The Princess and her Flying Axe

Midnight Shimmer had always enjoyed the days when guard duty found him on the lower districts of Canterlot. It was calmer here than within the Castle. Quieter, slower and lacking the vibrant, constant buzzing of the royal court and its visitors. Here, where the smaller businesses and shops gathered on the more rural outskirts of Canterlot, life was peaceful and almost still.

At the very moment though, Midnight Shimmer's world had been transformed into a roaring tunnel of colors, madness and icecream of varying flavors.

He had heard it comming before he saw it. It had announced itself with the sound of metal striking metal, screams and challenges shouted, the thunder of wooden wheels on cobblestone, and the frantic ringing of a bell. And before he had time to form a picture in his mind what exactly he was comming to be a witness of, the very source of the noise came barraging towards him.

How exactly it was even possible for the object to come shooting uphill at such a velocity was already beyond him, much less did he have the time to wonder what could have propelled it in this direction; the image presented to him was simply too bizarre, too strange to let him form a coherent thought upon it.

It was an ice-cream cart, and it bore three passengers. On top of the thundering vehicle stood two; one a pink pony, the other a creature the likes of which he had not seen before, locked in ferocious combat. They swung ice-cream ladles, dual-wielding them like swords as they struck again and again; the clashing of their weapons accompanied by sprays of ice cream left and right, leaving a sticky trail of frosty dessert in their trail. And on the end of cart that carried the combatants, another pony hung on for his dear life, screaming as he for some reason still managed to continuously ring the bell of the cart.

And now, Midnight Shimmer had unknowingly become part of this chaotic island as it made its way through the streets.

Too captivated by the image presented to him, his mind had not made the connection between the carts path and his own position in time and by the time it did; he was already stuck to the front of the cart, holding on for his dear life as the battle of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate continued.

And as if all that wasnt enough, the nonsense shouted over his head continued in its own clashing spiral of madness.

"YOU NEVER CALL ME ANYMORE!" Krieg locked ladles with the pink pony, the two glaring at one another.

"I never said you'd get to eat all the chocolate by yourself!" the two unlocked as the cart bounced and jumped, only to clash again as it landed.

"THERE AINT ENOUGH BACON IN THE BACON BOX FOR THE BOTH OF US!" the ladles glanced off one another with a trail of frosted dessert.

"Its not bacon its strawberry!" the vendor complained from the back before going back to his frantic shouting.

Mhhh... bacon.

"I'll teach you to share, you meanie!" Pinkie stepped forward in a half turn of her body, the swing of her two ladles catching Krieg off guard and sending his own ladles flying. "Aha! Surrender an-" she barely managed to duck as Krieg reached behind him and to the front of the cart, pulling forth something large, black, clad in royal armor and shouting only to wave the flailing object around himself like a weapon.

"I-In th-the na-name of th-the-" the rest was drowned in a mad laugh of Krieg as he used Midnight Shimmer like a club.

"YES! YES! DANCE WITH ME!" He laughed and brought the pony around in a wide arc, stopping to wave wildly at a passing group of ponies. "ARE YOU GOIN TO A FANCY PARTY?!"

"We are going to a fancy party!" the group called back, waving just as wildly.

Oh, hey.. I remember those gu- Watch out!

Krieg blocked Pinkies swing with the weapon-made guard, the guard in turn giving off protested muffles as one of the laddles ended up in his mouth.

"HAHAHA! SING ME A SONG OF BURNING SKIN AND MEN! I AM THE GAS-CAN MAN!"

"And I still say you cheated!"

"FEAST ON MY SPOON WHILE I PLOW THE FIELDS OF CRIMSON DELIGHT!"

"That was my strawberry ice cream!"

"BE A MARE OR BE SQUARE!"

They shot on; downhill, leaving the lower districts of Canterlot and ever-steadily heading towards Ponyville.

We should probably get off now.. chocolate is all out.

"It is?!" Pinkie gave a terrified squeak and stared into the compartment.

Psyke!

Midnight Shimmer gave a shout of warning. "Watch ou-"

There was a loud twack as Krieg used Midnight Shimmer to punt Pinkie off the shaking cart, who in turn collided with the vendor pony that had so far tenaciously held on until this point. And as the two rolled off into the grass in a neat little pile, Krieg raised his weapon; held by the legs like a staff and giving off loud honking cries of victory as the two grew distant.

Krieg continued his victory dance with the by-now nauseous Midnight Shimmer held up above him, neither he or the drouzy make-shift weapon took notice of where the clanging and ringing ice-cream cart was heading in its race downhill. Grass and earth turned to a path, the path turned to flat stone. When the cart hit a metal railing, it sent both its passengers flying; one laughing, the other praying for there to be something soft to land on.

Strangely, for the first time today Midnight Shimmer's prayers were answered; in the form of a train wagon full of old blankets and pillows. Two loud thuds later darkness followed as he found himself stuck deep within the soft, strangely-smelling pile.

Slowly, his thoughts began to realign themself, clearity returning after the sudden stop. Frantic wiggling followed in an attempt to free himself. Midnight Shimmer started making plans: He would get out, lock the creature in the cart, then alert the guard force, earn a medal or two and then take a long vacation.

"Very long vacation.." he muttered and dug himself out off the pile pillow by pillow.

But his planning came to an abrupt end as he breached the surface of the pile only to see the door pushed shut from the outside with a slam; the cart shaking only a moment later as the train set into motion.

"Oh, no.." Shimmer tried to crawl to the door, maybe he could call for someone befor- something latched onto his ankle.

"FUN TIME!"

By the time Princess Luna and the others had followed the tracks of the ice-cream cart to the train station with Pinkie and the vendor collected, Krieg and Midnight Shimmer had already left the borders of Ponyville.