Second Chapter : The Show
Pinkie slid out onto the stage, waving left and right with one hand. The crowd exploded into applause, standing again from the rows of chairs lined up in the massive hall. Then, just as quickly gasps rang out and the applause slowed, then stopped. Hushed whispers rippled through the crowd. A great deal of them averted their eyes, rather openly.
“Hi everypony, we’re back and looking super duper norma-” Pinkie Pie was cut off, suddenly levitated up in the air by Twilight’s magic, then set back down facing Twilight.
“Pinkie, Rainbow, would you two behave?” Twilight chastised.
For some reason, parts of the crowd cheered that, causing Twilight to look around the poofy hair style separating her from them. They all quieted again after she looked.
The podium stranger spoke up. “Well, well, this is interesting. It seems we’re having technical difficulties, folks! Of the clothing variety...” He chuckled deeply, his voice filling the entire room with what appeared to be a microphone.
Twilight shot a glare at him, briefly wondering what his words had meant. Her attention was pulled back by Rainbow, glaring up at her from her own shorter stature.
“You’re not the boss of me… Besides, Pinkie's the one that just ran out here, not me. I just got dragged out,” Rainbow scoffed.
Pinkie gasped, doing a poor job of looking offended by the accusation, then laughed and leaned over on Rainbow Dash’s head. “True, my bad entirely, Dashie. Sorry!” she apologized happily.
Rainbow ducked away and swiped at her friend. “You said you’d stop that!” Her hands balled up into fists.
Pinkie tilted her head coyly, wearing a clueless expression. “Stop what?” she asked, just as Applejack and Rarity both caught up.
Twilight frowned at both of the other mares. “Would you girls stop fighting? We need to work as a team, and everypony’s staring at us! Okay, just follow my lead…”
Applejack grumbled behind her, “Twi’, I don’t mean to be a pest, but I’m havin’ severe second thoughts about this plan o’ yours. This body… bounces, like way too much. Can I be a pony again now, please?”
Twilight sighed, “No, AJ,” and became very aware of how much whispering was going on from the crowd now, as well as the weakly suppressed snickers coming from the stranger at the podium. What is he laughing about? she wondered. “Alright, let’s figure this out. Rainbow, Fluttershy- Fluttershy?” She turned around, looking for the other pegasus. “Oh, there you are.”
Fluttershy was hidden beneath the sheet, and the moment she approached her friends, loud sounds, like the sort you make when seeing something cute, filled the concert hall.
“Aaaw!” cried the crowd.
Fluttershy locked up mid step and almost fell over, eyes wide.
Rarity took notice, and approached the other pony, offering her support.
Twilight nodded now that her friends had all arrived, and ignored the crowd. “Great, okay, if anything goes wrong, you two have to fly us out of here, alright? I would have said it back there, but somepony was in a hurry.” She frowned at Pinkie quick, then turned from the group.
Pinkie put on a sheepish look and shrugged. “Oops?” she said, while Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and saluted Twilight.
“Twilight, are you and your friends just about finished?” The stranger named ‘John’ asked from his podium suddenly. He was leaning casually on it with one arm, grinning smugly. “I do hope so, I’ve entertained the bronies as long as I can I’m afraid,” he said lamentedly.
“Yes, we’re done planning, and we want to know what’s going on and who you are!” Twilight narrowed her eyes, then began to lead the way back to the center of the stage. Her voice had been loud, but had not filled the auditorium at all like Pinkie’s had earlier. Upon reaching the center, the crowd had fallen completely quiet again, desperately trying to hear everything said.
“Oh ho, well, there’s no need to get upset.” John put a hand over his chin and turned to regard the audience with a coy look, earning subdued laughter from them. “And come now,” he started, turning back. “You know who I am, Twilight.” The admission got raised eyebrows from the mare. “But let’s save proper introductions for now, hm? I believe you girls are, ahem, missing something rather important under the circumstances...” He chuckled, and strangely turned away, covering the side of his face with one hand. “Come now gentlemen, it’s rude to stare.”
“What’s going on now?” Fluttershy squeaked out quietly, poking her head out into the open just long enough to get a look. She calmed some at seeing everybody looking away. “Uhm, are they- Why are they looking away?” After a second, she added, “Are they embarrassed?”
Twilight growled and stomped her way over to the podium. “Look,” she tossed one angry glare out over the crowd for a moment, “I don’t know what your game is, but it stops here!”
John raised an eyebrow at Twilight. “Alright, well, how about we chat then and handle business now?” For just a moment, his eyes flicked yellow, and he clicked a button on the podium to turn off the microphone.
Meanwhile, back at the group, Rarity was busily studying the crowd. Things felt very off, and not just in the way they had their first trip on stage. There certainly seemed to be something missing, and she thought she recognized it. “Hmm, if I had to guess, it would be that we aren’t wearing any of those clothes everypony has on.”
“Everybody,” Fluttershy corrected, then dipped back under her table cloth.
Rarity looked over at the other girl, then ahemed and continued. “I think this might be a somewhat formal event. Or, perhaps they even wear clothing at all times much like penguins?”
Applejack scratched a hand behind her head, thinking on it. “This does look like a big fancy event if I had to guess…” She looked doubtfully out over the crowd again; those in it close enough to hear began snickering, which earned a stern look from her.
Rarity shook her head. “No, Applejack, you see, penguins as I hear it demand that clothing be worn at all times in public! It’s positively nauseating to them as I understand it to go out unclothed.” She sighed. “If only Equestria was like that… My designs truly would go out amongst the world then.” She looked up dreamily, only for Rainbow’s exasperated sigh to interrupt.
“I’m not dressing up just because I was foalnapped by things that want me to.” Rainbow folded her arms and crossed her legs, sitting in a strange position with her back to the crowd while floating in the air.
This simultaneously earned a couple gasps, as well as cheering. Naturally, much of the rest of the crowd looked as well again and followed suit.
Rainbow hunched over further and shuddered.
Rarity stepped over in front of Dash. “Now, Rainbow, from what we understand of the situation this is Discord’s mischief.” She looked over to Twilight and the disguised draconequus. “I’m sure I just saw his eyes over there as he was speaking to Twilight; it’s got to be him. So, in that vein of thought we should respect the local’s practices until things are sorted out.”
Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all agreed and nodded to some form or another.
Rarity turned and called over to the podium. “Twilight! I do believe some clothes are in order.”
Twilight’s eyes widened where she stood as Rarity repeated what Discord had just finished saying.
“See?” John said plainly. “I really don’t care myself, but seeing as you’ve changed things up in a way I couldn’t predict, very nicely done by the way, you’ll have to adapt to the situation. I think you’re fortunate they haven’t acted out there yet, really. Then again, as I said, they do all think this is an act. I’m sure most of them think you were holograms a moment ago. Now? They think you’re paid actors.”
John finished, smiling wide, and Twilight spotted what was definitely one, pointy tooth at the edge of his mouth. “So,” he began again. “Same rules as always, Twilight. Play fair, and you might just win.” Another deep chuckle made its way out of him.
“Twilight!” Rarity called again from the stage’s center.
Twilight exhaled angrily. “So, you could have given us clothes if it was so important, why didn’t you?”
John chuckled again, tilted his head ever so slightly. “Can’t give myself away just yet, Twilight Sparkle. That would blow my cover.” He grinned bigger. “Doing so would ruin the surprise.”
Twilight glared deeper, wondering what he meant, then frowned and whirled around away from ‘John’. “Alright, Rarity. One clothing spell coming right up, no problem!” She could have sworn she heard disappointed sounds from somewhere in the crowed, but ignored them. “And you, I’ll be right back.”
John waved after her with one hand, smiling.
Twilight reached the girls, then lit up her magic, a purple glow surrounding her hands. “You were right about the clothes, Rarity. Our host confirmed as much, and a few other things… Apparently he’s playing some sort of game with us I don’t understand yet.” Her hands lit up with a purple light, which then shot out towards Fluttershy. “We’ll have to play along for now,” she finished.
From beneath her tablecloth, safely hidden from the world in relative darkness, Fluttershy yelped, only to be suddenly out in the open light. She was also now surrounded by an outfit made up of a canary yellow shirt, pink trousers, and shoes. She looked down at herself, now in the open, then out at the crowd, and realized they were suddenly all watching her; on top of that, her hiding spot was gone now. Her hands slowly reached up and grabbed her hair, then pulled it over her eyes.
The remnants of the table cloth all floated over to the other mares, still bathed in Twilight’s magic. Twilight looked over Fluttershy’s outfit, hummed, then decided to try a more Equestrian style next rather than copy the most common outfit from the crowd.
Pinkie Pie was next to be targeted, as well as Twilight herself. Purple light flashed into white, which left both mares fully clothed.
Pinkie opened her eyes, smiling already. “Ooooh!” She called, and looked down at herself while turning this way and that. A decidedly pink, skirt-like dress, cut just above her knees now hugged her hips. The entire ensemble was, in fact, predominantly pink and adorned in several spots with her cutie mark. “Nice job, Twilight!” she exclaimed, tugging on some parts to move it around a little.
Twilight smirked, inspecting the modest lavender blouse and skirt she herself wore, a match to the design Pinkie had on. Not bad. I need to hurry though. She turned to get back to it.
Rarity was next to be covered in a flash of light, and then suddenly wore a fancy white garment with a periwinkle colored skirt that flowed down to her ankles. She opened her eyes. “Oh my.” Her hands ran down her sides over the smooth material, then nodded appreciatively down at herself and at Twilight. “You’ve been paying attention to me at the spa, haven’t you Twilight? This gown is simply gorgeous.” She admired the long split that ran up its side, giving her a bit of free movement with her odd new legs. “Very nicely done,” she complimented. “A pity they don’t last longer than an hour or you could help me run my business.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, smiling a little more, then got back to it. It took everything she had to ignore the constant chuckling coming from the podium.
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had tried flying away, making things difficult, but only postponed the inevitable in the end. “Aw, come on!” she cried, dodging away from the strip of cloth this way and that. “I hate getting dressed up!”
By now, the entire crowd was watching the girls on stage once again, and began calling out encouragingly to Rainbow, who faltered and looked out at them in surprise. “What the-” In that moment, the cloth nabbed her, wrapping around her shoulders. “Ah!”
After a brief flash, Rainbow was now wearing a simple blue shirt with a tall collar, simpler blue, denim pants and both were adorned with her cutie mark. “Ah, this sucks.” She fell back onto the stage with a thump and glared at her former hooves, now covered in incredibly uncomfortable footwear.
Twilight sighed towards the stubborn pegasus, then turned to Applejack. “Ready?” she asked with a confident look.
Applejack looked over at the others plaintively before responding. “I ‘spose, Twilight. Nothing frilly alright?”
Twilight laughed a little, nodding. “Deal,” she answered.
The crowd had followed the transpiring events intently, and a few at the front may have overheard Twilight, because next they shouted, “All the frills!” and “Frills for days!”
The last strip of the cloth made their way around Applejack, just as Twilight lost her concentration.
A bright flash of purple and blue sprang out across the stage.
Rainbow opened her eyes, then collapsed onto the floor, laughing uncontrollably. “Pffa-ahahahaha!” She rolled from side to side, and was joined by the crowd, as well as Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and to some degree Twilight and Fluttershy. Though, Fluttershy merely had a hand over her mouth to keep from being too loud.
Applejack scowled. “What the- Twilight! What did I just say!?” she burst out with a yell. Unable to help it, her cheeks bloomed red so fiercely she could actually feel it.
Hugging Applejack’s hips was the gaudiest, poofiest, girliest frilled dress that had ever been created. It cascaded down to the floor, then trailed out behind her for a full meter. Lining the edges and tips were bows and ribbons, far outnumbering those that had been on a certain dress that Rarity had once upon a time stuffed her into; that dress didn’t even come close in terms of embarrassment.
Twilight laughed nervously and held up her hands in a plead for mercy. “U-uh, sorry, AJ. I got distracted and…”
Applejack reached up and pulled her stetson down around her eyes, happy at least that it had remained atop her head. “Oh, put me out of my misery. Twilight, fix it now…” After another second, she mumbled, “This is the worst possible thing you could have done.”
Twilight giggled more, but managed to get the hat off of Applejack’s head. “Oh, it is not. Just give me a second and I’ll fix it.” Her hands were already aglow once more.
Even as the clothes surrounding her changed into something lighter, and decidedly more utilitarian, Applejack couldn’t help but stare morosely out at the crowd of strangers all laughing at her expense. Frowning, and her anger building, she took a step out toward them the very second Twilight was done.
“Now hey there, you all listen up!” Applejack, now in denim pants like Rainbow and sturdy jacket, stomped her boots and squared herself up against the hundreds of creatures watching her. “It’s fine to laugh with somepony in good fun, or with a friend, but makin’ a show out of somepony’s embarrassment is not alright! That’s just poor manners, yah hear?” Applejack pulled up her hands and planted them firmly on her hips, glaring out across the multitude of strangers.
They all quieted down, or gasped quietly as one. A couple kept chuckling, enjoying the act, but were hushed by others rather quickly.
Applejack turned to give the other girls a brief look, found them surprised, then turned again and continued. “Now,” she began slowly. “That’s better. I expect an apology if you all don’t mind.” She nodded solemnly, tipping her hat to them for good measure.
The crowd seemed to pause, then happily cried out, “We’re sorry, Applejack!”
There were other cries as well, but they were drowned out by the majority.
A few chuckles made their way out of Applejack. “Well, thank you kindly,” she replied, then continued. “Now, as we all know it’s perfectly alright to laugh with somepony, and, I happen to be laughing right now.” She let a few more chuckles rolled their way out and was quickly joined by the crowd, followed by a huge round of applause.
Unable to help it, Applejack brightened up and smiled. Still, she backed up rather quickly, and ducked behind Twilight after a single wave of a hand. “Twilight, did you figure out what the hay is going on yet?” she muttered, not ceasing her smile towards the crowd.
Twilight turned to the taller mare and shook her head. “Not all of it, now that we’re done though I’m going to go talk to Discord right away.” The crowd began yelling and cheering again slowly, and they seemed to want attention. She had to ignore them though. Pinkie Pie was busy doing cartwheels, however, which seemed to sate them somewhat.
By the podium, Discord seemed content to merely wait, watching.
Twilight continued, looking back at him. “And I am sure it’s him. Wait right here.”
Before Twilight had gone more than a step, Discord began clapping slowly in an exaggerated way, bringing Twilight to a halt. “Bravo, Twilight, bravo girls.” He chuckled again and turned to the large crowd. “Let’s give the girls another big, round applause for the unorthodox entertainment.” The crowd’s cheering grew again, leaving the six mares with nothing to do but wave or smile sheepishly, hopelessly confused.
Discord continued when it quieted some, his voice still projected by the podium. “Now,” he began, pausing slightly to fix Twilight with a rueful grin. Oddly, this got more cheering or laughter out of the crowd, which made the girls nervous. “I believe that some questions are in order. Wouldn’t you all say?” He turned and looked into the auditorium.
All six ponies gasped as the loudest outcry from the creatures yet boomed around the massive room. It went on, until a sudden bit of movement made them all stop.
All of the girls had either covered their ears or began getting nervous, except for Fluttershy, who had instead crouched low to the ground. Immediately the creatures in the auditorium had reacted to this.
Applejack looked around. “Well now what?” she asked, and was answered a moment later.
Various sad sounds came from the crowd, and many of the voices began apologizing loudly with, “Fluttershy! No! We’re sorry!” and “We didn’t mean to scare you, Fluttershy!”
Twilight gaped, searching the crowd in confusion. I gotta get to the bottom of this, she thought pensively.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy slowly peeked out from between her hands. “Oh,” she whispered. “That’s okay…”
Most of the crowd didn’t hear her, but someone at the front yelled, “She says she forgives us, guys!”
The crowd began cheering again, then shushed itself moments later.
Rainbow Dash scratched a hand behind her head, at a total loss for words. “I’m confused,” she admitted openly.
Applejack nodded. “You and me both, Dash. Twilight, ca- Oh.” She cut off, spotting her friend.
Already storming over to the podium, was Twilight, both of her arms rigid at her sides.
The crowd gasped as Twilight stomped up to John De Lancie, then poked him in the chest with one finger, hard. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, you know? My patience has run out, Discord! I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t like this. Send us back, now, before Celestia hears about this and-” She was interrupted.
Cheering and applause rose up from the crowd again.
Twilight clenched her eyes shut, then whirled to face them. “Would you all knock it off!?” She cried out. Her mane had become frazzled from shear stress.
John De Lancie, meanwhile merely turned towards the crowd with a little, knowing smile and shrugged. “Uh oh fellas, it looks like ‘Lesson Zero’ is about to strike again.”
Immediately, more laughter rang out.
Twilight quirked an eyebrow and thought, Lesson what?
“Hey!” Applejack yelled at the crowd, then stepped forward from where she’d been grouped up with Rarity and the others. “What did I tell ya’ll?” She gave them all a hard look, trying to get as many of the creatures in view as possible.
Without pause, they all mumbled, “Sorry, Applejack…” and “It won’t happen again, Applejack…” among others.
Discord chuckled again, still facing off against Twilight Sparkle’s baleful glare, and spoke up before she could say more. “Well, this is all fun girls, but don’t you think we should move on with the activities? This a convention you know, and keeping a tight schedule is very important. Lauren will be up here in just a moment, and we still need to let the audience ask questions!” He clapped his hands and spread his arms wide in a flourishing gesture. “So, let’s get some hands! Who would like to hear a few words from the Twilight Spar-”
The cheers had already begun rising in volume again, though timidly and more controlled. Most members of the crowd all gave concerned or thoughtful looks to Fluttershy as they did. But, something loud, angry, and mildly frantic interrupted them.
Twilight laughed loudly and shook her head, yelling, “No, no nonono no!” She looked out at glared at the entire crowd as one, somehow. “There will be no questions! I don’t know who you all are, why we’re here, or why Discord is helping you, but he is sending us home right now!”
Everything was silent for a moment, seeming confused, then one voice in particular carried out through the room. “Booo! Bring back the boobies!” There was a loud smack as another crowd member slapped the back of the older man’s head. “Quiet, Dad,” it yelled back.
Twilight panted, still catching her breath; she spotted Pinkie approaching in the corner of her eye, who then put a thoughtful hand on her shoulder. The other girls were close behind Pinkie. Together, they were all more or less positioned to make a stand against John De Lancie.
The crowd, oddly enough, was muttering with… what sounded like praise, to Twilight. She began to gape at them. Why do they sound like they’re appreciative of what I said!? They really must think this is an act...
Applejack suddenly spoke into Twilight’s ear. “Sugar cube, you need to calm down some. It won’t do us no good if you’re all in a huff while makin’ our plans. Also, I don’t wanna make this many aliens mad…”
Pinkie blinked for a second, then gasped. “I knew it! We’ve been abducted.” The crowd began chuckling some, at that.
Rarity shook her head, eyes stuck in a mild glower towards Discord. “Applejack is right, darling. We need to keep our cool. And Pinkie, there’s no such thing as aliens.”
Applejack raised a hand, moving in front of Pinkie. “Now hold up there, missy. I’ve seen the crop circles to prove-”
Twilight groaned again, though far more controlled now.
However, John De Lancie’s deep chuckle caught the girls by surprise again and cut in commandingly. “Now, girls, you all know why you’re here.” He gave Twilight a pointed, exaggerated smile after that sentence. “Just a few questions to be answered is all I ask of you, and that’s all. Is that really too much to give your adoring fans?” He spread and arm wide out to his side.
The crowd applauded the stranger, cheering some more.
“After all,” John went on. “They’ve always wanted to meet Twilight Sparkle and her adventuresome friends in person. Can you blame them? They’re only human, after all.” He laughed more, the hardest one yet, slapping a hand to his leg.
Only a couple folks in the crowd chuckled nervously along with John, but far fewer than before.
Twilight tilted her head. “Human?” Twilight asked. “Nevermind I-”
Twilight had opened her mouth to object, but just before she could get the words out, John De Lancie yelled, “Now! Who wants to ask the first question?” He looked out eagerly in the teeming throng of human beings.
Right away, thunder broke out through the large room from a thousand plus voices. The mares, all standing upright, nervously stood shoulder to shoulder.
“Twi’, you gotta get us out of this,” Applejack pleaded, smiling nervously outwards.
Twilight groaned again, trying to get John to look at her. “I’m trying,” she shot back.
Once again, John motioned for quiet, and calmed down the audience skillfully. “Everyone, please, you don’t expect them to answer anything with all of you yelling at once, do you? One at a time. In fact, I think we should address one of the girls at a time, as well. Miss Sparkle,” he said, then turned to his right. “Would you please use the microphone there at the edge of the stage?”
Twilight looked in the direction the man pointed, then back at him, twice as angrily as before. “If I do this, you’ll let us go?”
Discord grinned wide, then nodded. “Indeed.” He called out loud enough for all to hear. “With everyone present as my witness, I promise to release you in return for just answering some innocent questions.” He turned back calmly, hands folded in front of himself.
Twilight stared a second, listening to the encouragement and kind pleads from the audience absently. But why? she wondered. Finally, she sighed and relented. “Alright,” she said, looking at the crowd of ‘humans’. “We’ll answer some questions…”
“Excellent!” John exclaimed happily. “Who would like to go first? Applejack? Or Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy, perhaps?” he grinned, slowly panning his wolfish gaze over to the crowd, before then turning it on Fluttershy, who was crouched low behind both Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
The crowd cheered immediately.
“Hey,” Rainbow yelled. “Knock it off, Discord!” She glared and floated over towards him. “I’m not gonna let you bully my friends.” Her glare intensified.
Discord sighed contentedly. “Was that what I was doing? Rainbow Dash, I apologize. Honestly where are my manners? Perhaps you would like to go first, then? You have well over a thousand fans here that all worship you, you know.”
Rainbow’s ears would have stood up rigidly, had she still possessed them. Her eyes slowly looked out at the crowd, which had begun to slow chant her name. She stared blankly, too surprise to manage a reaction. “Fans?” she asked.
A couple of voices cried out above the cheering and chanting, which Rainbow stared at and listened to intently.
“Hey Rainbow Dash! Do you like baseball or soccer?” a random voice hollered out.
Another responded to it quickly. “How the heck is she supposed to know what those are!?” The two voices were quickly lost in the mix, but their effect on Rainbow was deep.
Just then, Twilight pulled Rainbow away, dragging her backwards by her collar. It was surprisingly easy to Twilight, she considered, and decided it was because Rainbow was so small. “Rainbow,” she started to say. “Hey, snap out of it. Look, we need you to keep them busy. During that, I’m going to keep talking to Discord and see if I can get more out of him, okay?” She turned to Applejack and the others. “If all he wants is for each of us to answer some questions, for whatever reason, so be it. But we can’t take that chance just yet.” She turned to the others. “Keep your eyes peeled, girls.”
Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack all nodded fiercely, getting ready for anything.
Twilight sighed. “Yes, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy was busy shivering, her hand raised just over Applejacks shoulder. “U-u-uhm, can I not have a turn, please? I don’t like crowds…” Her eyes peeked out again, and she spotted several giant plush figures that were unmistakably representative of her. “Oh dear…” she muttered.
Twilight frowned, but nodded. “We’ll see. Everyone understand? Wha- Rainbow! Are you paying attention?”
Rainbow shook her head, suddenly hearing Twilight. “Uh, yeah, rye toast and extra daisies, got it. Be right back, Twilight.”
Twilight facehoofed, or, facepalmed as was the current case. “Right, just go,” she muttered.
Rainbow was already in the process of approaching the crowd, still somewhat shocked. I have fans somewhere besides Ponyville? She had always wanted to be well known across Equestria for being the fastest and best flyer ever. The competition was stiff, though. She wondered if it were actually possible these odd ‘humans’ could be real fans of her; there was only one way to find out.
A nearby stand held up a similar device as to the one in the weird guy’s hand. It was recognizable to Rainbow, but different from the Equestrian equivalent she’d seen occasionally. She approached the stand and experimentally spoke into the ‘microphone’. “Ahem.” She was startled somewhat when her voice echoed out from all around her.
Abruptly a very odd, comical sort of voice yelled out, “Oh my God we love you Rainbow Dash!” in an exaggerated way.
All at once more words, hellos and applause rose up out of the huge crowd.
Rainbow smiled sheepishly at one corner of her mouth, looking around at them and feeling a little unsure over all of how to feel. Perhaps a little strangely, the fact they weren’t ponies didn’t bother her at all. There were just so many of them; luckily she didn’t do stage fright.
“Ah heh, uhm, can we calm down, guys?” she asked. Surprising her, the crowd did just that, with some quieting others until there were only whispers again. Wow, she thought, then slowly asked, “So, do you guys like the Wonderbolts?”
Immediately a bunch of the crowd started shouting happily again, only to be quieted quickly by Dash. She growled, snagged the mic and flew up in the air several strides. “Hey! Keep it down guys!” she yelled. “One… uhm… human at a time.”
“Person!” someone corrected.
Someone else jumped up, raising both hands. “How are you flying?” he yelled frantically.
Rainbow heard the word ‘fly’ and turned to look at the crowd-goer, one eyebrow quirked. “How am I- Well, duh, I have- Oh.” She turned around and looked at her wingless back. “Well, I’m a pegasus,” she corrected after her slight slip. “We can fly thanks to magic and just being all around awesome.” She zoomed around in a circle for show, then landed again. “Pretty neat, huh?”
The crowd was dead silent, until someone else raised a hand. “So, wires?” he asked.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, then changed the subject. “Hey, so you guys know all about me? And you’re fans of me? Because of some kind of show?” A roar of confirmation answered her immediately. She settled them again, smiling. “Awesome! Alright, well, if this is all about me then, let’s hear some questions!” Her eyes sparkled as hands shot up everywhere.
Back near Twilight, she had hesitated from approaching Discord again just yet, because he seemed to be talking to some guard-like humans in blue uniforms. She spotted the telltale sign of him using magic on them from a distance just before they all turned around and marched out as one.
“I don’t like this, girls,” Twilight muttered quietly. “He’s up to something, but what?”
Rarity hummed thoughtfully, studying the human shaped draconequus from the relative safety of her group of friends. “I certainly haven’t a clue. Something about all this obviously entertains him. He’s not the type to help others without a reason.”
Fluttershy piped up, looking around Pinkie’s shoulder at Rarity. “Oh, I’m sure he can’t be so bad all the time…”
Pinkie turned from Fluttershy and beamed around at the others. “Yeah! He can be quite the riot, too,” she giggled.
Twilight and Applejack harrumphed together as one, both of them folding their arms in firm opposition of the notion their friends had. “So,” Twilight went on. “I’m going to talk to him again. Anypony have any suggestions or want to come with me?”
Applejack nodded. “I got yer back, Twi’.”
“Oh, me too,” Fluttershy added in. “Maybe I can talk to him…”
Rarity watched as Rainbow Dash took to the air again, creating ooos and ahhs amongst the crowd of humans. “Talk?” Rarity asked. “Well, he might respond better if we’re nice to him, right?” she suggested.
Twilight groaned aloud. “When has that pest ever responded to talking, kindness, or logic at all? Can you name one time, Rarity?” She squared herself up against the other mare, eyes scrunched up and jaw set in pure seriousness. Discord was not to be messed with or underestimated, that much she knew. The memory of her entire beloved Library filled with melted cheese was a difficult one to forget.
“Admittedly, no.” Rarity replied tentatively. “I have an idea though.” She paused and pursed her lips, gathering her thoughts on how to make her case to Twilight in a way that would be seen as plausible. “Maybe we should just do what he says and give this a chance? Why, I bet if we do that and make things boring enough he’ll put us back.” Her voice was level, and measured, suggesting no leanings towards one motive or another.
Twilight blinked, then put a hand to her chin in thought. “Hm...” She then looked up and scrutinized her friend for a few seconds. “You just want a chance to learn about their odd clothes and fashions, don’t you?”
Rarity blushed slightly and averted her gaze quickly. “W-Why, Twilight, what makes you think that… Well…” She began muttering rationalizations and excuses under her breath.
Twilight flopped her arms in defeat against her sides. “Alright, well we could do that I suppose. What about you, AJ?” She turned to her more honest friend for another opinion. “What do you think we should do?”
Applejack looked down at her new shoes for a moment considering all of their options. To her, Rarity’s plan did have some merit. No matter how Applejack cut it, Discord was involved. After all, just leaving wherever the place ‘Bronycon’, didn’t seem like much of an option. Before she could start speaking, however, she was beaten to it.
Rainbow Dash came walking over with a hand over her mouth and a fierce blush on her cheeks. Behind her, the crowd was yelling and oddly enough, by the sound of it, apologizing for something. “Alright, I’m done, those guys are weird,” she groaned to her friends.
Applejack put on a confused expression. “Weird? How do ya mean?”
Rainbow merely shuddered as her only response, then moved over behind Fluttershy, who sufficiently obscured her.
Applejack then sighed and put a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Now, Rainbow, you can’t judge others that you don’t based on preli- preliniment… pre-”
“Preliminary,” Twilight added in absently.
Applejack coughed and continued. “Right, you can’t judge others that you don’t based on preliminary impressions. I’m sure they’re perfectly-”
Rainbow Dash began shaking her head furiously. “AJ, no! You don’t understand…. Look, at first, they just asked about my flying and the Wonderbolts… but then they wanted to know things like…” She paused to swallow hard, then continued. “They’re just weird, okay?” she repeated.
John loudly spoke over his mic. “It was great talking to you Rainbow Dash! Myself and our friends, the bronies, thank you so much for your time,” he called out from the podium, grinning. “Now, who wants to go next?”
Pinkie had been listening intently and watching for the most part. Her suspicions over the whole situation had been growing steadily, and now they were at their maximum. “Oh, me! Me me me!” she cried, then hopped out of her friend’s group and skipped her way to the microphone before anypony else could even object. “Hi again, everybody!”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at Pinkie for a moment, then turned back to Rainbow Dash. “What exactly did they ask you?”
Rainbow Dash met her friend’s stare, frowning, then shuffled about awkwardly. “Uhm… I don’t want to talk about it… Just listen. I bet they’ll ask more...” She raised a hand up and gingerly pointed back to the mic where Pinkie was now answering her own questions.
At the mic, Pinkie laughed happily and pointed to a tall human near the back. “Do you really have balloons all over ponyville in case of a ‘balloon emergency’!?” he cried out.
Pinkie rolled her eyes and rested one hand on her hip casually. “Well, duh! How else am I supposed to throw a party at the drop of AJ’s hat? Or any hat. Though it’s much more fun to use AJ’s.” She giggled, trading a glance back at Applejack quickly.
Applejack heard, listening with the others, and grumbled, “Darn it Pinkie, you promised you'd leave my hat alone… She should use one of Rarity’s.”
“Excuse me?” Rarity asked, incredulous at the notion.
Applejack shrugged and averted her eyes. “What? This here hat’s a family heirloom, and you have about a hundred hats anyway.”
Rarity opened her mouth to protest, but was drowned out by a cacophony of yelling from the crowd. Once it was over, Pinkie had picked another question asker. “Do you like any of your friends?”
Pinkie blinked at the human, then laughed light heartedly. “Of course I do you silly filly!” she chirped happily. “I like them all very very much! My friends are some of the most important ponies in the world to me.” She held a hand up to her chin and hummed for a second then smiled again and spoke into the mic once more. “In fact, I guess now they’re some of the most important ponies to me in multiple worlds!” She giggled again, and was joined in by the crowds own energetic laughter.
However, despite the majority response, some of the crowd had remained quiet. The human spoke again, having stayed standing. “Uhm, heh, no Pinkie... I meant like-like. Not just ‘like’.”
Pinkie raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to one side somewhat. “But I like like like all my friends!” she giggled again, not understanding what the stranger could be getting at.
More groans of exasperation floated over the crowd as the fan made a final attempt. “I meant like… more than friends?”
“Oooooh...” Pinkie ooed thoughtfully, finally thinking she understood the question. “Well, there is Dashie…” she admitted openly.
Without pause, the crowd began cheering and gasping throughout the open room.
Back towards the curtain, still hiding somewhat, Rainbow Dash placed her face in her hands, cheeks burning. “See, Twilight? I told you!” she cried out in anguish. “No! Can we go back now?” she pleaded to anypony that would listen.
At the mic, Pinkie merely smiled around at everypony, then, after nearly a minute of cheers, they quieted enough for her to say, “After all, she’s my pranking friend!” Her smile grew a bit more, then she giggled into the mic.
The crowd was silent for a split second, as though the remark was sinking in, and then it was met by a mix of raucous laughter and loud groans. “She’s doing this on purpose!” one person yelled out somewhere in the back.
Pinkie tilted her head again. “I’m doing what on purpose?” She smiled again. “Okay!” she cried out happily. “Neeeext question!”
Meanwhile, Twilight sighed and grabbed Applejack’s hand, dragging her towards the podium. “Come on Applejack,” she said gruffly.
“Oh, wait for me.” Fluttershy muttered, trailing after. This left Dash to sidestep behind Rarity, who gave her a look for being silly, as she saw it. At the same time, Rarity was already thinking of a way or two for later on which she could use Rainbow’s blush against her.
Moving towards Discord, Applejack retrieved her hand back and fell in alongside Twilight. “Alright, I’m comin’, don’t rush me,” she muttered to her friend. “So, he did say we just gotta answer the questions, Twi’. I was thinkin’, maybe we shouldn’t rush things?”
Twilight began to answer her friend, already sizing up the ‘human’, John, that had brought them there, when someone at the front of the crowd, a mare by the sound of it, let out a piercing shriek.
“Ah!” she cried out. “I knew it! Twi-Jack!” She then proceeded to cause a stir that fiercely competed with Pinkie Pie, who was busy performing show and tell with the various things she kept in her mane.
Twilight and Applejack goggled at the strange mare pointing at them. “Who?” they asked together.
A voice grabbed their attention. “Oh don’t mind her, Twilight, Applejack. Was there something you two wanted? Or did shy little Fluttershy wish to say something?” John De Lancie grinned at the returned ponies, once again standing beside his podium.
Twilight narrowed her eyes and put a hand between John De Lancie and Fluttershy. “Look, Discord, I want to know what your motive for this is. What do you hope to achieve by bringing us here?”
A few mutters came from the nearby crowd members again, paying close attention to what was being said rather than Pinkie Pie.
John De Lancie raised an eyebrow and smiled at Twilight. “Achieve? My motive?” he asked, then laughed. “Why, nothing at all put like that,” he said curtly, then smiled again.
Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy stared at him, waiting for more. When none came, Twilight said, “Nothing? How can you want want nothing?”
“Oh, well, “John De Lancie rolled his eyes and leaned against the podium. “I want all kinds of things, Twilight. Who doesn’t? Take these people for instance.” He gestured out to them and leaned next to his mic. “They wanted to meet you! Didn’t you all?”
The crowd cheered briefly, while John De Lancie turned back to Twilight. “What I want, I guess, is to have fun, of course, as always. I suppose that’s a motive too, hm? Come now Twilight you know me. What else would I want?” He fluttered his eyes briefly, as if to accentuate his innocence.
Twilight sighed, not really buying things. “I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin in order to answer that,” she replied back dourly.
“Oh, well, I suppose if you have no further questions, you and your friends are just along for the ride, Twilight.” John De Lancie snickered and tapped his microphone, looking over to Pinkie Pie up on stage. “Pinkie, that’s quite enough. It’s somepony else’s turn, now.” He turned to give Twilight a fox-like grin.
Pinkie Pie let out an aw of disappointment, but turned back to face the throng of humans. “Alright, thanks for being so nice, everypony! And wow, you guys are great I mean it! I can’t believe you’re having so much fun with just questions! I wish ponies knew how to have this much fun so easily.”
The crowd laughed along with Pinkie, even as she approach Rarity, who was currently the only pony available nearby.
Rarity looked around herself and picked up on her current position immediately.
Pinkie slapped a hand on her back. “Your turn, Rarity!” she laughed encouragingly.
Rarity gulped and tried to trade places with Rainbow, who still stood behind her. Suddenly, it was both mares that wanted desperately to move backstage and disappear.
“O-oh, I’m afraid I can’t, Pinkie,” Rarity replied, holding a hand up to her forehead. “I’m afraid I’m feeling rather fa-aint!” Before she could stop herself, she was pushed out towards the microphone at the front of the stage, of course, by Pinkie Pie, who was laughing.
“Knock uhm dead, Rarity!” Pinkie called.
Rarity stared wide eyed out across the hall. She had examined many of the individuals from afar already. There are so many of them. They all know who I am, too. And they certainly are… different. She had intended to calm herself, but the thoughts combined with the quiet except for Twilight berating Discord, did anything but. She could feel herself begin to sweat out of sheer nervousness, and knew she had to act quickly.
Chin up, darn you! The spotlight is where you belong, Rarity. Time to go to work! Rarity held the microphone up closer, springing into action. “Uhm, hello there,” she offered weakly, and felt better already.
A cry came out from somewhere to Rarity’s left. “Do that thing!” the human demanded.
Rarity blinked in surprise. When Pinkie or Dash had come up, the crowd had cheered them on immediately. Fluttershy hadn’t even needed to be upfront when she got cheered on. Fighting to keep her composure despite the obvious oversight, she addressed the ‘brony’ in question.
“...I’m sorry? I beg your pardon?” Rarity asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Another voice from her right chimed in. “You know, ‘the worst possible thing’?” they added in.
Rarity wrinkled her brow at the other human and moved the microphone closer. “I do apologize, sir, but what do you mean?”
“He means faint on your couch! Right there on stage!” Another cry echoed out, a mare this time. “It’s really funny, Rarity!”
“You want me to faint!?” Rarity asked, shocked. “And exactly what couch do you mean?” She looked around herself for the aforementioned furniture, but could find no trace of it anywhere. “I really don’t understand.”
“Can’t you summon it at will?” this voice seemed as confused as she was. “If you guys are real like Discord’s been saying then you can!”
“Heavens, what gave you that idea?” Rarity gazed out into the faces of the crowd. Admittedly, most of them were snickering at what was now, obviously a joke being played on her at her own expense. “Oh, I see how it is,” Rarity remarked, her voice dripping with the insult that she felt. “I’m just somepony to be laughed at, like Applejack, am I?”
The crowd gasped, then began shaking their heads ‘no’ and apologizing at once. It was obvious they realized that they had done wrong.
Still, Rarity continued. “Well then! Maybe if you all do not wish to speak to Miss Rarity as though she were a lady, then perhaps she doesn’t want to entertain your questions! Hm?” She leered forward out towards the crowd, bending slightly at the waist while panning her disapproving look towards as many faces as she could.
Several voices amongst the crowd continued to apologize to her, while others began saying things to try and change the subject, or to say even still more varied things.
Rarity’s offended look thinned slowly until it was more of an unsure frown. She looked briefly towards her friends, whom all seemed busy in their own way, then back to the crowd. “All right, now everypony just calm down… I’m not that upset.” She brushed her hair back with one hand, lips pouted slightly. “After all, you did apologize rather profusely.”
The crowd began to applaud, but was interrupted quickly.
“But!” Rarity began. “That is not to say you’re off the hook. I’m going to lay down some rules.”
The humans in the audience traded looks between one another, slightly confused or stared intently.
Rarity continued. “First, I would like to ask some questions of my own after each one I answer.” She gave Twilight a quick look, but the other pony was still preoccupied. “Second, when you ask these… questions, I must ask that you keep them respectful.” She looked back at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie certainly seemed no worse for wear, but Dash still had her back turned to the audience. Just what did they ask her? If only I had been listening.
Rarity turned back to the audience. “And I reserve the right to add further stipulations as this goes on,” she declared, then sighed to gather her will. “Now, questions, everypony?” she asked.
Immediately a forest of hands and arms rose up to answer Rarity; she picked one that was very close to the front. The human asking seemed interesting to Rarity, based purely by his thick accent and dark toned body.
“I would first just like to compliment both you and John De Lancie for setting this whole thing up. I’ve been a fan of My Little Pony for more than a decade, and I never expected to see another con like this in my lifetime.” He received murmurs of approval and a pat on the back from an adjacent human. “I literally grew up watching Rarity, and her friends adventure so this is all really enjoyable. Anyway, my question is-”
Rarity stared at the stranger, eyes widened and her thoughts muddled. What the human had said troubled and confused her so much, that she entirely missed the question he had asked. “I-I’m sorry, darling could you repeat that?”
The human chuckled, then repeated, “I asked, is there actually a gender inequality in Equestria? Are mares born more often than stallions where you’re from.”
Rarity quirked an eyebrow, then hummed in amusement. Well, Rarity, he did profess to think we’re not real just then. This simply must be more of Discord’s work. But why would he tell an alien race about us just so they think we’re fictional? She filed away the thought and got on with answering the human stallion’s question. “I mean no offense sir, but that’s a very silly, question. The answer to which is simply-”
Meanwhile, back at the podium, Twilight had endured enough of Discord’s nonsense, or John’s, or whatever his name was. “Discord… Just answer the question,” she growled.
John De Lancie chuckled. “Discord? Now what makes you think I’m Discord, anyway?” He grinned, twirling the inactive microphone he held absently in one hand.
“Stop changing the-” Twilight cut off and deadpanned at him for a long moment, then brushed her loose mane back with one hand. “Really?” she asked, in complete exasperation. She sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose out of sheer stress.
“Discord, just answer Twi’s question,” Applejack butted in sharply. “We’re doing what you want so the least you can do is explain why you’re doing this a lil’ better.”
John rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you girls don’t know how to have fun at all. I’ve left plenty of clues if you’d just look for them. Even outright said things!”
Twilight scowled up at him. “The whole situation doesn’t make sense though. You said you wanted to have fun. This,” she gestured around herself, “hardly seems like your kind of fun. What’s your angle?”
John sighed. “I would say you’re trying my patience, Twilight, but your ability to over think things never ceases to amaze or amuse me.” He settled a refreshed look of delight on Twilight. “But, I digress, I simply can’t in good conscience tell you everything or my fun would be ruined, and then, I might as well just return you to Equestria like that!” He chuckled, folding his arms across his suit. “And that would be no fun at all.”
Twilight frowned, then dourly replied, “Yeah, and we sure wouldn’t want that, would we?”
John nodded solemnly. “Oh heavens, no we wouldn’t.”
Twilight sighed. She shared a brief look with Applejack, then faced Discord once again. “So we’re really just stuck here until we finish answering questions?”
John rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Yes! Is it so hard to think I'm being straight forward and honest, dear Twilight?" He then smirked ruefully. “You're always so direct with us nemesis types, so boring,” he drawled back to her. “By the way, it’s somepony elses turn I do believe. It seems our little Miss Rarity is quite finished.” He chuckled, pointed one finger out towards Rarity, who was busily stomping back towards Pinkie and Dash.
Twilight frowned, but turned to Applejack. “AJ, can you go, please?” A whimper from Fluttershy got them both to look towards her for a moment. “Because, well, you know,” she finished, frowning a little.
Applejack nodded. “I understand, Twi’.” She sighed and cricked her neck. “Let’s get this over with.” Walking away with long steps, she took a second to glare back at Discord, then stepped up to the microphone. I wonder what they asked to get Rarity in a huff like that, she thought warily, and began eying the crowd suddenly as though they were a pack of hungry timberwolves.
Applejack gulped. What have we gotten ourselves into...
Author's Note
There's only one chapter left. I'm not sure when it will be posted. I would give it a few months, as this story hit one hell of a pitfall in the form of one of the website's proof readers.
Ah well. I hope to work through the disappointment I'm clinging to and deliver the rest of this anniversary story for you all nonetheless, fellows.
I also wrote a new story, guys. Click here for a quick one about Pinkie Pie.
First Chapter : Let The Fun Begin
First Chapter : Let The Fun Begin
The first, and last thing Twilight saw was a flash of light. After that, her entire world was reduced to just the feeling of her friends’ and their desperate hold on her. There was no light, or sound, though she could barely see the shadows that were her friends.
Twilight could feel Pinkie Pie still clutching one of her legs, while one of her own forelegs was wrapped around Fluttershy. The distinct sensation of Applejack wrapping her tail around her waist was the final discernible feeling. Rainbow and Rarity were outside her awareness in the blackness that had enveloped them all.
All at once, the feeling of being ripped through the open air came to a halt, and Twilight hung there; wherever there was.
What the hay just happened!? The thought finally squirmed its way to the front of Twilight’s mind in her panic, as well as prayers to Celestia that her friends would all be alright. She could feel herself breathing hysterically even if she couldn't hear it, but forced herself to calm down in order to think clearly. Alright, get it together, Twilight.
Twilight tried to call out to her friends, only to be disappointed by the continued lack of sound, even from herself. She did, however, get a hoof to her ribs suddenly, making her oof in surprise and pain. What was that for!? It was clear talking wouldn’t work for a means of communication, but she knew she needed some way to speak to her friends.
Twilight wracked her brain for a solution. Come on brain. You can do this, think of something! Think of anything! You’ve outsmarted dragons, hydras, changeling spies!
After a brief pause her mind answered her back in turn. ...I can’t think of a single thing. She floated for a moment in the quiet with only her defeat as company.
Aaugh! Twilight flailed in frustration a moment, and felt a wing slap her face for the trouble. This makes no sense! What happened? Truly, she didn’t know
Both she and her five pony gal pals had been peacefully enjoying a picnic, then without warning they were all tumbling together through a dark void with no sound. A solution or explanation escaped her, as well as what to do.
Time seemed to stretch on for Twilight. Meanwhile, her friends periodically shifted about her now and then. Everypony seemed to calm down after the first couple of minutes, though she felt somepony crying into her coat at her side. With one hoof she briefly smoothed the mane of the pony, which was probably Fluttershy given its silkiness, though it was hard to tell in the dark.
Twilight tried everything she could; Teleporting, recalling, telekinesis, time travel, none of it worked. Odder still, even her horn made no light when used.
So, all six of them hung there.
...
Something changed abruptly.
Twilight saw it over in the distance; a little, blue light in the blackness like a marble, or a spark perhaps.
What is that? While staring at it, she thought it grew, or perhaps was coming closer. Maybe now we’ll get answers… she thought warily.
Trying to see if it was stationary, or a trick of her mind, Twilight looked to her side, then gasped at what she found instead.
Applejack was visible now, and looking back at her. She looked a little strange though, blurry in fact. Her body appeared in a haze, as if she were vibrating. Her mouth was moving, but Twilight couldn’t hear the other pony's voice, which sort of gave her the look of an older film reel. Stranger still was the texture of her fur, blurred as if it were moving at an incredible speed.
That didn't make sense though, Twilight didn’t feel as if she were moving quickly at all.
There still wasn’t any sound, merely the steel grip that Fluttershy was returning to her and the dim shapes of five other ponies surrounding her. However, in the looming darkness, the light from the little speck was growing.
Twilight, and it looked like her friends as well, paid close attention to the oddity. What is that? she thought angrily, mostly because it was the only clue she’d been given so far and it told her next to nothing.
Grrr! Well, okay, what have I got to work with… Twilight looked around herself again. Pinkie Pie was there, and looked to be twirling in a constant back-flip of some sort. Pinkie, this is hardly the time for… oh, never mind. Beside Pinkie was a blue outline that had to be Rainbow Dash. She was flapping her wings furiously, possibly trying to fight back against what was dragging them all along.
Twilight breathed out a sigh, watching Rainbow’s fruitless efforts. Looks like we’re along for the ride no matter what… But why? Rarity seemed to be adjusting her mane nervously, looking every which way. She briefly glanced towards Twilight, wearing a decidedly desperate expression.
I’m sorry, Rarity, Twilight apologized internally. But there’s nothing I can do right now… I just hope we get answers soon. She turned again and looked back at the blue mystery speck. The situation struck her as strange, especially the way they were apparently traveling. She wondered, though, how did the speck play into it all?
Twilight tried to squint to get a better look, but the blue oddity was difficult to make out. It looked a little bit like a small… spherical ball perhaps, like a marble, but that didn’t tell her anything. As she watched the marble, she noticed that it was without a doubt increasing its size slowly.
Without warning, the speck disappeared and was replaced by a giant swirl of several colors ranging from blue to grey and green. Twilight’s eyes widened to their utmost, taking in the sight. Along with the speck disappearing, the blurred appearance of her friends had disappeared as well. What in the name of the Elements!?
The huge field before her was like a strange painting, but looked far too immense to be just that. At each of its edges were slight curves, giving it further definition, while surrounded by the blue parts were…
Twilight gasped, suddenly jerked forward towards the strange painting; she felt her friends at her sides, and saw them cling closer to one another at the corners of her vision.
The bizarre blue and green surface beneath them began racing up to meet her faster than she could even react to.
Twilight gritted her teeth angrily, with just enough time to think one final thought before the untimely end she was sure she was about to meet. Just what is going on-!?
A dark circle, completely flat but nearly two meters wide, opened, then deposited six Equestrian ponies into a large room. They all landed hard on the wooden floor unceremoniously. All of them cried out, oofed, shouted angrily, or yipped with glee as they fell.
Twilight landed on her head with a thump, Rainbow Dash fell backwards, but flapped her wings and zoomed up into the air; Applejack landed on her front hooves with a twist of her body, only to be knocked over roughly by Rarity, careening into her side.
Fluttershy drifted slowly downward, already flapping her wings, before letting out a shrill eep of surprise and flying higher.
Lastly, Pinkie Pie did a somersault from the black circle and landed upright with a flourish and a loud, “Tah dah!” She grinned around herself, then gasped in genuine surprise and moved to help her friends.
Applejack spoke over the groans from everypony, first. “Whoa nelly… what was all that?” She gasped and felt a hoof around her scalp in a panic. “Anypony seen my hat!? I-”
“Right here, AJ,” Pinkie chimed right away. She pointed to the stetson, which had somehow found its way to resting on her rump and tail. “How’d this get here?”
Twilight looked around quickly. It was a little dark still, about the same quality of dim light as… wherever it was they had just been. “So that’s Pinkie and Applejack accounted for,” Twilight mumbled to herself. “Rarity? Fluttershy? Rain-”
“Right here, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called out loudly from above.
Applejack tried to stand up and felt her tail get yanked. “What the- Who’s on me? Rarity? Get off my tail,” she jerked herself up again, only to gain a mere inch of freedom for her trouble.
“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed. “My apologies, dear.” She moved herself over slightly, but remained on the ground, still disoriented. “Fluttershy, darling, are you alright?”
“Where are we? What happened? Can we go home now!?” she was cowering slightly, cringing in on herself where she hovered still.
“Geez, calm down Shy.” Rainbow flew over to the other pegasus, who proceeded to flinch as if being attacked. “Gotta agree with Shy on this one though; Where are we?” Her eyes adjusted further to the dim light, enough that she could distinguish everypony.
“Wherever we are, that was fun!” Pinkie Pie looked around herself at her friends, half of them still moaning in mild discomfort from the floor. “Let’s do that again!” She giggled and searched around for support, but her friends didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the idea as she did.
Twilight lifted her head painfully so she could glare at the other mare. “Pinkie,” she started gruffly, then grunted and stood up. “We are not doing that again under any circumstances. Unless it explains things and is safe, anyway… What we are going to do, though, is figure out what the hay is going on.” Her ear twitched somewhat, catching a sound. “Do you girls hear anything?” she whispered, quiet enough that nopony else answered her right away.
Applejack had turned to help Rarity stand up, the two of them wincing each from a bruise or two they’d acquired from their landing. “More importantly, Twilight,” Applejack started to say. “Is everypony alright? That fall weren’t nothin’, but I don’t know what it was we just went through. We all still got four hooves and a tail?”
Rainbow Dash landed besides the farmpony, hooves thunking loudly on the floor. “And wings,” she interjected snarkily. “Also, yeah, I’m fine. Fluttershy?” She looked up to where the other pegasus still hovered just overhead. “Are you alright?”
“Y-yes, I-I’m fine, oh dear…” Fluttershy was having obvious trouble breathing; she had two hooves pressed to her chest in an effort to keep calm. Her gaze swept from Rainbow to Twilight, who was busily surveying their surroundings. “Twilight? Where are we? What happened?” she asked, repeating her questions from before. “Please say you know, Twilight.”
Rarity ahemed and approached the other unicorn, dusting her front off lightly with a delicate hoof. “Yes, Twilight, was that a spell of yours…?” Her tone was a little worried, and hesitant, mostly because she could not remember any sign that Twilight had used magic at all. On top of that, she was quite certain what happened had been no sort of magic she herself had ever learned about or seen before.
Twilight frowned before answering either mare, still looking at the surrounding area. It looks almost like… a stage, she thought. The one defining feature that gave the room that impression was the large, red curtain on one side of the tall-ceilinged room. “I don’t know what happened, girls, but it wasn’t me that did it.” She managed not to show any obvious chagrin or resentment over her friends assuming she might know or be responsible.
“At least, not intentionally,” Twilight went on, rubbing a hoof under her chin. “But I wasn’t using any magic, either.” She looked around again, her eyes resting briefly on a slightly glowing red sign that read ‘exit’. At least we have a way out, she thought. So not a trap? An anomaly perhaps? Quickly, she peeked underneath the red curtain. Brick? How strange.
Twilight stood up and snorted, angry at knowing nothing, but decided to take some action. “Everypony, don’t move from this spot, it might be dangerous. I’m going to look around really quick, think, and hopefully figure out where we are.” She began trotting towards one side of the room, intent on checking the far door.
A whimper from Fluttershy, and wary looks from everypony else, even Pinkie, all met Twilight’s command. The girls all shifted about, speaking quietly amongst one another in worry while watching Twilight’s back.
Applejack harrumphed, her eyes shifting around the area. “Well, I don’t know about you girls, but I definitely don’t like the looks of this.” She dug one foreleg at the ground absently.
Rarity brought the still-muttering Fluttershy in a consoling embrace once she landed. “Well, it is rather odd, to say the least. I’m still shivering over just how we got here.” She turned her nose up at the curtain and surroundings. “To say nothing about the state of this place. It’s musty and there’s dust everywhere.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and groaned, sitting down with a thud. “Rarity, we have way bigger issues here, I think,” she pointed out.
“Yes, like getting h-home,” Fluttershy added in, still shaking somewhat.
Pinkie finally averted her own attention from the interesting room. “I dunno, this could be a really fun adventure!” she suggested, then wilted when three out of the four mares around her made withering expressions. “Or not? Eh-heh.”
“I really don’t think adventure’s the first thing we should be thinkin’ about, Pinkie. We all got responsibilities back home.” Applejack removed her stetson from her head and inspected it, checking for scuffs or damage. Beside her, Rainbow Dash, getting impatient, turned to watch Twilight; the other pony seemed to be casting a spell, then looking about herself at a loss.
Rarity picked up her head, and her ears went rigid along with the rest of her. They had picked up on the choice words Applejack had said. “Now wait just a second,” she exclaimed, eyes widened. “You don’t think we’re… I mean, we can’t be, can we?”
Applejack looked over at Rarity with a dark look, while simultaneously trying not to let Fluttershy see it. “What, not in Ponyville any longer? I thought that was obvious,” she replied. “There ain’t no way we’re still in Ponyville. Hay, we might not even be in Equestria right now.”
Fluttershy’s eye twitched, then proceeded to make a bleating noise and tip over slightly, despite the support from Rarity.
Pinkie blinked a few times, then grinned and bounced twice to get over to her capsized friend. “Aw, come on, Fluttershy, this is nothing! I bet it’ll even turn out to be fun. Remember that time we had to go to Tartarus to restore the magical barriers keeping all the demons and spookies from escapi-”
“Yes!” Fluttershy cried out, interrupting Pinkie. “Please don’t remind me…” Her voice was little more than a whisper. She gave Pinkie a pleading look, then hid beneath her wings, crouched close to the floor.
Applejack gave Fluttershy and Pinkie a worried look, then trotted over and put a hoof on the nearest pony’s shoulder. “Now, Pinkie, don’t go scarin’ us all silly. Girls, I’m sure everything is just fine.” Her own reassurances sounded confident, at least.
Pinkie responded to Applejack by sighing in exasperation with her cheeks puffed out. “I was just trying to cheer everypony up… Sorry, Fluttershy.” After apologizing, she flopped over onto her side, two legs kicking idly. “Yeesh. I know this might look bad, but I’m sure we’ll be fine, girls. We always are! There isn’t any foe that can take us!”
Fluttershy began to shake more at the mention of a villain, so, Rarity spoke up comfortingly. “I’m sure Applejack is right. This place doesn’t look scary in the least.” She craned her head down in front of Fluttershy and peeked through the shivering mare’s wings. “Fluttershy, I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding, or a mistake. We’ll be home soon. Twilight’s an expert at solving riddles.”
Pinkie continued to frown slightly, then sat upright in a flash, smile restored. “Hey, actually, what if this is just some prank by Twilight that she isn’t telling us about yet?” She looked over at Rainbow, her number one pranking pal for support, but she wasn’t paying attention.
Still, Pinkie went on, smile shrinking only a little, and continued talking at a speed only she could achieve. “After all, she haaas been swearing revenge for all those books me and Dashie accidentally ruined a little with that last prank involving the-“ She brought her hurried speech to a full stop, gasping with one hoof held to her muzzle. “I just solved the mystery!”
Applejack and Rarity gave one another flat looks, then turned back to Pinkie. “Oh?” they asked in tandem. Fluttershy peeked out from her cover slightly.
Pinkie turned her sly, knowing look towards the suspected purple horned culprit. “It was awfully clever playing the prankee along with us, Twilight, but nopony outsmarts detective Pinkie!” With that said, she whipped out her detective hat and pipe, placing them atop her head smoothly.
Rainbow spoke abruptly. “Hey, what’s up?”
The rest of the group looked up to find Twilight, slowly walking back towards them with a confused look on her face. That alone made them all feel twice as uneasy as they had before; except for Fluttershy, who still remained beneath her wings.
Twilight came to a stop and looked between each of them, briefly settling on Pinkie a moment longer than the others, before finally speaking. “Well, I have no idea where we are, girls. This place feels… wrong.”
Fluttershy looked out from her cover, teeth gritted. “Wrong!?” she asked desperately. Everypony acted in their own way, with Rainbow and Applejack looking serious and Rarity holding a hoof to her front, mouth slightly agape. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was giving Twilight a scrutinous look.
Twilight backtracked, shaking her head and mane. “Well, not wrong, or bad. I just mean, uhm, different. I can’t feel much magic at all, much less than back home. Weirder still, when I try to teleport somewhere familiar my spell just fizzles out. I even tried a blind teleport, but it wouldn’t let me out of the room.” her horn lit up briefly then, summoning a purple glow the bathed the room in light. “My other magic works fine though. I think we need to get outside, and that whatever brought us here wants us to stay. Other than that...” She drifted off, unable to say anything more because so much was still unknown.
Everypony surrounding Twilight gasped slightly or looked around themselves with worry; Everypony except for Rainbow. Rainbow grimaced and took flight, racing towards one door. She screeched to a halt at it, then tried to use the odd mechanism to get out. “Gah!” She turned back around. “Twilight, the doors are locked!” She bucked the metal door, but it was like bucking a boulder.
Twilight hummed, then raised a hoof, recalling that detail. “Oh, yes, also we’re locked in.” She pointed a hoof to the curtain. “Even over there, it’s another wall. I’m gonna try some more spells… but we might be stuck here for now, girls.”
Fluttershy stood up eyes fluttering, then fainted. She was just barely caught in time by Rarity. “Fluttershy, dear, that’s my line…” Rarity mumbled.
“Everypony, relax!” Suddenly, all eyes were on Pinkie as she stood up on her hind legs, smiling, and jabbed a hoof at Twilight. “Because I’ve already solved this case. You can belay the act, Miss Primary Suspect! If that is your real name! I’ve got you figured out!”
Twilight blinked, then looked sourly towards Applejack. “Okay, what did I miss?” she asked plainly.
Applejack sighed, blowing a loose strand of her blonde mane away. “Oh, Pinkie seems to think you’re revenge pranking her and Dash.”
Pinkie nodded along appreciatively. “Indeed!” She whipped out another, smaller hat from her mane and plopped it atop Applejack’s stetson, giving the farmpony two hats. “It was all quite... elementary, you might say. I’ll spare you all the details, but it’s quite obvious that the culprit is-!” she paused dramatically, a hoof raised in the air like a gavel, just as she was interrupted.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” A voice, loud and sounding deeply amused, suddenly broke the relative silence. Afterwards, more sound suddenly burst into the room, loud and clamorous.
Five mares gasped and jumped as one, their eyes leaping over to the sudden appearance of noise through the red curtain. Rainbow Dash raised back to her friends and got between them and the opening. Pinkie, however, let out a disappointed ‘aw’. Reluctantly, she turned to face the curtain as well, which seemed to be raising itself slowly.
Rarity shuffled sideways and bumped up against Twilight. “I thought you said that there was no way out!?” she hissed, just loud enough to be heard over the racket.
Twilight turned to look at her, bug eyed. “I did! Because there was definitely a wall right-”
“Welcome to the mane event!” the voice began chuckling, obviously amplified by some means. On top of its sudden presence, was that of the large crowd; a crowd that was somehow very close by the sound of it. The sudden voices all pouring over one another had all appeared as if by a switch.
The voice continued. “I, John De Lancie, give you... the, Maaane Six!”
Pinkie tilted her head, confused. “The mane who?” were the last words any of the six ponies spoke, before catching sight of just what lay beyond the curtain.
As the sounds had hinted, there was in fact a large crowd of beings on the other side of the curtain wall, but they were not ponies, as Twilight and her friends had expected. The crowd was actually made up of strange, completely clothed things. Every single creature gasped, then all fell immediately silent, staring openly at the six ponies now on stage.
Twilight and her friends were all pressed up against one another side by side, except for Rainbow slightly at the front. Rarity’s eyes quivered and searched the multitude of strange creatures; Applejack stared, jaw slack, with a lost expression; Pinkie stared open-eyed with an unreadable look on her face, and Fluttershy, still had yet to look at anything except the insides of her wings.
Twilight wore a mixture of fear and curiosity, but also apprehension. What are these things? Are they wearing clothes? They brought us here? ...Why? were all thoughts that bounced around inside her head.
The silence continued.
Twilight looked around, then caught the sight of someone separate from the crowd in the corner of her eye. There was one creature standing on stage with them, just behind a podium; he winked at her slyly, then gestured towards the crowd.
Twilight scrunched her forehead up and gave him a look that bordered on disgust, but faced the crowd nonetheless. In the interest of getting answers, she cleared her throat, then spoke.
“Uhm… Hello?” she called out slowly, only to be to be replied by a thunderous roar of cheering from the crowd.
The Elements of Harmony began to panic and almost all of them followed Fluttershy’s lead as they hunkered down, close to the stage. Twilight backpedaled up into the other five mares, nearly tripping over Rainbow Dash.
“Get behind me, Twilight,” Rainbow mumbled quietly.
As the mares retreated the crowd quieted again, as if by a switch, with the exception of excited whispers from nearly everyone not staring silently.
The mares all tried to think of what to do, all of them thrown for a loop; all of them, except for one.
Pinkie Pie surveyed her friends quickly, saw how scared or worried they were, and went into action. She bounded forward to the front and made her voice as exuberantly loud as she could. “Hey there, everypony!” Her head swiveled from one side of the big room to the other, waving one hoof and smiling. “I’m Pinkie Pie! Do any of you know where we are!?”
Every creature in the crowd seemed to inhale, possibly readying to answer. “The cooon!” they suddenly all screamed as one.
Pinkie was almost blown back by the force of the loud and cheering shout she got in answer. Her ears picked themselves back up. “Gee, thanks!” She giggled and turned to face her friends. “Hey Twilight, the weird who-knows-whatsits say we’re somewhere called a convention!”
Twilight growled and stood up. “I heard them, Pinkie!” She scanned for an exit, or a way out, or some sort of plan. Her friends were all out in the open, defenseless, and in the dark. “Girls,” she muttered, “any ideas?”
Suddenly, the creature at the podium began clapping happily, then gestured a foreleg out with a flourish. “Pinkie Pie, everypony! Give her a big round of applause! Let’s hear it for Pinkie, the Element of bringing joy to us all, otherwise known as ‘laughter’!”
Fluttershy spoke first, her voice mostly drowned out by the crowd even after they quieted some. “I wanna go home!” she wailed.
Applejack looked down at her. “We know, sugarcube, we all do. Just hang in there. Twilight, I say we get backstage again, there’s a nook we can at least hide in and get some privacy.” Her eyes scanned the crowd, not appreciative of all the camera flashing and eye-goggling. It certainly seemed to her like they were all stars or something here, but that made no sense.
Rarity let out a shrill cross between a squeak and a whimper. “But we’ll be cornered!”
Applejack hissed back, “Well it’s that or run through this crowd to that other exit I see!”
Fluttershy looked up quickly to respond, only to finally see just how many figures there were. Her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and she slowly recovered her head with her wings to hide once again. From the safety of her cover she replied, “I-I don’t like that plan. I like the hiding plan.”
Meanwhile, at the front of the stage, Pinkie looked out across the crowd, her face blank, except for some earnest surprise. A small grin replaced the look after a second and she bowed, giggling. “Thanks, everypony! Or, everywhatever-you-are!”
A few shouts came from the crowd saying ‘everybody’, along with laughing and a hundred other random things that couldn’t be heard over everything else.
Pinkie smiled bigger. “Well, duh I could say that, but that’s boring!”
More laughter came from the crowd.
Wow! Pinkie thought, Didn’t think I was this good! Her smile mellowed out and she spoke again. “So, you all know me now, but I don’t know you, but I can sure fix that!” She trotted a step forward and jabbed a hoof at one of the creatures. “Hi, what’s your name, Mister?”
The crowd went deathly silent in an instant, and they all turned to face the chubby person that Pinkie had pointed to; he looked ready to faint. “U-uh, Greg,” he replied aloud, barely loud enough to hear.
Pinkie waved to him, smiling widely. “Hi Greg!” She took a few steps across the stage and stopped again. “Okay who’s ne-?”
Twilight interrupted Pinkie with a fierce whisper. “Pinkie! Cut that out and get over here!” She stomped a hoof, eying the crowd warily still. “Everypony, back behind the curtain!” she hissed at them.
Quickly, the four ponies adjacent to Twilight nodded slowly, except for Fluttershy, who zoomed away and around the corner in flash without waiting.
The voice at the podium let out a disappointed ‘aw’, along with the pleas from the crowd, which went unheeded by the five retreating mares. “Come now, Twilight,” the creature at the podium implored. “Everyone wants to get to know you better and be friends!”
Twilight had been backing up slowly, and shot the speaker an angry look, then called to her remaining friend out in the open. “Pinkie!”
Pinkie, still smiling, turned her head around after hearing Twilight, then saw her friends galloping backstage. “Aw, okie dokie lokie!” she chirped in answer, then turned the rest of herself about in a one-eighty to hop her way after her friends. “Be right back everybody.” She giggled, until a purple hoof hooked around her neck then dragged her backstage.
The ponies were all breathing heavily, circled up in a group in one corner. The sound of the crowd grew enormously once again, and only a few words from whoever ‘John’ was got them back under some semblance of control.
Applejack spoke first, addressing Twilight as soon as she joined the group. “Alright, I know I asked this already, but what the hay is going on here!?” While speaking she fought to steady her breathing, too.
Twilight came to a halt, biting her lip until she responded. “I’m not sure, AJ. I’ve never seen anything like those creatures,” she replied shakily.
“Oh, come on out, girls! No one here wants to hurt you, promise!” The voice returned again from the direction of what was obviously a concert hall of some sort.
“What do they want!?” Fluttershy yelped and cowered behind Rainbow Dash. Pinkie bounced up and sat in the circle, grinning contentedly, which Applejack sighed towards upon seeing.
At the edge of the circle, Rainbow creased her face into a frown, which was directed around the corner and back into the crowd. “That weird guy said they want to be our friends,” she muttered gruffly, then went on with a change of subject. “Did you see all the stuff those things were wearing and carried around? They were dolls, tons of dolls of us and other ponies.”
Rarity shivered, clutching herself with both forelegs. “I saw and know what you mean, Rainbow. Such dreadful stitching and materials! I need to find the pony that instructed them on how to sew and give them a piece of my-”
Rainbow shoulder checked Rarity lightly, interrupting. “Totally not what I meant.” She rolled her eyes and turned to face Twilight. “Hey, this is going to sound really weird, but it seems pretty obvious they know about us somehow. I felt like I was in a circus out there.”
Twilight had been deep in thought, searching the ground for answers. “I got that impression too, Rainbow,” she replied, then looked up. “This whole situation is highly suspect. I think I might know what’s going on though.” Slowly, she crept to the edge of the curtain and turned her ears towards the crowd, listening. The announcer named ‘John’ seemed to be quelling unrest and answering questions still.
Applejack tilted her head. “You do?” she asked, incredulous of the notion that there actually was a reasonable explanation. “Well, spit it out, Twilight,” she prompted to her friend.
“Well-” Twilight began, only to be interrupted quickly by Pinkie.
“Ooo! Oh oh oh! Me! Pick me!” Pinkie sat back on her haunches and waved both forelegs in the air, her detective hat once again on her brow.
Twilight snorted, then sighed when the other pony persisted. “Alright… Pinkie, what do you think?”
Pinkie grinned, then coughed to clear her throat. “Well, if you girls had listened to them all, you’d know that we’re actually something called ‘characters’ in a ‘TV program’ that apparently is all about ponies! I think it might star us, too. Kinda weird sounding to me, and I don’t know what a ‘Hasbro’ is, but it seems to me like we’re famous!” She stopped a moment, blinking, then hurriedly added, “Oh! Also that John Ge Dancie guy sounds like Discord.”
Twilight blinked, expression unreadable, while the other four mares stared with varying looks of shock. Slowly, shuffling their hooves, they all began murmuring understanding and acceptance over the news.
“Yeah that… that sounds about right, actually, but I don’t know how that all could make sense... Also, I think his name was ‘John De Lancie’, Pinkie.” Twilight poked her head around the corner to glare at ‘John’ again, which got an excited scream of joy from the crowd briefly before she retreated back. “Augh, this is ridiculous,” she muttered, shaking her head in ripe confusion.
Out in the concert hall, John’s voice could be heard raising itself again. “Now, now, everyone. Please, stay calm for our guests! They’ve come a long way to meet you, after all! The girls just need a moment to compose themselves and then they’ll be right back… Trust me, they’ll be back.”
Twilight, curious and a little angry after hearing the tones in ‘John’s’ voice, poked her head out, but only a little. After she did, the crowd exploded again into cheering, again, and ‘John’ gave her another wink.
Quickly, Twilight pulled back into cover and turned to face the girls. “Yeah, that’s Discord I think,” she breathed out tiredly. “If it isn’t, then it’s somepony… or someone, I guess, that’s just as bothersome and annoying. It doesn’t matter, but I’m not going to play by their rules either way.”
‘John’s’ voice called out again jeeringly. “Come on back, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, your fans are all waiting for you!”
Rarity traded another worried look with Applejack, while Fluttershy cowered beneath Rarity’s legs. Pinkie Pie merely giggled, then said, “Well, at least they’re probably not dangerous, right? I don’t really understand everything, but this sounds like it could be a lot of fun, girls!”
Fluttershy looked out from underneath her new shelter, eyes wide. “No it doesn’t!” Her voice was stark and tinged with desperation. She turned to Twilight. “Twilight, is your magic working yet? I want to go back now, please.”
Twilight frowned up at her horn and briefly checked; it lit up, then extinguished again a second later. “Not yet…” she mumbled. “What we need is a plan, though, and we lack information. But, I think I do have a spell that will help. It seems to me, thanks to Pinkie, that us being Equestrians is what has everypony out there so excited. So… that I can change, at least.”
The other ponies gave her worried looks.
Twilight rolled her eyes as her response back to them. “Oh, stop that, girls. You know that I’m perfectly proficient with all forms of magic. I’ve practiced this spell dozens of times on Spike!”
Her friends traded a few more worried looks between themselves.
Applejack sighed and decided to respond to Twilight first, just to get to the root of things. “Twi’, that’s great and all, but what’s the spell? I’m not so sure I want you messin’ with the natural order of things… And out of curiousity how exactly did you practice to make sure it’s safe? Cause it sounded to me like you were suggestin’... somethin’ I really hope you weren’t suggestin’.”
The other mares all mumbled agreement in one form or another. “Yeah,” Rainbow agreed loudest. “You do like to do that, Twilight.”
Twilight looked over, poking her hooves together sheepishly. “Oh, well I practiced on Spike lots. Remember when I asked to borrow Winona?”
Applejack traded worried looks with Rainbow Dash and Rarity, then faced Twilight again. “Yeah…” she said back.
Twilight put on a look of sheer pride. “Well, I can safely say that I can transform any living creature into a perfect match of another as far as appearances go, without flaw! I can do that now, easily. Think about it, this way if this is a game that Discord’s playing, he’ll change us back and reveal himself to us. If not, then we could be securing ourselves. Maybe we can even make him send us back from wherever this place is.”
The other five mares all stared at Twilight, who couldn’t look happier after her proposal.
“Uh, Twilight,” Applejack started to say. “Just one kink in that plan of yours. Without the Elements, how’re we supposed to make him do anything?”
The other ponies muttered agreement with Applejack, with even Twilight rubbing her hoof under her muzzle in thought.
“Oh, I know!” Pinkie began hopping, then inhaled deep. “I know a song that gets on everypony’s nerves!” she began singing cheerfully.
“No!” four of the other five mares all chorused together in protest as one.
Pinkie giggled and sat back. “Just kidding!”
Twilight heaved a sigh. “Maybe it isn’t Discord, though. This is a bit too mundane, if still odd. I don’t see why he would think this situation is worth orchestrating. Either way, whether we could force him into anything or not, I think not sticking out so much would help. Don’t you?” She turned to Applejack, finished.
Applejack looked off to one side, thinking hard on her friend’s proposal. “Hmm… Ah… Ah guess, Twi’,” she relented slowly.
Pinkie Pie grinned, satisfied with the decision made, then pumped a hoof in the air and cheered aloud. “Whoo! I like this plan! Dibs on being a dolphin!”
Fluttershy wailed, finally working up the will to voice her own opinion. “I don’t want to be a dolphin! I want to go home, girls! Twilight...” she looked up through her folded hooves and wings in defeat at the others.
Rarity rolled her eyes and prodded Pinkie’s side with a hoof. “She is not suggesting we become dolphins. Twilight is recommending we match those… bizarre looking things out there.” She then knelt down alongside her spa buddy. “Fluttershy, I’m sure it will be... fine.” she held a hoof to her muzzle, trying hard not to linger on thoughts of her beauty being stripped from her. “Yes… fine,” she repeated.
Twilight frowned sadly towards Fluttershy, then put on a comforting smile and helped her to stand up. “Fluttershy… It’s just for appearances and is in no way permanent. Still, I won’t if you don’t want me to. Maybe this plan is unorthodox, but I think if we do this we could at least blend in better. After that, we’ll get a real plan, starting with me talking to that weird guy, John De Lancie...”
Fluttershy stared at the ground, but looked up after a second, her trembling slowly weakening until it stopped. “Blending in is good,” she agreed timidly. “O-okay, Twilight, I trust you…”
“Great!” Twilight exclaimed immediately. Smiling, she jumped up, spun around and trotted off to give herself some room to work with. “Alright, we’re going to blend in with the locals, figure out if that’s really Discord over there, then demand we get sent back home. Are you girls ready?”
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity sighed or frowned, but nodded, too; Pinkie Pie nodded a little more rapidly and a lot more excitedly, while Fluttershy held back, hiding somewhat behind the others.
Twilight took a couple of deep breaths and shut her eyes, concentrating. “Alright, I’m ready too. Gather around, girls!” Her voice was now steady and resolute with the excitement that getting to solve a problem with her magic usually brought. The spell that she had in mind would take all of her concentration and power.
With her friends now huddled around her, Twilight began focusing magic into her horn, shaping her mind and will into the complex forms that advanced spells required to work.
“Please, do mind the hair, darling,” Rarity added quickly.
Twilight grumbled and maintained her focus.
The other five mares all shuffled on their hooves a little nervously; though they always had complete confidence in Twilight, the proposal to directly have their bodies tinkered with was a very rare one, even in the most dire of situations.
A bright purple flash went off, filling the room for a brief second. The crowd in the hall over all gasped as one, while John turned and arched an eyebrow.
Back on stage, all six mares hovered in the air briefly, bathed in a lavender, prismatic glow. Then, without any further fanfare, a bright flash of white erupted outward, and five thumps sounded off in quick succession of one another.
Once the magical aura faded from the vicinity, instead of six pony mares now stood six female versions of the creatures. Twilight, regaining her awareness, briefly recalled that there hadn’t been that many creatures out in the crowd of strange beings that looked the way she and her friends did.
“Ah, that smarts,” Applejack remarked first, amidst other mild complaints for her friends. Then, she got a look at her hoof, which was now a strange five fingered limb. “Whoa nelly, this is right strange alright. What is this thing?” She turned to the cause of her newest predicament. “Twi’, you sure this is a good idea?”
Fluttershy looked up from where she lay and sighed, inspecting her own lack of hooves. “It’s a hand, AJ…” she mumbled, just before Twilight spoke over her. “And these are feet… and these are arms… and these are bre-”
Twilight interrupted. She had been shaking her head, getting a feel for things, then looked over and nodded to Applejack. “The spell’s easy to reverse and wears off with time, AJ. It’s obvious going by what Pinkie said that something weird’s going on… So yes, I think it is a good plan.” Floating in the air above her, was Rainbow Dash, who was busy looking all around at her own new self.
Pinkie giggled manically, also looking over what had replaced her old form with genuine fascination and curiosity. “Neat! We look just like those whatsits in the big crowd-”
Rainbow Dash shouted all of a sudden, interrupting Pinkie. “Gaah! Twilight! Where are my wings!?” she cried, her voice scratching uncontrollably by the end. “What did you do?”
Twilight sighed. “Relax, girls. This is a very simple amniomorphic spell, the very same crafted by Starswirl himself. It just changes how we look, not what we are. It’s temporary, wears off, doesn’t change our inherent natures and, is our best bet at blending in.”
Rainbow, barely listening to Twilight, whimpered and was busy trying to turn around enough to mourn the empty spots on her shoulders. Her owns hands were pawing at the spot where a pair of cyan wings should be. Oddly, she had less trouble staying aloft without them flapping than she thought she would. “This is too weird… But I can still fly, so I don’t mind it, I guess,” she muttered, then landed on the floor with a thump. “As long as it isn’t permanent.”
Rarity spoke up next.
“My word… This... certainly is different, Twilight.” Rarity added as she acquainted herself with the new height she possessed. She was the first to stand, shakily using a chair to manage the feat. “Goodness!” she breathed out. Her legs were long and thin, devoid of fur, and made her positively tower over the others. “Strangely, this doesn’t feel nearly so odd as I would have certainly thought it woul-”
Twilight excitedly burst in, cutting off Rarity. “I know! That’s the greatest part! It’s an ambassadorial spell, which means it’s tailored to be used on the fly. You should adjust in just a moment.” She flexed her own new limbs from where she sat, doing just that. “Celestia taught it to me a long time ago; she uses it when visiting other nations so she can be respective and blend in! Not always, of course, but other leaders often enjoy the courtesy.”
Pinkie Pie looked up, beaming with a wide grin and excitement. “Oooh, you all look so ridiculous,” she laughed, then jumped up in a flash. “Lookin’ good, Rarity! Nice curves, AJ. Fluttershy, your face is so pretty! Twilight, your hair is great like that! And- “
Pinkie had been hopping around happily in a circle, laughing and looking around at all of her friends’ new shapes. She stopped behind Rainbow Dash, though, and put her hands down on the other mare’s shoulders, giggling. “Dashie, you’re so teeny and short! Hah!” She scrubbed a hand through her friend's multicolored hair like she were a foal. "Aaw..."
Rainbow Dash looked up from inspecting her new forelegs, then whirled around to glare at Pinkie. Her jaw slackened some immediately, looking up, because the other mare was a good head taller than her. She turned again, looking around, and saw all of her friends were much taller than her.
“Wha-” Rainbow started to mutter. “What?” In general, they were just bigger, even Fluttershy, whereas before they had all been roughly the same size. “Why is everyone taller than me now?”
Applejack jammed her stetson on her head and folded her arms gruffly; she was inch for inch the same height as Rarity. “Does it matter? Let’s just get out there already and hope this plan works.”
Rainbow opened her mouth to complain then shut it again, letting her embarrassment and temper over the matter diffuse. “No… it doesn’t matter… This is just too weird I guess-” Then, Pinkie jumped up in front of her.
“Look, Dashie, every part is of you so small! Even the party balloons!” Pinkie exclaimed.
Fluttershy, rather missing the cover her wings had offered, had acquired a tablecloth from nearby and was busy hiding beneath it. “P-party balloons? No, Pinkie those are-”
Pinkie gasped, then pointed at Applejack. “Applejack’s and Rarity’s are so much bigger than yours!” She jabbed her new fingers, two of them, and pointed at both the farmpony and the unicorn in question.
Rainbow looked up angrily, brow furrowed, and began taking stock of her far inferior form compared to that of her rival’s once again, and then the fashionista. Overwhelming jealousy swelled up in her.
Pinkie’s giggles grew, while beside her, Rainbow Dash started a one sided glaring contest with Applejack.
Pinkie gasped again a second later, ceasing her laughter. “Ooooh, wow, so are Fluttershy’s!” she marveled, then bounded towards the other no-longer-a-pony.
Fluttershy, for her part, gulped and hid beneath her hair, pulling the tablecloth closer around herself to hide her figure.
Rainbow turned again, scowl deepening, and decided she had endured enough. “Oh, hay no!” she exclaimed, fists clenched. “Fluttershy too!? No way they’re all better than me. Twilight, fix this now!” She turned and posed the words as an outright demand to her other friend, who was busy wobbling slightly as she found her own sense of balance.
Twilight frowned, trying to steady herself with front legs outstretched to her sides. “Calm down, Rainbow! It doesn’t matter what we look like, this isn’t actually us. Let’s just see if we can get some answers.” She hummed, concentrated her power, and a lavender glow sprang up around her hand. “Huh, that’s an odd place for magic to flow from…” she marveled.
Rainbow bit the inside of her cheek and glared around at her friends again, then harrumphed and looked away.
Pinkie gave her a hug, having quickly sensed a distressing friend. “Aw, I’m sorry, Dashie. It’s no big deal! I bet you’re small because you’re so fast as a pegasus is all. These creatures can’t be that fast if they only have two legs, after all. I bet this makes up for it or something.”
Rainbow blinked up at Pinkie, then put a hand to her chin. “You know, that makes sense…”
Rarity ahemed loudly. “I really do enjoy marveling over things, girls, as much as anypony really. But, it seems our public awaits us, so to speak.”
The six mares all looked up and over, all hearing the same thing now. Coming around the near corner was a storm of chanting from the crowd outside. Odder still, however, they all noted what was being chanted.
“Are they saying our names!?” Pinkie said, completely surprised. “Wow, we must be really popular, huh?”
Fluttershy let out an eep-like sound and fell to a crouching position, still beneath her impromptu cover.
Applejack snorted. “Well, lets get out there and get this over with. I intend to ask some question, and I’ve got just the right amount of temper to do some real askin’.”
Twilight stepped up beside the farmpony and nodded. “I agree, let’s get to the bottom of things, girls.”
Rarity sighed and extended one arm out. “I’m really not dressed for an audience like this, but I guess I’ll persevere.”
Pinkie, on the other hoof, charged out once again, dragging along a surprised Rainbow Dash. “Whee! Alright!”
Twilight’s eyes widened, then she chased after her friend, taken completely off guard and not quite prepared yet. “P-Pinkie! No! We don’t have a plan yet!”
Applejack and Rarity traded looks, then followed suit, running out and around the corner at full speed.
Back by the corner, Fluttershy risked a peek out from underneath her tablecloth. “H-hello?” she called out, only to find nopony still there. “O-oh dear…”
Shakily, she stood up and gave chase after her friends. “G-girls! Wait for me!”
Author's Note
Well, wow. I stand here in awe, fellows. We now have four seasons of pony... Amazing, isn't it? I made this story to sort of commemorate all that we've done, seen, and laughed to together. There will be three more chapters, with a possible prologue, all roughly the same length.
Now then, for the story, let's just all assume that there are no kids in the audience, shall we? 
Ponies may think nudity is perfectly fine, but obviously we have laws about it for a reason. So, in the hope of not ruining the fun of things, let's pretend in this silly tale this is just horribly embarrassing and not something that under normal circumstances would result in the Con Staff marching up on stage to put a halt to it.
Maybe 'John' has the staff stowed away somewhere for 'safekeeping'?
Part two will be here as soon as we dot a few T's and cross a few I's.
Lastly, Happy season Four everypony!
