like this.” The both of them frowned. “I don’t think...” Mi started. “You understand us.” Yu continued. Mi started to walk around the stallion. “We don’t want to hurt them.” He started. “We could care less about that.” Yu replied. “What we really want...” Mi whispered. “Is to know why...” Yu said staring at him blankly. “Because I just want to know about everypony I meet, even a human male turned mare. And my pranks are not hurtful. They just are pranks. If you want pain, you can ask The Sociopath who belongs to the...World of Insanity...”Psycho growled for a moment, then regained his posture.”His world is one of pain and murder. He could kill them if he wanted to.” The both of them frown at Psycho, and for a moment... a small horrifying moment there is a flicker of ....something in their eyes. A flash of white that mixes with black, forming sharp shapes. “We don’t want that either...” They say together. “You have questions.” Yu says. “That’s fine,” Mi replies. “But we don’t want you pranking them. Period.” They say together in a voice that almost hisses. Psycho just stared at the shape and laughed. “I wonder what Click Clock would say about this? Now then, do you have family? Your true family. Not the one that Tia-Tia made for you.” The expression on Mi’s face crumbles and Yu comforts him. “Seriously? You have to ask about that?!” Mi shouts “Shhhh, he might not-” Yu starts. “Of Course he Knows! Nobody on that world remembers us! At all! We were ripped out of the world! We had family... we had friends... but even then they don’t remember us...” Mi sniffed hard. “Like reverse Alzheimer's...” He glares at the stallion in front of him. “Eheeheee. That is why The Illogic is so much fun! You can do things you can’t do with just your borrrring self.” he said with trembling forehooves.”Soh, wiil yu answer me questions?” he spoke in a piratish accent.”If you don’t answer, I’ll stay with you in both dream and reality.” he said as he sat on his rear with his forelegs crossed and his lips puffed up.”You don’t even want me to prank the fairies.” he looked to the side, annoyed. The both of them frown. “Fine. We’ll answer your questions.” They reply. “But then you leave.” “...Your dreamworld. The Illogic might still be watching you. After all, you did catch a glimpse of the World of Insanity.” Psycho gave an evil grin.”The Illogic hates the Insanity.” “You’re watching anyway,” Yu replies. “Ask your fucking questions already...” Mi states, there is still a strangeness about the pupils of his eyes... “I am not the Illogic. The Illogic is what it is. I simply am one of those who represents it. It is not because I watch that I am watching.” Psycho stated with a haughty tone. “Now, about that previous question.” “What about it?” They ask together. “You don’t answer, I don’t leave. Just one individual belonging to your family.” “What’s the fetting Question?” Yu asks. “Do.You.Have.Famiry.” Psycho asked, throwing his hooves forward several times. “Yes...” They replied. “And who be they? They are not ponies. This much I know.” The both of them look exceptionally reluctant to tell. “What’s to tell? We...I come from a broken family. Mom was emotionally traumatized when she was a child and that bled through as a parent. We have...had... two brothers and a sister. We got along better with our brothers than we did with our sister. Then there was...” the both of them roll their eyes. “Our dads.” “Dadzzzz? In plural?” Psycho gave a naughty look as his pupils swirled upwards. Mi frowned. “Yes. Though it’s more like, my father and my dad. The man who sired me...” Yu put a hoof on his shoulder. “And the one that raised us. Both of them are jerks.” “I thought this kind of touching wasn’t allowed, Yu.” Yu rolled her eyes. “This is a touchy subject, and we aren’t doing any... fondling. Ew.” Mi gacked. “Yeah. Ew, ew, Ew.” “Ewww! What are you talking about? I was thinking of grilled cheese sandwiches. Vhat iz wrong vis you? Anyways, where do you now live?” “Currently we live with Twilight, “ Yu replied. “But who knows how long that mary sue arrangement will last.” Mi continued. Yu stared at her counter part. “Really? We are not a mary sue. We are a poor mare with nowhere else to live. We are fetting lucky that she took us in at all.” “Twilight? I know her. I used to wove her...then she rejecting me.” Psycho’s head literally smashed into the ground, then it popped back up with worms wearing helmets crawling all over his face”Then I met somepony else! And don’t you mean a poor m-” The both of them glared at Psycho. “What’s the matter, Psycho was it?” Mi asked. “Suffer from a moment of ...heartbreak?” Yu chimed. “Several times really. I remember back when I foal-sitted Tia-Tia and Woona, I met many pretty mares. None liked me. Oh well, I finally met one!” he smiled with a wide grin. “Until you break their heart... or they break yours...” Mi mutters. “What’d you say there boyo? Speak up! I can’t hear much anymore.” Psycho held a hearing horn next to his ear as he wobbled like a senile old man. “He said nothing,” she glared at her counterpart. “Next. Question. Please.” “Mmmm. Mmmm. Mmmm.” Psycho hummed as he continued to take diverse positions, such as the famed Thinker statue, or a statue of Apollo, and eventually stood on Mi’s head as he looked out on the horizon. Mi glared up at this stallion. “Off my head please.” He stated glowering. “Next question please.” “Let us-a see.” Psycho now has a table on Mi’s head and was sipping hot chocolate like a sir.”Mmmmm. Where did you live and where do you now live?” “You already asked the ‘where do you live,’ question. Where we lived was in Minnesota, the Twin Cities area.” Yu explains. “Indeed I did. Do you have any powers? Because splitting your mind seems like a thing of the Illogic, and it’s quite fun. SLURRRRRRRRRRP!” the colorful stallion shouted as he drank his beverage. The two of them look at each other. “We’re not doing this on purpose are we?” Yu asked. “Not to my knowledge, but fuck, as far as I know? No ‘powers’ that aren’t outside of a normal earth pony.” He frowned and muttered about something. “We do however have plenty of flaws. Powers. Oh yes, I want to be an X-Man!” “X-Mare, Mi.” Yu corrected. “Quiet, yu...” Yu stuck out her tongue and gave Mi a funny look. “X-men? You man walking Xs? Sounds educational.” Psycho frowned and hopped off Mi’s head. Mi frowns some more. “Next...Question Please! I want this dream to end. I have to deal with Applejack in the morning. Oh sure we get sleep in the comfy bed tonight, but I didn’t want to sleep in the same house as Big Mac last night!” Yu rolls her eyes “Like I wanted to do that either. Gawds. The words that came out of our mouth.” The both of them shudder. “Best not think about it.” Psycho smiled, then he approached Yu real close-like.”Sounds like rove to me. Someone getting the lovey doveys?” The both of them turn green. “Seriously? Back off.” Yu says. “Gack! Gross! And how fucking sue! Oh look! It’s Big Mac, the ponyville bicycle! Oh hey! We’re a mare! We should tooootally try that! NOT.” He facepalms. “And then there is the Other thing I hate, the moment we show any sign of being uncomfortable around stallions, ‘oh it must be love!’. What a convoluted contrived thought!” Yu rolls her eyes. “And then of course the illogical one over here is going to say something along the lines of ‘we think that the mare and ma-a-a-an protest too much.’ I almost miss the idea that we could have a drinking game based around cleshes.” “No no no. That doesn’t work. Let’s try saying that again. Say, MAAAAAN.” Psycho was now in some weird box with recording equipment, and he looked deadly cereal about his job. Yu glared at Psycho. “Ask your next question...” The box imploded, and out of the hole came the stallion dressed as a reporter:”Ahhhhh...do you have a backstory?” he shoved the mic into Yu’s face, literally. Mi smacked the mic away from Yu’s face and glared at Psycho. He then proceeded to put himself between Yu and the weirdo. “You mean what happened to us? Sure. Who doesn’t have a back story? Once upon a time there was a human male who wanted nothing more than to be loved, but being a bit of a shut in, didn’t know how to really get it. So he set upon a slew of relationships and experimentations in his twenties. All of them ending in medicore failures. All but the last one... Anyway! Little did he know that most of these relationships were with the fae. Yup the Fae! Turns out that they still exist but they keep themselves hidden from the modern world or some shit. They weren’t happy with how they were treated and wanted revenge, so they kidnapped him, and banished him to Equestria as a mare.” Yu picks up the story. “Where ...she... was found crashing into Twilight Sparkle’s window, after the other five show up and assess the situation, they take her to the Princess. Twilight thinks that she can get our stranger back home. But it turns out that the link between the worlds was severed and there is no way back. Said, ‘pony’ is horrible unstable and the Princesses solution to this is to wipe our memory!” “That Fucking Bitch! The Last thing we have! UGGGH!” Mi shouts. “However...Princess Luna showed up...” Yu explains. “Yeah...” Mi looks calmer. “And she along with the mane six convince Celestia to let us keep our memories. However we have a year and a day to get back into harmony...” The two stare at the ground and in unison speak “Whatever -that- means.” Yu coughs. “And that’s the backstory.” Psycho’s eye twitched.”Tia-Tia. Is...evil...here? It seems I’m going to have to spank her again like when I was her foal-sitter.” “NO!” They shouted in unison. “Seriously, just leave it alone.” Mi says. “She did explain it...When we went through the universe, we picked up a lot of ...unstable magic... again, not much explanation to what that is...but...” Yu trails off. “It’s Magic, it doesn’t need explaining.. And if we die, then all this magic gets spewed over Equestria. Then there is the whole, ‘you could be the next discord’ bullshit. Again. Whatever that means...” Mi finishes. “Mhmmmm. What if I could give you something that would weaken your chaos, but not destroy it?”Psycho smiled. The both of them sigh. “We don’t want anything from you. We have enough from strange, ‘gifts’ from strange beings.” “Whatever. If you don’t do something, that...inferior chaos will eventually outgrow you.” Psycho appeared right behind Mi and was sniffing.”*sniff* They grow up so fast.” The both of them roll their eyes. “Next Question.” “Eheheh. I believe that is it. Hmmm, what time is it?” The Psychopath pulled out a Big Ben tower from his hat, which jumped onto the ground, shaking it, and yelled:”IT’S SEVEN A.M.! TIME TO WAKE UP LAZY PONIES!” “You heard him. IMMA HOSE YOU AWAKE!” Psycho held a gigntic firehose and sprayed the two into the coffee shop. “Hey! H.B., time ta wake up!” Comes Applejack’s voice. I breath hard through my nose and my eyes snap open. The morning light stings them, and I come back from what felt like a dreamless sleep. No, seriously. I don’t remember falling asleep last night. Kinda like what happened after, ‘Creativi-Tea Day.’ A muttered moan comes from my lips. I don’t feel like I slept at all. My heavy eyelids close back up. “Just ten more minutes, Applejack?” > Special 3: Ashes to ashes > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (This character is from BludgeonWarrior) Ashes spread in the room as a dark gray mare sat alone in it. Her mane was similar to a burning fire, as was her mood at this particular time. “AHHRAAHAAAHH!” she screamed, remembering the cycle of events that transpired just mere moments ago, when her world’s version of the Elements and some firepony defeated her. She had managed to escape, and was now expressing her anger in the one way she knew best: burning everything around her! “Why! I planned everything perfectly! Why did Fire abandon me!? WHY!” The ashes swept around her, and she noticed the smell a pony not being burned. “How did you find me?!” “That is not important. I saw what you were doing out there. Might I ask WHY you did such things?” asked a green stallion. “Why?” Flares sweeping around the two of them, “Give me one reason...,” the mare asked as she stepped closer to the stallion. The stallion only moved his eyes as he talked, and he was very serious.“One reason to what? It is a simple question.” The mare’s eye began to twitch, realizing that the stallion didn’t fear her. “To end my suffering...,” she replied, “Our suffering...” “Our suffering? You amuse me. Why do you insist on trying to intimidate me? Your performance against the elements did not go well. What makes you think you can best ME?” he replied with the same calmness. “If Fire was here...,” her voice trailed off, “I only wished fulfill my destiny,” she said pointing to her cutie mark. “It’s my purpose in life..., to burn...” “So you want to try and burn me? Here then.” Sociopath slammed his hooves together, creating sparks that ignited upon the floor and created wide columns of fire.”Impress me with this so called ‘destiny’.” he taunted her. The mare stepped back, and stared at the fire....., then she began to listen, as if it was talking to her, telling her things. The mare nodded, and the fire began to rise and engulf her, creating a raging inferno. It swirled around the green stallion, and then it all disappeared into the mare’s mouth. “Pyre..., my name...,” she spoke, “As that is what I turn everything into: a pyre...” “Hmmm. You could be of use to the world of Insanity. Tell me, do you have family?” Sociopath asked as he calmly walked around the mare. The word ‘family’ made Pyre contort her body as her laughter carried through the room, and stopped almost as soon as it began. “I used to have one of those....before Fire took them from me...Fire wanted me...” “Oh, boohoo. They died. How sad.”Sociopath rolled his eyes.”What were their names?” Flame burst around Pyre, “Don’t you get it?!? I killed them!!!!! Fire made me kill THEM!!!!” Her voice sank, as did the flames, “I don’t remember their names...Or the name of my newborn sister....” “...And the fact that you killed them is supposed to affect me how? The truth is, I only came here to see if you were eligible to join the World of Insanity. To CRUSH those who would dare oppose us.” the green stallion smiled as he crushed a burnt piece of wood in his hooves, leaving a small falling of ash. The mare looked down at the ash and smiled, “Do I have to ‘crush’ them? Burning them would be much more fun!” Pyre giggled, sparks dancing in her mane. “Crush them. Burn them. Impale them, a favorite of mine. Whatever! The best is that even if you are turned to stone or burnt away by the elements, you will be retrieved by members of the Insanity to continue your role. You cannot die.” The mare’s smile grew wider, “I always wanted to die...,but ‘not dying’ sounds prospectable too...” A fire appeared by Pyre’s ear, and sparks came from it. Pyre responded to them as if they were words of agreement. “I’ll ask,” she responded to the flame. “Will I be able to ‘create’ fire?” “Seeing how weak your fire manipulations are, yes. As for my other questions, what is your backstory?” Pyre stood there, remembering what had happened fourteen years ago, “I was a filly,” she began, “I was playing with two rocks in the fields outside of my hometown Timberhill.” Pyre played with the ashes, as if she was reliving the event. “I struck the two rocks together and created a spark, which set one of the flowers on fire.” A flame appeared to illustrate. “As I moved my horn, the fire moved with it... I then moved my horn up, and the fire began to float! I ran home with it, hoping to show everybody...” Pyre’s head then started to twitch uncontrollably. “I didn’t realized that Fire liked wood so much...” Pyre giggled. “Timberhill was engulfed with flames and I fell unconscious....When I awoke....I saw the scorched bodies of my parents...” “And what happened next? You burnt more ponies?” Sociopath grinned evily. “No...” Pyre answered, “Royal guards appeared and took me to Canterlot, where I met her...” Flames burst around Pyre and her eyes glowed fiery orange. “THAT ONE WHO LOCKED ME AWAY FOR FOURTEEN YEARS!!!” Sociopath’s triangular pupils began to spin aggressively.”Yes. I hate those weakling alicorns, but the ones of your world are not the same as mine. Anything else to add to your TRAGIC story?” Sociopath mocked. Pyre’s eye twitch, not amused at all. “I spent those fourteen years in a remote facility outside Equestria, not the best place for a filly...” Pyre laughed again. “I spent those years alone...Nopony to play with...Nopony to have fun with... Not a single friend...” Pyre erupted into ferocious laughter and continued. “Then one day... I realized something; my cutie mark, it appeared on my flank the day I incinerated Timberhill and all who live there. That was my talent! And I vowed to burn down ALL OF EQUESTRIA UNDER MY NEW NAME!” Pyre’s laughter echoed around the Sociopath. The green stallion’s face finally showed a slowly growing smile. He punched something in thin air, and a tear in reality formed as thorns from in front of him burst from the ground and widened the hole.”This is the World of Insanity. Join it, and you will be able to accomplish your wildest desires of death and destruction.” “With pleasure...” Pyre replied. She then burst into gallop and jumped through, accepting her new home. Sociopath looked at the mare disappear into the World of Insanity, as horrifying as it might be to others. As he observed the situation for awhile, he finally lowered his head slightly and grinned. He quietly said:”I forgot to tell you that, even if you are under the Insanity, you still feel the pain of how you died.” The only thing left after the green stallion walked through the portal was a sinister cackle loud enough to cause the unstable building to crumble. > Hopes and dreams > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (This character is from Esmelthien) Standing near a fork in the road leading from Trotterdam to Fillydelphia, was a pegasus mare. Her bright blue hair waved in the wind as she waited on her interviewer. Her mint-green eyes were studying an imperfection on her light blue hoof, and she started to get impatient. She honestly didn’t know why she was even doing this. She had spotted an advert on the bulletin board at the Trotterdam weather centre, and responded to it. She couldn’t explain what exactly it was, but the advert just spoke to her somehow. She started pacing back and forth, getting agitated at having to wait for so long. “Argh! When will this ‘Psycho’ get here? Is that even a name?” she shouted. “Yes it is.” a colorful stallion was right next to the pegasus, his smile literally gleaming in the sunlight...and burning away the grass at his hooves. She shot upwards in fright at hearing the voice. It seemed odd, somehow, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. She slowly turned around, spotting a strangely coloured stallion who was beaming at her in an ever-so-slightly creepy way. “Are you ‘Psycho’?” The stallion sniffled as weird glasses with a chain attached appeared on his face. His muzzle seemed to have also gotten pointier. “Myes. Why do you ask?” “So you’re finally here, thank Celestia! I’m supposed to have an interview with you, right at these crossroads here. I can’t seem to remember what the interview was for, though...” “For something special! Now I’m just going to ask you a few questions.” Psycho sat on a chair that appeared out of nowhere and pulled a cup out of his hat and sipped it. ”I love hot chocolate.” “I’m more of a tea pony myself,” she said, seemingly unfazed at the sudden appearance of the furniture. “So, what are these questions about? My kill count?” She stifled a chuckle. “Mmmm.” Psycho threw his hoof all along a keyboard that he also pulled out of his hat and looked at the pegasus with a dead expression. “Computer says noooooo. Instead, already, tell me your name.” “I’m Nebula Bolt. I’m a weatherpony,” she said, drawing something in the dirt with her hoof. “What be that in that dirt?” “It’s just a little drawing, nothing to be concerned about. Nope.” “What is it? What is it? What is it?” Psycho was climbing all over Nebula to try and get an answer. “Just a little something in case you get too close, like you just did.” She stomped the drawing with her hoof, and lines started to light up, seeming to conjure some kind of shield around Nebula. “That’s a cool orb. Mind if I try it?” Psycho somehow picked up the shield and dropped it around him. He proceeded to walk upside down inside it, laughing as he did so. ”Do you have family?” he asked. Nebula looked at him perplexedly. “Well that’s never happened before.” Psycho stealing her shield was something that intrigued her deeply. She wanted to know more about this stallion. “I’ve got a mom and a dad, sort of...” “Wha’ happened?” “My mom is, well... Let’s just say she’s not completely herself.” She smiled a bit. “And the stallion is more of a step-dad than an actual dad. I’ve also got two sisters, they’re with him, my real father. I’m not sure where exactly they live. I believe it’s somewhere in the east.” “Mhmmm. What’re their names?” Psych asked with a serious expression despite digging through the ground within the shield. “My actual dad is called Galaxy. I was named in the same theme. My mom’s name is Red Brick, although I don’t think she’s very sure of that herself.” “I see.” Psycho was now next to Nebula, his entire body covered in dirt.”And do you have a backstory?” “Actual backstory, or just that which other ponies think is my backstory?” “Your backstory, durrr!” Psycho’s eyes spun like twisters. “Well, I was born in a town called Rockbeak, near the Equestrian border. At a certain point, for reasons I couldn’t understand back then, my dad decided that he was too good for my mother, and he left her and me, going away with both of my sisters. Me and my mom later moved to Trotterdam, where I discovered my talent for runic magic by doodling around in the sand in our back yard. She later married another stallion, my step-dad. Realizing that I couldn’t get what I wanted by just living with them, I hexed both, ‘convincing’ them to allow me to do anything I wanted to, and to make them give me as much of their money as possible without them dying of starvation. Later, I got a job at the weather team as to not make other ponies suspicious, and now I’m here.” “Oooo. So what ARE your powers, specifically?” “I can use them to mind control nearly any pony, although it requires me to inscribe stuff on their bodies. I’m also fairly adept at doing these kinds of things.” She sketched a few symbols in the ground with her wings, and gave a quick stomp of her hoof. A crack appeared in the ground near them, quickly getting longer and wider. It expanded until it was over a hundred feet long, and about twenty feet wide. “Then, I can do this,” she stomped her hoof again, this time on a different place of her drawing, “and it closes. Very useful for wrecking stuff without it leaving a trace.” “Impressive. Hmmm. Tell moi, are you interested in joining the World of Illogic?” “Depends. Do I get free stuff?” “That depends. Do you want more fun? No limits? And...defying logic?” “I’m all for doing illogical things. I do need live ponies to experiment on. You know, for making zombie armies and the like.” Psycho’s smile faded away.”Oh. You’re like one of them. No. I’m sorry but you failed the interview. Buh-bye!” Psycho smiled as he put his hoof on a lever that grew from the ground. “Huh? But I’m all for illogical things! I’ll do anything you want! I want my free stuff!” “No murdering.” the stallion’s hoof was twitching back and forth on the lever, his swirly pupils staring at Nebula from the corner of the eyes. “Of course they wouldn’t be actual zombies, you can’t control the dead. No, I’m talking about forcing living, breathing ponies into doing what I want! They would effectively be zombies, just not undead. Can I get my experimentees now?” “Mmmmm. No. Still too evil. AHMA PULLIN’ THE LEVER!” The stallion, with a face full of naughtiness, gently started to pull said lever, the creaking of the metal flowing through Nebula’s ears. “No, please, I can’t let this chance slip! I‘ll try to be less evil, I promise!” “...Nope. Hmmm. Okay, but you’ll be watched. One wrong thing and it’ll all be undone. In the World of Illogic!” Psycho pulled on the lever, and a bunny hopped towards both ponies. When it finally stopped, its mouth opened wide, showing the other world. As Nebula gazed at this new place, Psycho kicked her into into it, then disappeared within the bunny’s mouth as if he had been swallowed up by a black hole. > Disharmony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The character here belongs to Hydra) Breathing heavily, the changeling continued running through the labyrinth. It’s eyes were filled with terror knowing what waited if it stopped. Having lost a wing already there was no way to fly away. Turning a bend it noticed a flash of light and the appearance of a green stallion. “Help me I beg of you. She’s almost... Wha?” Staring at the thorn that pierced it’s chest the changeling slowly felt it’s life fade as the stallion passed it without a second glance. Following the trail of changeling blood, The Sociopath felt the presence of something ancient. “What a wonderful wrath you have there, colt.” the labyrinth walls whispered. Sociopath huffed and continued his path, ignoring the voice. “Is something the matter? Is there a reason for a second of your kind entering my realm.” the whispers said again. “Why does a blatant wall made of compost and chewed wood persist in communicating with me?” “Says the one who leaves his back exposed.” a voice said from behind Sociopath. Turning on the speaker he finally caught sight of her. The white mare moved out of the shadow walking toward him on her back hooves. “My patience wears thin, colt. Why has a second intruder entered my realm.” Sociopath did not move, and, instead, flexed a foreleg, causing thorns to begin erupting throughout the maze towards the white mare. The cracking of these sharp shards echoing ever louder the closer they got to her. “Interesting trick. Perhaps there is more to you then I thought.” The thorns pierced her skin as she walked forward, if they hurt at all the mare didn’t show it. Stopping in front of him, she surprised the stallion by kissing his forehead. “You pass, colt. Few dare to raise a hoof against Echidna.” The stallion frowned and threw a jab at her throat, pushing her back, as she laughed. “And few dare touch me. You are lucky to be one of the individuals sought for by the Insanity. I have questions for you, but I will be brief. If you pass, you’ll be greeted by another herald of the Insanity.” “How about a change of scenery first?” With a flash, the labyrinth disappeared and was replaced by a castle dungeon. Each of the cells were made of a heavy steel construction with only a tiny slot for food. “What answers do you require,colt.” she said,walking over to one of the cell doors, nonchalantly. “I don’t care.” Sociopath continued to grimace as he kicked one of the steel walls down. ”Ready for your questions?” “Of course. I’d warn you about damaging my dungeon. You’ve hardly seen the extent of my powers...” “Because you think I’ve shown you mine? First question: What is your name?” Starting to chuckle Echidna looked at Sociopath. “It appears you forget easily, colt. My name is Echidna.” “Indeed I have, foal. How many have you killed? It would amuse me to no end. What have you killed...twelve?” Sociopath gave an evil chuckle. “There are countless dead from all the years of my life. Such a young colt that only knows of King Solstice’s children. Your memories do tell of princess Celestia and Luna... have you even defeated either of them yet?” “Not currently, for the Illogic prevents me from doing so.” Sociopath’s boiling anger began to melt the floors around him as seething hot thorns began to grow through them slowly. “However, I am currently seeking somepony more powerful than them. If I can just find her...” Chuckling into her hoof, Echidna leaned against one of the walls, before opening the cell door next to her. Hanging in chains was an unconscious Luna. “Maybe you need me more then whoever ‘she’ is.” “Ha! That is not MY Luna. I take no interest in other worlds. However, this ‘she’ is much more powerful than you.” Sociopath stuck a hoof out at the mare.”There are things that even chaos should fear, but I am not one of them. I hunt her for...personal reasons.” he noticed Echidna cringe at these words, “Next question, what is your backstory?” “Looking for a special somepony? How droll. I wonder if the Luna you refer to is still in touch with Nightmare Moon’s power and mind, colt. About me... well I’ve been in Equestria for as long as there has been an Equestria. Wars and disharmony brought me into being. I recently awakened when that damned Solstice’s seals weakened.” Raising one of her forelegs the faint outlines of runes could be made out. “My only joy is that he, his wife, Eclipse, and most of their comrade gave their life just to create the seal. I’ve been planning to take over Equestriaagain since my awakening.” “Hah! You misunderstand me. I attempt to kill her. Tis only that simple. And as for your age, it pales in hers. She belongs to a realm that has existed since the first slumber. It is not a power to fool with. If only you killed this ‘Solstice’. Tsktsk. Now, I suppose you do not have any who resemble you? A same origin? Perhaps?” “The possibility of another is laughable. Solstice’s comrades and his life were needed to simply seal me. There are none left that can defeat me in sheer power.” “The one who calls for you is certainly superior, but if you join, you are certain to become a herald, as detestable as that is. However, you will learn to stay in line and obey the Insanity. You will also learn to attack our rivals whenever they are present. They belong to...another world.” Sociopath had been walking from side to side, occasionally looking back at Luna, contemplating the many possible ways he could kill his own. Following his gaze, Echidna’s form flickered for a brief second. Her body took on a macabre appearance of scarred flesh bearing various colour of flesh and a skinless muzzle. With a sickening noise she pressed a hoof into her chest and with a crack pulled out a rib before returning to her white form. “Take this as my agreement. When I’m needed, simply snap it and I’ll appear. Maybe meeting this ruler of Insanity with be beneficial.” she said with a shrug “There is no ‘ruler’, foolish foal. The one who asked for you is another herald, like me. He is a friend, and, as he is occupied with another world, he asked me to recruit you on his behalf. Just know one thing: You may be able to reverse your pain to pleasure, but in that world, your pain equals pain. You must feel pain to obtain this power. If you do not feel pain, you do not obtain the power.” “We’ll see about that in due time. You can tell him that the Impaler has completed his job well.” she flashed a knowing smile at Sociopath. “Might want to mention I don’t babysit inadequate colts either.” “You best not soil yourself when he arrives.” the green stallion summoned more thorns from the ground which converged upon each other and spread apart near the center, revealing the World of Insanity.”Or else I shall kill you.” he said before disappearing into the portal. Feeling incredibly content her left eye changed colors into a familiar green eye with a triangle pupil. “If they’re half as aware as you, they’ll be dead.” She said, noticing Luna’s eyes flutter open. > Special 4: Thorned sharks > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The character Sharky white belongs to the author of the same name.) I walked into the little store with a heavy sigh, careful to avoid hitting my head on the door frame. “Why do I have to do this again, Gilda?” I questioned as she dragged me into the store. “You have to help me pick out the dining set for the wedding! Duh!” She explained once again. “I’ll go over there,” She pointed at the general right side of the store. “and see if I can find some nice plates. You go over there and try to find nice cups!” She pointed to the left side of the store. “I don’t see why we can’t leave your mother and the servants to details like this...” I griped, really not wanting to be in a china store. “Because I feel it’s important we give our wedding a personal touch. Don’t you agree? Sweetie?” “Oh, of course, dear.” I leaned down and gave Gilda a quick peck on the cheek for the benefit of the reporters outside. She smiled at me, then turned and left to go look for plates, or whatever she had just said. I went to my side like the good husband I should be and began scouring the shelves for interesting cups. The bell of the store rung softly as another “customer” came through, his appearance being rather unrefined. His darkened green hair and tail were rather unkempt, and they smelt of war and battle. Looking around, he spat at the decorations, his triangular, lime-green pupils spinning violently at the view. “What a wretched looking place. There are no pure, Equestrian monuments. Then again, this isn’t much for accommodating anypony. Now where is he? I wonder if it’s that hairless creature over there. You!” he shouted with a loud voice. “Are you the biped capable of absorbing magic?” The stallion’s voice boomed throughout the shop. I looked up over the shelves at him interestedly. Maybe this little pony could provide something to focus on other than china dishware. “Technically speaking, I mimic, not absorb. You’ve got the wrong biped, sir.” “I doubt it. Mimicking is a similar concept to copying--” “But you said absorbing.” “So I did. What of it? I was sent by the World of Insanity as it deemed you a possible candidate due to your powers.” He said with a straightforward tone. “World of Insanity? What’s that?” I found it a bit inappropriate to shout across the store to speak with him, so I waved him over to me. He tightened his eyes, but walked towards me, his hoofsteps stomping upon the ground violently. “I have a few questions to ask you before I can deem anything of you.” He eyed me up and down with anger. “Uhhh... dude, slow your roll. I need some answers too, this isn’t a one-way thing. Nice eyes, by the way.” “Hey! Who’s that you’re talking to, Sharky?” Gilda called from the other end of the store. “I’ve got no idea, hun.” I shouted back without dropping eye contact with the strange stallion. “Just try to find the plates, ‘kay?” “Alright...” Gilda continued disinterestedly. “Watch how you’re looking at the commander of the Council’s Militia.” he snapped at me. “I’m not here to entertain you. I’m here to interrogate you. Nothing more, nothing less. After this is over, I only need to send my report, then I can return to my searches of that wench.” he glared. “Yeah, yeah, that’s nice, but you aren’t exactly giving me much to work with here. Who are you, what is this World of Insanity?” He ground his teeth in anger. “I’m The Sociopath. I am the head commander of the Council’s Militia; the protector’s of Equestrian lands. The World of Insanity is where my loyalties now lie. It gives you great power in a bid to spread its influence. It is superior to the World of Illogic in every way...where that damned idiot now belongs to.” he growled and continued to grind his teeth. “See? Was that so hard? Alright, ask away, champ.” He narrowed his eyes as he analyzed me. His weird pupils spinning wildly in two different directions. “Hmmm. What do you like to do? I would prefer if you performed any types of combat.” “Like to do? Uhhh... I haven’t had time for a hobby since I got here... I guess hunt monsters. Protecting the citizens makes me feel good.” “Hm. I approve of the monster hunting, but the citizens are not priorities.” he spoke with a rather royal posture. “Well, yeah they are. You gotta protect the innocent, no matter the cost.” My eyes wandered over to Gilda and I thought of all my friends. “Personal cost, that is. Only if it hurts me.” “A monster hunter becoming attached to lesser beings tends to lose their lives the second their companions are lost. Remove them from your life and you will perform better for whatever firm you work for.” “Not happening short stuff. My friends are all I’ve got, all that matters. Other than protecting, of course.” “Hmph. Pathetic. You would have made a poor recruit for the Militia. Next question. Do you have any family?” “None biological, no. I have an adopted son and a few pets. Obviously I’m about to get married though.” His face showed disinterest and boredom. “Wonderful.” he rolled his eyes, “So no one really. That’s a good point. Anything you do for a living? And who do you work for?” “I work for Princess Luna, killing monsters and doing the occasional odd job.” There was a moment of silence, and Sociopath’s eye twitched. Something was going on in his mind, judging by the small growths beginning to come out from everywhere around us.”Are you anything specific to...the princesses?” he wondered with no emotion on his face. “A knight. Why?” A resounding crack erupted as immense thorns blasted through several walls, the vases and plates around either trembling or falling on the ground. “You work as a knight for the inferior Royal Guard and those weakling mares? And you call yourself a warrior protecting his ‘friends’.” he snarled. His pupils were glowing ominously. “Yeah. Now calm down and retract the thorns buddy. As it is, I’m gonna have to pay for the stuff you just broke.” “W-what the hell is going on?!” Gilda shouted. “It’s fine honey, just find your plates and get out, fast. Oh, and to be clear, I’m not technically a royal guard. That’s that asshole, Shining Armor’s division. I’m more along the lines of a merc.” “The fact of the matter being that you work for those accursed brats who consider themselves royalty. They dissolved the militia after I disappeared, then they dishonored their memory by turning the successors into pure weaklings. They are incapable of doing anything. I would have impaled that changeling queen, but you wouldn’t have done that, would you? I should kill the princesses in this world, but they aren’t the ones I know. This does not change anything from their reputations as weakling rulers, especially Luna.” his anger was seeping with great ferocity as the thorns began to grow and stretch over the walls. “... What’s a changeling?” “...You call yourself a monster hunter...Perhaps they don’t exist in this version of Equestria. You’ll soon find out for yourself.” “Well, I certainly haven’t been told to kill any yet. So, how about retracting those thorns, eh champ?” “What for? You work for the princesses. I have nothing to fear from you. A final question, however. Describe your power. How do you activate it, and how does it function?” *slap* “Wanna be mad? Be mad at me. Remove the thorns from the store.” Sociopath rubbed his cheek, then a huge barrage of thorns erupted from beneath me, blocking me within a confined space. “This is what we would do to the griffins who would kill our comrades. Those wretched beasts, unfortunately, are still around. I miss the days of warfare with them, but fighting the whole Griffin army without my troops would remove any amusement from their deaths.” he smiled ferociously. “Well, this is a new trick. Gilda, shopkeep, get out. Now.” they ran out without a second thought. “Oh. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt the shopkeeper or your feathered pet. I’m only here to ask questions. Simply answer my last and I’ll leave this horrid world. It’s so...weak.” “Are you fireproof?” “Fire is irrelevant. Why the question?” Then I summoned Ravidos’s rage and lit my hands on fire. I reached through the thorns, grabbed the strange stallion, and hurled him through the front door. I then stood up and followed him. “Alright, ask your last question now.” I ordered as I left the store. He brushed himself off as the scorch marks around his neck remained. “Hm. Elemental magic. I am thoroughly unimpressed. I had already asked you the question as well. The functions of your powers and how you activate them, as well as their effects on your body.” he smiled faintly. “Right, forgot. I was distracted by the thorns. Which, by the way, is considered Earth elemental magic, hypocrite. I don’t activate it. It just happens. I stand next to somepony and their magic slowly molds the unshaped magic in my body to match theirs.” Sociopath laughed openly at this remark. “Earth magic? You think the walls had ground in them? You think that these thorns growing from my legs are from the land as well? There are things in existence that silly peasants such as yourself cannot hope to comprehend, let alone try and control. I would watch my back if I were you, as there are many powers yet unknown to those working for those two brats with crowns.” “Yeah yeah, well I’d work for a rat if I thought it helped the general public. No need to get so hung up on my employers.” “Your employers are weaklings who only deserve death, and you intend to marry a griffin. I find nothing impressive about you except for your bizarre power. *sigh* However, if the World of Insanity says that you are a worthy recruit... I find that you would belong more to the pathetic World of Illogic. Your thought pattern is too close to theirs. Weaklings, all of them.” “If you say so. Let me tell you something about Gilda though...” I leaned in close and told him the truth of our marriage. “And again, would work for a rat if it helped the public. It’s not about the princesses, they just happen to be able to get me to where I’m needed fastest.” “I’m disgusted. They shouldn’t receive that sort of treatment. They should be obliterated from existence! Your kind and the ponies of this era are all but weaklings. I had hoped a millenary of absence would have changed everything, but it seems that all it did was weaken the resolve and the honor of all self-respecting ponies. Unless you have something to add, I will leave this world and give my report.” “Know any place where I can get decent invitations?” I teased, not caring for the stallion’s presence any more. “Perhaps at the tinkering china store?” he countered. The ground trembled a bit and, looking back at the store, immense thorns suddenly blasted out of it, tearing the place apart with violent sounds of crumbling and shattering. “There we go. Now that obscene object has been disposed of.” “... Crap.” “Hmhm. Now I will take my leave. You do not seem like a very promising candidate for the World of Insanity.” he said as he turned his back. “Screw you too, buddy. Now I have to do so much stuff... Well, this is better than china shopping anyway...” I walked away from the strange stallion, muttering to myself about how to deal with this mess. Another immense construction of thorns erupted from the ground in front of Sociopath. They didn’t seem to do anything, but the middle portion spread away to give view to a very bright light. “What is the next candidate, I wonder.” > Fruity Feathers > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (This is a redo of Nova Shino's character interviewed in the first special.) The city of Canterlot was bustling with activity, as usual. The nobles went about their business, and carriages drove ponies from one place to another. One pony in particular, a light blue pegasus with a black jacket named Nova Shino, hummed as he walked through the streets. his brown mane with a white streak bobbed slightly in the wind, and he was simply observing the city around him. He hummed as he walked into the marketplace, looking at the sadly expensive wares that the vendors were offering. each vendor wore a clearly forced smile. several bartered, and attempted to convince several stingy and somewhat annoying nobles to purchase something. the pegasus hummed as he walked towards one stall in particular, a simplistic fruit vendor. The stall was nothing more than a few, carved and smoothened planks of wood assorted to look larger than it actually was. It still garnered the attention of a few passing ponies due to its contents; The contents namely being fruits and vegetables with bizarre appearances. One looked like a green apple with red stripes whereas the more expensive ones looked like Celestia or Luna, all colors included! The vendor was hidden behind an upside-down newspaper with a mug of water and a small glass right in front. Nova was going to speak to whoever the owner of this stall was when the owner in question extended a hoof to the metal container which turned inside out and fell off the counter while a glass full of water gently dropped onto the hoof’s grip. Nova blinked slowly, staring at everything around him. when he saw what had happened when he went to speak to the owner about the new fruits, he just stood there for at least five seconds, before briefly rubbing his eyes and looking to make sure he hadn’t inhaled something on the way in. After ensuring he wasn’t on some narcotic, he turned back to the owner. “Uh, excuse me?” He mumbled while picking up the container and setting it back on the counter. The newspaper shook as if startled and flew away. The pony behind it tried to catch it, but failed. “Darn. We were having a staring contest!” the pony complained. He turned towards Nova and yelled “HEY, STALLION! WHAT’RE YA DOIN’?!” The stallion in question had an odd coloration to him. He actually looked like a country bumpkin, what with a straw pipe being in his mouth, a straw ring around his… top hat, and the blue overalls he was wearing. Although, his coat was a strange, incomprehensible mixture of pink and blue that just mixed willy-nilly all around the pony’s body. His eyes were somehow hidden by his long mane of pink, blue, and green. That being said, his mane looked worse than any piles of straw that could ever be seen drying in the farm lands. Nova blinked again. He was at a loss for words as he stared at the pony who claimed to be having a staring contest with a newspaper. After at least 2 seconds, he shook his head and looked the pony in the eyes. “W-well, I’m a regular customer here, and, well… this place wasn’t exactly like this yesterday… and you weren’t the one running the place. did you buy the place out or something?” He asked. He was, very briefly, considering running before something else happened. “Did I now?” a stallion asked. He suddenly popped up next to Nova’s right and was smiling quite widely. This pony seemed similar to the stall owner, but there was no ‘country bumpkin’ appeal to him. In fact, his mane was much shorter, and Nova could see that his pupils were pink swirls encompassing the entirety of his eyes. Nova let out a startled yelp and shot into the air, before calming down and landing a few feet away. After making sure his heart wasn’t beating in a panic anymore, he looked between the stall owner and the new stallion, before looking at the new stallion. “I would like some explanation’s please.” he said with a deadpan voice. “How about we start with why you two look so similar, what’s with these new fruits, and why a newspaper flew off. Oh, and sorry about interrupting the staring contest you two had going…I think.” Nova rubbed the back of his head briefly as he asked for explanations. “Who are you talking to?” the stallion asked with worry. The stall owner had disappeared almost immediately the moment Nova blinked, and there was nothing left but the stall itself, as well as the weird fruits. Nova groaned and facehoofed, getting annoyed. then he looked at the weird colored stallion, dead in the eyes, and took a deep breath. “Okay then, who are you?” he asked, trying to get some brief knowledge about what the heck was going on. “Who is who?” The colorful stallion was now behind one of the many boxes with a Celestia fruit on it and seemed to be fumbling through the reserves hidden behind the counter. “Who am I or who are you? Haha! Rhyme.” “If you wanna know, my name’s Nova. I guess it’s nice to meet you.” Nova mumbled, briefly contemplating one of the fruits. “I am Psycho! Nice to meet you!” the stallion shouted. He was now in front of Nova and shaking his foreleg with ferocity, causing the blue pegasus to bounce up and down against his will. Nova quickly got his hoof out of Psycho’s grip, his hoof still shaking for a second or two. “Jeez, are you related to Pinkie Pie or something?” He asked while rubbing his shoulder. Psycho stuck his tongue out in disgust and created a sound following it nicely. “Pinkie Pie is part of chaos, like Discord. So boring.” The stallion pet the Celestia fruit he was holding, then he smiled. “Not like Illogic. Illogic is FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR superior, which is why I’m here!” “Illogic?” Nova mumbled. “I think I heard about that. Hasn’ it cause all kinds of chaos for all kinds of ponies across Equestria?” he grinned, while a part of him in the back of his mind facehoofed and mumbled something along ‘we’re doomed.’ “CHAOS?!” Psycho was now wearing a thick white wig and sitting behind a high podium in effigy of a judge. He was even speaking with an ancient, royal accent coupled with tongue rolling. “You insult me, ser! I am not chaos! I am Illogic!” “I mean no disrespect.” Nova chuckled, briefly glancing to see if the area around them had changed at all or if Psycho just randomly made a podium appear. “But from what I hear, chaos is just the opposite of order. So by all rights, anything from drinking an extra beer bottle to causing a bunch of ponies to go bonkers and do naughty things with nearby objects can be classified as chaos, but now we’re just arguing semantics.” “Ew. That’s disgusting. Illogic does not do that. Illogic superior! Chaos inferior!” he shouted. “Illogic does not harm. I just like to prank without doing harm or touching the mind, unlike Discord. What do you know about...pbbbbbb that? What is your past, tiny pony?” The Celestia fruit hopped atop the podium and was walking around casually as if nothing was happening. It was so tiny. “One, I can respect pranks that don’t harm people. Two, my past is crazy, full of moving about, horrible birthdays, death, destruction, gryphons getting shot and weird powers showing up. Or as I like to call it, ‘an average day with Nova Shino’. Personally, I’d prefer to just have some hot chocolate while asking what exactly you’re up to here.” Nova chuckled as he checked the time. “I’m here to interview you! Speaking of, you have any family?” Psycho asked. The tiny Celestia lied down close enough to the edge to let her tiny forelegs dangle over the edge. She was staring at Nova. “Oooooooooh!” Nova smiled, looking at the tiny Celestia and then putting one of the Luna fruits up there with her. “Well, fair enough then. What exactly am I being Interviewed for?” “It’s a surprise!” he joked. The stallion took off his hat and placed the entry in front of him, showing that it was cut in half, although Psycho didn’t appear through it, although he did reach into it and his foreleg appeared next to Nova with a mug full of hot chocolate. “Thanks.” Nova said as he took the mug, sipping it gently then looking at Psycho. “Well, to answer your first question, yeah. I do have some family. Two parents; both living in this city. I have a sister, but she travels abroad a lot. She’d probably like you. The girl likes color.” “Oh? What’s she like?” Psycho asked. “Well, she’s a bit bubbly at times, but really kind. She likes different little knives, collects them. the amount of dinner knives she’s bragged about finding is… well, off putting. She likes the color spectrum too. Has one of those little prisms around her neck. She charts stars for a living, hence why she moves around a lot. Like I said, she’d probably like you,” Nova hummed as he sipped his drink. A tiny Luna fruit was climbing Nova’s hind leg while he sipped his chocolate. “Anything else? You have any ‘love interests’,” Psycho teased. He had rolled over onto his back, startling the tiny Celestia fruit somewhat. “Honestly? No. I had a few when I was sixteen, but I just stopped dating after a while.” Nova shrugged while helping the Luna fruit up onto his back with his wing. “Why do you ask? You swing that way?” A grin snuck its way onto Nova’s face. “Swing? I love swinging!” The stallion said as he swung randomly in the air. The random act earned a laugh from Nova. “Okay, I’ll admit, I like you already.” “I never found a mare who liked me, although Woona and Tia-Tia do try. I love those fillies,” he chuckled. “Where do you live?” he added. “I think about… three minutes from here. It’s one of the big fancy houses, with the blue wing symbol on the front and the yappy chihuahua.” Nova chuckled. “And you met sun and moon butt? I used to work as a royal guard.” The Luna fruit bopped Nova on his head when it heard his comment on Luna and Celestia. “No. Woona and Tia-Tia. They’re quite young, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to foalsit them.” “...You do realize Celestia and Luna, or Woona and Tia-Tia as you like to call them, are several thousand years old by now right?” Nova blinked, and ignored the bopp he got from the tiny Luna. “Nonsense. Just yesterday I tucked Woona into bed. She’s so cute, but she doesn’t talk much or do much without her sister. Probably the reason why the Council asked for my help,” Psycho pondered. “...Psycho, I think the Illogic thing is messing with your memory a bit,” Nova mumbled more out of concern for the stallion then anything else. “I mean, Luna tried a whole little thing a thousand years or so back, its all over the history books…” “Pfff. I’m only twenty-two years older than them. I’m not THAT old,” the stallion chuckled. “...I’ll just say take a look at a history book as soon as you can and move on. Any other questions you have for me?” Nova asked, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down in it. “Riiight...So, what’s yer tale? What’s yer offer?!” Psycho shouted with a grumpy old stallion’s voice. “Well, I used to live up in the gryphon’s place for a while.” Nova said, leaning back. “The city was pretty nice, if crowded. I actually considered getting a few jobs there, but ultimately my parents moved us back to Equestria. Due to a series of… ‘incidents’ that happened while I was in the Gryphon Empire, I landed a job as a royal guard. Spent a few years before leaving with the money I had earned there. I mostly do odd jobs here and there nowadays.” He sipped the mug of hot chocolate he had, then sighed. “Oooo. Sounds like fun. I have a better ‘job’ for you, though. Let’s see...What else...Do you have any powers?” The tiny Celestia fruit laughed when the Luna fruit pulled on Nova’s lips to make him smile. Nova grabbed the Luna fruit and put her next to the Celestia fruit, then told her firmly “Stay there” before turning back to Psycho. “Well, a couple. Apparently I’m from an ancient line of random heroes that each get their own powers. Turns out I produce a lot more natural magic then other pegasi. I can make massive gusts of wind, move insanely fast, manipulate weather from a distance, that sort of thing. Problem is my wings glow different colors when I’m using those powers, and it makes me insanely hungry really fast.” Nova shrugged and looked for a fruit that wasn’t animate. Psycho laughed deeply and pointed a hoof at Nova with intent of teasing. “If you joined the Illogic you wouldn’t have these problems! Anything else you wish to share?” “I have one more thing…” Nova leaned forward. “I’m what’s called an ‘author of fate.’ It’s also what runs in my family apparently. Author’s of fate apparently just… don’t show up in any prophecy book or fortune telling situation. A book could talk about the end of the world and then some random twit who’s an author of fate can walk in and fix the entire situation and the world continues as normal. I can’t tell you how many fortune teller’s I’ve freaked out or how many supposed unstoppable prophecy’s I’ve undone simply by being there. Oh, and I can do this.” With a flick of the hoof, binary of some kind, colored black and white, came out of nowhere and clumped together before fading, leaving a spear appear in Nova’s hoof. “That tends to make me tired the bigger I make the things though.” And then the spear vanished. “Ooooo. That sounds like fun! I can do that too!” The colorful stallion put his hoof in his hat and pulled out a huge, multi story building that he was somehow holding on one hoof. “Huh? Huh?” he smiled. Nova just stared at the building in the crazy stallion’s hoof for at least a minute. “I would be completely terrified at this point but really I’m just impressed. Should that be worrying?” “Should what be worrying?” “That I’m not surprised you did something like pull a building out of your hat as casually as one would pull a rabbit out?” “Pfff.” Psycho stuffed the building back in his hat then leaned on the podium. “You’re acting like this isn’t normal. Next I bet you’ll say these fruits aren’t normal,” he rolled his eyes. The Celestia And Luna fruits were wearing karate outfits and were currently attacking each other with different holds. Nova gave Psycho a deadpan look, honestly unable to tell if the stallion was just that used to defying reality or if he was simply messing with the pegasus. “...Okay then… well, I have a question I really wanna know the answer to…” Nova stood up. “What exactly is the point of this interview? And what is it you want from me?” “The Illogic finds your powers interesting and wants to know if you’d be a good candidate for joining.” “Oh…Really?” Nova tilted his head, curiosity apparent in his voice. “What exactly does that entail?” “That’s for me to know and you to know later on!” Psycho’s face slightly faded dark, then he asked:”Have you hurt anypony before? Have you done some...bad things?” Nova sighed. “...Yes. My time in the Gryphon Empire was… not exactly a peaceful trip. I hear that they tell horror stories to some of the kids over there, about how if they don’t behave the ‘Killer of the sun’ will come to get them. And a lot of those odd jobs I mentioned? Usually they’re the ‘find some kidnapped pony’ or ‘track down an evil pony who wants to hurt people.’ but I… usually have to use violence at some point. I want to help, but sometimes it seems like the world makes up for not being able to tell my fate by trying to make me the worst creature alive.” He looked genuinely saddened by this. “Oh. I thought you actually did bad things. Court adjourned!” The stallion smashed a carrot against the podium, and everything, including the fruits and the stall, disappeared. Psycho appeared next to Nova and handed him a fruit that looked just like him. “Here. I grew it while you were talking about what you had done that you thought was bad,” he smiled. Nova blinked and took the fruit gently, looking at Psycho. “...Thanks.” He smiled. “So… can I eat this?” The tiny Nova fruit suddenly puts its forelegs to the pegasus’ mouth to prevent him from doing such unspeakable acts of depravity and barbarity, but as he asked Psycho if he could eat it, the stallion had already disappeared. Looking around, Nova noticed a pink cloud with rocket boosters in the sky, blasting away as fast as it could before popping out of existence. Nova blinked slowly. “Huh, wonder if I can join or not.” With a shrug, he looked at the Nova fruit. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to eat you,” he mumbled while patting the fruit’s head gently. > Blueberry Bugs > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kryostase belongs to Kryostasis The Changeling Hive was a great mystery, shrouded in legend. Not many creatures were lucky enough to get inside, let alone be let out again once they'd found themselves to be in this strange and ever-changing place of mystery. Some things were known about the inhabitants: Pony-like beings that were love-eating parasites, led by their beloved Queen and mother. They had a caste system, where there were simple drones, soldiers, and royal Changelings that were called princes or princesses. One such prince was roaming around in the vast tunnels of his beloved hive, making his way through the caverns, the small chambers and channels that were connecting everything in some sort of labyrinth where only his kind knew the ways through. This prince, named Kryostase, went on his merry way as he was inspecting the different sectors of the Hive. One could say that he was an overseer, or a 'mod' if one were to go with the more modern terms. Being his Queen's right hoof, looking through every chamber and tunnel in his assigned sector, he was a very busy Changeling. He was always on the run, taking mental notes, and organizing the drones and soldiers where he thought they'd be needed the most.  As the prince went about his daily routine his shoulder-long, blue mane was wavering every now and then, and the same could be said for his tail. His lithe body, being slightly larger than that of a soldier’s or a drone, was adorned with a larger pair of wings than most changelings. His insectoid and ice-blue eyes were staring up and down the columns of several different pillars that were holding the structure aloft. Grinning lightly his fangs were glistening in the sparse light that was emanated through some crystals in the cave system. And in that very same light one could almost overlook those faint scars that were showing over his left eye. “You taped these on?” asked a voice. Kryostase could visibly feel something being pulled off of his face. He turned towards the voice of… Where was it coming from though? For a moment he wondered, did the Hivemind communicate with him? Then he shook his head, getting rid of the silly thought. Yet as soon as he felt something being pulled off…"What's going on?!" He yelled at nothing in particular as he was putting a hoof over his closed left eye, all the while he was feeling the pulling. “Dingle dangle,” the voice added. There was an elongated tearing sound, as though an adhesive had finally lost its grip on its resting surface. The voice revealed itself to be a pony of an extravagantly colorful appearance, somehow still well visible in the dark. He was holding one of Kryostase’s scars in his hoof and looking it over very pensively. The Changeling's horn lit up in a blue aura, illuminating the darker parts of the little chamber he had found himself in. "Show yourself!" He bellowed out before he finally saw the creature that had been toying with him.  As the light of the horn became brighter he then shot a beam of magic right at the pony in question, "What have you done?! Who even are you?" he stepped a little closer, trying to get a better view of his visitor. Kryostasis was booped when he got ‘too close’, and his mane, tail, wings, and eyes lit up like bright lights, illuminating the murky cavern and fully revealing the colorful pony that was teasing him. The intruder’s massive grin did not go unnoticed. The stallion waved his foreleg wildly in the air, the movements actually detaching and reattaching his limb as though it were a pendulum hanging by the hood. “Hello!” he greeted cheerfully. The prince, upon getting booped, had to scrunch his snout. After that he began to hiss, and generally screeched as soon as he saw himself illuminating the cave just because he got booped by that…Thing. "What in the queen's name are you?!" He asked with a commanding tone one final time before he simply squinted, taking a step back all the while he stared into those rotating eyes of the stallion before him. "He-hello." He flatly said as he was in a defensive pose, just staring at him. “I am me, and you are a bug.” The stallion flinched. “A big bug. Gonna need the big sugar cube for this one.” He took his tophat off, revealing the clip off corner and hollowness, but still the stallion went digging. He pulled out a giant watermelon, then a crayon, then his own head. “Oops. Went too far,” he laughed. “You must be called…” The stallion took a long look and started to focus so much his eyes grew wide and his head began to vibrate violently. “Blueberry Soda!” he shouted in sudden epiphany. Glasses popped up on his muzzle from nowhere. “Obviously, you’re made of the stuff,” he stated smugly whilst adjusting said glasses. "I'm a Changeling!" He corrected, yelling at him once more before he tried to catch his cool again. Then he sighed a little and shook his head. "You're not… Discord. Your magic shouldn't work within here… Who and what are you?" He asked, this time in a calm and more intrigued tone as he watched him literally pull his own head out. And for the faintest moment he had to snicker.  Listening to him in anticipation he then waited for the stallion to say his name. "It's not Blueberry Soda. I'm Kryostase." the prince said in an almost neutral tone, looking at the silly creature before him as he looked at his newly created glasses. "Peculiar…" The stallion gasped in disgust. “Sir, I am not Discord, because discord is chaos and chaos is inferior to Illogic!”  A second identical stallion wearing a suit, a monocle, and sporting a combed back mane appeared, pulled a glove off of his hoof, and slapped the changeling with it. “I never!” he gasped. “I sometimes,” the first one said in the same tone of voice. When Kryostase blinked, the second stallion had vanished, leaving the first behind, now smiling widely once again. The colorful pony chuckled. “I don’t use magic, silly. That’s ridiculous.” He tapped his forehead with a rock. “No horn.” The rock turned into a glass mug, and the stallion glided across the floor to the changeling and grabbed his mane with both hooves whilst the mug floated in place. “How can you not be made of blueberry soda when I can do this. He wringed Kryostase’s mane, and a fizzy blue drink poured out of it and into the mug. “Want some?” he offered. “Illogic- Ow!” he hissed at the two stallions once he got slapped with the glove, only to suddenly see the first stallion alone in the room with him again. He then tilted his head a little to the side, staring daggers at this character before Kryostase then watched him tap his forehead. “Not a unicorn...noted.” he calmly responded, trying to find a logical solution to what was going on. Not a moment later did he then try to move away, his wings buzzing for a moment as he watched in shock how the creature just glided without any forewarning. In disbelief he continued to stare at the glass as it was being filled with the soft drink, “This is all a dream, isn’t it?” he asked before he slapped himself in the face. “Okay!...No dream!” “You shouldn’t do that, dearie,” the stallion said as he held Kryostase’s foreleg down. The stallion now looked like a pudgy grandmother wearing a nurse’s gown. “Let The Psychopath help you with that,” he said kindly. He leaned next to Kryostase’s right ear. “This isn’t a dream, or you would have a colorful stallion dressed as an elderly nurse talking to you in your left ear,” Psycho whispered. Kryo was blinking. And then he blinked for a second time. Again and again, as he tried to comprehend what in Tartarus was going on. Until he then slowly breathed in and out again, calming himself a little bit, “So...you’re real. And you’re referring to yourself as ‘Psychopath’?” he asked, tilting his head once more. “Now then, why are you even here?” he wondered, raising his eyebrow as he then stared at the dressed up creature. Psycho had turned into a tiny colt and kicked a rock. “I thought you were going to wonder how I got into here without being noticed in the first place,” he pouted. He melted into jelly and reappeared on top of the changeling’s head. “I’m bored and I’m interviewing people for no reason at all!” he laughed maniacally. “Well, I was wondering that very same thing as well. But with you being able to do all the stuff you just did and-” he then abruptly paused, staring at him forming and reforming himself before he then stared upwards over his head to see a tiny version of the colorful stallion, “Also, what’s a ‘people’?” he wondered, only having heard of ponies, gryphons and the like. And at one point he then slowly sat down, and tried to use a hoof to catch the miniature-version of Psycho. The changeling managed to catch the tiny Psycho, but upon contact discovered it was just an origami construct. Psycho popped out behind one of the stalagmites looking like a disheveled old stallion. “All you young’ns. Always chasin’ after origami. Back in my day we chased after chewed paper, and we appreciated the moisture!” He pulled a bucket from his hat and doused himself in water, rejuvenating his form. “A people is a word, thtupid! Gah!” His false exasperation disappeared as soon as he stepped next to a wall. “I got through by swimming! And then I found you, and then I thought ‘he looks pretty colorful’ and dropped by.” “Gotcha!” he said, before he opened his hooves up. Staring down at the origami, then to the elderly pony he just threw the origami away, simply staring and trying to understand what he was doing other than doing what he was doing because he could do what he did.  After a couple of seconds of an awkward silence he then softly asked, “So...wait, swimming? Where did you swim through? There’s no river flowing through here.” he squinted a little at the stallion. Psycho waved his hoof. “Pffff. You swim through rock. Like this!” The stallion dove sideways into the stone wall, creating a splash and undulations in the surface. It didn’t take long for him to reappear on the ceiling performing the butterfly. “What on Equestria’s soil... “ he then paused once more and just stared up at him in shock and awe, “You told me that you’re interviewing creatures for no reason, right? Now, what do you want to interview me for? Do you have any questions?” he asked, thinking that when he would ask Psycho, making him feel like he’d be intrigued, the creature would soon leave his hive again. A ‘door’ in the stone surface opposite to Kryostase appeared, and the colorful stallion came out covered in soot and wearing a miner’s helmet under his tophat. “Reckon ah can do that.” He rushed towards the changeling so fast that the soot remained in place behind him with the miner’s helmet. Psycho started booping the blue changeling with a mix, seemingly entranced by the action. “I just like to ask questions, like why a changeling like you is so colorful. You look like the ones living with ponies that look like they swam in paint. He looked to the side pensively, briefly stopping his booping. “Or ate some, and you know what they say: You become what you eat!” He pulled out a glob of orange, yellow, and pink ice cream from his hat and shoved it down his throat. Watching him in slight amusement he then smirked a little. And as he got booped repeatedly by the stallion he then sighed, trying his best to move his head to the side so that the pony wouldn’t be able to reach him. “It’s my personal choice to actually look the way I do. For some reason, the drones and soldiers don’t express themselves in the way that the royals do. While they do have their own personalities, we also show our uniqueness in some way. In this case, my mane and tail coloration, to name a few differences.” he replied, simply shaking his head as he watched the stallion devour the ice cream in one heavy gulp. “Don’t you ponies get brain freeze from that?” he asked in return, raising an eyebrow for a moment. “And I look like...what colorful ones? Oh, you mean those other changelings, led by Thorax? Or...am I not seeing the greater picture here?”  “So that’s what his name is. I just call him a tropical deer,” Psycho said absentmindedly. “And what royals? You have bugs like Tia-Tia and Woona here too?” “Tia-Tia? Woona?” he tilted his head a little bit to the side, “What do you mean? Can you describe what they...wait, do you mean Celestia and Luna?” the changeling questioned furthermore, raising his eyebrow. “Yes,” Psycho answered with a bigger smile. “I’m their foal sitter. They’re still so tiny,” he lamented. “But they’ll get bigger one day and do great things, I’m sure of it.” "You're… Their foalsitter? You… How old are you?" He asked both in shock and interest all the while he stared at him, wide-eyed. "The princesses of the sun and moon are thousands of years old, Psycho. The only creature with similar traits that comes to my mind is our mother and queen, Chrysalis. She has the strength to rival them both." Kryo said with a bit of pride in his voice as he smiled at the stallion. “Pffff, no they aren’t.” The stallion’s dismissive exhale blew a wing strong enough that it pushed Kryostase back a bit, tearing a rivet in the stone floor from him standing his ground. “They’re foals.” He sat on his haunches and gestured sizes with his two hooves. “Woona is itty bitty, like this changeling worm.” He held a teeny, angry changeling larva that was hissing and spitting everywhere. Where did he get it? Well, he- “And Tia-Tia is slightly bigger.” The stallion dropped the larva gently onto the floor then started slamming a long stick against a chalkboard with a bunch of questions written on it. He was now sporting a mustache so big it covered his face and almost all of the suit he was wearing. “You didn’t anzwer mine question, Blueberry Soda!” The prince tried to stand his ground while he felt that wind blowing against his body. He closed his eyes and waited until it was over again, and right when he did so his left eye twitched a little at what he saw. "Where did you get that hatchling from?" He asked in a very, very quiet tone, and in an instant the Changeling levitated the young one towards him. Holding the larva gently in his right hoof he then sighed a little and shook his head again. "It's Kryostase. I'm a prince, and part of the royal caste in the Hive. Chrysalis is our queen." He explained in a calm tone all the while he checked the hatchling for any injuries. Psycho hummed pensively. The blackboard grew arms and imitated the pony, its body shifting in a manner that caused indents on its surface to take on a vaguely ‘face-like’ shape. “Hmmm. I think I remember her. She tried to hurt the foals I’m watching, so I shrunk her into a foal then batted her outta there!” Kryo's eyes went wide at the news he just heard. The things that happened in front of him were one thing, but listening to Psycho's explanation he then glared daggers at the stallion once more "Where is our Queen?" he asked with a surprisingly soft and calm voice all the while his body began to shiver. "Tell me where she is. What. Have. You. Done. To. Her?" He asked, slowly stepping closer to the illogical creature, the blood within his system seemingly boiling as his face became a bright shade of green. The stallion poofed into pink, glittering dust, and his voice started echoing throughout the chamber. “Somewhere, beyond the sea, somewhere, hidden in the treeeees!” he sang. “I’m watching her right now!” His words started to slur like he was drunk. “She’s in good pizzas mister cheese.” Kryo then quickly went out of the room in order to bring the hatchling to one of the drones in order to bring it back to its place. Returning and closing the door behind him again the prince's eyes began to glow brightly, and his voice was cracking every now and then, indicating that slowly but surely he was losing his nerves "Bring her back… This instant! She's our leader! We need her!" He yelled in a commanding tone once more as his left eye kept on twitching. Movement attracted Kryostase’s attention, the source being a chalk drawing moving on the walls. The Psycho drawing had taken the appearance of a boxer with a fluffy mustache. “You’ll have to fight me for it!” "Then how do I fight you if you keep hiding in the walls and such?!" He yelled in aggravation as he stared up at the drawing while his horn was glowing brightly. “I’m not in the wall. I’m on the wall? Duh?” Psycho pulled a bike out of his mouth and started biking along the walls. “WHat about the other hives of cheese ponies? Ever seen them before?” he asked. "I don't know of anyone else but us!" He then tried to catch Psycho by using his magic, pulling him down from the bike all the while he swiftly flew at him. The stallion opened the seat of his chalk bike and dove inside. He rose from a puddle of dripping water on the floor, looking like a sea pony. “There’s certainly more than just one group of you cheese bugs.” He took on an extremely pensive look, sitting on a large stone with his head resting on his foreleg and the other using a changeling larva to dab the sweat off of his brow. “Did you try looking harder?” Kryo then tried his very best to just leap at the stallion, the prince now utterly enraged all the while he tried to catch the hatchling. He didn't yell or hiss, as the only thing he now did was to fight and catch Psycho, or at least he tried to do such a feat. “I’m sure there are others just like there are plenty of other ponies around the world,” Psycho continued without moving from spot. He wiped the sweat off of the first grub with a second that he pulled out of his hat. As the stallion kept on talking and standing there in the place, Kryo then quickly went on to finally catch him all the while he enveloped him in his blue, magical aura. "Even if there are others, I don't care about them right now. Who I care about is my queen, and the young ones you're mistreating! What kind of foalsitter are you, damnit?!" He asked with anger in his voice, levitating the young ones a couple of meters away, to a safe spot. "Tell me where she is!" He shouted, staring into Psycho's eyes as he held him in a tight grip. Psycho’s eye spirals spun around and his smile didn’t fade. “Who said they were your young ones?” The larvae Psycho had been messing with were plushies. Looking back to him, the pony had started stroking very thin mustaches that had grown on his face and began laughing mischievously.  “I have bamboozled you! T’was all a ruse! Muahahaha” As Kryo turned his back towards the grubs, he tried to make sure they were actually just plushies. And once he saw that they really were what Psycho told him he then let out a deep sigh, being at least a little calmer. Still, one question remained, "Alright, you said the truth about the plush toys… But still, where is Chrysalis? Tell me, please." He asked, more desperate than angered. Still holding him close, not letting the pony go as he averted his gaze. Those spirals could make someone very dizzy The stallion grabbed Kryo and held him under a foreleg while gesturing to an invisible open sky with the free one. He was somehow still staying upright despite not standing with either foreleg. “I told you: She’s somewhere beyond the sea.” "Then bring her back!...please." he snarled for a bit, then folded his ears against his head as he was trying to free himself from the stallion's leg. The colorful stallion started digging into his hat and put out a giant, life size plushie of Chrysalis and shoved it against Kryo. “There you go.” "You know exactly that a plush toy isn't the same." He replied, booping the stallion in a continuous motion all the while he put the plushie near the other two. "I miss her." He said, nay, whispered before he quietly sighed for a second. "Well then, it's a lost cause, isn't it? She's gone until you say otherwise, right?" Psycho gasped, insulted. “Of course it is, look!”  The Chrysalis plushing was looking angry and silently waving her legs in the air and yelling silently. “See? Same thing. They’re both obnoxious, angry, like to yell, and are very spindly like cotton candy.” Despite the situation being a pain in the bug, Kryo couldn't help himself but smirk and actually chuckle for a moment. "You do a good impression of her. But that's just one of her sides, y'know?" he then paused for a moment and sat down on the floor "Did you turn her into a filly in order to teach her some manners?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. A giant soap bottle was swinging on the ceiling blowing bubbles from its open top. Psycho appeared on its surface. “Maybe.” "So it's a yes." Kryo noted to himself. "Do I have your word that she won't be harmed? Since she's a filly now, she's in your care how. To a degree." He explained and smiled a little, looking upwards as he booped the Psycho with his magic. The bottle and bubbles exploded into a shower of pies that plastered everything around them. “I’m watching her.” He hiccuped. “What if the Illogic had its own hive? Hmmmmm.” The Changeling foresaw something bad going to happen and thus he created a barrier with his magic, smirking upwards "And if the illogic had a Hive… Would there be any order? The Hive itself would transform and shift around constantly. Without any reason." He tried to explain, thinking about such a scenario. "What even is the illogic?" “Illogic is Illogic, obviously.” Psycho scoffed. “Even Woona knows that.” "Well… Imagine if I were to be a foal. Tell me what illogic is." He responded, shrugging for a moment. “It is Illogic,” Psycho repeated. “And Illogic is superior to chaos!” he cheered. Kryo booped the stallion, chuckling a little as he tried to make the best impression of an impatient colt "C'mon, tell me!" He then jumped in the air, booping him again. Psycho dissipated then reappeared out of Kryo’s mane. “You’d have to pay with your sanity,” Psycho mused. “At least that’s what the others say.” “The others? You mean the others who ventured into the illogic?” he asked furthermore, tilting his head a little bit, looking upwards before he then shrugged once again, “If I have to pay with my sanity then I’d rather not know.” he stated calmly. “So!” he booped the tiny stallion in his mane, “Are there any more questions you’d like to know? I mean, I got a couple of ‘em, but I suppose getting an answer is a problem.” The stallion imploded from the boop, leaving ducks behind. He was quick to reappear on the side of a stalactite, thinking once again. Psycho’s pensiveness became so intense that the caves started to twist and bend and expand and construct and tremble violently. “What do you do?” Kryo watched the implosion. Or rather, felt the suction of said implosive encounter as he looked upwards. Then turning towards the stalactite he grinned a little, right before he watched what was going on around him, “Please don’t destroy the interior.” he stated flatly before the prince then continued onwards, “I’m an overseer, for the most part. I have my sector in the hive that I observe and mend to, including the changelings that live and work within.” he responded with a faint smile. “Make a new queen then,” Psycho said matter-of-factly. “A replacement for da tribe!” He acquired broken glasses held together by tape and large upper teeth. “Or at least the secretary of it,” he snorted. “Erm...we’re not abandoning our mother.” he said, a slight bit aggravated before he calmed himself once more, “And we, the princes and princesses of the Hive are like its ‘secretary’. We keep it running while she’s gone.” “So you jog a lot,” Psycho nodded. “I suppose each team sports different colors.” Psycho poked the changeling. “You must be the blueberry team.” “One could actually say that, yeah. Even though I’m not related to blueberries I have this blue coloration. One of my sisters has a more greenish color, other royals have different colors again. And yes. I jog a very. Damn. Lot. I should get myself one of those..step counters they’re called? Yes, a step counter,” he said with a nod and a smirk. “What if I…” Psycho held up another grub next to his open-smile. “Squeeze this worm?” The grub squeaked several times from the stallion’s gentle squishing. Kryo was squinting towards him and the hatchling, "You're very sadistic, you know that?" He stated and asked in return, "If this is a real grub, I'll get bucking furious. And it's not a worm, you uncultured… Thing." He stepped closer and watched him, albeit not for long before he took the grub with his magic, whether it was a plush or not. “What do you mean? All cheese bugs can do it.” Psycho gently squeezed the grub again from a distance somehow, and Kryostase was the one to squeak while the grub clicked in amusement. The Changeling began to blush for a moment, but squinted lightly towards the stallion again as he gently patted the grub "You're silly!" “What do bugs like you look like as worms?” Psycho asked as he squeezed the air and made Kryo squeak again. The prince buzzed a little with his wings, "Stop that!" He kept the grub in his mane now, still looking at Psycho "And what kind of question is that? I'm not keen on being a worm. Not at all. Or did you mix up worm with grub again?" The stallion crossed his forelegs and huffed. “They look the same, just with itty bitty hooves.” There was a long pause, leaving the echoing of the caves to speak for the two. Then Psycho squealed the grub and Kryostase again. The Changeling kept on squinting at him for a moment, "And I definitely didn't look much different from this young grub here. Most likely." He responded, shrugging for a moment all the while he gently booped the little hatchling with his magic. It chittered and giggled a bit.  “What if I grabbed an egg and wrote ‘queen’ on it. That’s how bugs make queens!” The stallion pulled a vial out of his hat and threw it at the changeling. It shattered and left behind a green muck; “And now you’re green. Science!” "Nope, that's definitely not how it works. A prince, or princess can inherit the queen's blessing, which means that they'll ascend to queenhood, allowing them to create their own Hive." He responded with a smile. Then, when the vial was thrown at him he tried to dodge, yet it still hit his hoof and side! "What is that stuff?!" Kryo asked, trying to get it off as fast as possible, the grub being safely hidden in his mane. “It is stuff in a vial,” Psycho answered plainly. He started massaging Kryo’s mane and tail, tossing the grub onto a bouncy rock. “And now you’re a shark cheese bug.” The pony was now sporting goggles and a scientist’s lab coat and within a small television. “If I can do it, so can you!” "A what?" He asked plainly, blinking at the stallion as he watched him through the small TV. "Excuse me, what?" The bug blinked again, tilting his head a bit to the side. “SCIENCE!” Kryo then turned the television off. "That's enough TV for today." He smirked.