The Vengeance Trilogy: Needed

POV: Rodney (Firemane)

Chapter Four

“Hope”

Rod sat on the floor and tried his hardest not to cry any more. He no longer felt the irresistible compulsion to bawl his eyes out now that the Purple Pony Her name is something like Sparkly Vampire, isn’t it? had cast her spell. No, he wanted to cry for a very different reason. He could move his legs.

“Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry everypony!” Gwen exclaimed. “I never act like that usually! I just couldn’t help myself…”

Even though Rod had been crying nonstop for the last ten minutes, he had still been paying attention. He wasn’t completely clueless about what was going on.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I was planning on going to a hospital later anyways.” Nick rubbed his head and grinned. “Besides, spells screw things up. I’ve seen it a thousand times on the show.”

Sticks turned to Nick. “You’re talking about the ‘My Little Pony’ show, right? Can someone tell me how people can be sucked into a television show? And an obnoxious one at that?”

Rods tilted his head, mind racing. What? My Little Pony? No way…

“IT’S NOT AN OBNOXIOUS SHOW!” Nick, Penn, and Cyrus all shouted at once. Everyone turned to look at them. Nick looked defiant, Penn smiled unsurely, and Cyrus blushed himself purple.

Rod opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by Rainbow Blast, or whatever her name was. “Not to interrupt you ponies, because I’d never do that,” Applejap snorted. “But what the hay are you talking about? ‘My little pony’ is a term of endearment. Why are you saying it’s a show?”

The white and purple pony Rarehitty? gasped. “Oh, I just had the most MARVELOUS idea! A fashion show entitled ‘My Little Ponies’! I could showcase my talents for all Equestria to see by designing dresses for the most beeeeea-utiful fillies in the land. It would garner so much attention that EVERYPONY would know my name! Oh, what a wonderful idea!” Everypony stared at her. She smiled, obviously embarrassed, and said, “Oh, but by all means, continue.”

“Back on Earth, which is where we come from, there is a show called ‘My Little Pony’, which is about s-” Nick began, but was quickly stopped by Penn.

“NOOOOO!” Penn shouted, shoving a hoof over Nick’s mouth. “You could break everything! Remember what happened when a certain somepony went back in time to warn herself about what the future had to bring? The entire future was changed! If you keep talking, you’ll create a paradox!”

Nicks eyes were wide as he looked at the pony holding his limb in front of his mouth. “Mmm, mm-mmay.” Penn apparently understood, because he lowered his hoof.

Rainbow shook her head, rainbow mane flinging all around her. “Okay, I didn’t get a word you just said. Can you say that so everypony can understand?”

Rarehitty and Applejaxs nodded their agreement, but Twilight was the first to speak. “Wait. If you give us this information you’ll create a paradox? A wrinkle in the space-time continuum?” Penn and Nick nodded solemnly. “Alright. Sorry girls, but Princess Celestia has taught me that the greatest risk facing a magic user is a disruption of the space-time. The entire universe could be destroyed with one false action!” The three curious ponies gasped in shock.

But wait, Rodney thought to himself. Wouldn’t our own appearance here have already created a paradox? He opened his mouth once more to speak, but Penn was faster.

“But wait. Wouldn’t our own appearance here have already created a paradox?” Penn's mouth fell so far down that he looked like he was about to eat a whole horse. That figure of speech takes a very cannibalistic turn here.

“Hey, don’t over think it. Your brain will explode.” Nick nodded his head solemnly after he spoke.

Sticks shook his head, his rugged mane swinging back and forth slightly. “ENOUGH!” he shouted. “We don’t need these metaphysical discussions about subjects that are about as real as magic!” He glaced at Twilight and his cheeks reddened. “Or, as real as… as… as something not real! We just need to know how we got here and how to get back! Nothing else matters.” His flanks heaved after his outburst. “I’m sorry everypony, it’s just getting to me. Twilight, you were saying something about how that box brought us here?”

Twilight smiled as Sticks turned to her. What’s going on with those two? Aww man, I thought Sticks was a normal kind of dude. Does he have a crush on a unicorn? And does that unicorn like him back? Gosh, that sounds so retarded, even just in my head.

“Yes, I was. I was going to say that from what I could ascertain, the capsule was created to cast a single interdimensional Omnidirectional Teleportation Retriever spell. I had thought this was entirely theoretical magic before we found the box, and my mind still reels at the implications of its existence. Our entire view of magic and the fabric of the universe could have been shifted just because Pinkie pressed that button. It would be Pinkie, wouldn’t it?” Applecerial, Rainbow Flash, and Rarepretty I really wish I was better at names… all nodded.

“Anyways, to make a long explination short-” Too late… “I have no idea how this brought you here. The spell was gone so quickly after it was cast and left so little residue after it was gone that I saw nothing! And I have no idea how to get you back where you came from.”

“Oh…” Sticks said weakly. “Well, why don’t you just look at the box again? Surely you could figure something out?” The other ponies nodded their agreement, but Twilight hung her head.

“The box disappeared when the spell was cast. I don’t have it anymore.”

Sticks groaned and sat on the ground. “So, is there any way else to find out how to get us home?”

Twilight seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Well, I could write a letter to Princess Celestia… but Spike’s at Sugarcube Corner, and the Princess is probably busy having lunch now anyways.”

As if following a cue, the rainbow pegasus’s stomach grumbled incredibly loudly.

“Hey, speaking of lunch and Sugarcube Corner, why don’t we go get some food and keep talking there?”

Her request was greeted with a chorus of agreement.

“Yea’, let’s go. I’m starvin’!”

“Yes, I concur with Rainbow Dash. Lunch would be an impeccably good choice.”

“Count me in! I’ve always wanted to see it in person! Plus, food sounds amazing right now”

“Oh man, this is gonna be awesome! It’ll be way better than all my other dreams! Well, except some of them... Hey, don’t look at me like that Gwen. I’m only joking.”

Rod began to say “Yes, I’m hungry as well,” but once more, he was cut off.

Sticks looked at all the ponies nodding around him and shrugged. “Sounds good to me. If we can’t do anything to get back, eating sounds like as good a plan as any. I’ve been hungry since I got here anyways. It’s kinda weird.”

He does seem to say weird a lot…

Twilight smiled. “Alright, Sugarcube Corner it is! Let’s go.”

Everypony got up and walked to the door of the library-in-a-tree. Everypony except Rod, that is.

Cyrus turned back before walking out the door. “You coming dude?”

Rod stood shakily to his feet for the first time since he was a toddler. He felt tears well up in his eyes again. But this time, they were tears of joy and hope.

“Yeah. I’m coming.”