I'm a loli?!?

Chapters

Meeting the Locals
Meeting The White One
Going With The Flow.
Makin' Plans & Big Disappointments
Dream Hoppin' With The Princess
Party times and School visits
The Extended Tour
Games and Bunnies
My First Day at School
Some Stupidity and Some Questions are Answered.
Meeting Alice
Just One of Those Days
Minotaur Stories and Movie Night\Sleep Overs
Resident Nightmare
Breakfast and Meeting a Griffon
Swapping places and kidnapping plans
Giant Bear Attacks and Revelations
Kidnappings and Journal entries
Celebrations gone wrong and search plans.
Love Influence
Another Nightmare
Making a sister.
The Nightmare Appears!
My mind, my rules!
Flashbacks and Luna's trial.
Going home.
Again, what the hell?
2 Spoopy 4 Me (sorry, gonna be bad.)
Look before you sleep. Dakota's version.

Meeting the Locals

“Beep! Beep! Beep! Click.” I turn of the alarm and rub my eyes. It’s around 10:00 A.M. I hop of my bed and stretch, yawning quietly as I do so.

After stumbling my way downstairs to the living room, I noticed something strange. neither of my parents were up.

“Huh? They are usually up by now……. Eh, probably sleeping in.” I thought to myself.

Still half asleep, I walk into the kitchen. When I reached for the cabinet, I Found I couldn’t reach it. waking up slightly, I look up.

“How did I get shorter? ….. What the hell happened to my voice!?!” I yell out. My voice sounded like a five year old girl! I made a mad dash to the nearest mirror, which was in the downstairs bathroom.

When I looked into the mirror, I gasped. Staring back at me with light blue eyes was a little girl with the whitest hair i’ve ever seen. Her skin was a deathly pale. she was wearing a red and black lolita dress. all in all, she was adorable and creepy at the same time.

“What is that? ….. oh my god!” moving out of her back were four dark grey tentacles. one of the tentacles were holding a doll.

The tentacle holding the doll dropped it into my hands. I don't know why, but I could feel them trying to calm me down. The doll appeared to be a homemade one. It kinda looked like Lilo's doll from lilo and stitch...... kinda cute, actually

After pinching myself a few times, I realized I wasn't dreaming. Staying calm, I went to my parent's room. Upon opening the door, I was greeted with the sight of an empty bed.

"Okay..... Stay calm, just stay calm. They must have left to get some groceries." Walking out of the room, I went back to the living room. I turn on the TV and find that there is no signal. Sighing, I turn off the TV.

*knock knock knock.

"Huh? Who could that be?" I think to myself before walking to the door. I open the door and find three....... ponies? The one one the left was yellow with a red mane. It was wearing a red bow. The one on the right to it was white with a two toned lavender and pink mane. On its forehead it had a ..... Horn? Moving on, the last pony in the center was orange with a purple mane. On it's sides, I've noticed, were wings. All three of them were bigger than me

".... I don't even..." My right eye started to twitch. I slowly closed the door. After a minute to regain composure, I reopened the door and they were still there, just sitting on my porch in shock. All of us silently stared at each other for a few minutes.

I eventually broke eye contact and looked around to see if I can find where they came from. What I found the most disturbing, was that this wasn't even my town anymore. I did not have a giant tree/house down the dirt road and I did not have ponies running around anywhere near my town. Scarily enough, everypony nearby was staring at me with various expressions.

With wide eyes, I slowly closed and locked the door. I then made a mad dash up to my room and did the one thing that felt appropriate, hiding under my blankets, curled up in the fetal position, and hold the doll tight. Within moments, I heard a panicked shout outside.

"- What was that thing!?! -"

"- Ah don't know girls. Maybe we should get Fluttershy? It seemed kinda jumpy. -"

"- Whatever it was, my sister would love it. Did you see the clothes it was wearing? -"

"- Maybe we can get our cutie marks in helping it? -"

"- I don't think so, Scootaloo. Do you remember what happened when we tried to get our cutie marks in taking care of animals? I'll never look at bunnies the same way. -"

"- Point taken. We'll leave this to the expert. Let's go get Fluttershy.-"

"Strange, that almost sounds like ..... talking?" After the noises stopped, I realized what I was doing.

"What the hell am I doing? I am a grown man.... Who still lives with his parents.... What the hell is wrong with me?" I chided myself, throwing my blanket off me.

"Maybe its the body I'm in. New body, new feelings.....Right?" I sigh. " How did this happen? Eh... It's happening. Just go with the flow and hope for the best."

I take the blankets off me and get up and walk to my bedroom window, leaving the doll on the bed. Looking out, there were many ponies moving around. I blinked, off in the distance, a castle built on the side of a mountain. Across the street, on my right, was a giant tree with windows on it. On my left was a building that would make Hansel and Gretel have nightmares. Other than those houses, there was old style houses, like the ones you would see in villages in my fantasy books.

Looking back at the treehouse, I could see telescope pointed directly at my window from the balcony. Looking through the telescope, was a lavender unicorn with a dark purple mane and tail. Me being the weirdo I am, waved at the pony.

"- What! -"

Damn! I heard her from all the way over here! Next thing I know, there was a flash behind me then a scream. After slowly turning around, I see her held in the air by her legs by my tentacles. She gave me a dirty look and teleported to my bed. My tentacles made another move to get her, but I grabbed them before they got her.

"No! Bad! Be nice!" I scolded them. I don't know how but I felt that they were sorry.Letting them go, I look back at her and smile, scratching the back of my head.

"Sorry about that. These things move on their own and.... Uhhhh.... You don't understand what I'm saying do you?" I ask, seeing the confused look she was giving me. I sigh. Tarzan don't fail me now.

I put my hand on my chest. " Dakota." I point towards her, giving her a look. She looks thoughtfully at me. I do it again. I could almost see the light bulb above her head. She points a hoof at herself. "- Twilight -" she points at me "- Dakta -" well, at least she tried. I smile a little and nod. I point at her, " triwife." Her ears go flat against her head and she gives me a shaky smile.

"Grrrrrr....." My stomach lets out a fearsome growl. I look back and notice she's giving the universal, don't eat me, look, that I return with a blank stare. I shrug and walk downstairs.

"I knew I forgot something in all this 'excitement.' Breakfast. Now, what am I going to make? I've got a pony here so, most likely no bacon." I thought to myself

"- Where do you think you're going? Hey! -"

Ignoring her, I go back to the kitchen with her following. As if knowing what to do, the tentacles get to work. One opened the fridge, while the other pulled out the eggs. The other set pulled out the skillet. Next thing I know, there was a breakfast fit for a family of five.

"How did they make chocolate chip pancakes? I don't even have the chocolate for them. Probably don't want to question it, I want my sanity semi intact by the end of the day." I thought to myself, picturing me, held down in a straight jacket while the guys in white put a needle in me. Shuddering at the thought, I look back at Tri.

It would appear that she was amazed at how fast I made breakfast. Noticing I was staring, she levitated a pancake to her and eyed it carefully. After her horn flashes a few times, she takes a small bite, her eyes close.

"Is she.... Moaning?" Indeed she was. ignoring that weirdness, I grab a pancake and was about to take a bite when....

*knock knock knock

"Why god? Of all the guys in the world you chose me." Sighing and putting down the pancake, I walked to the front door and look out the window. Waiting on my front porch, was a butter yellow pegasus hiding behind her pink mane. Behind her were the other three ponies that showed up earlier.

"- You think it is still here? -"

"- ah think so. Why would it leave? -"

"- Girls, are you sure it is here? I think the pony who lives here would have come to me if some critter was in her home. -"

"- Fluttershy, the house wasn't even here yesterday. I think it lives in the house.-"

"- Maybe some unicorn magicked the house here. Remember when Twilight turned an apple into an orange? -"

"- I don't think it works like that Scootaloo, and even if it did work, how does that explain the creature inside? -"

After a quick internal debate, I open the door and was met with stares.

"-G...Girls? Is this it? -"

"- Yes, yes it is. -"

"- Do you know what it is Fluttershy? -"

"- Girls, I don't know what it is. I know all of the critters in Equestria, this isn't one of them. -"

After waiting for them to stop talking, I went up to the yellow one. She seemed to shake harder the closer I got. Noticing this, I just turn around and walk back inside. I went back into the kitchen and saw Tri still eating the pancakes, I grabbed a pancake and went back to the porch.

"Here, take it. The best way to gain trust is through the stomach, is what I always say." I ripped up the pancake into fourths and give them each a piece. The orange one didn't even attempt to examine it, it just devoured it right on the spot.

Everyone gave her a shocked look. "- What? It was my favorite kind of pancake. -" She said defensively

"- You ate it like it was the first meal you had all week. "- the white one deadpanned.

"- Hey! If you loved them as much as I do, you would have done the same. -" orange countered.

"- How good was it? -" The little yellow one questioned while poking her piece.

"- It tasted like love.... Mmmm -" the orange one drooled.

The other three gave her a confused look and looked back at me. I just shrug, It wasn't the weirdest thing I've seen all day.

"- okay, on the count of three, we take a bite. -" the white one announced.

"- One. -"

"- Two. -"

"- Three! ..... Mmmm -" they all let out a chorus of moans. Apparently, my tentacles can make a mean pancake.

"Come on, I've got too much to eat, even with my guest." They seemed to get the gist of what I said and followed me inside. Once we got inside the kitchen, they saw my guest. She was still chowing away at the stack of pancakes.

"- Oh, Twilight, what are you doing here? -" the yellow one asked as she was walking up to her.

"- Well, First, I was examining the magic burst that occurred this morning. But, at the center it was this house. Second, I saw this little thing inside. When it saw me, it just waved like it was a pony. I teleported inside and within seconds it made breakfast. -" Tri recapped. "-I kind of like it already.-"

I just tuned out their conversation, as I couldn't understand them anyway, and went to the dinner table. It seemed like the other three had the same idea, and followed me. I don't know how, but they each took a seat at the table.

"Okay, I'm definitely insane aren't I? It would explain sooo much." I thought while sighing. I was broken out of my musings by a plateful of pancakes and scrambled eggs the tentacles brought me. In the back of my head I could feel that they were trying their best to assure me I'm not insane.

"And these things are kinda cool. Though, why are they acting of their own free will? I don't want a Doctor Octopus incident in the future." I thought to myself.

One of the tentacles opened a drawer and brought me a fork. "Oh, uh, thanks." All it does is bob up and down.The other three tentacles moved to get the other three ponies' plates. The orange one, once she got her plate, just kinda... Dug in with just her face, moaning the whole time.

"- Ohhh, sweet Celestia! I don't know what you are, but you are about as awesome as Rainbow Dash in my book for sharing these. -" the orange on praised. Her friends giving me another look.

"Huh, OK? I don't know what she said, but it sounded like she was in love with me..... What the hell is in these?" I just smile and nod.

Taking a bite of pancake, I am hit with the taste of the gods and all I could think of is, "More. Good! Moar!" After mindlessly devouring the pancakes at a speed I thought only the flash was capable of, I woke up from the mindless haze.

"Whew, those things are dangerous.... Dangerously good!" I mentally cheered. I had tentacles that could make heavenly pancakes. I reach out and pet a tentacle. They seemed happy that I was happy. If they could keep cooking like that, I won't have as many problems here.

It's strange having tentacles that work separately from yourself. Its like having a person on your back and she can only communicate by her feelings. But these tentacles are acting like a mom that I've never had.

"Strange... I can't remember my parents..... Uhhh.... Don't panic, you have some photo albums in the living room,stay calm, you don't want to freak out the magical unicorns in the house. I'll just check them in a minute." I internally panic while on the outside I have a PokerFace. I walk into the living room, get the album and walk back into the kitchen, taking a seat behind the table.

Opening the album, I was met with pictures of a different family with the little girl I am in front smiling. She didn't have the tentacles in the first few pictures. As I went on, I noticed the other members of the family disappearing one by one. In the second to last picture, was just a woman lying in a hospital bed with the little girl on a seat beside her. The woman had no hair and was looking at the little girl with a weak smile. The little girl was giving the woman a small smile of her own, but her eyes, they told a different story they told of a girl who lost everything and was accepting it like she had no will to go on. On the bottom was writing.

Goodbye Momma.

Not liking that one bit, I move to the last picture. It showed the little girl standing in the same spot for all the other family photos. It was just her standing there, but she had the tentacles in this one. In her blue eyes I saw a happiness like when a survivor on an island was just been found and is being taken home. The tentacles were out and it looked like they were the ones taking a picture judging from them being out of the edges of the picture. On the bottom said, Mama's back. Shocked, I slowly closed the book.

".....Okay, what was that I just read? That was some dark stuff in this album. Why wasn't I in there? Am I really insane? I'm really losing it aren't I? "

"- Uhhh, Fluttershy? Ah think somthin's wrong with the critter. -" I was broken out of my reverie by the yellow one's worried tone. I didn't notice her get closer to me. I then noticed my face was wet, I was crying.

"- Really? what happened? -" the bigger yellow one trotted over to us with the other three.

"- Ah don't know. All it did was look in the book it was holding then it started crying. -"

"- The poor dear... Come here little fella. I will make you feel much better. -" the bigger one beckoned in a motherly tone. A tentacle stretched away from me and left the room only to return with the doll from earlier. I quickly grab the doll and hold it close, briefly realizing again I'm a kid.

"I'm fine...." I sniffle. "Really? You are a grown man, get it together! Besides, they can't understand you anyway." I mentally chide myself.

One of the tentacles moved to grab the album, only to be stopped by the purple one. "- You were reading this, right? If you don't mind... -" She says as she levitates the album over to herself.

The others surround her, trying to take a peek at the album. After a few minutes she was in tears. "- I.... I.... I need to send a letter. -" Says before teleporting away with the album.

"I guess that she went home?" I ponder out loud, my unexplained tears forgotten. "This is gonna be one of those days, isn't it?"

Author's Note

Did you like it? I think I did pretty good for my first time writing. I even wrote this thing on my tablet. Also, special thanks for my editor, Silver Spoon.

I'll just brace for the comments.

Edit: I uh.... Kinda went back to fix this up. Dang, I was bad....

Eh, I just cleaned it up some. It is just the lazy kind of fixed, you know the kind.

Meeting The White One

Shortly after Tri teleported out of my house, the little ones decided to drag me outside.

"H-Hey! Stop that! Don't bite there!" My yells were going ignored by the little ones. The big one heard me though.

"- Uhh... Girls? I don't think she wants to go out... -" she said in an almost whisper, almost unheard by the trio of little monsters.

"- It's okay Fluttershy, I'm just going to take her to meet my sister. -" the little white one replied, letting go of me.

"- Well...okay.... Just try to be careful. I don't think she is used to be dragged around.... -"

"Okay guys, if ya want me to go with ya it better be somewhat important. Just please, no dragging." I conceded with my irish accent leaking through.

"- Did ya hear that? It sounded like she wants to go with us.-"

"- Yes, I heard Applebloom. Now, let's get moving! -" The white one exclaimed, starting to trot away in the direction of the candy house.

Within four minutes of following the group, and gaining various looks from the residents of the town, we were in front of the building. As soon as I walked in front of one of the windows, I heard glass shatter and, not wanting glass in my eyes, closed them. Next thing I know, I'm on my back and missing the doll I was holding with something heavy on my chest.. Opening my eyes, I am greeted with an insane sight, a pink pony with a wild cotton candy like mane staring into my eyes with her deep blue ones.

Sensing my panic, two tentacles wrap around her and pick her up off of me. That action earned a few gasps from my audience. While she was suspended in the air, I took my time getting up and brushed the dirt off of my clothes. I turn to my group and point at the pink one in my tentacle's grip with a confused look on my face.

"Do ya know 'er? If ya don't, I'm chuckin 'er back where she came from." I promise. The message seemed to come across the language barrier and they nod. "Okay, now, you..." I point to the pink one. "Don't do that again, you could have hurt someone." I say while giving her a light glare.

"- Okie dokie, not gonna happen again.-" she says while giving me a mock salute.

"Okay, tentacles, put her down." I command while giving a tentacle a pat, sensing a lot of love from the touch. "I really gotta get a good name for these things...." I think to myself. " Wait.... Where's the doll?" The moment I thought that, I sensed a feeling from the tentacles basically saying, 'don't worry I got this.' One tentacle moved and grabbed the doll from inside a nearby barrel. "Who the hell leaves an empty barrel in town?" That thought was immediately silenced once the doll was gracefully dropped into my hands, feeling love radiate from the tentacles. Smiling a little from the feeling, I give one a pat on the side.

When the pink one was safely on the ground, the crowd watching this gave a synchronized sigh of relief. "Seriously? What am in? Some kind of 80's sitcom?" I look at my group and point in the direction we were going. "Let's get moving! I don't like being stared at by everyone like I'm the town freak!" They got the hint and we continued on our path, the pink one following.

3 minutes later

"Wow.... What is this place? The circus?" I thought when I saw the circus tent like building in front of me. The little white one seemed to get more excited when we got closer. Looking back at the others, I see the pink one talking to the yellow one. "More like being talked at. " I giggle in amusement, then stop in wonder. "Of all of the adorable things I've heard, one of the top six in my list. Am I really that adorable now? Sigh... Just go with it. I don't wanna go even more crazy." I sigh and look back at the pink one.

I had just got her to get the message to go talk to someone else. For a little bit, she just hopped around me asking me questions at a pace I thought possible. When I pointed at my ears she had something akin to a seizure for a split second, and when that was done she just looked at me and smiled so wide I thought she was the joker incarnate for a second and, with surprising bounciness, she hopped off to the yellow one.

The little white one opened the door, a green aura wrapped around the handle and her horn, and I heard a chime of a bell on the inside. We walked inside and I instantly noticed the dresses on the walls and mannequins, if you could call pony shaped ones mannequins. Feeling dread, realizing I was wearing a dress and that I was a girl inside of what could be described as hell, or heaven if I were girly, I gulped and resigned to my fate.

"Of all the places they could have brought me, they brought me to a dress store.... Dammit! ...sigh.... I probably can't even run even if I wanted to, seeing as the little unicorn can lift things with her mind." I think in despair.

"- Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique. How may I help- ahhhhh!-" the loud scream broke me from my thoughts. Looking around, I see a snow white pony with a deep purple mane. "Huh... How did she get her mane to do that? It probably take too long with those hoov-" That thought stopped when I noticed her horn. "Ahh, more levitation. So that's how she does it." After a few seconds of starring, she regained her composure and blushed a little bit.

"- I'm dreadfully sorry about that dear, but your appearance caught me off guard. And I must add that the dress you are wearing has one of the more... unique themes I've ever seen.-" she apologized. The little white pony trotted up to her.

"- Hi sis! Meet my new friend.... I didn't get her name.-" she looked back at me. "- What is your name anyway?-"

The yellow one joined in. "- Sweetie, I don't think she can understand us.-" She looks back at the bigger white one.

"- Rarity, you work with visitors from other kingdoms. Wouldn't you know a translation spell?-" She asked, looking hopeful.

"- I think I have one dear, just give me a few moments to see if I can find the book. Though, I haven't a clue why you wouldn't go to Twilight for this.-" the white one admitted, walking out of the room with the yellow one.

"-We'll help too!-" The little white one yelled running after them

"- CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BOOK FINDERS! YAY! -" The other two yelled chasing their friend, leaving me all by myself with the pink one nowhere to be found.

"Well... That was unexpected." I think to myself, looking at where they went. "Just gonna follow them I guess.." I shrug and walk over to the doorway leading into a hallway. Following the noises of yelling and crashing around, end up on the third door on the right. The door was open and the sight I was greeted with was complete chaos. In the room was a queen size bed and two little bookshelves. The little trio apparently made the bookshelf on the left side of the room fall over. They were just throwing books left and right, taking a small peek at the cover and just throwing them in a disorganized pile. The big white one was looking through the opposite bookshelf with the yellow one at a slower, more organized pace.

After a minute or two of watching this, I decide to look for the pink one. Walking out of the room, I see a flash of pink leading into another room. Following it, I walked into a kitchen. "Huh? Its surprisingly modern for a village of ponies. How would they use the stove, let alone make one? They don't even have han- ooohhh! Gotta stop forgetting that they aren't ordinary ponies." Surprisingly enough,I found the pink one digging in the fridge. After a few seconds of internal debate, I decide to walk up and get her attention by poking her.

In the middle of my walk over to her, she just kinda... vanished, leaving a dust cloud in her shape behind. "Well.... I think I'm in cartoon land, judging from what I just witnessed." I think to myself with a twitch in my right eye. "Now... Where did she g-AHHH!" That thought was stopped by the pink one suddenly dropping from the ceiling onto the unfortunate cushion below, which was me. "What is she?!? A ninja?!?"

My tentacles quickly got her off of me, feeling annoyance from them all the while. Looking at her, I saw that she had a layer of what appeared to be white frosting on her mouth. "Ah, raidin' the fridge are we? We really gotta stop meeting this." I say to her with a playful glare. "But really though, not cool, your friends need a little help looking for somethin'." I say while carrying her into the other room unnoticed by the other occupants.

Once I got the tentacles to drop her, a little roughly I might add, she quickly wiped her mouth with one of her hooves and bounced off towards the older group. "- Pinkie? Where did you run off to?-" the white one questioned while glancing at the cover of a book wrapped in a blue glow. I, deciding I probably be in the way, decided to take a seat on the bed.

"-I was looking for the book in the kitchen!-" she all but screamed.

"-Oh really? The last time I remember you being in my kitchen alone was when you ate all my special marshmallow frosting.-" the white one deadpanned, sniffing a few times. "-You ate it all didn't you? I can smell it.-" she gave her a small knowing smile.

The pink one smiled back. "-I may have... But I found the book!-" she dug into her mane with a hoof and pulled out a book. "-Isn't this what you were looking for?-"

"How did she even hold onto the book? She doesn't even have fingers!" I think to myself, wondering about the implications of how that would even work.

The white one gasped. "-Where was it? I thought I put it on the shelf somewhere...-"

"-I can find just about anything with enough frosting on hoof!-" The pink one declared with a little bounce. The white one just looked at her and shrugged. The little ones, hearing the commotion, join our group.

"-Okay Pinkie. Just wait a little bit and we'll be able to understand our guest.-" she said quickly looking for the right passage in the book. "-Girls? I think we have a problem with the spell. It will grant any two ponies the knowledge of the target's language, but it is very magic draining... Also it works for only six hours, so its not a permanent spell.-" she said with a little sigh. "-I don't trust any of you to not rush her with questions, excluding fluttershy. Sorry Fluttershy, but I think you'll be rushed with questions too. so I'll be the translator for the dear.-"

"-Well then, go on sis! I want to know what her name is! We can worry about the time limit later.-"

"-Yay! I can finally know what to do for her Welcome to Ponyville party!-"

"-Do you think you can ask her if she has any pets, if you don't mind?-"

"-Sweet, now I can thank her for the pancakes!-"

"-Hey girls, yah think that after this, I can take her to meet mah sis?-" the little yellow one asked.

"-We'll see, Applebloom. Its up to her or her parents.-" the big yellow one said with small smile. "- judging from her size, I'd say she is as old as you, if not younger. So she may need some friends her age.-" The little yellow one's eyes grew distant. "-Fluttershy... I don't think she has any parents...-"

The white one blinked. "-What? Why would you think that?-"

"-Scootaloo, didn't you notice that the house didn't even have anypony else inside, besides her?-" the little white one asked while turning towards the orange one.

"-Come to think of it... No, no I didn't see anypony else.-" The orange one said, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

"-Well... I suppose we could ask the dear what happened.-"

"- I don't think that's a good idea Rarity. I saw her cry when she looked inside of her photo album. Maybe once we are done with the spell, we'll run over to Twilight's. I saw her leave with the album.-" The orange one said while still looking at me with that same unreadable expression.

I yawn and stretch a little, suddenly feeling tired. "Must be the body..." I think before yawning a little louder, gaining the attention of the others.

"-Aww... The poor dear must be younger than we thought.-" I heard one say, my eyes straining to stay open. My tentacles shared the drowsiness, retracting into my back with a small squish. "-must stay awake... Bed so soft.....zzzzzzz-" was all I thought before I felll over on the bed.

Author's Note

Hi guys just going to repeat that I am doing this all on a crappy tablet, as I don't have access to a computer. And if you want another chapter, I'll try to upload at least once or twice a Month. ... That's about all I got so...

Going With The Flow.

Poke.

"Zzzzzz... Oh, I can't eat another bite Taokaka...zzzz" I mumble, still in a dream where I'm having dinner with a certain cat girl.

Poke. Poke.

"Zzzz... Okay maybe one more...zzzz" I start to gnaw on the pillow\giant dumpling.

"-U-um, maybe we should let her sleep. She seems to be having a good dream.....-"

"-Sorry Fluttershy, but we gotta wake her up. Remember what Twilight said? The princesses are gonna show up in a little while to meet her.-"

Shove! Slam!

"I'm up!" I yelp, quickly getting off the floor and rubbing my eyes."Did ya really have to push me outta bed mo-" I quickly stop, realizing that I'm still in cartoon ponyland. Blinking rapidly, I look at the one who pushed me off. "Sweet! Another pegasus.... Why is its mane rainbow colored? And why is it flying indoors?" I think, still half asleep.

"-Good morning sunshine! Come with us!-" she says, picking me up with her hooves and flying into the main room, leaving the yellow one behind.

When she entered the room, I saw the other ponies from this morning, minus the little ones, and one other one that I haven't met before. She had a orange coat with a blonde mane done up in a ponytail. "Okay, a ponytail on a ponytail.... Nothing strange about that. Oh look! She's even wearing a Stetson! Can I get a yee haw!?!" I thought to myself about the obvious cow girl. "Or is it a cow mare? Sigh... I'm too tired for this..." Skittles the pegasus decided to plop me down onto a pillow in front of the two unicorns.

The bigger white one turned to Tri, who was looking through the book the pink one found. "-Are you ready to cast the spell?-"

"-I'm ready. Let's get some answers about our mysterious new foal in town.-" The Tri nodded, horn flashing a little.

A bright, pinkish, semi-transparent orb about the size of an orange sparked into existence near the tip of Tri's horn, making me freak out internally at the slight chance it could be deadly. Looking closer, I could see some symbols akin to runes floating around on the inside. "Huh... Seems familiar.... What were they called again? Runes?" I thought with a small yawn.

Within moments of me yawning, Tri pointed her horn at me, the orb launching at my head with insane amounts of speed. I didn't even have time to dodge before I realized it was coming. Next thing I know, I tasted purple, and my ears popped.

"Anyone care to explain what just happened?" I say out loud, looking at the others with a raised eyebrow. "I mean really, I just tasted a color and I don't think that is a normal thing here. Even if it is, I'm pretty sure it isn't good for me."

"Oh, it's nothing dear. It's just just a simple translation spell that'll let us understand you, that's all." The white one said, making me jump at the sudden comprehensible explanation. "Though, I don't think tasting a color is normal....." She trailed off, not inspiring confidence in that statement. "Sorry, where are my manners? I am Rarity and the one who cast the spell is Twilight." She introduced, giving a small nod towards Twilight. "The one hiding in the corner is Fluttershy and the other pegasus is Rainbow Dash." She said, giving a nod towards the two who woke me up. "And the last two over there are Applejack and Pinkie Pie." She points to the pink monster as she pulls out a cupcake from her mane and the cowpony.

"Guess who Pinkie Pie is." I think to myself with a giggle.

"Okay then.... Might as well introduce myself, I am Dakota." I reply, noticing her posh accent. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, lady Rarity."

"Oh, just call me Rarity, dear." She says with a smile.

"Probably best to lay heavy on the manners around her, if I want to keep on her good side."

"How about we go straight to the point?" Twilight interrupts. "What are you?" She questions, giving me a look like she is going to dissect me.

Rarity gave her a withering look. "Didn't you hear Fluttershy when you got here? She said that she is around Sweetie Belle's age, so we should try to ease the answers out of the poor dear."

Twilight visibly winced. "Oh.... You're probably right about that...I was just in a hurry to learn about her."

"So... They think I'm a kid,huh? Hmmm.... Why do I have the feeling it'll be damn near impossible to correct that misconception?" I think with a small feeling of annoyance. "Also, can't they tell I am right here? Not the best idea to talk about the person DIRECTLY IN FRONT of said person."

I cough slightly to get their attention. "I AM older than I look."

Twilight gave me a curious look "Oh, is that so? Normally Fluttershy's guesses on animals are spot on...." I raise an eyebrow. "Then again you are no ordinary animal." She finished hastily.

I cross my arms over my chest, unknowingly giving off a pout that could have possibly give a certain purple dragon a heart attack from cuteness. "I'm not an animal..." I murmur, feeling a little hurt. "I'm a human..." I stop pouting and looking down in thought. "At least, I think I am." I say a little unsurely, remembering the tentacles.

"Huh... I wonder where they when- OW! OW! OW! OH MY GOD THAT HURTS!" I was broken out of my thoughts by my back exploding in pain. Crippled by pain and unable to scream,I dropped to my knees with my hands being the only thing keeping my face off the floor, earning a few gasps from everyone in the room. The next few moments were agony, my back felt like something was digging its way out. This seemed to take forever and then, finally, with a loud ripping noise and something wet running down my back, the pain became bearable enough to get back up.

Silence engulfed the room, the only thing that could be heard was my labored breathing. I slowly moved my hand to my back to investigate the wet feeling. The dress I was wearing was torn open in the back, from what I could feel. Once I smeared some of the liquid on my finger, I held it up to my face.. "Uhhhh.... I don't suppose someone has anything to clean up blood?" I ask, still in disbelief. I take a small look over my shoulder and see one of the familiar tentacles covered in blood, feeling guilt radiate from them the moment I saw the one.

My question broke the silence like a wrecking ball, causing all the ponies in the room, except Fluttershy, to go into a screaming frenzy.

She moved to look closer at my back. "-hmmm... Minor bleeding coming from around the exit points... Bleeding slowing...-" she murmured quietly to herself, and smeared off some of the blood around the base of one of the tentacles with her surprisingly soft hoof, making me hiss in pain.

"Watch it, please. It is still a little tender, ya know?" I inform her, knowing she's just looking to see if anything's wrong. The tentacles, feeling a little nervous, kept twitching every now and again. She turns back to the still panicking group.

"-Girls! Calm down! It is nothing serious! She'll live!-" she yelled to them, effectively causing the same

"-Fluttershy, what happened to her? Ah mean, she was doing just fine a moment ago.-" The Applejack asked, a frown on her face.

"- I think, while she was asleep, her back healed over where the tentacles retracted, thus when they came out, we came to witness that little 'show.'-" she said in a professional voice, then the confidence was lost in a moment, causing her to try to hide behind her hair. "- T-The bleeding should stop in a few minutes. All she needs is a good washing... I-if you don't mind.-"

"Thank you Fluttershy." Twilight then looks at me with relief, while Rarity looked crestfallen at the now ruined dress. "Why would you bring out the tentacles if your back heals over them?" Twilight asked me.

"First of all, I didn't even have these yesterday. How would I know that? Secondly, I can't even control these things. They kinda do their own thing, haven't you noticed." I deadpanned with a shrug, a tentacle poking my hand while emanating feelings of gloom coming from my back "As far as I know, they have a mind of their own." I stop briefly, petting the one tentacle that kept nudging my hand, feelings of pleasure geminate from it. "I can kinda feel what they feel..." I trail off, amazed at all the emotions I can feel from them.

"By the way... Can we please wash off the blood?" I change the subject, not really wanting to walk around with blood all over my back and on the tentacles." I don't think having blood on me is going to end up well-received outside. On the matter of the dress, isn't all that bad. I can just wait till I get home to change." I inform them, hoping that the supposed dressmaker won't get too excited and make me the model for some dresses.

"Oh no dear! I'm not going to let something adorable as you run around in rags. Just a moment dear, I'll fix something fabulous up for you right now, just wait a few and I'll be back to get you cleaned up and dressed." Rarity tells me while running to the back room, making me scream internally at the thought of me wearing something too girly.

I gulp loudly, my fears went unnoticed by the others "Just to make sure here, but she is a dressmaker, right?"

"Actually, she is one of the most famous dressmakers of all of Equestria. So you don't have anything to worry about." Twilight says with a big smile

That answer didn't calm my worries at all, it only caused more internal screaming then depressed acceptance. "Sigh.... Look on the bright side. You'll get something fancy out of this." I try to be optimistic about the dress.

"Ah.... Cool... Moving onto the spell.... You said it makes you understand me, right? Can't you... I dunno... reverse that? I mean if I can understand you, I can understand the others in here, right?" I take a shot in the dark. "Let's hope it'll work like I think it will."

"Why didn't I think of that?!?" Twilight... Facehoofs, I think that is what its called, at the sheer simplicity of the matter. "Doesn't that hurt?" I thought as I heard a dull crack as her hoof met her head

"Just a second, and I'll have it reversed." She said as her horn lit up, her mumbling all the while. "Great, I taste green now."

"Aaaaand... Done!" She exclaims.

"Twilight, what did you do? We thought you already cast the spell." The rainbow maned one asked, finally having her hooves on the floor.

"Well, she-" I start, only to be interrupted by Twilight. "I reversed the spell, so thanks to her for giving me the idea." She explained, ignoring my unamused glare burning a hole in the side of her head.

The room immediately went quiet, so quiet I could hear what's going on outside. "I gotta bad feeling about this..." The room erupted into a chorus of questions.

"Everyone, would you just shut up!" I yell with my tentacles slamming into the ground, effectively shutting up everyone in the room. "Alright! Here's the deal. My name is Dakota and I'm going to answer your questions one at a time. Now, I'll choose who goes first." I announce, glaring the whole time. Pointedly ignoring the pink one with her hoof in the air yelling,"Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!" I settle on the shy one hiding in the corner of the room. I point at her raising my eyebrow. "OK. You go first. What do ya wanna know?" I ask, making Pinkie's mane deflate slightly.

"I-I w-was wondering if you had any pets." She stammered out, trying to hide further into her mane. I blink.

"Well... That was unexpected Ms. Fluttershy..." I ask, a little put off by the question.

"J-Just call me Fluttershy. I-I mean, i-if you don't mind."

"OK Fluttershy. Just to answer your question, I didn't have any pets because my parents were allergic to fur. Though, I secretly did have a pet snake way back when." I tell her with a smile, thinking of cuddles, unknowingly having tears flowing down my face.

"Ahem!" Twilight choughs, getting my attention. "Speaking of parents, where are they?" She asks in a low voice, understanding in her eyes.

"Hmm... I can't remember... But, judging from the photo album... And the feelings from trying to remember them..and when I didn't see them at home..." I assume the worst. "T-they are gone..." I say quietly with a sniffle. "Shouldn't you know anyway? You have the book." I say with a little irritation at her taking my things.

She visibly winced at the question. "I... Uh, my have wanted to make sure what I saw in it was accurate."

"Well, it might be... Though the last thing I remember is them being alive when I was going to bed and ..." I point at the tentacles "These weren't on me back then." I finish with a shrug. one of the tentacles, deciding to want to get pet, moves to prod at my right hand. With a smile and completely losing the tears, I give it what it wants, feeling more love radiate from them. "These guys are pretty cool, once you get used to them." I add as an afterthought, deciding it would be less complicated to leave out the whole, 'I was a guy!' thing.

"It probably would cause more trouble than it's worth." I thought to myself before hearing a loud cough.

"Ah don't wanna burst your bubbles, but can ya tell us what in tarnation is going on?" The Applejack asked, looking as lost as Skittles on the cushion beside Fluttershy.

10 minutes of explaining later

During the explaining session, the moment she finished the outfit she was making, she ran in and I found myself engulfed in a blue aura. All in all, it made me feel embarrassed with how fast she cleaned me up and put it on me. She just dragged me into the bathroom! I barely had time to put up a struggle, before she tore my clothes off of me and threw me into a tub full of warm water, viciously starting scrub me down. Once she got done, practically drowning me in fancy looking soaps in the process, she dried me off with a simple flash from her horn. Another flash and an outfit, I kid you not, suddenly materialized. The outfit was a black with purple trim maid outfit similar to the dress I was wearing before my tentacles tore it up. I say similar because it was more lacy than the last one. Rarity even took the tentacles into account and made holes in the back for them to go through. To go the extra mile, she added the maid hat thing to complete the look.

"Did you really have to drag me into the bath? I would have gladly went with you." I ask, still kind of reeling from the insanity I just went through.

"I just was in a hurry to see you in the dress I made dearie." She says while giving me a once over, seemingly pleased with her work. "Do you like it?" She asked, looking at me expectantly.

"Yeah, but you could have been a little more gentle back there." I shudder, it wasn't to pleasant being scrubbed raw. "You're lucky that I'm a pretty laid back gu-girl." I save myself from a disaster. Hoping she didn't catch that, I use my newly acquired cuteness to pout up at her.

"Awwww dearie, it won't happen again." She gushes, giving me a soft pat on the back with her hoof. "Now come on. We have a princess to meet and she'll be here soon." She walks out of the room with me close behind.

"There's a princess? Where in the world did I end up?" I finally ask. looking at her with puppy eyes, I smile on the inside when I see her break under the act. "I am sooo glad that I got cuteness working for me. If I am stuck here, I WILL milk this for all it's worth."

"It's nothing to worry about darling. She is just coming to welcome you to Equestria." She said reassuringly. "Actually, Twilight is her personal student." She added, making me raise an eyebrow.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Well.. She is pretty tall.... And I guess from your size, it would be intimidating." She acknowledged my height, making me feel like a certain alchemist. "You are one of the smallest things I've ever had to make clothes for." She admitted, blushing a little. "No offence dearie, but how old are you?"

"Let's go with the kid act. Who knows? It could be fun." I think to myself with a big grin aimed at Rarity. "I am twelve and a half years old!" I proudly exclaim.

"Really? but you're so small..."

"The doctors said something about me not growing right... But they said I'll be just fine!" I lie, completely pulling that explanation out of nowhere and making me sound like an innocent little kid.

That got a reaction. The moment I said that, she looked at me like I was the saddest thing she ever saw, complete with teary eyes and sniffles. "You're an optimistic little one, aren't you?" She asks, a little disbelieving at my optimism.

"It's what I have learned from my mom. you can't be held up looking at the past. You have to look forward to the future and see the good things." I say with a mock serious face and sagely nod.

She brightened up at that. "You stay strong no matter what and don't let anypony bring you down.... I think I would have loved to meet her."

"Yes, yes you would have..." I murmur lowly. After a few moments of silence, we realized we stopped just in front of the main room's door. We both looked at each other and blinked. "Hehehe, everyone loses track of where they are when they are having a good conversation with someone, huh?" I ask with with a smile as the tentacles opened the door.

"Indeed they do." She replies with a wink.

We pass by the front door, only to stop halfway when we heard the bell. Turning around, we both see a purple and green... Lizard thing? The green spines on its head were like a green Mohawk. He looked like a young spyro, minus the wings and gold trim.

"Rarity? Is Twilight here? I got a letter for her." He asks holding up a fancy looking scroll. Finally noticing me, He turned to look right at me and I could have sworn his pupils turned into hearts and Styx's song, "Lady," started to play.

"Who is she?" He asks Rarity, somehow getting dark purple hearts to float around him. He blinks at Rarity, gaining white hearts. He looked confused for a moment as the hearts had a dogfight, the purple hearts versus the white hearts. Both colors hearts were flying around him, shooting smaller black hearts at the opposite team. In the end, the purple hearts won while the white ones were thrown onto a pile and set on fire.

"I am Dakota." I introduce myself, getting creeped out by the Spyro wannabe staring at me.

He still has the hearts floating around him, including the burning pile of white hearts.. "Sorry about that. I was distracted by your...." He trails off, making me blush.

"Don't you have something to give to twilight?" I ask, knowing what he was going to say and snapping him out of the creepy cartoon love scene, the hearts disappearing.

"Oh yeah! Rarity, do you know where twilight is?" He asks.

"We were going to get back to her. She's just through this door." She tells him. She yelled in said door, "Twilight! Spike's here with a letter for you!"

With a flash, Twilight teleports right in front of me, startling me which caused the tentacles to pick her up by the legs upside down.

"Hey! Put me down!" She yells, thrashing in their grip.

"Well you shouldn't freak me out like that! Remember what I said earlier? They do what they want!" I yell back. By this point, all the others came into the room to see what the commotion was.

"What in tarnation is going on here!?!" Applejack exclaimed.

"She startled Dakota's tentacles, and they took action." Rarity explained.

"She's sooo awesome!" Spike cheered, regaining the hearts in his eyes.

"Not as awesome as me, little guy." Rainbow dash said smugly.

"Ooh! Ooh! Can I be next? I wanna be picked up!" Pinkie pie asked excitedly.

"C-Could you put her down? I-I mean if you don't mind." Fluttershy hesitantly asked.

"Okay, I think she learned her lesson. Put her down." I tell the tentacles. They send feelings of annoyance and dropped her on her face.

"Owww! Why did you do that?" She yells from her spot on the ground.

"What did I tell ya? These things do their own thing." I deadpan, tired of saying the same thing. "Just read the letter Spike brought for you. It could be important." I suggest as she gets up, rubbing her head and giving me a glare.

She levitates the letter to her and opens it. After a short while of reading, she gasps. "The princess is on her way! She'll be meeting us at the town hall in a few minutes!" She exclaims before teleporting away, leaving us behind.

I point at where she stood. "Is she usually like this?"

"Only when the princess or a new book is involved, dear."

"Well then... How long do you think it'll take before she realizes she left witho-" I was interrupted by two flashes. One where she teleported in front of us, then another flash and I felt a wave of vertigo and saw the event horizon for a second, all before blinking and seeing a big building in front of me. Then my stomach caught up with me, making me end up on my knees, throwing up on the ground. "Uuurrp!.... Never take me teleporting again! Uuurrpp!" I throw up again, silently begging whatever force that brought me here to make it end.

Fluttershy trotted up behind me and patted my back. "Oh dear... Um, girls? I think Dakota's sick." I hear her tell them during a break in the hurling.

"Huh? She must not be used to teleporting. Sorry Dakota." Twilight apologizes as she trots up beside me. Once she got up to me, both Rarity and hers horn flashed, causing them to gasp. "She's coming! And she's using a lot of magic to get here!" Twilight exclaims.

Within seconds of Twilight yelling that out, the sky turned dark, only a pillar of light right in front of us with a silhouette of a pony with wings and a horn directly in front of the sun. It seemed as though the whole town was holding its breath. The figure slowly descended from the sky and I was able to make out some features. She was wearing some kind of golden chestpiece with some jewels embroidered on the front. On her hooves were golden... Shoes? I didn't know what to call them. On her head was a golden tiara. Her coat was an almost snow white, upon closer inspection, I could see a very slight tinge of gold. Her mane was kinda weird, it kept shifting colors and it was moving in a nonexistent breeze.

Once she touched the ground, four white ponies decked out in golden armor appeared in a flash, flanking her on all sides.

All was silent, until I broke it by saying one phrase I will come to regret.

".... Showoff....urrrp!"

Author's Note

Hi guys! I just applied for college and I might be a little slower on the updates.... Moving on.

If you guys are wondering why he went with the kid explanation, he has one saying he lives by.... "If you're stuck in crazy town, you might as well have fun while you are there."

Up next: Celestia's reaction and the pony taking care of Dakota is decided.

Makin' Plans & Big Disappointments

"Well then... I hope nobody heard that." I think to myself, with growing fear of the giant pegacorn now standing a few feet front of me with her guards. "She really is a big one, isn't she?"

Twilight and the others gasp while the guards glare at me. One unicorn guard on the left stormed up to me, horn glowing and spear pointing at my neck.

"What did you call the princess?" He asked in a venomous tone. Looking closer, he had a familiar crest on the chest piece of his armor, a sun with a face on it and an, even more familiar, bucket-like helmet.

I gulp. "Nothing! Urrrrpp!" I raise my hands in surrender and promptly throw up on him, feeling amusement and concern flow from the tentacles. "Uhhh... I'm sorry, mister.... Anyone got any spells to-uuurrrpp!" I throw up on him again. "Cure teleportation sickness?" I beg, tears running down my face. "It's starting to hurt!"

"I'll show you what hurts, you little-"

"Solaire, please stop harassing the little one." The princess commands in a motherly tone and Solaire immediately moved back into position, still glaring at me through his bucket helmet. Walking up to me, the princess's horn flashed and I immediately felt less nauseous. I look up at her and panic. The tentacles wrapped around me like a protective blanket, making me feel a little better. "What's your name, little one?" She asked lowly, crouching down, as if to make herself smaller.

"....." I was at a loss at this giant in front of me. "Rarity wasn't kidding, she is pretty intimidating up close."

"I am Princess Celestia." She introduces herself with a gentle smile. "Who are you little one?" She asks again.

"D-Dakota...." I say low enough for only her to hear. "Seriously? Scared of a pegacorn? Sigh.... Well, just lost whatever remains of my man-card today....." I think to myself, crying over whatever is left of my tattered remains of my masculinity. "I-I don't want to sound rude, but, w-what are you? I-I've never seen anything like you before..."

The princess only smiles at my curiosity. "I am an alicorn, one of the rarest races in the world, in fact."

"Alicorn? Never heard that one before." I think back to my Greek mythology.

"C-Can I go home now? O-Or maybe we can continue this somewhere else? I'm not liking the audience." I gesture to the crowd that gathered during Celestia's entrance. "Seriously, I'm not liking the stares we are getting."

Flash! Flash! Flash!

"Oh, great! The paparazzi is here!" I yell out, scared at the amount of ponies with cameras.

"ENOUGH!" Celestia roars, stopping the advance of the crowd and making me shrink behind Fluttershy while she tried to hide behind Rainbow. "Can't you all see that you are scaring the little one?" She points towards me. "I expected better of all of you, to not scare helpless children." Most of the ponies in the crowd winced before Celestia addressed Twilight next. "Twilight, I trust you know where her house is?" She asked, gaining an eager smile from Twilight.

"Y-Yes, Princess, I can take you right there." She confidently answered, horn glowing. I panicked. Not wanting to go through the unpleasant experience of teleportation, two of the tentacles went for her horn.

Too slow.

"Urrrpp! Why! Urrrpp! God! Urrrpp! Whyyyyy! Urrrpp!" I cry out from my position on the ground right next to Fluttershy. Surprisingly enough, I was just dry heaving this time around.

"O-oh my... G-Girls?" She gets their attention while rubbing my back, making me feel a little better about this.

Twilight trotted up to me, confusion on her face. "It usually goes away the second time.... Maybe...." Her horn flashes, making me feel more lightheaded. "Ah!" She recoils.

"What is it?" Celestia asked, quickly moving to her side.

"I tried a scan spell to see if something was wrong and...."

"What?"

"She has a weird magic field....There are four different magic fields making coming from her and they seem to originate from the tentacles on her back, not her heart." Her horn glows again, a look of intense concentration on her face.

"There is a heart inside each tentacle! This is amazing!" She exclaims, thoroughly excited.

"Can you explain that to the non-eggheads in the group?" Rainbow Dash confusedly asked.

"It means that they are two separate beings.... A symbiotic bond if you will. One supplies the magic and protection, the other gives a home and nutrients."

"A symbi-what now?" Applejack confusedly asked.

During the explanation, I recovered. "Wait, wait, wait.... I have magic?" I ask, more interested in the magic. "I SOO wanna be a wizard.... Yer a wizard, Harry. Heh,heh,heh" I giggle at the thought.

"Yes, though it is strange for a being having to have a symbiotic relationship to have magic..... Normally everything has magic, including inanimate objects." Twilight confusedly explained.

"Sweet! Let's continue this inside, I can see the paparazzi catching up and I reeeaaaallly don't wanna deal with them right now." I point in the direction of a crowd speeding towards us.

I open the door and let Celestia and the others enter. "Well... Welcome to my place. Just follow me, please." I say after locking the door, not wanting anymore unwanted visitors.

Leading them into the living room, I gesture to the big L-shaped couch in the corner. "I guess most of you'll fit on that... Or would you rather I put some cushions on the floor for you all to sit on?" I ask with a shrug. "I'm not sure how you guys use couches yet, so please bear with me." I inform them, noticing that Solaire is guarding the front door while the other three guards are moving to guard the kitchen doorway.

"It'll do just fine little one." Celestia assures me, taking a seat on the center of the couch.

"Okay then, just gimme a sec...." I try to move the Lazyboy recliner, my favorite seat in the house, so that it's facing them, only to find I can't. "Hnngg! Hnnn! Come on!" A golden glow wraps around the chair and moves it over to them, making me look at its source, Celestia. Everyone laughed while I blushed, embarrassed at my failure.

"T-Thanks....." I hopped onto the seat. "Alright, here's the two questions I've always wanted to ask since I got here.... How did I get here and can I go back?" I question them, getting to the point.

Celestia clears her throat. "As you may not know, there was a massive magic anomaly right where this house resides. Rarely, when enough magic gets destabilized, by somepony miscasting a spell, or by enough magic condensing into a certain area by natural means, it does rarely pull things through other worlds... Normally, it either explodes or form a crystal." She explains, me getting the gist if it. "....Currently, none of those things can be sent back... It only works one way. I apologise, but I can't send you back to your world.." She hesitantly finished, confirming my fears.

The room was silent, for a moment, until I got up from the chair. "I-I... I'm sorry...*sniffle." I say before I run away, in the direction of my room, before being stopped by Solaire.

"Halt! Where do you think you are goi-" I didn't let him finish. I ran past him and ran upstairs and took the first door on the left. locking the door behind me, I slump down, my back against the door, keeping enough mind to not crush the tentacles. I took in the familiar sight of my room, slowly accepting the fact that I was going to be stuck here, without anyone I know, without T.V, without the internet, FOREVER! I let out a small sob.

"Why... Why would this happen... To me of all people.... God, Loki, Sheogorath, whoever the hell it is, if this is your idea of a joke, please stop. It's not funny!" I finally break down. Getting up and climbing my bed with some difficulty. Sparring a moment to curse my new shortness, I finally get up there and scream into a pillow.

"Mmmmmmmmpppphhhh!" I scream, thankful that the pillow muffled most of the sound.

A half-hour later, I was trying to cheer myself up by playing the numerous games I have in my room. Currently, I was playing Mortal Kombat with the tentacles.

"FINISH HER!" A familiar voice commands from the T.V. A certain purple kunoichi, with a winning grin, grabs the blue girl near her and rips her head off, taking a few chomps from it before discarding it on the ground. "FATALITY! FLAWLESS VICTORY!"

"Awww! Come on! How can I lose to you? I used my best character!" I aggravatedly ask the tentacles Upset over losing EVERY match against them, I drop my controller in aggravation. They pat the top of my head in response, feeling smugness from them. I sigh. "Well, at least I am not crying anymore, thanks." I thank them, feeling joy emanate from them.

As I turn off the system, I hear someone coming up the stairs, whoever it was, it was big. "Hello? Are you feeling better, little one?" I hear Celestia ask from the hallway. I sigh. "What do you think? I got torn away from my family, who I can barely remember anymore, get put into a little girl's body, who is possibly some kind of human\slenderman hybrid, and am stuck in some weird pony world.... All in all, I should be insane right now." I sarcastically thought to myself.

"I-I'm alright." I say as I open my door. "W-What's going to happen now?"

"Everything's going to be just fine, don't worry." she tells me as we walk back downstairs to the living room. Once we got there, I stopped for a second, noticing everyone else was gone.

"I talked with Twilight and the others while you were upstairs and I learned a few things that disturbed me...."

"W-What did you learn?"

"Twilight showed me the photo album." She explains, magic holding up said book. "It doesn't leave much to the imagination." She tells me, melancholic understanding in her eyes.

"Which leaves me to this question... How would you feel if somepony lived with you?" She purposes with a smile as she took a seat on the couch.

I quickly got on the recliner, not liking where this is going. "Well.... That depends.... Is it going to be Twilight or one of her friends?" I ask, hoping it might be Fluttershy. "She seemed nice..."

"No, they have other things they have to do. Though, I do have somepony else in mind for this. Her name is Ashen Glade." She says as a pegasus walks in through the kitchen doorway. She had an ash grey mane that hung over one eye on the left. The only eye I could see was the brightest green eye I've ever seen. Her coat was a dirty hue of green that looked like she was living near an active volcano. The dark grey edges of her wings looked a little singed.

"Hi there." She introduces herself with a small wave and I suddenly get feelings of recognition then distrust flow from the tentacles. "Huh? That's new."

Hesitantly, I wave back. "H-Hi...." I look back at Celestia. "D-Does she have to stay?" I ask, earning a look from the princess.

"Only if you want her to."

Ashen Glade spoke up. "Hey, look at it like this, I'll help keep you out of trouble. I'll even let you choose the bedroom for me."

"....Fine...She can stay." I give up, knowing I'll lose this argument. "Anything else I should know?" I ask, earning a simultaneous wince from the both of them.

"Well.... Celestia looked at the translation spell that Twilight cast on you...." Ash trailed off, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

"It would appear she made a small mistake..." Celestia finished with a grimace.

"And... That would mean...?" I trail off, not liking where this is going.

".... When the spell wears off.... We can't cast another..."

"How does that work? I-I mean can't you just recast the original version?"

"It doesn't work like that. The modified spell had a hastily made base that gave you an immunity to those spells, a very unexpected side effect."

"So, that means I'll be back to not understanding you guys?"

"Well, not for too long. We'll be sending you to a school near here that will help you learn Equish. Though you'll have to wait a week or so, paperwork and all that jazz." Ash, oh, so helpfully adds.

"Great, school again...... If it's anything like back home, the different kid will be picked on.... Oh, and learning the language....son of a-! I barely even learned Spanish after a few years of classes, how am I going to learn this!?!" I think to myself, internally dreading the day I start going there.

"....sigh.... Is there anything else you wanna tell me? Anything you wanna know? Might as well lay everything out on the table before I go back to not understanding what you are saying." I say with resignation, not liking this at all.

"I want to know what you can eat... We are going to have some issues if I don't know what you are allergic to." Ash tells me.

"I'll eat just about anything you'll give me, though I don't think I can eat hay or flowers." I inform with a shrug. "What? There any unusual diets I should know?"

"Can you eat gems? Spike could eat those." Ash questions, pulling out a scroll and quill.

"......Gems? You mean like, rubies and sapphires?" I ask, perplexed at the thought.

"Yes, exactly like those."

"Screw it, let's get some gems. Might as well get a collection going." I think with a smile. "Sure, I can go for some of those."

Celestia gets up off her seat, happy that we're getting along, walks towards my front door and turns around. "I must go, little one, don't worry I'll be checking in once in a while. The spell, from the looks of it, it'll wear off by around..." She looks outside. "... Sunset, so, if I were you, I'd be sharing as much as I can, so as not to cause misunderstandings later." She turns towards ash. "Ash, I'll be sending you a monthly allowance of bits for anything you might need." She informs before opening the door, stopping again. "Oh, and Little one?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Some leaders of nearby nations might want to meet you, it's not everyday some being is brought over with its whole house. I'd advise caution when meeting them, they can be a little.... Intense at times." With that warning, she left, leaving us in an awkward silence.

"Grrrrr!"

The silence was broken by my stomach growling. I blush and rub the back of my head. "Ya hungry?" I ask, looking at the clock by the T.V., it says 2:47 P.M. I get up and walk towards the kitchen and stop at the doorway, looking at her expectantly.

"Nah, I'm good." She shrugs and I continue into the kitchen.

I take a seat on one of the chairs in there and look back at the tentacles. "Sooo...." I trail off, almost scared to ask. "Show me what ya can do." I tell them, earning feelings of excitement flood from them.

One quickly and gracefully make its way to the bread cabinet and pull out a loaf of bread, the cheap stuff, and another makes its way to get a small plate. The bread one put a slice of bread on the plate and, I dunno how it works, looked at the other one expectantly. The other tentacle glowed blue around its tip, a small ball of what appeared to be peanut butter formed a few inches away from the tip. It gently spread the peanut butter evenly on the bread while the other tentacle did the same to another slice, only it was grape jelly for this one and this tentacle glowed green. They both put both slices together on the plate and put the bread back, leaving me sitting there with a giant grin on my face. I look back to the tentacles.

"Can you do that with things other than food?" I ask them, gaining feelings of cockiness from my back from the question.

The two tentacles tips glowed and clapped. Slowly separating, a thin black mass stretched, forming what appeared to be a blade. They finished, tips inches away from a familiar sword that floated between them.

"Ooohhh, yeah. I'm going to love you guys." I say, excited at having tentacles that can make things appear out of thin air. I grab the sword, looking closer at its details.

"How you made Zangetsu, I won't ask..... But I do have to ask one more thing, can you put it away? I don't think that anyone will like a small child holding onto a very sharp blade." I ask, holding out the sword. Within seconds, all four tentacles moved in front of me, a few inches apart from each other sparks arcing between them for a second before a small rainbow ringed hole in the air formed between them. They slowly maneuvered the hole until it was directly in front of the sword. Feeling a small tug, I let go, seeing it disappear inside.

"Sweeeeet." I hum with a big smile on my face. "I will want to see more though. Maybe tomorrow, when I get semi-comfortable with this situation." I tell them, earning more excitement to flow. I grab the plate with the magically made PB&J sandwich and made my way back into the living room.

When I walked back in, I saw Ash away from the couch, looking curiously at the various movies I have on a shelf. "Hmmm... What are these? .... Some kind of book?" She mutters to herself, somehow taking a movie off the shelf with her wing.

I quietly put my plate on the table and walk up to her. "Kinda." I answer her question, making her wings flare out and throw the movie. Luckily, it landed on the recliner, I got one of the tentacles to get the movie and I looked at the cover. "The Lion King, huh? Nice choice."

"Don't do that!" She yells, not liking the jumpscare. "I almost had a heart attack!"

"Pfft, you'll be fine." I wave her off. "Now, didn't you want to know what this is?" I ask holding up the movie. "I think you'll really like this."

"Yeah, what is it?" She looks at it like it is some kind of trap.

"Just think of it as a special moving picture book." I over simplified.

Quickly walking over to the T.V, I put the movie in the DVD player, humming the whole time and walked back to my seat, getting my sandwich on the way back. I pat the spot next to me while taking a bite.

"Come on, I think you'll like this one." I tell her, getting her to take a seat close to me. I grab the remote and put the movie at the main menu. "Are you sure you don't want anything to snack on? This will go on for a little bit." I ask, earning a shake of her head.

"Nah, I've had a big breakfast."

"Okay then... Let's get this started.... Oh, wait..." I realize. "You probably won't understand this..... It's all in my language..." I frown, getting a little upset at the fact.

"It's all right, I'll probably get the gist of it." She says with a smile, motioning with her hoof to start the movie. "Now come on! I wanna check this out!" She states impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I'm startin' it right now." I giggle, liking her attitude and press play.

A half-hour passes, and I start nodding off, leaning on Ash's side, her wing draped over me like a little blanket. Ash just smiled sleepily at me and continued to watch the movie.

"I guess it's been a long day for you, huh?" She asks, shifting into a more comfortable position, taking care to not disturb my position.

"Mmm, hmmm" I quietly agree with my eyes closed. "You have no idea."

"Okay... I'll wake you up in the morning tomorrow. Just get your rest, we'll be going to the school tomorrow." She tells me, wrapping her wing more snuggly around me.

"I think we are going to get along just fine..... Wait..." I stop that train of thought. ".... Why am I going to sleep so early? I used to go to sleep much later than this! ....... maybe it's because of the tentacles using magic? Ehh... Screw it... I'll think about it in the morning...zzzzz" I fall asleep after that thought, dreaming of a peculiar blue alicorn.

Author's Note

Sigh... Still writing on the tablet and am still, quite literally, making this up as I go... What do you guys think of the language barrier returning? And about the gem thing... Yeahhh... :twilightblush: gonna make some surprises with those. Dunno how, but I'll do just that.

Cookies for the guys that can name some of the references I made in this chapter.

Dream Hoppin' With The Princess

"What are thou?" Is what I hear the moment I fell asleep.

I take a look at my surroundings, quickly noticing that it is strangely foggy. "Hmmm.... Seems strangely familiar... Where have I seen this before?" I see a silhouette in the fog, whatever it was, it was obviously pony shaped. "Really? I'm dreaming of ponies?" I ask out loud.

"No, we are just merely visiting this early dreamer." A voice tells me, the silhouette coming closer. "We are known as Princess Luna." A blue alicorn walks out of the fog to the right of me, making me jump.

"Waaaahh! Don't do that! Wait.... If you're here..... Then, who's that?" I ask while pointing at the silhouette, almost dreading the answer. "Wait.... Could this be....!" The thought stopped there when I heard a familiar screech. I look to my right, hoping nothing was there, only to be horribly wrong.

There was a familiar sign that almost made me faint right there.

Welcome To Silent Hill

"Nope, nope, nope! Come on, we need to go, right now!" I yell, fear taking control, making me grab some of her fur and try to lead her away from the thing of my nightmares.

Screeeee! thump. Screeee!

"What is it Little one?" She asks me, looking at the growing shape in front of us with a glare.

"Something you don't wanna meet!" I scream "Please! Let's go! Now!" I emphasized each word with a tug, making her look at it with such malice that almost made me stop pulling.

Screeeee! Thud. Mooooooaaaannn!

The monstrosity finally became visible a few feet in front of us. Wearing a blood stained pyramid shaped helmet that covers most of its head, was Mr. Tall Dark and Scary himself, Pyramid head. If it were under different circumstances, I probably would have laughed at him, seeing him as a pony.

"Thou hast no power here! Begone, nightmare beast!" She commands him, earning a loud moan from him. He quickly turned around and walked back the way he came, disappearing into the fog and making a lot less noise than before as if he was scared of her.

"Woah..... You just scared away Pyramid...... Okay, you are now officially the best pony I know!" I exclaim with stars in my eyes.

"No need to thank us. It is all part of our duty as the princess of the night." She modestly tells me. "Now, who are thou? I've never met such a being in my years of nightmare prevention."

"Oh, I'm Dakota." I introduce myself. "You said you were Luna, Right?" I ask to make sure, earning a nod in confirmation.

"Wait.... Luna.... Doesn't that mean moon? Celestia means sun, I think.... So does that mean...?" I think to myself, putting two and two together and, seeing this kind of naming system in cartoons, used cartoon logic. "Are you related to Celestia? I think I can see the family resemblance." I ask, gesturing to her flowing mane that looked like the night sky.

"Why yes, early dreamer. Did thou meet our dearest sister?" She asks me, almost making me ask on the whole, 'ye olde dialect.'

"Yeah, I met her. She came to meet me, didn't she tell you? I-I mean, if you are her sister, wouldn't she would tell you everything, right?" I ask, a little confused that Celestia didn't tell her about me.

"Thou art mistaken, our sister hasn't yet told us about thou. I'll ask her when I see her next." She tells me, her horn glowing slightly. "Wouldst thou like to go to a different dream? More ponies are now starting to slumber and I do not think this early dreamer wants to stay in this dreary place any longer." She asks with a polite smile.

I nod and she opens a .... Tear in the air in front of us and looks expectantly at me. "Follow us, little one."

I gave a small sigh and followed her into the tear. "Hmmm, why can I understand her when I was told that the translation spell ends at sundown? ..... Maybe it is right before sundown and the spell is just about to run out? Yeah, probably that..."

Once I got on the other side of the tear, I stopped in awe. It looked like the world decided to Error 404. We were floating in the air, an endless expanse of crystals floating all around us. If I looked closer, I could see inside them and see ponies doing extraordinary things that are way out of the norm, like a certain pink pony was playing poker with some kind of pony versions of Deadpool and Freakazoid. Judging from the others reactions, she was winning. Turning around to see my crystal, a purple jewel that was shaped like a chaos emerald, I was a little confused to see four other gems linked to mine by bright beams of light.

The first gem, on the far right, was triangular in shape with a green hue. The gem right next to the green one was purple and square shaped. The third gem, the hexagonal shaped one on the far left, was orange. And the last one was shaped like a star and was clear.

"Wait a minute... 1,2,3,4...... Hmmmm." I feel my back, only to notice that the tentacles aren't there. "That explains why I haven't felt anything from them recently."

"Hey, uh, Luna, is it normal to have these connect to one another?" I point at the gems in front of me, a little freaked out at the sight. "Before you ask about why I haven't asked where I am, I can literally see inside these things and tell that they are dreams." I tell her with a shrug. "It is kinda obvious if you think about it. I am dreaming and you took me out of my dream.... This is probably a dream nexus or somthin'..."

She blinks, astonished that such a young being made a spot on guess. "T-Thou are correct about where we are...." She clears her throat, regaining her composure. "The connecting of dreams is an occurrence that doesn't happen too often and is usually harmless. We haven't the slightest of clue as to why this would happen though..." She trails off, before shaking her head and getting back to the task at hand\hoof. "Come along, little one, we have a dream to visit." She starts floating towards a two toned purplish pink gem, leaving me to float in the endless expanse.

"H-Hey! How do I move!" I yell while trying to unsuccessfully swim over. She quickly got back to me, making the floating look too easy. "Sigh.... Can I ride ya over? I'm not really cut out for floating." I ask, now looking at her upside down.

".... Just this once, we will allow this." She tells me, seeing as I wasn't making progress by floating with her.

She uses her wings to move me closer to her back and I wrap my arms around her neck. She smiles mischievously, completely unnoticed by me. She speeds toward the gem, narrowly missing a few of the other gems and making me scream the whole way.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh! Whyyyyy! Stoooooooop!" I scream and, within seconds of me saying that, she stops suddenly, making me fly off her and land face first on the gem with a loud crack. "Owwww~!" I moan, slowly sliding down the gem by my face, making a loud squeaking noise the whole way.

Luna looks at me with a perfect poker face, no doubt hysterically laughing on the inside. "Are thou unharmed?" She asks with a raised brow.

"Jufft mpphh perrrd...." I say, my face still on the gem. I pry my face off and look at her, unamused at her actions. "Just a little sore... Sigh, let's just get me in the other dream."

She nods, her horn glowing. Within moments of her horn glowing the gems surface started to ripple like water. "Here is the entryway to the dream of our sisters personal student. We believe that thou will enjoy her dream, she dreams of the largest library we have ever seen, in the waking world and the dream world." She informs me, making me internally groan.

"Really? You are going to put me in a library dream? I don't want to sound rude, but, couldn't we find a dream more....." I trail off, thinking about what kind of pony I'd probably find in there. "You know what, imma mess with this one, heh, heh, heh." I think to myself, feeling a little mischievous. "...Nevermind, who's the pony I'm going to meet?"

"Her name is Twilight Sparkle, one of the Elements of Harmony." She informs me, making me smile sinisterly.

"Oh, this is going to be perfect."

"This is the earliest we've seen her go to bed, hmmm...." Luna trails off, a little curious about the late night studier. She shakes her head. "Nevermind that, we have other duties to attend to, we'll be leaving thou in her dream for tonight, have a good night and it was nice meeting thou." She says, horn glowing and moving me into the gem with a regal nod. "We hope we'll meet thou again, in the waking world next time."

And with those last words, my whole body is in the gem, me losing sense of my surroundings for a minute before I land face first on a pile of books. Judging my tasting of more colors, I assume the spell just wore off.

"-Dakota! What are you doing here!?!-" I hear a voice yell, making me jump a little and quickly get up and look around.

I almost fell back down at the sheer amount of books in here. There had to be at least millions of books on shelves that flowed down seemingly endless hallways. I look to my left, hoping that there was a change in scenery. Getting a small relief from the literary nightmare/heaven all around me, I saw a big comfortable looking chair sitting in front of a fireplace a little ways from all the books.

Something pokes me, making me jump and give out a small yelp. I quickly look at the thing poking me and see Twilight giving me a confused look.

"Oh, hi Twilight. Funny to see you here." I say with a smile and a wave. "Ya dun goofed, so imma mess with your dream." I tell her, pretty sure she won't understand me. Judging from the look she gave me, my guess was spot on.

"-The spell must have wore off..." She notes with a frown. "-I thought I had set it so it'll last for a few days...-" She says with confusion clear on her face, misremembering the spell. Her horn lights up, a crazy look in her eyes and a few strands of her mane out of place. "-I guess I have no choice, I'll have to bring out the big spells.-"

I gulp loudly, not liking the look in her eyes. "U-Uh, Twi? Y-You're not planning to teleport again, are ya?" I ask, slowly backing away from the, now surprisingly terrifying, unicorn in front of me that is slowly advancing on me.

"-No need to worry, Dakota. It'll be very... QUICK!-" She shouts as she fires a beam of purple energy speeding towards my head.

I quickly dodge it and run down the long hallway, her chasing after me. "I'd take Pyramid over this! Luna, Help!" I scream, dodging beams the whole way. "Ahhhhhh!" I gave another yell before tripping over a stray book on the ground and scraping my knees on the ground. I tried crawling away, only to be wrapped in a purple ball and slowly levitated towards Twilight.

I slowly turn around in the ball and look at her, tears in my eyes. That seemed to snap her out of the insanity. "-Oh! I'm so sorry!-" she apologizes, slowly setting me down. The moment she set me down, I ran for my life, away from her and down the hallway. "-Wait! I said I'm sorry!-" I ignore the yells behind me and continue into the labyrinth of bookshelves, taking the first turn I saw with her chasing after me, screaming apologies the whole way.

I ran as fast as I could, which was surprisingly fast, but not fast enough. She was gaining ground, slowly catching up to me. I take a quick peek over my shoulder and scream. "Aaaahhh! Just stop chasing me already!" I take another turn and hit my face on a bookshelf, cursing Twilight's dream as I slowly peel my face off of it.

"-Huff, huff, I-I finally caught up.... Huff, huff, I-I just wanted to apologize.-" I lose all hope at the sound of her voice. I did the only thing I could do, curling up into ball with tears flowing.

She gets closer, tears in her eyes. "-I-I know that you can't understand me....-" She starts running her hoof through my hair, trying to comfort me. "-B-But I can try to help you understand.-" Slowly, I stop crying and sit up. "-See? Not that bad.-" I hear her say, making me look at her, quietly sniffling.

"I really don't like what this body is doing to me...." I mutter, not wanting to go through that again.

Seeing that I wasn't crying anymore, Twilight brightened up. "-I am so sorry for scaring you and I hope you can forgive me.-" She apologizes, her ears plastered to her head, hopeful that I could understand that.

"I think I get what you are saying...." I get back on my feet and smile. "You-" I point at her. "-are sorry about freaking me out and chasing me, right?" I say, not really expecting an answer. "I'll accept the apology after one thing....." I quickly slap her across the muzzle and pout, using my newfound cuteness against her. "I won't say sorry for that, you jerk."

"-I guess I deserved that..." She says with resignation, a little smile on her face from seeing the pout of extreme cuteness. "-I promise, I won't do that ever again..... That hurt though.-" She rubs her muzzle and backs up, horn glowing. "-I'll just try to use the spell again so we can understand each other, hold still.-" She quickly formed the rune filled orb and shot it at me, me staying still this time. The orb bounced off of me, blasting through some bookshelves before it finally dissipated.

We both stared at the damage, mouths agape. "-That wasn't supposed to happen...-" I hear her mutter. "-Why did that happen?-"

"Hey." I get her attention and point at her horn. "That-" I point at the wreckage and shake my head. "-won't work-" I then point at myself, still shaking my head. "-on me." I inform her, earning a confused stare from her. I repeat the motions again and all I get is more confusion from her. "Is it me or am I terrible at charades...."

She bounced quite a few spells off of me for what seemed like hours, her mane getting more and more out of whack, until she dropped from exhaustion. "Man, I didn't have to do anything! Ha,ha,ha!" The world quickly turned faded to white around us, making me move closer to Twilight in fear. "This better mean we're waking up...." I think to myself, a little worried. The fading soon engulfed us, making me go numb where the white made contact with me. "Aaaahhhhhh!" All thoughts ended when I was engulfed completely.

Back in the waking world

"Snort! hmmm? Where am I?" I quickly get up and scan my surroundings, noticing I wasn't in my room. In the dull early morning light my living room looked depressing. "Okay, I'm still home." I think aloud, relieved that I'm home. I look down at myself and almost started to cry. "So yesterday wasn't a dream......grrrr!" My stomach breaks me out of my reverie. "Not the time to throw a pity party...." I get off the couch and make my way to the kitchen, unknowingly dragging the tentacles on the floor.

In the doorway, I fumble to find the light switch, one arm rubbing my eyes. I hear movement and within seconds, the lights turned on and revealed the many ponies in my kitchen.

"Surprise!"

Author's Note

I dunno if I got Luna right..... :unsuresweetie: .... Anyway, I think I did pretty good! :pinkiehappy: I did most of this in the middle of the night because...

Oh, just before I forget, I am posting this after two days of no power in my town.... Probably gonna lose power again... :twilightoops: the weather is going crazier than cupcakes over here! :pinkiecrazy:

Party times and School visits

"-Surprise!-"

Not really awake yet, I just blink. The first pony I saw, the pink sugar ball that is Pinkie Pie, warped to my side. "-You were supposed to be surprised! What happened!?! The author had no other idea than this, did he!?!-" She quickly yelled, making me blink again, still not registering what's going on. "-I'll have a stern talking to with him when this chapter is done, don't worry!-"

"-Um, Pinkie?-" Fluttershy hesitantly spoke up from the back.

"-Oh, Right! Here's your 'Welcome To Ponyville' party, Dakota!-"

"......Sorry, I'm not really awake enough for this." I rub my eyes again and walk towards the cabinet that has my poptarts. I was way too short to reach them, so I reached around to grab a tentacle. I pet it and feel it wake up, feeling love flow. "Can ya get me a poptart, buddy?" It gave a motion similar to a nod and quickly got the box. Thanking the tentacle, I get a pack out and make my way over to the table, yawing and being stared at the whole way.

I take a seat and finally notice the amount of ponies in here. There had to be at least twenty or so ponies in my house, they all looked surprised that I wasn't excited.

"Soooo...... Go on, do whatever you're gonna do. It's not like I could stop any of ya." I motion with my hand. In the meantime, the tentacle I woke up started to wake up the other three.

"-I'm sooo going to have a talk with the author after this..... Let's get this party started! Vinyl, hit it!-" Pinkie shouts, music, sounding eerily like something DeadMau5 would play, starting to blast from a D.J booth manned by a white unicorn with cool shades in my kitchen corner. Everyone started dancing and playing party games. "Just don't question WHY there is a party in my house and HOW did my kitchen get bigger, then I should be just fine...."

"-What are you doing sitting there!?! This is a party juuussst for you! Dance or something!-" Pinkie excitedly yells. I think I got the gist of what she said.

I slowly blink and open a pack, just starting to eat. "Yawn...... Imma join in a sec, don' worry." I quickly devour the poptarts and smack my face, waking myself up. "Alright, I'm up!" I hop down from my seat and join the party.

I made my way over to the D.J, wanting to see the setup she had. I eventually made it there, having to duck and weave my way through the crowd. The bass was pretty strong when I was finally close, making me fight my way over like I was fighting strong gusts of wind. "Nice setup! Seriously, I've never had to fight the beat!" I tell the pony at the booth with a thumbs up, earning a smile from her.

I got behind the booth, not wanting to get blasted back anymore and wanting to see her work her magic, no pun intended. She gave me curious look before nodding and magicing me onto a counter next to her that had a good look at her equipment. It was nice, getting to see how she makes her music. She turns a few knobs and the bass drops, making me almost fall down from the force.

"-Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here!?! The whole house is shaking!-" Ash yells after rushing through the doorway, making everyone look at her and made the music stop with the cartoonish vrrrp. Everything was silent, except Pinkie, she was still dancing as if the music was still on.

"-Come on, everypony! Shake your groove thang!-" She kept on dancing for a full minute before realizing the music was off. "-Oh! What happened to the music? It was just getting to the good part....-"

Ash coughs, gaining the attention of Pinkie. "-Ahem, what is happening here?-" She asks with a glare, her mane a mess.

"-A-A party for Dakota, M-Miss.....-" Fluttershy stuttered out from the back.

"-A party..... Really? Not even here for a full day and ponies are throwing a party for Dakota.-" She dumbfoundedly asked. "-Couldn't this have waited until we were awake for it?-" She facehooves, making her mane become more of a dishevelled mess.

"-I couldn't wait! I have to throw a party for every new pony I meet within twenty four hours of meeting them, I wouldn't be Pinkie if I didn't!-" Pinkie exclaims with an exaggerated flourish of her mane.

Ash's eye twitched. "-Fine, you can have the party. Just one condition, is Dakota alright with this? She is still adjusting to living here.-" She gave up, too tired for this.

"-Yo! She seems to be adjusting just fine to me, she's been hangin' over here with me since the party started-" The D.J pointed to me, with a smile. "-I think she's curious about my setup, she's been watchin' me work my musical magic since I let her stay with me.-"

"-Okay, have the party. Just, please keep it down, some ponies in town are probably still sleeping.-"

The music started back up, less loud than before. The guests went back to dancing and whatnot. Ash grabbed a drink off a counter with one of her wings and made her way over to me. Pinkie went back to doing..... Whatever she is doing.

"-Hey, good mornin', Dakota.-" Ash says with a smile. "-I guess you got a welcome party, eh?-" She shrugs. "-I'd have waited a few days, but I can't complain, you seem to like this.-" She said and I just nodded with a smile, sort of getting what she was saying. After a little bit, she went off somewhere, I dunno where.

I just kept near the D.J, learning how it worked. "I've always wanted to D.J at least once. It always looked friggin cool, laser light shows, crowds of people dancin' and havin' a grand ol' time."

"-Yo, little buddy, can ya get me a drink, please?-" The D.J asks me, motioning toward the drinks with her head.

"Ah, I got it." I get what she is saying and turn to my tentacles. "Hey, could ya get her a drink from over there? I don't want to fight my way through the crowd." Two of them nodded and quickly stretched over and go two drinks from the counter, feeling love flow from them. They quickly made their way back to us and gave us the drinks. "Oh, uh, thanks, I guess." The tentacles pat my head, giving more feelings of love.

"-Thanks, Little buddy.-"

After a little while of partying, I had the bright idea to see if her setup could play some of my songs. "Hey." I get one of the tentacles attention. "Could ya get my iPod? I wanna check something." I ask, earning excitement from it. It glowed green and the iPod just appeared in its grip, complete with the connector cable. I grabbed it with a thanks and took a closer look at the setup, looking for a USB port to connect the iPod to.

"-What are ya doin' there, little buddy?-" she asks, curious about what I am looking for.

I hold up my iPod and she magically lifts it out of my grasp, looking at it closely and humming. She connects the cable to a slot in the side of her setup and flips a few switches, the music stopping. The crowd let out a simultaneous, "aaaawwww," when the music died. "-It's alright, everypony. Our little guest of honor brought her music to share!-" Everyone cheered at what she said. She passed back the iPod, it still connected and looked at me encouragingly. "-Go on, little buddy, play whatever song ya want.-" She says while motioning to the ipod.

I smile and nod, getting what she was saying. I quickly found my favorite playlist, simply labeled, '80's gold,' and hit play.

I lost track of time when I joined in on the dancing a few minutes after I started the playlist. Ever see a little girl dancing with the assistance of tentacles growing out of her back? Apparently, it was quite the sight. Everyone made room on the dance floor and watched me do moves that came naturally to me. Even Ash came over when I was launched up by the tentacles over everyone, I waved before back flipping and nailing the landing with a flourish, earning cheering from everyone watching.

"Woooooo hoooooo! I don't know how I'm doing this, but it's friggin awesome!" I exclaim during the excitement, just having fun with this and spinning like a top.

The playlist finally ended with me getting launched back up, almost hitting the ceiling and starting to glow white. The moment I landed, my glowing body released a lot of little sparkles that soon were everywhere, making everyone cheer at my show. When the glowing finally subsided, a wave of fatigue hit me, almost making me drop right then and there. With the crowd still cheering, I do a little bow and take a seat by the D.J, wanting to take a little rest.

"-Yo!-" I look at the D.J, seeing her give me a wild smile. "-Sweet moves ya got there!-" She says, holding out her hoof. "It looks like some things are universal." I quickly pound it, internally laughing at the interspecies brofist.

"-Okay, everypony, the party's over! Dakota is tired, time to clear out!-" Ash exclaimed, wanting to get other things done today. "-We both have things to do today!-"

"Awwww....." The crowd whined.

"-Okie, dokie! Don't worry everypony, we have another party planned today!-" Pinkie excitedly yells, earning more cheers from the crowd. "-Just wait till tonight~!-" She sings with a wink.

In a few minutes, almost everyone left, leaving Fluttershy, Ash, the D.J and I in the kitchen. The D.J was sitting near her setup, nursing her drink. Fluttershy was standing by the doorway, looking as nervous as ever.

Most of my kitchen was a mess, empty drink cups on the floor, some splashes of punch over the counter, streamers literally everywhere and a friggin cannon, of all things, sitting by the fridge.

"That was fast..... What are ya still doin' here Flutters? I can understand the D.J still being here, she needs to clear out her setup." I ask, earning looks from everyone. I just shrug and point at Fluttershy, raising an eyebrow.

"-Oh, what do you need, Dakota?-" said pony asks, quickly and gracefully making her way to my side.

"-I think she's asking why you're still here. Oh! Aren't you the animal caretaker in this town? I've heard rumors about you! You're the pony that tamed the manticore when her friends were in trouble!-" Ash excitedly asked, recognizing Fluttershy and making her eep in fear.

"-O-Oh no, I-I didn't t-tame him. H-He was in pain and I-I helped him..... Ohhh, I told Rainbow to not tell anypony....-" Fluttershy timidly murmured.

Noticing Fluttershy's discomfort, I quickly stop Ash's questioning by getting between her and Flutters, shaking my head at Ash. "No, stop scaring her. I don't need her having a heart attack in my house."

"-OK, OK, I'll stop.-" She says, getting what I'm saying and backing off.

"-T-Thanks, Dakota.-" Fluttershy whispered to me, making me smile. "-T-The reason I'm here is so I could, maybe, help her acclimate to her new home, Miss....-" She trailed off.

"-It's cool, the more the merrier. Just call me Ash. If you are wonderin' why I'm here, I'm supposed to look after Dakota and keep her out of trouble, Princess's orders.-"

"-Oh, d-do you have any previous experience looking after children?-"

"-I helped raise spike. Do you think anypony in their right mind let a filly raise a newborn dragon? I was one of Celestia's personal maids before that.-"

"-Oh, you're Ashen Glade? Spike's told me so much about you! How did you get chosen to raise him? I-I mean if you don't mind....-"

"-The interviewing process for being one of Celestia's personal maids is pretty extensive, I even had to go into how I got my cutie mark.-" Ash turned just so she could show the mark on her flank, an ash covered field with an erupting volcano in the back. "Just why haven't I noticed the marks on their buts yet?"

"-Oh, I've never seen one like that before....-"

"-Yep, I got this bad colt after saving most of a dragon clan's young when the nearby volcano erupted... Turns out, dragons aren't invincible against molten rocks and ash.... Not the best of days....-" Ash trailed off, a distant look in her eyes and shuddering for a second. "-That's a story for another time. Let's just say.... After that, I decided to slow down and, shortly after I applied for the position, was hired to be one of Celestia's personal maids. After Spike was hatched, Celestia decided to have me be the caretaker for him, since I was pretty popular in the dragon lands.-"

"-I-It sounds like you've done a lot of traveling.-"

"-Yep, I've even been to the Minotaur tribe lands.-"

They talked for a while, I was cleaning up in the meantime. I decided to clean up the cups first, a little miffed that they couldn't clean up their mess as they left. I sigh. "Well, at least now I know what the hosts of the big parties have to deal with when the party's over."

It took a little bit before the tentacles pitched in on the cleaning, going for the messes on the counters and the streamers first. After that was done, we had to decide what to do with the cannon. "Ehh, let's just leave the thing here. I've always wanted to fire a cannon." I say out loud, the tentacles nodding in agreement. I pushed the cannon into the corner between the counter and a wall, barrel facing the wall.

"Hey, girls?" I spoke up, remembering something. They turned to look at me. "I don't want to interrupt but, didn't you-" I point at ash. "-say we were going to visit the school today?" I try to remind while making walking motions. I sigh at the confused looks I get and walk out of the room, not wanting to play a game of charades. As I walk out, I hear them go back to their conversation.

Bang!

I hear something slam into the front door and I quickly checked it out. When I opened the door, I came face to face with an upside down pegasus at my doorstep. Her mane was a nice shade of blonde and her coat was grey. She was wearing some kind of bag on her side with letters spilling out on my porch. She even had a hat with a logo depicting a letter with wings. What made me nervous were her yellow eyes, they were spinning like crazy.

"Uhh, are ya alright?" I ask, worried about this pony's health.

She shook her head, stopping her dizziness and standing up, causing her eyes to stop spinning and become wall-eyed. She took one look at me with her derped eyes and furrowed her brow. "-I have very important letters for a....-" she pauses and digs in the bag with her left wing, pulling out a few letters in seconds, not before pulling out some muffins in the process. She looks at the names on them. "-...Dakada?-" she finishes, reading the name wrong.

"Dakota.... ." I correct, a little surprised that my name is the only thing I can understand. I think that she hit her head too hard, judging from her eyes, one was looking at the floor while the other was looking at the sky.

"-So that's how you pronounce the name! You're her, right?-" She asks, taking a slow bite out of the muffin she picked up with her other wing and raising an eyebrow, making me shrug and point at my ears in response. "-Ohhh! You can't understand me....-" She thoughtfully murmured, taking another bite. "-Hmmm.... The house and you weren't in town the other day, so.... I think you are her!-" She smiles, finishing her muffin. "-Here, these are yours.-" She hands the letters over, her eyes turning normal for a second. I take a closer look at one letter, briefly realizing I can't read anything on it, seeing that the language was all in pony runes. "Seriously? Is that a horseshoe?"

She turns around, her wings getting ready for flight. "-Well, I gotta go! Later, Dakota!-" She yells, taking off at a lopsided angle. I stood there in silence, until I heard a crash. I ran out into the street, looking for her, only to hear shouts coming from the broken window on the side of the treehouse belonging to a certain unicorn.

"Heh, I like her..... Now, what to call her.... Aha! I'll call her Dizzy, it seems to fit her just fine." I muse out loud with a giggle.

I finally notice that my sudden appearance gained a few curious stares from the few ponies on the street. I wave at them with a smile, internally freaking out. The less afraid ones were nice, they waved back smiling and saying their good mornings. The others, well, they weren't very too nice. One actually threw a tomato at me, to my shock.

"-Go back to where you came from!-" He yelled throwing another tomato at me. "-Get! Out! Of! Our! Town! You! Monster!-" He emphasized each word with a tomato throw, each one connecting. I stopped the tentacles from going after him, not wanting a potential bloodbath.

He kept throwing them until he ran out, the tentacles just emanating hatred at this pony in a strangely anime style, purple killing intent aura radiating from them. I'm just standing there sniffling, feeling strangely distraught at this. "No... Leave 'im alone, he'll get what he has coming soon." I say to the tentacles and point out the few ponies sending venomous glances in his direction, earning a consoling pat on the head from one tentacle.

A piece of tomato slides off my face and hits the ground, the tomato throwing pony finally silent. I slowly walk back inside, the sounds of my footsteps are the only noise heard before I shut the door. I make my way to Ash, the letters in hand and tears in my eyes.

"-Whoa! Little buddy!-" The D.J yells in alarm.

"-What happened to you!?!-"Ash yells, seeing my tomato covered self. "-Who did this!?!-"

"-Oh, you poor dear....-" Fluttershy murmurs, draping a tentative wing over my shoulder.

"I....I'm fine.... Here, I can't read these." I hold out the letters, stifling a sniffle.

Flutters takes them and I slowly work my way out of under her wing, wanting to wash up. "-Oh, I'll help wash you up, I mean, if you want...-" She starts, trotting after me and passing the letters to Ash.

"-Hey, these are from the leaders that the princess was talking about! One of these even came from the Arachnid queen!-" Ash freaks out after seeing a special wax seal in the shape of a spider on the back of one letter. "-Even the Arachnids! Do you know what this means?!?" She excitedly asks, making us back up slowly, Fluttershy staying behind me.

"-I-I don't know..... W-What does that mean?-"

"-It MEANS that the news of Dakota's arrival spread very far, very fast!-" She loudly notes, looking through more letters. "-We have, literally, EVERY RACE'S leaders sending letters to Dakota, it hasn't even been a full twenty four hours!-" She starts hyperventilating, obviously not expecting the letters to be sent that fast.

I, having enough of her freaking out, walk up to her and give her a good ol' slap to the face, snapping her out of her panic attack and earning a gasp from Fluttershy. "Whatever you are freaking out about, it can wait. I-" I gesture to the tomato gunk covering me. "-need to clean up before we go visit the school later. I do not want want to look like Carrie at the end of the movie when I get there."

"-Huff, Huff..... Thanks, I needed that, almost lost it there.-" Ash thanks, calming down. "-Sorry about that, I don't normally freak out like that....-" She apologizes, not meaning to scare us. "-Whew, I'm not used to THIS kind of response. It usually takes, AT THE MINIMUM, a week or so until the more.... Obscure nations hear about things.-" She explains, almost going back into a panic attack.

"-Oh, My.... Maybe those can wait? I-I mean, if you are looking after Dakota, those could wait until after she goes to bed or something. No need to pressure her.-" Fluttershy suggests, making me frustrated at not understanding what's going on anymore. "I'm going to mess with Twi when I have the chance. She seems like someone I'd be friends with... Eh, it'll probably happen, AFTER I get her back for messin' up the spell."

"Hey!" I yell, getting their attention. "You. Said. That. We. Would. Go. To. The. School. Today." I slowly say to Ash, wanting to get things done today and praying to whatever god, that she would get what I'm saying.

"-Uhm, She's saying that you said that you both were going somewhere today......-" Fluttershy says, her ability to semi-understand animals working in my favor.

"-Ohhh, I almost forgot! I told her yesterday that we would visit the school today.-" Ash exclaims, realization in her eyes. "-We need to have her clean before we go there.-"

"Oh, thank god! There we go! Now, imma go clean up....." I turn around and go to in the direction of my room, Ash and Fluttershy following.

I stop. "I can bathe by myself, no need to help." I say, shaking my head.

They both stood in the kitchen doorway, confusion in their eyes. Ash turns to Fluttershy. "-What did she say?-"

"-Uhhh, s-something about cleaning alone..... Sorry, I only get little bits of what she is saying.-"

"-No need to apologize, any little bit will help.-" Ash says with a shrug. She turns to me. "-So you want to bathe by yourself, huh? I guess you're old enough to do that.-" She shrugs. "-Go on, we'll wait for ya.-" She gives me the go ahead.

"Thanks."

I quickly go to my room and open my closet. My jaw dropped. It was a cosplayer's paradise, literally every kind of costume in there, from Tobi to The Doctor. My closet didn't have anything like this before, it wasn't even a walk in closet.

"Ya know what..... I'm okay with this." I quickly accepted this and started searching for a specific outfit. "If I am going to be stuck as a girl, I might as well go all out!"

"Aha!" I exclaim, happy I found it. It was a familiar green bunny-eared raincoat with a little tail attached and a light-blue dress to wear under it.

"Now, what am I missing?..... Ugh, underwear." I shudder, now turning to see my newly-acquired 'collection' of panties and bras. "I'm not sure if I should hate ya or love ya, god....."

I did some digging around and decided on the white and blue striped ones. "Might as well match the clothes..." I say with a shrug.

I go to the bathroom, feeling a little apprehensive about my body. I look at the shower, realizing I'd have to jump to reach the knobs. Sighing, I start a bath and put the outfit on the sink counter. The tentacles magicked up some lavender bubble bath stuff, making me raise an eyebrow. They dump th stuff in and make the bath all bubbly and nice, making me shrug and thank them. "Okay, I want to bathe by myself, without anything seeing me naked.... Soooo.... Could ya, I dunno, retract?" I ask them, not wanting to risk a.... Cough, one of those unpleasant moments. They nod and retract with a audible squish, me feeling them slither inside my back and settle somewhere in my chest, causing me to panic a little at the feeling.

Starting with the dress, I hesitantly removed my clothes, none too enthusiastic to learn about my new anatomy. "Yep, definitely a girl..." I note after getting the underwear off. I walk to the mirror, wanting to get a good look at myself. The pale, white haired girl looking back at me with nervous eyes had seen better days, red tomato trails flowing down her body and red stained hair. Sighing, I get into the water, relaxing instantly.

"Ohhhhh...... This is just what I needed." I moan, feeling the best I've felt in a long time.

For the next while, until a little while after I finally scrubbed the tomato gunk off me, I relaxed with my head partially submerged under the water. "Why does it feel like I'm livin' in an anime today?"

After about half an hour of relaxing in my much needed bath, I got out and dried off, feeling more nervous when I looked at the clothes. There was some trouble putting on the underwear and dress, I've never felt so.... Embarrassed putting on clothes. With an audible gulp, I quickly put the clothes. "Okay, the worst part is done. Let's get the coat on." Murmur, happy I have the coat. I put it on with the hood up and looked in the mirror.

"Never thought I would say this, but I look friggin' cute." I note. "Good to know I can pull it off." I smile

With a little skip in my step, I go back to Ash and Fluttershy, ready to go. Everything went quiet the moment I walked into the room. Fluttershy was the first to break the silence.

"-Awwww, you are sooooo cute!-" She squeals, nearly crushing me in a hug. "-I love you! You look like a cuddly bunny!-"

"-That, she does. I wonder what other clothes she has....-" Ash agrees, happy I picked out something cute. "-The bunny ears are a nice touch.-"

"Can't.......breathe......." I choke out, surprised that the shy one has a killer grip.

"-Oh! Sorry, I couldn't help it. B-Bunnies are my favorite critters in the entire world...-" Fluttershy apologizes and releases me, blushing like mad.

"Gasp! You.... Gasp! ... Have..... Gasp! ... A..... Killer..... Grip....." I slowly say, catching my breath.

"-Okay, girls. It's about time for us to go.-" Ash announces. She turns around and yells back to the kitchen. "-Hey, Vinyl!-"

"-Whaddap?-" I hear the D.J yell from the kitchen.

"-Please have your stuff cleaned out before we get back!-"

"-It's cool! I have another party to D.J later, anyway!-"

"-Thanks!-"

"-later, girls!-" We hear D.J yell from the kitchen.

Ready to go, we leave the house. We didn't even walk for five minutes until we saw something that made me laugh. "Hah! The jerk from earlier was thrown in a barrel!" I laugh at the sight. A seafoam green unicorn was holding him in the barrel with her magic, his but was the only thing jutting out from it.

"-Hey! Lemme out!-" We hear him yell.

"-Not until you promise to apologize.-" She calmly tells him. "-I swear, you have a few screws loose or something. You did the same thing to Applejack's dog last week.-"

"-I thought it was a hellhound!-" He yells from the barrel.

"-Hey, what's going on?" Ash asks.

"-Oh, nothing. Just an idiot getting punished.-" The unicorn says with a shrug.

"-What'd he do?-"

"-He threw tomatoes at our newest resident.-"

Ash looks at me then back at the pony in the barrel, a fire in her eyes. "-Keep him there, maybe for a few hours.-" She says, making the unicorn laugh.

"-Hehe, I was planning on it. Oh! There she is!-" The unicorn exclaims, finally noticing me standing next to Fluttershy. "-Awww, she's wearing the cutest dress, the bunny ears bring the whole thing together.-"

"-I'm Ash and this is Dakota, nice to meet you, miss....-"

"-Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings. Nice to meet you.-" The unicorn introduces, with a wave.

"-Nice to meet you too, Lyra. Well, we gotta get going. Little miss sunshine over here is going to visit the school.-"

"-Good luck. If you need me, my house is right across from Bon Bon's candy shop.-"

"-I'll try to remember that. Have a good day, Lyra.-"

We left the unicorn to her devices and went back to making our way to the school. It was a little bit of a walk, took maybe fifteen to half an hour to get there. The trip wasn't too eventful, nopony had thrown anything at me, so that's a plus. I even had some friendly waves in my direction.

When we finally got there, I was a little unimpressed. The school was a painted red, one floor building, on the roof was a single bell. Next to the building was a playground.

"So that's the school, huh? It doesn't compare to my school back home, it has three floors." I muse, feeling more confident about going here.

"-Well, here's the school. Come on, I've got to talk to the teacher.-" Ash says while walking inside.

"-It's going to be fine, dear.-" Fluttershy assures, grabbing my hand with her wing and leading me inside.
The door we went in lead into a hallway, four doors leading into different rooms.

"-Here it is, Miss Cheerilee's class.-" Ash says, having quickly got to a door at the end of the hallway.

"-Oh, Miss Cheerilee's class? That's the CMC's class.-" Fluttershy says, happy I'm in this class.

"-The.... CMC?-"

"-The group of fillies that first met Dakota. They made their own little club to find their cutie marks.-"

While Fluttershy was explaining, I open the door and walk in, hearing gasps of surprise from the ponies within and my tentacles coming out of my back and through the sleeves of the coat.

"Hello, I am Dakota, and these girls-" I point at the tentacles, all of them were in position over my shoulders. "Uhh, what's a good name for these? .... Come on, think of something, they are looking right at you!" I thought to myself, having a small panic attack. "-are called, in order, Sylphid." I point at one tentacle that glowed green. "Freya." I point at the one that glowed orange. "Jynx" I point at the one that glowed purple. "And last, but not least, Crystal." I point at the last one, it emitting a white aura. The next few moments were silent, even the deep purple pony was quiet.

"Sigh..... I was expecting something else, I dunno what, but it was different....." I sigh. "I have a bad feelin' about this...."

Author's Note

Whew! I've had some trouble with this chapter. One of my buddies got a hold of this thing and erased a lot of things, including this chapter....It was easy to get all the other stuff back. I had to redo the chapter all out of memory. :pinkiesick: Now I learned an important lesson, never leave the tablet unprotected! Especially when they are pranksters! :trollestia:

On another topic..... Pinkie is currently trying to break through my tablet screen.... Can any other 4th wall breakers stop her, please? She is giving me the scariest look....

Pinkie! Stop it! I won't rewrite it!

The Extended Tour

"Uh, hello?" I slowly say to the room full of silent fillies and colts, scared of what's to come. I could see the three ponies I first met. The yellow one had a seat in between a grey pony wearing glasses and a light purple pony wearing a tiara. "Are those.... Diamonds?" The orange pegasus was sitting in the middle row, right next to the white unicorn. The next few moments were a blur of white, orange, and yellow.

"-Dakota!-" The three yell, tackling me into a group hug, making the tentacles panic for a second.

"Nice to see some familiar faces." I positively think, hesitantly hugging back. "I guess I had nothing to worry about.... If only I knew their names."

"-Girls....-" The deep purple pony behind us slowly says. "-Do you know her?-"

Breaking from the group hug, the white unicorn turns to her. "-Yeah, we were the first ones to meet her. You did read the papers, right? She's literally all over them.-"

"-Yes, I did and it's nice to know she already has friends.-" The presumed teacher smiles, looking at me with curious eyes.

"-Actually, she's going to be going here next week.-" Ash says while walking in with Fluttershy.

"-WHAT!?!-" Most of the students yelled, some of the students looking at me with fearful eyes. Some of the others looked at me with visible blushes, even the one wearing glasses.

"-YAY!-" The three ponies cheered around me, making me flinch at the volume.

"These reactions are.... Unexpected." I think to myself with a raised eyebrow. "Curse you, Twilight! You had ONE job, make the spell work." I roll my eyes, wanting to understand what was going on.

"-She's correct, class. Dakota be going here as of next week, I expect each of you to be nice to her.-" Teach explains, looking at the tiara wearing filly with a knowing look. "-She'll be learning how to speak equish, as you saw earlier, she can't speak it yet.-"

"-Uh, Miss Cheerilee?-" Glasses asks, holding up a hoof.

"-Yes, Silver Spoon?-"

"-I could help her, I mean.....if she doesn't mind.-" Glasses says, blushing at the looks she's getting.

"-That's nice of you, Silver Spoon.-" Teach says with a smile. "-She might appreciate it.-"

"-Okay, fillies and colts, she's here just to meet her classmates. She's got some other places to visit today.-" Ash announces, earning an 'awww' from the non-scared students. "-Don't worry, starting next week, she'll be coming here regularly.-"

"Nice to know that most of them won't be bullies. I'm not too sure about the tiara wearing one though..... Who wears a diamond studded tiara to school?"

"-Oh, you three.-" Ash points at the three fillies around me. "-Can come with us to help give our little guest a tour around town..... If your teacher is alright with it, of course.-" Ash finishes, giving the teacher a sheepish look.

The group of fillies gave the teacher the puppy dog eyes, unsurprisingly, it was ineffective against her. She pondered it for a minute before nodding. "-They can go....-" She agrees, stopping when the fillies cheered. "-Just remember, you will have homework when you get back.-" She finishes, to the horror of the group.

"-Okay, Miss Cheerilee.-" The three drone, none too excited about homework.

"-Well, let's get going, girls.-" Ash says, opening the door and motioning us out.

We made our way out of the school, I was in the back with the kids and Ash was leading us with Fluttershy. We stopped at my house for a minute, wondering where to go next.

"-Well.... I dunno where to go, I only knew where the school was. Anypony else have an idea?-" Ash asks with a shrug.

"-W-We could show her my house, I-I mean she might like the critters I have there.-" Fluttershy suggests, trying to hide behind her hair.

"-Maybe later, Flutters. How about somewhere else?-"

"-How about the prank shop?-" The orange pegasus suggests, a mischievous smile on her face.

"-I like your style, but no, not gonna happen today.-"

"-Maybe......the library?-" The white unicorn asks, sounding unsure.

"Screw it, I'm naming these guys right now. The white one can be called Lisa. The orange one is gonna be called.....Zoe, she seems like a risk taker. Last, but not least, the yellow one can be called....Jessie, she has a distinct.... Country feel around her." I think to myself, deciding it would be easier to name them.

"-Not a bad idea.....Sorry, didn't catch your name..-"

"-Oh, it's Sweetie Belle. The orange daredevil over there is Scootaloo and the yellow country filly next to her is Applebloom.-"

"-Nice to meet you three. I'm Ashen Glade, just call me Ash. I will be living with Dakota over here.-" She introduces with a smile and points at my house. "-Enough introductions for now, let's get going to the library.-" She says before walking off in a random direction, me, not knowing any better, following behind. She stops after going a few feet. "-Uhh.....-" She slowly turns back to them, a blush and a sheepish smile on her face. "-Which way is that?-" She asks, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof.

They all simultaneously point at the treehouse down the opposite direction we were going. "-I-It's over there.-" Fluttershy stuttered out.

"-Really, there's a library in there?-"

"-Yup, ahm sure.-" Jessie deadpanned.

"-Let's go!-" She exclaims, going towards the treehouse.

The group and I exchanged looks before we went after her.

"-Golden Oaks Library, huh? Seems appropriate, seeing that it's a tree and all.-" Ash notes after reading the sign out front.

The library's exterior was pretty cool. Thick roots formed a small pathway to the front door. The door looked out of place, painted red and it was split in two horizontally. Further up, there was a balcony with a telescope perched up there.

"Sweet, it looks like an elf would make some kind of potion store here."

We go inside, a little bell rung when the door opened. My jaw dropped when I saw the decor. The whole room looked like the tree grew to form it. There were lots of shelves full of books, a little sign above each shelf with pony runes written on them, I presume that they have what kind of genre the books are. The tables grew out of the floor, making me wonder what kind of elven sorcery was going on in here.

I continued to look around, in awe of the house, not noticing the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

"-Oh! H-Hi, Dakota.-" The resident dragon, Spike greets, hearts in his eyes. I jump a little at the sudden voice. "-I didn't think you'd be here today. That's a nice bunny coat you have on.... Really, it accents your eyes perfectly.-" He says, not yet noticing the group behind me.

The tentacle called Jynx sent feelings of amusement after seeing Spike, remembering the looks he gave me at the dress shop. I quickly and discretely pinch it. "Stop that. It's bad enough without ya joinin' in." I whisper to it, feeling more amusement from her.

"-Sorry to break it to ya, tiger, but she can't understand ya.-" Ash says, startling the young dragon.

"-Ash! What are you doing here?-" Spike asks with a smile, happy to see her.

"-Yeah, nice to see ya too, buddy.-" Ash smiles. "-We're giving Dakota a tour of the town, checking the sights, figuring out where things are, ya know, the usual.-"

"-I think you need to know the town, long before you start giving ponies tours.-" He points out, earning a glare from Ash. "-You probably didn't know where things were and followed Fluttershy around.-"

"-Name one time I got lost!-"

"-The castle, we ended up in the dungeons.-"

"-I was still kinda new! I thought those stairs lead to the throne room....-"

"-Canterlot, you ended up taking the wrong turn and we were lost for five hours, until the nice clock shop owner pointed us in the right direction.... We were still wandering for another hour after the fact.-" Spike deadpanned. "-Do I have to continue?-"

"-Eh... Fiiiinne, I'm terrible with navigating.-" Ash gives up.

"-Yes, yes you are.-" Spike agrees, earning another glare from Ash.

"-Hold on.... Ya know Ash?-" Jessie asks, the other fillies looking at Spike with confusion.

"-Yep, she was the first pony to raise me.... Until she had to leave me to Twilight when she got old enough. I think she still has my baby pictures.-"

"-Moving on..... You work here?-" Ash interrupts, knowing that he'd ruin his popularity if he continued.

"-More like live here. Weren't you told? Celestia let Twilight have the library after the Nightmare Moon incident. I'm the librarian when Twi isn't here.-" Spike explains.

"-I've really gotta read the papers when I have time.... No, Celestia didn't tell me.-" Ash sighs. "-You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you, it's been... What?.... Six months since I had to leave you to Twi?-"

"-Three, I think you missed me a bit too much.-"

"-Who wouldn't miss the adorable fire breather they raised?-" Ash asks, making Spike blush.

"-Ahem..... So, what do you need? As you can see here, we have quite the selection.-"

"-Well, Dakota and I are just looking, I think.-" Ash says, noticing me getting dragged by two fillies.

While they were talking I was dragged over to the kids section by Jessie and Lisa, judging from the less thick and more colorful books on the shelves. Zoe slowly followed, looking as bored as ever.

When they let me go, they looked at each other and nodded, seeming to agree on a plan. Lisa levitated a few books off the shelves, humming the whole while. Jessie had to bite down on the spine of the book she was getting. They both handed the books over to me, if you can call what they did handing them over. The cover of the book that Jessie gave me had drawings of the three main kinds of ponies I've seen so far and some other creatures that seemed to come from Greek mythology. The other two that Louise passed over some books that, after quick flipping through, seemed to be mostly drawings of plants and animals.

"-Here, you might not understand us, but, we think you'll need to know what all lives here.... Or at least know what they look like.-" Lisa says with a smile.

I blink, a little surprised that they got those kinds books. "I guess their smart for their age, I think. So, I got some picture books showing the various animals and plants, another book on the sentient races here, I presume...... Sweet, I've got some research to do." I think, thanking the fillies with a smile.

"-Can't we go somewhere more.... I dunno, more fun?-" Zoe asks, none too excited about reading.

"-Well, if we're done here, we could visit Sugarcube Corner and grab a bite to eat.-" Spike says, earning some noises of agreement with our group. "-Twi is currently having one of her..... Moments upstairs, mumbling something about the 'spell' and digging through spell books left and right. I'll gladly take a break from that, just let me put the sign on the door.-" He quickly spun said sign around, having pulled it out of somewhere, and put it on the doorknob.

We all cleared out of the library, the books in my hands and Spike staying uncomfortably close to me, hearts in his eyes. I kept trying to shy away from the guy, but he kept on getting closer, making me keep screaming internally at this guy's obvious crush on me. It seemed to take forever, but we finally got to the Hansel and Gretel nightmare of a building, ignoring the stares from the other ponies.

We entered the building without incident. The building probably made my blood sugar spike the moment I entered, the pastry theme very prominent and the smell of cupcakes in the air. There were a few ponies at some booths, eyeing me curiously and eating their food.

"-Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! How may I help you.-" The Pony behind the counter greets, not yet noticing me. "-Oh! Hi Fluttershy. the usual lemon meringue cookies, right? And let's see here..... four large chocolate shakes for the little ones, rubies added to one for our resident dragon, of course.-" He asks, earning nods of agreement from Flutters and the others. "-Now.... What would you want? Might I suggest some freshly baked cinnamon rolls?-" He asks, turning to Ash. "-We've got a two for the price of one deal today.-"

"-That sounds nice, add another chocolate ruby shake for Dakota over here and I think we'll be done ordering.-" Ash smiles, gesturing to me and missing the face Spike gave me.

"-Oh! I-I didn't notice her there..... They'll be done in a little bit, just take a seat and I'll deliver them right to the table.-" He panics a little bit at the sight of me, making me feel a little self-conscious.

With a quick thanks, we took our seats at one of the unoccupied tables near the corner. They all were talking to each other about something while they waited for their food. Meanwhile, I was looking through the animal book, seeing some animals I'm familiar with, dogs, cats, etc.

"It would appear I have hit the Greek mythos section...." I blink, surprised that there's friggin' HYDRAS here. "I hope I never meet one during my stay here." There were some animals I didn't even know, like the tree-wolf things and a snake-chicken. There was a skull and crossbones drawing in the corners of those drawings, probably to specify that they are obviously deadly and, should I see them, run the hell away.

We finally got our food after a little while, I had a cinnamon roll and a chocolate shake with red things sprinkled over the top and a bendy straw placed on the table, confusing me. "Those are too big to be sprinkles, the size of my thumb.... Some kind of candy? Maybe?" I think with a shrug, thanking the pony and earning a raised eyebrow from him.
"-I'm pretty sure she thanked you.-" Ash explains with a smile.

"-Oh, well then, you're welcome.-" He smiles, happy that I'm polite. He turns back to Ash. "-When you're done, that'll be ten bits, just pay up front.-" He tells her before walking back behind the counter, surprising her.

"-That's pretty cheap....-"

"-The owners of this place like us, so they give us a special discounts on the shakes.-" Zoe speaks up. "-Sometimes they even gives them out for free to everyone.-"

"-That's nice of them.-" Ash notes, taking a bite out of the cinnamon roll.

They all started to eat, the fillies slurping their shakes loudly, as if racing each other. Spike just stirred up his shake, the red things mixing into it, before chugging it down.. Fluttershy slowly ate her cookies, a small smile on her face.

I was hesitant to eat the red things on my shake, so I picked one off the top and, not knowing anything better to do, licked it. "Okay, it's strawberry flavored.... A little strange for it to taste like a freshly picked strawberry, but I'll go with it." I threw it in my mouth and bit down. "So, it's one of THOSE kinds of candies.... Who puts these in a shake?" I think with a wince, regretting biting down on it.

I took a quick sip from the shake, kind of wanting to know if these made a good combination. I blink, the flavors mixing to taste like a chocolate strawberry. With a hum of realization, I get why they are in there. I liked the combination, even though the candies were the slow melting kind, it was pretty good.

I moved from the shake, wanting to try the cinnamon roll. I waited for the candy to melt before I took a bite, not wanting to taste a mix of strawberry and cinnamon roll. The fillies right next to me finished. Having won the shake race, Zoe had a victorious smile on her face moments before she dropped out of her seat, moaning and holding her head. "Heh, heh, brain freeze." I laugh, missing the look Spike gave me.

Picking it up with my hand after noticing that there was no silverware for me to eat it with, I took a bite of the cinnamon roll, immediately loving it. "I found the pony equivalent of Cinnabon, Wooooohooooo!" I celebrate a little, happy that there's good food here.

We all finished at almost the same time, Fluttershy had went and got a to-go bag for her cookies and Ash put some gold coins on the counter.

"-So... Where are we going to go next?-" Ash asks, turning to look at Fluttershy.

"-H-How about my place, please? I-I mean it's not too far....-"

"-Okay, we'll go there. Lead the way.-"

We leave the bakery, Fluttershy leading the way. As we pass my house, I realize something. "Wait..........How do I even HAVE power at my house? I mean, I am probably hooked up to the plumbing, but I haven't even seen a power line anywhere." I think to myself, stopping the group and running back inside my house, much to their confusion.

I quickly run to the my basement door, quickly noticing a slight pink glow coming from behind it. I slowly open the door, hesitant to know what the source of the glow is. I hear a creak and turn around, jumping in fear. I sigh in relief, seeing Ash and Co. had followed me. I raise an eyebrow and point down the stairs, showing them the glow, earning a few gasps of awe. With a shrug, I go down the stairs and turn left, only for my jaw to drop.

There was a giant pink gem in the middle of my basement floor, almost reaching the floor above. It had little gems trailing off of it on the floor, almost looking like roots, leading to the fusebox and the water heater, completely engulfing them. The crystals engulfed the all the piping in the basement, almost making it look like a spiderweb.

"This has got to be the crystals that Celestia was talking about." I think, feeling the power pulse from it, eerily like a heartbeat.

I hear a collection of gasps behind me. Turning around, I see the group staring at all this in awe.

"-W-What is that?-" Fluttershy squeaks out, trying to hide from the gem.

"-Yeah, what is it? It's making my magic freak out.-" Lisa speaks up, pointing at her horn, which was sparking green.

"-If it is what I think it is, it'll be hard to explain..... Spike, get away from that!-" Ash yells.

Spike made his way to the gem, ignoring Ash's yells and drooling a little. "We just ate! How hungry is this guy!?!" He opened his mouth and bit down on the gem. For a moment all was silent.

Bzzzzzzzzzzt!

Spike was sent flying into the wall behind us, leaving a crater in the shape of him.

"-Worth........It.......-" We hear him say from his spot embedded into the wall, puffs of smoke coming out of his mouth.

"Yo, Spike...... Are ya alright?" I ask as he passes out. "Hmmm...... He'll be fine."

Author's Note

Well.... I didn't think I'd take this long on the chapter.... So, uh, nothing to much to say.... My college semester is starting next month, so don't worry if I take a while.

Ten points to Gryffindor to whoever gets the reference at the end.

Games and Bunnies

It's been about half an hour since Spike decided to try to eat the magical glowing crystal in my basement. We dragged the surprisingly heavy guy upstairs and lay him on my couch, worried about his health. Personally, I think he'll be alright, I am pretty sure dragons are pictured tough for a reason. Fluttershy quickly ran outside a little while ago, probably going to get someone more qualified to look at the poor guy.

We all were sitting at various spots in the living room. Because of Ash's persistence, I was sitting next to Spike, making the fillies giggle and Jynx send feelings of amusement, causing me to glare at them. The tentacle called Crystal was poking Spike in the side, sending feelings of worry. I pat her side, making her feel better and stop poking him.

Suddenly, Sylphid glowed green and moved over to the black marks on Spike's mouth, sending feelings of determination. The glow flowed over his burns, making them slowly vanish. Everyone watched them do their work, awestruck at the sudden magical display. It only lasted a few minutes until she retracted from his face and nuzzled Crystal, feeling her thank Sylphid.

"-Uhhhh.......-" Spike groans his eyes fluttering. "-A-Are you an angel?-" He asks, a little delirious from the shocking experience. "-You're beautiful......-" He murmurs, staring at my face.

Everyone giggled at the scene, making me glare at them, annoyed at the dragon's crush on me.

I hear my front door be slammed open, seeing Fluttershy and some white and pink unicorn levitating a med-kit enter the room in a rush towards Spike.

"I'll take a shot in the dark and say that she's some kind of doctor."

"-Oh, he's conscious, that'll make my job easier. Okay, Spike, tell us where it hurts.-" The pony says, breaking Spike out of his reverie.

"-Nothing hurts.... I taste mint for some reason though....-"

"-That's strange...... I was told you were launched across the room and was embedded into the wall, it should have broken some scales at least.-" The pony thoughtfully says.

"-Dakota fixed him up. He was burnt in some spots by his face, until one of her.....things glowed green and healed him. He woke right up after the light show.-" Zoe speaks up, pointing at me.

"-Is that so? Hmmmm....-" The unicorn trails off, horn glowing. "-Some residual low grade healing magic...... Nice to know she can cast healing magic.-" She smiles, having checked on spike with a small spell. "-Just tell anypony if Spike has any problems, the healing spells are a little iffy when you don't know much about the being you are using it on and, seeing that he is feeling fine, I think he'll be alright to go.-" She shrugs, a little unsure of what to. "-Well, if anything worsens, just let me know. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go back to the hospital.-" She levitates the med-kit and walks out, giving a little over the shoulder wave goodbye.

"-Soooooo........ Can anypony explain the glowing crystal in the basement?-" Jessie asks, breaking the silence.

"-Well, when Dakota warped here with her house, it had massive amounts of magic in one area, meaning, the residual magic from her getting here had to have gone somewhere.-" Ash explains. "-If enough raw magic is thrown into one spot, the effects could be disastrous, but, we all got lucky. The magic formed the crystal down there.-" She points at the basement door. "-That thing currently holds enough magic to give Celestia a run for her bits, if I'm right.-"

"-Woah! How is that possible!-" Lisa almost shrieks.

"-The only gem I saw formed by magic wasn't that big, it was the size of a hoofball and had enough magic for twenty unicorns, not even close to the boulder sized monster down there.-" Ash shudders. "-I guess we are pretty lucky that Spike's appetite didn't make the crystal blow up, those things can get pretty....unstable when fiddled with.-"

"-Hey, it was worth it! It was the best gem I've ever tasted! Granted, I probably won't do it again, I'm not crazy.-" Spike defends.

"Now that everything is all fine and dandy, how about we go back to going to where Flutters was taking us. On that note, sorry Fluttershy, I couldn't wait to check on my basement." I apologize to Fluttershy, remembering that she was leading us somewhere.

She smiles and comes over to me. "-It's fine, Dakota.-" She drapes a wing over my shoulder.

"-What did she say?-" Spike asks.

"-Well, I think it was an apology.-"

"-It's alright, Dakota. Thanks to you, I'm going to be just fine.-" Spike gently grabs my hand and, to the amusement of Jynx and to my horror, I blush.

"-Okay, you lovebirds, now that we had the unexpected 'visit' to the magical crystal downstairs, we are gonna go back to what we were doing, going to Fluttershy's pla--" Ash gets interrupted by knocks at the front door.

I shrug and answer the door, getting Spike to stop holding my hand in the process.

"Oh, hi, Rarity. What are ya doing here?" I ask, surprised that she's here.

"-Good afternoon, darling. Oh, where did you get that coat? I've never seen any design like that.-" She asks, walking circles around me and trying to memorize the design. "-What kind of fabric is it made of?-"

"Uh, hey, I know you're into fashion and all, but could ya take a break from that for, like, fifteen minutes?"

"-Oh, right! Celestia said that the spell wouldn't work anymore. Here, I have something for you.-" She says after a few moments of silence, levitating a familiar doll over to me. "-I think you forgot this back in my bedroom. Its a dreadful little thing, but I suppose you kept it for a reason.-" She says, giving a little shiver at the sight of the doll.

I take a closer look at the doll, wondering why it seemed so familiar, before remembering yesterday morning. "Ahhh, it's the Lilo and Stitch doll-clone-thing." I realize with a smile, happy to see it again. "I knew I was forgetting something today, but I didn't know what." With a quick thanks, I decide to do the kid choice on how to thank her, giving her a big hug.

I wrap my arms awkwardly around her, not really sure how to go about hugging a pony, let alone one bigger than me. She really knows how to keep her fur in pristine condition, feeling no knots in her velvety coat.

"-Oh, you're welcome, darling.-" Rarity smiles, wrapping a hoof around me in a hug.

"-What are you doing here, Rarity?-" I hear Fluttershy quietly ask, having come to check on me.

"-Dakota forgot her doll back at my house and my work was going slowly, so I came to return it.-"

"-That's nice of you, Rarity. Would you like to come with us? We're all going to go to my cottage in a little bit.-"

"-I suppose I could come along...... Just try to keep your little devil rabbit away from me.-"

"-Angel is not a devil, he's just grumpy about not getting the expensive carrots that Golden Harvest sells.-"

"-He was grumpy? Tell that to my silk supply, he broke in my house and chewed up all of it up, do you have any idea how hard it is to get Arachnid silk? Nopony has ever seen an Arachnid, let alone talked to one. I'm lucky that my source still sells the silk.-"

"-I didn't know he did all that...... I won't give him any more strawberries for a week, that should teach him to not chew up things that don't belong to him.-"

"-I really think you need to do more than that......-" Rarity mutters with a sigh, not liking Fluttershy's idea of a punishment.

"Okay, let's get the others and go, I want to see what you guys were leading me to earlier." I speak up, getting a little impatient.

"-Just wait a little longer, Dakota. We're going to go in a little while, we just have to give Rarity an update on the situation.-" Fluttershy says, patting my head lightly with a wing. "-Why don't you go play with Spike and the others?-" I get lightly pushed towards the living room, feeling Freya get a little agitated at Fluttershy.

"Fine, I'll go.-" I mutter, walking back into the living room.

I see Ash giving me a curious look the moment I walk in the room. "It's just Rarity." I say before grabbing the books and motioning Spike and the three fillies to follow me upstairs to my room.

They entered my room, seemingly in awe at all the stuff I had in here. The first thing they saw was the posters of games and movies scattered about my walls. I have a wall of video games for all the systems I have, organized by the genre of game and system, right next to my queen sized bed. A few chairs in front of my desk with my T.V on it, pretty much all the gaming systems hooked up to it, a mess of wires poking out the back.

"Welcome to my room, please don't break anything." I say, not used to having multiple people in here. "Just take a seat near the T.V, I'll get something we could all take turns on." I point near the T.V, silently hoping they'd get what I'm saying. While they looked around, I threw the doll and the books on my bed.

"-Woah, she's got some cool decorations.-" Zoe notes, not noticing that I was talking and looking at my Gurren Lagann poster.

Spike was walking around taking it all in, being a little weird in the process and sniffing random objects, lingering a little longer on my bed. "Maybe it's a dragon thing? Whatever it is, it's getting kinda creepy..."

Jessie was looking at my wall of games, trying in vain to get a hold on one of them with her hoof.

"-Oh, sweet Celestia!-" A voice exclaims, startling everyone.

Lisa had opened my closet door and was frozen in shock at the amount of clothes in there, making me sigh and the others speed over to see my closet. "This is gonna come back to mess with me later, isn't it? Why does she have to be the one to dig in my things?" I get over to the door and shut it, making shushing noises and making zipping motions over my mouth. "Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone about this. I want it to be a surprise later." I say, earning looks of confused understanding.

"-Okay, we won't tell anypony.-" Lisa slowly says, the other three nodding in agreement.

I smile, relieved that they got it. "I would hate it if the fashionista downstairs learned of my closet." I think with a shudder, knowing she would go crazy.

I motion them over to the seats by the T.V, wanting to play some games with them. They each take a seat and I move over to my game wall, looking for one of my favorite games. "Ah! Here, ya guys are gonna love this!" I say, having found the game quickly.

I pop the game in my Xbox and pull out two controllers, a plain black corded controller and my custom wireless controller I made myself. The controller was white with gold trim, golden tribal wings flowing down the grips and the buttons were silver with black lettering on them.

I turn on the T.V and see the title menu start up, hearing the group gasp in amazement. "Yeah, I can only guess how it looks to ya guys." I say with a giggle, just liking the look of absolute wonder on their faces. I had put in BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, one of the games I am better at. I felt like showing off, having played this for a while.

I put it in versus mode and passed the black controller to my tentacles, giving them a slight feeling of challenge. Freya quickly responded with glee, wrapping herself around the controller, eager to beat me again. The others were happy to join in, Crystal being a little more hesitant and being placed at the block button on the controller by Freya and Jynx, much to the annoyance of Sylphid.

I give them a little pat on the side and murmur lowly to them. "What happened to the perfect team I had yesterday? Ya guys wouldn't even let me land a hit on ya. I want that team to come back and try to take my crown away from me.... Or are ya.... Chicken?" That last word got a reaction, all of them took their positions, feeling confidence and challenge flow, making me give a feral grin. "It's been a little while since I had a round against anyone on this.... Let's go!"

I chose Taokaka, one of my favorite cat girls. The tentacles, after some voting, chose my only weakness, Rachel Alucard. She can place lightning rod traps during the battle and can make quick getaways with her wind power-thingy. Freya and Jynx send something akin to evil laughter.

"Just one round, then I'm passing it over to the others." I say, earning a nod from Crystal. I then chose the stage, Taokaka's home, The Lost City.

I skipped the little introductions for the characters, wanting to get on with this.

In the game

Taokaka and Rachel stood on the edges of the screen, waiting for either to make a move. Suddenly, Tao sped over with insane speed, claws extended, Rachel standing still and sipping on her tea with an indifferent look on her face. When Tao got close enough, Rachel's little minion turned into a cannon and fired, just missing when Tao suddenly jumped, a feral look in her eyes.

"Nyaa!"

Metal claws raked Rachel's face, her health bar lowering a little bit. Tao landed, giggling at her pain. Rachel growled, firing another cannon shot and speeding away with a gust of wind. Tao quickly turned around, noticing the two lightning traps and giving a small groan.

"Grrrrrr! I will beat the rabbit lady!" Tao yells, running headlong into the traps. She dodged them with some trouble, glad that when Rachel activates the traps, all of them go off. Rachel was prepared this time, launching some pumpkins into the air and sending a frog out in Tao's path, to the confusion of my audience.

Tao gave another growl at the sight of her next obstacles. "I hate rabbit lady's toys!" She yells, running on all fours, her tail wagging haphazardly.

A sudden gust of wind slowed Tao down, the pumpkins flying after her. Tao tried to jump and dodge, only to jump right on top of the frog and get shocked, losing about a tenth of her health bar. Another gust of wind came, sending the pumpkins back at her, now stunned, self. They made contact, sending Tao into the air and closer to Rachel.

Rachel jumped into the air, her clothes turning into a giant spiked collar and spinning to grind the spikes into Tao's body, dealing massive damage. Tao's health bar is now a little under half way after the barrage of attacks. Rachel was swept further away from Tao by another gust of wind, firing her cannon three times while flying away, each shot landing around Tao and turning into lightning traps.

Tao finally recovered, furious at the little vampire running away. Tao reached into her pocket and threw....a pillow, just my luck. The pillow hit Rachel, stunning her for a second, while Tao ran past the traps.

Tao jumped and landed on Rachel, claws swinging wildly and a cloud of dust surrounding them. The dust cleared and Tao activated one of her specials, making a ghost copy of her follow. She quickly went into action, swinging her claws rapidly, dealing twice the damage. Rachel quickly blocked most of the hits then flew away to the other side of the traps, Tao's ghost double disappearing.

Rachel's health bar had a little more than a quarter left from the punishment she went through. She gave a little, "hmmpf," and sent out more pumpkins and taunted, taking a seat and sipping on tea.

Tao ran towards her, seeing red. She quickly ran into the traps, trying her best at blocking them when they activated. Rachel sent another gust in Tao's direction, slowing her down and hitting her with the pumpkins. Rachel fired more traps at Tao, each one activating the moment they landed, making it look like even Thor didn't want Tao to win. Tao got shocked a few times, lowering her health to a little sliver.

Tao finally got close and hit Rachel with a haymaker, bouncing her off the wall. Tao followed the move by jumping and sending Rachel into the air, attacking from all directions. Rachel quickly lost during Tao's assault, not even able to block the attacks. When all was said and done, Rachel was unconscious on the ground and Tao was doing a little dance.

In the real world

"Winner is.... Taokaka!" The announcer yells, to my happiness.

"Yeah! Good game, guys!" I applaud, giving a high five to each tentacle. Freya gave me a whack on the shoulder, sending begrudging respect. Jynx sent amusement at Freya's attitude.

I turn around checking on my little audience, hoping they liked the show. The Ash and the others came up at some point during the game, surprising me a little. There was a moment of awestruck silence, nothing could be heard, except the winning music from the game.

"-That was..........awesome!-" Spike cheers, surprising me with a bone crushing hug, making me blush like a tomato.

"-That was an interesting little display you put on, darling.-" Rarity smiles. "-The way those two were fighting was barbaric, but I suppose i like the dress the other one was wearing.-"

"-I liked the cat lady! I almost couldn't keep up with her!-" Zoe cheers.

"-I-It was exciting! I-I've never seen something like that.-" Fluttershy agrees.

"-Yeah, Dakota has some interesting things, doesn't she?-" Ash notes, interested in what else I have.

"-I wonder who else she has on it....-" Lisa trails off.

I pry myself out of Spike's grip and smile, happy to show off. "So.... Are we going now?" I ask, Crystal turning off the Xbox behind me.

Fluttershy gives me a nod and turns to the group. "-O-Okay, let's get going.-"

They all slowly made their way out, Spike following close beside me and trying to hold my hand, much to my annoyance. It took a little while to get to where we were going, having taken some turns and ended up following a dirt path that lead around the outskirts of a forest. The path was hugging the edge of the forest on one side and the opposite side was a massive apple orchard, the sight of which made Jessie smile. The strangest thing I've noticed during the walk was that I heard various animal noises growing in volume as we continued.

After walking for a few minutes, we came upon a little cottage built on a hill. I stop suddenly, questioning everything knew in life after getting a good look at the place. The whole cottage looked like nature decided to take over. There was grass growing out of whack everywhere, even the roof wasn't safe. To the left of the house were a few chicken coops surrounded by a small fence. Birdhouses were on every branch on every tree, the resident birds poking their heads out, staring at me with varying degrees of fear and curiosity. The little bridge over the river looked like it was formed from the earth and under it was a little dock leading into a burrow for some kind of animal.

"Huh..... Nice place ya got here. Who lives here?" I ask, looking to Fluttershy, hoping she can give me some limited answers.

She points to herself with a small smile, trying to hide behind her hair.

I hum in response, mentally taking notes.

When we got to her front door, she pushed it open and I immediately noticed the strong.....zoo-like smell. There were even more birdhouses inside, making me blink in confusion, not really expecting there to be more. The rest of the house looked pretty normal, if you ignored the little animals running about the place.

They all stopped and looked at me. A little bunny hopped up to me, giving me a few curious sniffs, before turning to Fluttershy and the others, glaring at them.

"-Angel, this is Dakota, please be nice to her.-" Fluttershy introduces me to the bunny, making me raise an eyebrow at it.

The bunny looked at me, his calculating stare lingering at the faux bunny ears on my coat, before hopping behind me. He pawed at my little tail on the coat, seemingly confused why I have it. Then he looked at my coat sleeves, which had two tentacles coming out of each arm. He poked Crystal on the tip when she got close to him, making me shiver at the contact.

"Nice to know that I can feel what they feel if I try." I mentally note.

The little rabbit, then stared at my eyes, an almost menacing glare in his eyes. "I think I've read about this somewhere..... Something about dominance or respect, I dunno." I think with a shrug, staring back at the almost evil looking bunny in front of me.

The staring continued for a few seconds, neither of us backing down, until the bunny suddenly smiled and hopped into my arms, taking care to not touch the tentacles. That made everyone stare at me in astonishment, causing me to raise an eyebrow at the stares

"-Did he just.....?-" Zoe asks, one of her wings twitching a little.

"-Oh, my.......-" Even Fluttershy was at a loss of words.

"-What's the big deal? It's just a bunny, not a timberwolf. -" Ash asks, not really getting the big deal about this.

"-Darling, that rabbit is the most demanding, evil, outright angry little monster I've ever had the displeasure of encountering.-" Rarity explains. "-The only pony he will listen to is Fluttershy.-"

I give the little fella in my arms a few scratches behind his ears, him leaning into the touch. I guess I did the right thing, seeing that all the other animals in the house flocked to me the moment they saw him become putty in my arms. The various birds had perched onto my head and shoulders, me feeling that childish feeling of absolute wonder at this, I decide to go with the the flow, giggling all the while.

"-Whoa! She's like another you, Fluttershy!-" I hear Jessie exclaim.

Unbeknownst to me, Spike was watching this in silence, hearts in his eyes, thinking that I looked amazing with the giant smile on my face.

"-Oh, that's just amazing! I've never seen all of the critters warm up to somepony that fast, especially Angel!-" Fluttershy quietly exclaims, excited at my apparent skill with animals.

I was surrounded by various animals, dogs, cats, mice and even a bear, the last of which knocked me down by running into me, sending the birds flying in a panic and making me throw the bunny onto a nearby couch to save him the trouble of slamming into the ground with me.

"-What's a bear doing here?!?-" I hear Ash panic.

"-Oh, it's fine. She's Ms. Grizzly, one of the few animals to help me out when I need to lift something heavy. Don't worry she won't hurt anypony while she's here.-" Fluttershy assures.

"Okay, nice bear, no need to eat me, I am too spicy from years of eating spicy foods!" I didn't even catch the reassuring tone in Fluttershy's voice, too focused on the bear in front of me. The tentacles quickly went into action, Freya and Jynx glowing their respective colors, gaining the attention of the bear.

The bunny suddenly hopped in front of me, chittering furiously at the bear and causing Jynx and Freya to retract a little in confusion. The bear looked almost scared of the bunny, like it was familiar with him. The bear broke out in tears after listening to him and ran outside, much to the amusement of Freya and Jynx.

"-Angel! Why did you say that to her! You know she's sensitive about her weight!-" Fluttershy scolds, not liking the bunny's attitude. "-Go out there and apologize!-"

The bunny gave a little huff and ran outside after the bear, glaring the whole while.

"-Why didn't you make him apologize to me about the silk.....-" Rarity mutters under her breath.

The crowd of animals had swarmed me while I was sprawled out on the ground, mice climbing onto my chest and head, birds retaking their place on my arms and cats curling up on my stomach.

"I have a feeling that I'm gonna love this place!"

Author's Note

Well.... I wrote my first fight scene ever... I am pretty rusty with Blazblue, so if there are any people who will argue about the moves, I'm sorry.

Here is a little poll for Dakota's pet.

Number 1: The normal-ish pet, a poodle moth.

Number 2: a baby Nibelsnarf.

Number 3: a baby Nargacuga.

And last but not least, Number 4: a Lagombi

Sorry, anyone who wanted the Giggi.... Some new info came to light.... :twilightsheepish: the ensuing gigginox could overpopulate the place.

My First Day at School

The rest of the week passed by slowly. There were a few things that I've learned during the week that blew my mind, the cloud moving pegasi being one of them. I spent the rest of that day trying to figure out how they are able to do that, before chalking it up to magic. Another thing was that there was at least five different town-wide musicals, further cementing my theory that I'm in a world based off of a children's show.

I've spent whatever time I had alone 'discovering' things about my new body, er, not in 'that' way! The first thing I've found was a large metal hole in my lower back that, upon discovery, made me panic worse than Private Hudson in Aliens. Oddly enough, the hole looked like one of those old windup toys' key slots. Another thing I've found was the numerous barely noticeable scars all over my body, most of them concentrated my back, surprising me that Rarity even missed all that, thinking she's probably the type of person who pays attention to the smallest detail. I've tried my best to not think about what happened to the girl I'm in, just wanting to live as normal as I can in a magical pony populated world, as pointless as it was. I have had a few mental breakdowns in the middle of the night, in my vain attempt at trying to keep anyone from worrying about me. The last thing I'd like to say is that the bathroom visits are getting less..... uncomfortable.

Ash has done her best during the week she's been with me. She's a little overbearing, if not protective of me, seeing as she isn't too far behind me if I leave the house. I know she means well, but I would love some time to explore the town on my own. We came to the silent agreement that she would let me do the cooking, after I made some dinner she absolutely loved, some lasagna without meat, if you must know. I've even hid all of the meat in the fridge and freezer, worried about their reactions at seeing it, ya know, herbivorous species and all that. On the matter of the letters that freaked out Ash, I'm pretty sure she sent them to Celestia, seeing that she deals with the other nations all the time. Oh, and I almost forgot! Ash had her own party, courtesy of Pinkie Pie. Granted, she was a little upset that it was at my house in the middle of the night.

Spike showed up every so often, sometimes with a bag of heart shaped candies, and tried to give me a head start at learning Equish. I can't say it was a complete failure, seeing as I learned how to say a few words, even if they may be a little unintelligible at times. There were the few times he, dare I say it, was cute. One time was when he had spent the night at my place one night and...

Flashback two days ago

"Zzzzzzzzzz......" A familiar noise came from the weight on my shoulder, making me almost cry in frustration.

Little did I know at the time that spike was staying at my place that night. I was teaching him how to play some of my games, wanting another person to hang with. I do tend to get lonely when I have a game that has co-op things to do on it, like Portal. I had dragged a small couch to my T.V, Spike and I sitting together with controllers in our hands. I had tried my best to explain how to play the game without using words and ended up satisfied with the results, he was a quick learner. We've been playing for quite a while, passing the various puzzles with relative ease.

"Uh, Spike? You better not be doing what I think you are doing..." I mutter, slowly turning my head to look. He passed out, his head resting against my shoulder. I give a little sigh, having a tentacle turn the game off.

I look out the window and blink. "Huh..... Time flies when you are hangin' out with a dragon." I think, seeing that it had gotten pretty dark out. "Now, what to do........ I don't think I could be mean to him and just wake him up....... Nah, you don't just wake a man up from his sleep, I know that firsthand." I slowly try to shimmy away from him, only to have him mumble and wrap his arms around me, effectively trapping me in his embrace like an overgrown teddy bear.

"I hate my life and everything it has become....." I mumble, letting out a few curses whenever his claws dug into my skin.

Jynx kept silent laughing at my misfortune, making me glare at her. Meanwhile, Crystal sent multiple feelings equivalent to a massive blush, seriously, she was blushing somehow! Sylphid sent pretty much nothing on her side, I could've sworn I felt faint amusement from her at the time. Freya kept trying to attack Spike's face and, to her growing anger, just couldn't do anything to him, Spike kept shrugging off each slap and held me closer to him.

"Freya.... Stop it! Now! His scales are starting to hurt!" I whisper urgently. "You can get him back in the morning, just...... wait until then, please?" Freya glowed red, sending feelings of anger. "Please don't make this anymore worse than it has to be." Freya sent a sigh down her connection, already planning her way of getting back at him.

I smile, happy that she she's stopping her assault. Spike then wrapped his tail around my leg, murmuring something under his breath with a smile and cuddling closer to me, thus making the situation worse. I sigh and resign to my fate, noticing his body practically radiated heat.

A little bit before I fell asleep, Sylphid grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over us, sending love over her connection. I blush at the feeling, noticing the hidden message underneath, it pretty much said, "Don't deny it, you like him too don't you?"

I sigh and take a closer look at the sleeping drake cuddling me like an overgrown teddy bear, grimacing at the single thought I had at what I saw. "......Cute......"

The next morning was embarrassing for the both of us, we both woke up to the sounds of giggling coming from Twilight and Ash. They both saw Spike was holding onto me like a teddy bear and I was cuddling in return. I swear on my life, I must have done it in my sleep.

End of flashback

Twilight and Ash still joke about that..... I think, still can't understand them.

The three fillies still come over to hang out, Zoe a little more than the rest. I swear, she came every day that week, regardless if her friends were with her or not. She usually came over early, around breakfast, and we both passed time with my stuff. She liked my collection of little gundam figurines, especially gundam Epyon. We both had little gundam wars and the like in my room. I did find it weird that she kept giving me weird looks during those times.

Oh, yeah.... I'm pretty sure they made me a member of their group. They even had a little initiation ceremony that, in the end, they gave me a little cape with the silhouette of a pony on the back. I pretty much just smiled and nodded my way through that entire thing, not really knowing what to do.

Another thing that happened during the week was that I kept changing my clothes to different show themes, much to Rarity's growing curiosity. There wasn't much else on her end to note, aside from her stopping me and taking notes on the clothes.

Twilight showed up on occasion, blasting a few spells that bounce right off me. Towards the end of the week, I presume that is when she stopped altogether on using magic to solve the language problem. That still doesn't mean she stopped coming, she comes over with a scroll and quill to make 'observations.' I guess it's fine, she's not blasting me with magical energies anymore, so that's a plus. Ash and I made a silent agreement to NOT show her the crystal in the basement, seeing as she would go crazier that she already is. Although..... Twilight did freak a little when my tentacles made some candy out of nothing, I guess it is not normal for magic to be used like that.

Well, anyways, today is my first day of school, judging from the school supplies that Ash had gathered yesterday. Today, I am wearingIa's clothes, having my tentacles come out of sleeves, finding it weird that all the cosplay stuff fits me perfectly.

"-Are you ready, Dakota?-" Ash asks, looking at me with excitement and opening my front door. "-Oh, who am I kidding! You probably aren't!-" laughing nervously, she shrugs. "-I-I mean you are the only of your kind in the whole school, even the whole world! Even I would be nervous.-"

I raise an eyebrow at her attitude, seeing that she is more nervous than a kitten in a dog show. Waving her nervousness off, I pick up my backpack and wordlessly walk out the door, heading in the direction of the school. She quickly sped to my side, giving me the feeling that this is the first time she had to take a kid to school. The whole trip was a lesson in patience, Ash worried the whole way, quite loudly I might add.

We eventually got there, meeting Zoe and her friends out front. I give a small wave and say a good morning.

"-Can I trust you girls to keep her out of trouble for me?-" Ash asks, using one of her wings to ruffle my hair, much to my amusement.

The three nod in affirmative and quickly drag me inside, excited to show me off. We get inside the classroom and I broke off from their group, dropping my backpack off next to a desk on the front left of the classroom and sat down, quickly noticing that the seat was a little strange, It was basically a stool with no back. I pulled out a book that had some Minotaurs and Gryphons on the cover from my backpack and started to look through it, waiting for the teacher to start class.

Unknown to me, some of the other kids flocked around my desk, observing my every movement curiously. Each of my tentacles did their thing, Sylphid trying to help me read by pointing out some patterns in the text, Freya sending annoyance down her connection, Crystal extending and examining the group of kids with excitement, and Jynx doing her best to make me stop looking at the book.

I felt something start petting Crystal, making me shiver at the feeling. I put the book down, to the joy of Jynx, and turn the group with a smile on my face. I notice a scrawny pegasus petting Crystal gently, causing her to send joy down her connection. "What do ya want? Oh, wait, lemme guess, ya guys wanna ask questions?" I almost laugh at the blank looks on their faces. "-I naps wordz goodz.-" I explain in their language, hoping I got it right.

I probably should've said this earlier. To put it lightly, Equish is really hard to speak. It is like trying to combine horse whinnies with an angry German accent, pretty much impossible for me to to even pronounce. It kinda worked like Pokéspeak, different tones meant different words, confusing the hell out of me.

They blinked at my broken Equish, not really expecting me to say anything recognizable. A little filly started laughing uncontrollably, probably at what I said.

"Oh, look, it's the tiara wearing one."

"-Tiara~-" a pony to my left lightly scolds. "-Don't be mean to her. Remember that talk we had?.-"

"-And there's Glasses.-"

"-I'm sorry, Spoon. It's just, he he, I didn't expect her to talk like that.-" Tiara apologizes, still giggling a little. "-I guess she caught a few words here and there during the week. Right, Spoon?-"

"-I suppose so, Tiara.-" Glasses says with a shrug. "-Less work for Ms. Cheerilee.-"

"-Hey! She's our friend! Why are you two so interested in her, anyways?-" Zoe asks, upset that Tiara laughed at me.

"-Not me, blank flank.-" Tiara corrects, pointing at Glasses. "-She's the one who has a little crush on that freak. I'm just worried for her.-"

Whatever Tiara said caused the whole room go silent and look at Glasses, who was blushing at the attention. Glasses gave Tiara a look that was a cross between betrayed and embarrassed.

"-Tiara, could you come with me, please?-" Glasses calmly asks,hiding her embarrassment behind a cool exterior and dragging Tiara away to the corner of the room by her tail, getting in a quiet argument when they got there.

Everyone started to talk amongst themselves, probably about whatever Tiara said. Zoe and her group took their seats closest to me, talking amongst each other. I did, however, miss the worried glances they sent in my direction.

"-Okay class, time to take your seats.-" The teacher announced, having been watching all this from her desk.

I watched as everyone sat at their seats, noticing that Tiara and Glasses seemed to come to an agreement. Glasses took a few nervous glances at me, looking a little embarrassed. We ended up making eye contact, me raising an eyebrow at the look, making her blush and look away. I think I saw Tiara send me a few jealous glares, I can't be too sure.

"-Alright, class, I have an announcement.-" Teach announces, gaining the students' attention. "-As most of you may already know, Dakota will be starting to come to class as of today.-" She says, every student taking a glance at me in response. "-As you all heard earlier, she can barely speak Equish, so I'll be teaching her it, meaning, all of you will get review work until she can read Equish, at the very least.-" The last little bit elicited some stray groans of boredom.

Teach pulled out some worksheets from her desk with her mouth and made her rounds passing them to each student, except me. Once that was done, she pulled out a few sheets of paper with some drawings on them from her desk and placed them on my desk.

"Oh, great. More pony runes." I think after taking a closer look at the drawings. "Let's see here..... At least four different versions of the horseshoe..... Two kinds of pony heads, one with horn, the other without.... Two that look like the sun.... Is this their alphabet? Huh..... Gotta be about ten times the amount of characters in this. Maybe it's some kind of hieroglyphic thing?" I shrug at the thought, none too excited to learn this.

Seeing my confusion, Teach pointed at one rune and sounded it out, making me more confused than I already was. Glasses was watching this with some amusement. "-Why don't you have her write out her alphabet? Maybe you two can make some connections between them.-" She suggests, wanting to help.

Teach smiled at the suggestion. "-Good idea, Silver Spoon. Come here, you can help us with this.-" She says, calling Glasses over to us. Glasses slowly came over, almost hesitant get close to me, blushing like mad.

There were some stray giggles coming from some students, a certain tiara wearing individual in particular was the most prominent. Glasses silenced Tiara with an unamused glare, to which Tiara responding by mouthing something, making Glasses blush even harder than before. Glasses took her spot next to me, smiling nervously.

After some rather creative charades on the teacher's part, I had got the what she was saying. I wrote the English alphabet in pencil and placed it down right next to the paper with pony runes, ready to get on with this.....

One eternity later

"Sometimes, I wish Morgan Freeman could just come and explain things to me.... Seriously, I can't believe this." I blink at the writing in front of me. I had pulled out a notebook earlier and, some help, deciphered some of the pony runes. It looks like each rune represents a word. There were some obvious translations, like the unicorn rune and the sun rune.

Glasses and the teacher had helped out a lot with the translations. We started with the basics, naming some random objects. We started with an apple that the teacher had on her desk. The thing they wrote was literally a goddamn mini drawing of an apple, bear in mind, they don't even have hands! They drew the thing with the old ink and quill, in their mouths!.

We ended up passing around translations of random things in both English and pony runes until a bell rung, making some of the kids cheer. Most of the class ran outside to the little playground, leaving just me, Glasses, Tiara, Zoe, Jessie, Lisa and the teacher in the classroom. The kids ran up to Glasses and I, probably wanting to take me out with them.

"-Can Dakota come play with us, Ms. Cheerilee?-" Lisa asks, putting on her cutest face.

"-Hmm.... I suppose she could... We've made some good progress, thanks to Silver Spoon over here.-" Teach smiles, causing Glasses to blush.

The trio cheered and started to drag me outside, much to my annoyance. I sigh and give a little wave before I get dragged out of the room, getting used to being dragged by these crazy ponies. I zoned out while they continued dragging me, thinking about what my life has become.

"Sigh.... This doesn't help my confidence any, being dragged around my three pony kids......."

My depressing train of thought was derailed after I noticed that we stopped at a swing set, confusing the hell out of me that they can even use them. Lisa sat down on the seat just like a normal human kid. I decided to not question anything in this insane world I'm in after seeing that.

Zoe gives me a little push towards the swing set, looking a little excited to play with me. I hop on the seat, wanting to show off a little, and start doing what I haven't done in a while, gain enough momentum to launch myself into the air and nail the landing. The rest of the kids outside flock to see me, probably wondering what I'm gonna do. I saw some new faces in the crowd, a brown colt with a propeller hat and a whitish-pinkish filly with an almost unruly red mane wearing the most gaudy glasses I've ever seen.

I gave a big smile and launched myself off the seat, having gained enough momentum. I few over the small crowd, feeling all their eyes on me. The tentacles panicked and speared the ground, leaving me suspended in the air. All four of them sent feelings of annoyance at my little stunt, Freya more than the others. The feelings changed to joy after our audience started cheering, thinking it was all part of my plan.

Jynx, feeling mischievous, retracted and made my little tentacle tower fall, taking me with it. Much to my pain and the audience's amusement, I landed on my face. The trio helped me up, looking a little worried. I wave them off, brushing the dirt off my clothes. Feeling a little upset that my plan didn't work, I walk off to a nearby bench with a small frown.

The crowd dispersed, going to do their own thing. I spotted Glasses and Tiara over at a little picnic table, looking like they were scheming something. The propeller hat kid took a hesitant seat next to me, pulling out a small device from his saddlebags with his hooves. I raise an eyebrow at the thing, genuinely curious about what it does. It was controller shaped with an oversized screen in the center and some big buttons on both sides. On the back was a small slot with a cartridge inserted into it, looking vaguely familiar.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it was a gam-" I blink, seeing him turn it on with a flick of a switch on the side. The screen lit up, showing some pixelated ponies on some kind field, one of them riding a giant chicken-thing, while the others were chasing after her. Some nostalgic music flowed from the device, making me smile at the memories.

"Lemme guess, that is called Pony Fantasy here?" I muse with a shrug, having learned to accept damn near everything strange I've seen as some kind of norm. "Mind if I watch?" I ask, briefly forgetting the language barrier.

He looked at me with curious eyes, pressing a few buttons with his hooves and navigating the menus out of the corner of his eyes. I gesture towards his game then my eyes, earning an eager smile and nod from the guy. I get a little closer to take a closer look, spotting his little sprite moving through an old castle.

We both sat there, enjoying the little game. He had passed it to me at one point, having lost at one point to a giant dragon thing, looking a little upset. I gave him a look, questioning why he had even gave it to me, It was all in pony runes. Seeing him shrug, I take the thing from his grip. I had some trouble holding onto it, seeing as it was a little awkward to work the buttons. I had even surprised him at how good I did, having beat the dragon. I just relied on my memories of the game's human counterpart, seeing as they were pretty much identical.

"-What!-" He exclaimed, making me flinch at his nasally voice. "-How did you even beat him?!? You can't even read it!-" I shrug at his loud outburst, making him blink. "-You got lucky.....-" He mutters in disbelief. "-Yeah, that's what happened.-" He nods, seemingly pleased with this explanation.

I pass the game back, finishing with saving the progress. He takes it with one hoof, putting it back in his bag. I hold out my fist, happy to find another gamer like me. He bumps it with a hoof, grinning at my attitude.

"Let's see here.... What am I gonna call this guy?..... Gamer will do, I guess."

Glasses and Tiara came over, having finished with whatever they were doing. Glasses looked at Gamer, seemingly confused as to why I was hanging out with him. Tiara looked a little disgusted at the sight of him.

"-What are you doing hanging out with that freak? Nopony else wanted to play those dumb games?-" Tiara asks, sounding like she hated the guy. Gamer looked a little dejected at what Tiara said, his ears drooping like a sad dog.

"-Tiara....-" Glasses sighed, pushing up her glasses with a hoof. "-We literally just talked about this, not even three minutes ago.-" She points out, earning a blush from Tiara.

Tiara shrugged. "-Sorry, won't happen again.-" She apologized, giving Glasses a sheepish smile.

"-Knowing you, it probably will.-" Glasses muttered under her breath, before turning to us with a gentle smile. She waved at me, motioning me to follow her.

"Nice change of pace, not being dragged around." I smile and get up from my seat, giving Gamer a little wave. He looked between Tiara and I, frowning a little and waving back.

I nonchalantly followed the duo to their table, wondering what they want to show me. Glasses pulled out some paper and a quill, starting to write. I look to Tiara, raising an eyebrow and getting a confused shrug in return. In a few minutes, Glasses passed me her note. I blink in surprise at what she wrote.

"Wow...... I did not expect her to learn to write English that fast...."

The whole thing was written in English. It had a few errors here and there, but, all in all, still readable.

(Hello, my name Silver Spoon. My friend, the one next to you, Diamond Tiara. Sorry you can't read much this, It hard to learn you words in little time. Would like to know if you want to be friend and go some place wit us after school.)

"Okay, it's official, this kid is my best friend!" I give my biggest smile at the thought. I look at Spoon and nod, happy to now know her real name. I cheered internally, a proud that I got Tiara's name spot on.

Spoon smiled, looking like she was both really proud of what she did and excited to hang out with me after school. Tiara coughed, gaining our attention.

"-What did you write?-" Tiara asks, looking a little jealous.

"-Oh, nothing, just asking if she would like to go hang out with us after school.-" Spoon says absentmindedly, not noticing Tiara's surprised look.

The bell rung again, most of the kids slowly walking back inside. I look at Spoon and Tiara, giving them a little wave and started to make my way to the classroom, leaving them to their business.

Once I got back to the classroom, I saw the few kids pulling paper bags out of their saddlebags. I slowly come to the realization that it's lunchtime for the school, feeling a little stupid. I genuinely thought that it could be one of those schools with a cafeteria, where they serve some crappy school food. I had made the mistake to not pack a lunch......

"So THAT'S why Ash kept giving me weird looks when I didn't want to bring lunch.... God, I'm stupid." I resisted the urge to hit myself.

Slowly, I took my seat, ignoring the curious stares in my direction. I look at my tentacles, sending my embarrassment down the connections. They all move to 'look' at me, making me laugh nervously and blush.

"Can ya do me a solid and make me lunch?" I hesitantly ask, not quite liking the way they are 'looking' at me.

Crystal bobbed up and down, giving me the impression of nodding. Freya lightly slapped my forehead, sending disappointment down her connection. Sylphid..... Surprisingly enough, sent nothing down her end, glowing a little in response. Jynx just sent amusement down her connection and glowed purple.

They all turned towards my desk, glowing all at once, a football sized rainbow colored blob appearing on the desk. Everyone watched in awe as the blob slowly took shape. In a few minutes, it formed my lunch. There was a can of orange soda and a big steaming bowl of ramen with, of all things, chopsticks. The moment they stopped glowing, I felt the drain, making me pant a little from exhaustion. I couldn't complain, free is free. I thank them and give each one a few good scratches on their sides, making all of them send love down their connection.

My audience did their own version of an applause, stomping their hooves on the floor. Some of the unicorns in the class looked at their horns, probably wondering how I did that.

"Nothing to see here, go back to eating yer food." I say, starting figure out how to use the chopsticks and eat. They all took my advice and went back to eating.

"Mmmm, chicken, my favorite. Thanks, guys." I gave each tentacle another scratch on the side, feeling pretty good about today.

Meanwhile, in the Badlands.

Change to 3rd person POV.

Underneath the desolate wasteland, inside a network of caverns, was a secret kingdom. Inside of the largest cavern, was a massive, chitinous castle-like structure, home to one of the most resourceful queens ever to live..... Her name is Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.

Inside the Queen's chamber, lied Chrysalis on a bed made of a gently glowing green jelly, her cerulean membrane-like mane covering her eyes as she slept. The room was silent, while the outside was abuzz with rumors, news of the new creature in Equestria. The love gatherers had finally come back to deliver their weekly harvest of love, bringing with them news of the outside world.

Chrysalis' slumber was disturbed by a loud banging on the door, making her moan in disappointment, she was having a good dream! There was love for everyling, not the rationing out of the meager stores they had now.

"My queen! I apologize for the disturbance, but I bring some important news!" A deep voice loudly chirps from behind the large stone door entrance to her room. The queen sighed in resignation, having heard of this 'important' news before. Tapping into her hive's connection, she allows the guard to enter the room.

He was a big changeling, bigger than most. His frill was torn up, looking like something tried to eat it. He had scars on most of his chitin, souvenirs of him proving himself multiple times in the Pitt, an arena he frequents in the nearby cavern. He was missing an eye from an encounter with one of the creatures in the Badlands. The holes in his legs were more jagged, nowhere near the smooth holes that most of the other lings have. He stopped his entrance at a respectable distance from her bed.

Briefly, she wondered why she had even let him in her personal guard. "He is one of the most capable lings in the hive..... That's why." She thought to herself, remembering his displays of fighting prowess in the Pitt.

"My queen, there is word that a new creature appeared in the neighboring nation, Equestria." He informs, his voice sounded like he ate nails and washed them down with rocks.

"Interesting..... Tell me more, Six Six." The queen commands, genuinely curious about this new event.

"I can only go by what I heard from the gatherers, my queen. It is a pale skinned bipedal mammal, with no fur anywhere, except for the white tuft on its head. The gatherers say that it has some even stranger traits than that, it has four tentacles, seeming to act on their own. Another thing is...... Well....." He trailed off, not really sure how to go about telling his queen the next few things.

"Well? What is it?" Chrysalis asks, confused at Six Six's hesitation.

"Bear in mind, my queen. They say it.... Came to be there from a massive magical surge, the likes of which only theorized by scholars, a week ago."

Chrysalis blinked in surprise, not really expecting that. "Y-You mean....!"

"Affirmative, my queen. The magic ripped it here, with its home none the less." The guard confirms, turning towards the door. "I believe that one of the gatherers had brought a newspaper with a picture of the being, I'll go acquire it." He started to exit, only to stop at the sound of his queen getting off her bed.
"Wait.... Before you go, tell me.... D-Did the gatherers return with a good harvest?" She asks, hesitation making her voice tremble.

The guard, as tough as he was, couldn't work up the heart to turn around to face his queen.

"No...... No, they didn't....."

Author's Note

I'm sorry I took so long, guys. I had my first bit of writers block in this chapter. I've even figured out to do some new things with my tablet in the meantime!

So.....I'm never really sure what to put in these things... Meh...

Oh. Right! Uh, the winners of the pet poll!

The Nargacuga won. The next chapter will have him show up sometime soon.... Just have to find that draft I have laying around here....

I want to hear your ideas on what poison joke will do to Dakota. I have one idea where it turns him into a dragoness.... I'll let you guys come up with alternatives for that.

As always, I love all of you guys that read this.

Makes me soo happy. :rainbowkiss:

Some Stupidity and Some Questions are Answered.

Thanks to Spoon, the rest of my time at school passed pretty quickly. She was even nice enough to try to give me the names of the few ponies I didn't know the names of, when we had some time. Though, I believe she was being mean to them, I don't think Zoe's name was Chicken..... After some note passing and disappointed glares, she reluctantly passed Zoe and her Friends' real names, to her best of her ability. The names felt a little... off, like they were missing bits and pieces.

Suppressing a laugh at Zoe's real name, I crack open my soda, the noise startling those around me. I shrug at the reactions, not really caring at the moment. The class had ended a few minutes ago and I was waiting out front for Spoon, the teacher called Spoon to her desk before I left. Scooter, Applebloom and Sweets were the only few that took their seats with me, unsure of what I'm doing. Gamer guy had spotted me with them, giving a us wave before going towards wherever he was going.

"-I can't believe Silver Spoon has a crush on our new initiate.-" Sweets mutters, giving me a concerned look.

"-Ah know what ya mean, she never really shown an interest in anypony, 'sides Tiara.-" Applebloom nods, rubbing her chin in thought.

"-Girls, we need to stop them from taking Dakota.-" Scooter suddenly says, giving me an unreadable look.

"I swear, she would be great at poker. I just can't get a read on her....." I think to myself. "These kids are pretty much open books, except for her......" I shrug, not caring at the moment. "Meh, It's probably nothing."

"-Scoots, aren't you overreacting? I'm pretty sure they'll hang out with her until they get tired of her, remember what happened with Twist when she got her cutie mark?-" Sweets reminds.

"-Yeah, but that's different. Twist's lisp does tend to get annoying after a while. Dakota can do cool things, just look at what she did to get her lunch! With her magic, they could get anything they want! Who would pass up the chance to be friends with her at this point? -" Scooter points out, shaking her head.

"-Ah guess yer right.....-" Applebloom shudders at the thought.

"-Ahem!-" Someone cleared their throat, making the trio jump in surprise. Spoon and Tiara had just left the school, coming to a stop behind me, glaring at the trio.

"-If you would kindly excuse us, blank flanks. Dakota is going to be with us after school today, not with you three.-" Silver says with barely disguised disdain, making me frown at her attitude.

"-Since when was she yer friend?-" Applebloom argues, pointing at Spoon in annoyance.

"-Since I had helped to teach her how to read Equish. I had even took notes on her language, meaning, I can write some basic sentences for her to read.-" Spoon smiled smugly. "-You three blank flanks probably didn't even think of doing that, did you? It just goes to show how much better we are than you three imbeciles." She says with a shrug, adjusting her glasses with a hoof.

In a flash, Scooter got up in Spoons face, glaring furiously. "-If I were you, I'd shut up before something bad happens.-" Scooter venomously whispers, making Spoon flinch. "-Alright, you got the message. Now, if you do anything mean to Dakota..... I will not hesitate to dye your mane a nice shade of pink in your sleep. Remember, we all know where you live.-" Spoon slowly blinks, nodding even slower. Scooter gives a small nod, pleased that the threat worked.

Scooter turned back to her friends. "-Well, let's get going!-" She announced, quickly walking down the street and earning some confused looks from her friends.

"-Uhh... What was that?-" Applebloom asks, following after, her friend.

"Huh.... What's going on? Aside from the obvious rivalry, that is." I confusedly ask, looking at Sweetie, who just thoughtfully looked between Scoots and I, before running off after her friends.

"-Pffft, that oversized chicken isn't stupid enough to do that, our parents pretty much own the town.-" Tiara scoffs.

"-Yeah.... She isn't....-" Spoon trails off, staring in the direction the trio went.

"Hey, Spoon." I took a sip of my soda and started scratching her ear, getting her attention off of Scooter. "I don't know what ya said to 'em.... But could you at least try to be nice to them?" I ask, knowing my words fell on deaf ears, after seeing Spoon lean into my hand. "Never mind......" I blink, hearing her start groaning.

"-Uh, Spoon?-" Tiara asks, looking a little uncomfortable at the sight of her friend twitching in pleasure at my scratches. "-Are you alright?-" She hesitantly asks, seeing Spoon's eyes roll into the back of her head.

"-Just....... wonderfullllll.....-" Spoon dreamily moans, making me feel dirty and stop with the scratches. "-Awwww.....-"

"-So, uh, let's get going Spoon.....-" Tiara says with a blush, looking at my hands with horrified curiosity.

Spoon, having finally realized what she had done, blushed and took a few moments to compose herself. "-Er, right! Your place, right?-" She asks, readjusting her glasses in an attempt to hide the blush.

"-Yeah.... My place...-"

They started walking down the street, me closely following suit behind them. It wasn't too long before we entered the fancier part of town, seeing as the houses were bigger and much more expensive looking. There were less ponies walking about here, some of which looked like they could be the hired help, seeing the outfits they were wearing. The few ponies that weren't too engrossed in their work, gave me some worried looks when they saw me with Tiara and Spoon.

We came to a stop at some iron gates in front the mansion at the end of the street, a slim grey unicorn opening the gate at the sight of us. He raised an eyebrow on his bored face when he noticed me, still managing to look bored out of his mind. He didn't wear anything too fancy, just a simple tie around his neck.

"-Young Tiara, I see you have brought the town's newest resident with you.-" He points out in his monotone voice. "-Are you going to take it to your father? Filthy Rich seems to be very interested in meeting it.-" He asks, earning a knowing sigh from Tiara.

"-I guess I will. You're just going to tell him anyway, right?-" Tiara asks, looking down.

"-I will inform him that you brought a guest aside from young Spoon, just not who it was. That's up to you, to take him to your father.-" He says, showing an emotion other than boredom, giving them a small smile.

"-Thanks, Stone Heart.-" Tiara smiled.

"-You better get going, Tiara. Your father is in his study, just so you know.-" He motions towards the mansion, shutting the gate behind us with a slight grey glow from his horn.

Tiara thanked him and lead us into the mansion. I had stopped when we entered the foyer, the sheer amount of wealth put into that room alone made me stop in shock. I had never felt so poor at the moment, seeing gold trim all throughout the room. There was a giant detailed family portrait at the top of the stairs, depicting Tiara and two other ponies. The pony on the left side of a smiling Tiara was a brown furred normal pony that looked very exhausted, like he had an all nighter running something important and was regretting it at the moment. The pony on the other side had coat was a deep shade of gold, her mane a dark ebony. She looked bored, like she wanted be somewhere else, like, anywhere else but where she was.

"I think I've seen something like this before..... On T.V, I think." I think to myself, scratching my chin, trying to remember what exactly happened in it. I shrug. "Meh..... Maybe It's nothing."

"-Come on, Dakota.-" Spoon nudges me from behind, wanting to hurry a little.

"Oh, right." I shake my head, remembering what I was doing.

The three of us went up the stairs and took the left hallway, passing a few maids on the way and observing the various paintings. After some maids stopped us, speaking with Tiara informally before running off to do things, we ended up at a big door with the picture of a diamond studded tiara emblazoned on it. I almost laugh at the obvious answer of who's room it is.

Tiara opened the door, revealing the room fit for a princess. Her bed was one of those beds with the curtain things surrounding it, I never really learned the name for them. There was a bunch of other expensive looking things in the room, making me feel nervous at the thought of accidentally breaking something.

Spoon and I entered first, taking seats on the bed. Tiara followed soon after, taking a seat on a golden stool that had various gems encrusted on the legs and shrugging off her saddlebags onto the floor.Spoon and Tiara talked to each other for a little bit, while I thought about things, zoning out.

"Hmmm.... Now, let's see here.... I have a windup key slot on my back, right? That means there's a key just lying around somewhere..... I wonder what happens when I'm 'wound up'......What happens if I'm 'overwound?' Do I even need to be wound? Soooo many questions, so little answers...."

"-Dakota?-" Spoon asks, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Hmm?" I blink and turn to Spoon, seeing her look at me confusedly.

She got up and grabbed an ink and quill alongside some paper on Tiara's desk, writing down some words in English. She carefully wrote them down, taking her time. When she finished, she passed them over to me.

(You okay? You look at wall for while...)

"Oh, great! Look at what I did! I made her worry about me!" I panic a little, causing the tentacles to instinctively retract until they were just poking out of my back.

I sigh and take another sip my soda, placing it on a nearby table. Deciding to be honest with her, getting up and turning my back to them, to her and Tiara's confusion. I slowly and hesitantly lift the back of my shirt up, revealing the metal slot. They both gasp in shock, making me quickly shove the shirt back down in fear of scaring them.

"-What is that!-" Tiara yelled, freaked out about the hole in my back.

"-It looked like a keyhole....-" Spoon trails off, thinking about why I showed her it and raising an eyebrow at me, making me point at my back and shrug. "-It looks like even she doesn't know what it does.-"

"-That still doesn't explain why it's there.-"

Spoon got behind me, lifting up my shirt to take a better look and making me blush at the action. "-Hmmm......-" She hums, poking around my back with her hoof and taking mental notes. She poked at some hard parts on my spine and gasped again, feeling something move.

"-Uhh.... Tiara, come here.-" Tiara hesitantly came over, fearful of what her friend found. "-Put your hoof where mine is. What do you feel?-" Spoon asks, wanting to confirm what she felt.

Tiara recoiled, feeling something round spinning inside my back. "-Are those.... Gears!-" Tiara asks in horrified disgust, wondering what I've been through.

"-It feels that way, probably. It looks like she got them put in a long time ago, just look at the scars, they're all over her back.-" Spoon points out, trying to make her friend feel a little better about the fact I wasn't in pain. "-It seems like they don't hurt her any.... Looking at the pattern of the scars, it looks like she was....opened up....-" Spoon shudders at the thought. "-.. But, what purpose do they serve?-" Spoon thinks aloud, still poking at my back.

"-You're not helping....-" Tiara mutters, seeing her friend go 'analyst mode.'

For a few minutes, Spoon kept poking around my back and avoiding the tentacles, Tiara watching it all in disgust from her seat. The next few things happened pretty quickly. Spoon had somehow got her hoof in the slot, the hole being big enough for her small hoof, making me twitch at the feeling of something entering my back. "Uhh, what are yo-" I guess she had the bright idea to try to turn it counterclockwise with her hoof, making me black out from the intense pain that followed, the sound of broken machinery being the last thing I heard.

"I'm.... An.....idiot...."

Now in 3rd person

Dakota had dropped like a sack of potatoes to the ground, taking Spoon down her. Spoon's hoof was stuck in the metal slot, making Dakota's back emit a horrible screeching noise. Tiara watched this all go down in shock, her screaming heard throughout the mansion, startling everyone inside.

"Tiara, help! I'm stuck!" Spoon yelled, getting her friend's attention.

"I'm going to get help! Stay right there!" Tiara yelled back, running out the door as fast as she can.

"It's not like I could go anywhere right now, even if I wanted to....." Spoon mutters.

Spoon did her best to pry her hoof out of Dakota's back, failing miserably. Sighing, she lied down on Dakota's back, waiting for her friend to come back with help. Spoon put her ear against Dakota's back, listening for a pulse, only to start sobbing when she heard nothing, not even breathing. She looked at the back of Dakota's head, apologizing silently with tears in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry.... I don't know what turning it would do..." She sobbed, fearing the worst.

In minutes, the whole room was suddenly filled with ponies trying to unstick Spoon from Dakota. After a few more minutes, most of which was explaining to both Spoon's and Tiara's parents the situation at hoof and trying to remove a crying Tiara who was not leaving her friend's side for anything. They had placed Dakota on the back of Stone Heart with Spoon on top of her. Stone helped relieve the weight with his magic, using a minor form of levitation.

After giving Tiara some persuasive arguments on why she should stay home, Stone had left in the direction of the hospital with Dakota and Spoon, leaving everyone else behind at the mansion. As they walked, they had some ponies start to follow them, watching the town's newest resident on Stone's back with worry, seeing her deathly still with a sobbing Spoon on her back. Applejack, who was running her apple stand at the time, saw this scene and went to check what was going on.

"What in tarnation is goin' on here?" Applejack asked, earning a tired look from Stone.

"Miss Spoon did something to Dakota and she got stuck, making Miss Dakota fall unconscious. We believe-" Stone was interrupted by the small voice from behind him.

"S-S-She's not u-unconscious..... SHE'S DEAD!" Spoon yells, making Applejack flinch at the volume and causing the crowd to swarm them, wanting to take a look at the condition of their newest resident.

"Are ya sure, sugarcube? It looks to me like she's just sleepin'...." Applejack asks, looking at Dakota with uncertainty.

"YES, IM SURE, BECAUSE SHE HAS NO PULSE AND SHE ISN'T BREATHING!" Spoon explodes, the stress of the situation making her hysterical. "IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

"Oh.... She's not lyin'..." Applejack mutters to herself with wide eyes. "I'll go get the girls!" Applejack announced, running off in the other direction.

Stone had made it to the hospital in under half an hour, the crowd not making it any easier for him or his passengers. He opened the door to the emergency room. Sparing a moment to glare at the crowd, making them all back off in fear, he entered the building. His abrupt entry startled the only mare in the room, the unicorn nurse Red Heart.

"I don't mean to sound like an imbecile, my dear, but where are the other medical staff?-" Stone asks in his normal monotone, levitating Dakota and Spoon onto the nearby gurney.

"We are very understaffed here today. There was a scheduling mishap, so there's only four ponies in the whole building." Red explains, looking a little upset. She quickly went over to the gurney, noting the obvious problem with Spoon and looking at Dakota a little unsurely, not knowing what to do for her. "Can you tell me what's wrong with her?"

"S-She's d-dead....." Spoon whispers, obviously traumatized at being stuck to her unmoving friend.

"What!?!" Red Heart exclaimed, shocked at the severity of the situation. She quickly cast a small spell that made Spoon's hoof pop out of the slot, making the filly quickly running off to a nearby bench to cry over her mistake.

Stone frowned and turned towards Red. "I have a traumatized filly to console, I wish the both you the best of luck, despite how uncertain the situation is right now." He said his goodbye and walked towards the crying filly, leaving Red with the presumed dead girl on the gurney.

Red quickly pushed Dakota into an operating room, hooking Dakota up to the various medical devices in the room to the best of her ability, noticing that the heartbeat monitor didn't even register that Dakota was hooked up.

Fifteen minutes later.

This particular hallway in Ponyville General has never been more gloomy, the lifeless body of Dakota in the room at the end of the hall. All of the element bearers had gathered in the hall, joining a distraught Ash and a Traumatized Spoon in trying to figure out what happened to Dakota. Twilight had entered the room five minutes ago, helping with the autopsy.

"I can't believe she's gone..... I've never lost a child........ Never! Waaaaaaaaaa!" Ash sobbed into her hooves, having came here as fast as she could when she heard the news.

"She couldn't have..... 'dropped' just like that, she was up and about all day yesterday." Rainbow ponders, looking in the direction of the room.

"The poor dear..... to have her life ended so suddenly...." Fluttershy sniffed, having been crying since she had heard the news.

"Ah wonder what Spoon was doing with Dakota." Applejack rubs her chin. "Her hoof was caught in somethin' on Dakota's back when she was being brought here." She turns to Spoon, who was sitting on a nearby bench.

"S-she had a keyhole the size of my hoof in my back..... I-I p-put my hoof in there and t-turned, wondering what would happen....-" Spoon whispers, everyone turning to look at her in confusion. Stone frowned and wrapped his hooves gently around her, whispering to her how it wasn't her fault.

The door at the end of the hall opened, Twilight and Red walking out with solemn expressions on their faces. The hallway went silent, waiting to hear the news. Twilight ran a hoof through her mane, letting out a shuddering sigh.

"Girls..... It looks like Dakota had hidden some stuff from us." Twilight said, looking down. "There was a keyhole in her lower back, connected to it was some other gears and wires that kept her active, like some kind of toy." She informed, making Rainbow snort in disbelief. "When Spoon had turned her hoof inside the keyhole, it had triggered some kind of failsafe, causing the gears to forcefully shut down... To be honest, I have a hard time believing that her hoof did all that."

"You mean to tell us that she was a some kind of robot? I don't believe you." Rainbow dash spoke up, crossing her hooves across her chest.

"You're not too far off, Rainbow. After taking some closer looks at her insides, I would say that she's a some kind of doll." Twilight explained, not surprised at Rainbow's attitude. "I'll tell you the specifics later, after we fix her."

"She can be fixed?" Spoon hopefully asks, finally standing up from her seat.

"I don't want to be 'that' mare, dearie. But, as we all have seen in that room, the poor darling is gone." Rarity speaks up, skeptical of Twilight.

"All she needs is to be wound up with her key, it should bring her back." Twilight explains, having took an extensive look at the clockwork inside Dakota's back. "There is some kind of magic in effect that keeps her brain and insides from decomposing, so she should be just fine for a while."

"So we need to find the key......" Spoon trails off. "Can we make a new one? If we can't find it, I mean."

"Well.... We could, but it would take some time." Twilight replied, frowning at the thought of not finding the key. She had done some extensive magical tests on the keyhole, finding that the key for it needed some kind of unknown magic to trigger the mechanism. "I'll go send a letter to the princess, informing her of the situation and seeing if she has an idea where the key is." Twilight informs. "The rest of you, go search Dakota's house for the key. If I had to guess, it would be somewhere she wouldn't lose it."

"Last one there is a moldy cupcake!" Rainbow exclaims, flying out a nearby open window.

"Ah can't believe she wants to race at a time like this." Applejack mutters, running off.

"I can't let such a fashionable little darling stay in this condition if I can help it." Rarity nods and runs off.

"O-okay!" Fluttershy whisper yells in affirmative, gracefully running off after her friends.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie salutes, bouncing down the hallway and disappearing after jumping into a potted plant at the end of the hallway.

Twilight looked at where Pinkie was and sighed, thinking about that mare made her head hurt. Turning to Spoon, Twilight gave her a small frown. "You should probably go home, your parents are probably worried about you." She suggests before teleporting to her tree, leaving Spoon, Ash, Red, and Stone alone in the hallway.

"Sooooo...... From what I've understood from that little convo', was that Dakota will be fine, right?" Ash asks, wanting to make sure that Dakota will be fine.

"I guess so......" Red confirms. "She should be up and about when she is wound up."

"Don't you think lady Sparkle would like some more assistance looking for the key?" Stone asks in his monotone. "Especially you, Ash. Dakota is your responsibility, you should assist in the search." He points out, making Ash flinch.

"I....uh.......may have forgotten the way back......" Ash sheepishly smiles, embarrassed to admit that she is terrible with directions. "I am still new to this town and I haven't had much time to memorize the layout." She excused, her ears laying back in embarrassment.

Stone sighed. "Young Spoon, you know the way back to the mansion, right?" He asks, earning an affirmative from Spoon. "Then I suppose I could show you the way, I have passed the house a few times during the shopping trips Master Rich had sent me on." He gave Spoon a little bow. "I'll trust you to go home before supper is served, as I will be showing the forgetful Miss Ash the way to her recent home." He explains, Ash looking a little miffed at the 'forgetful' comment.

Spoon gave a slow nod in agreement, watching Ash and Stone walk off to find Dakota's home. She sighed, turning to look in the direction of Dakota's hospital room, wondering if she should go in there to keep her friend company. Who knows, maybe Dakota could be fully aware of what's going on around her.

"Are you going to be alright?" Red asks Spoon, taking a seat next to her.

Spoon turned to Red, looking a little down. "I could be better....."

Red gave Spoon's back a little pat, trying to make her feel better. "Look on the bright side, your friend might make a full recovery."

Spoon sighed again, Red failing terribly at the pep-talk. "Yeah, but all this is my fault. I-I just had to put m-my hoof in there....." Spoon sniffled, feeling like the worst friend in history.

"Hey, it's alright, you were curious. I bet even she was curious too, just by letting you so that. No harm was really done, it just...... Made her sleepy." Red tried to make light of the situation, trying to make a comparison to Dakota's issue. "All she needs now, is the key Twilight was talking about. It should wake her right up! I'm sure of it."

Spoon shrugged, feeling a little better. "Maybe you're right.... Dakota will be just fine.... Can I go see her?" Spoon asks, looking a little more confident.

"Go ahead, hun. I'm not going to stop friends from seeing each other." Red smiles, giving Spoon a little push towards the room.

Spoon thanked Red and walked in the room, shutting the door behind her. Spoon slowly walked beside the bed with the, now eerily still, Dakota. Twilight and Red had removed her clothes earlier and put her in an ill-fitting hospital gown, having to cut open Dakota's back to get a good look at the mechanism.

Dakota had a serene look about her, the gentle afternoon light coming from the window shining on her and making her look like some kind of princess waiting for her prince to kiss her awake. Her hair was wildly sprawled about, covering one eye and leaving the other one exposed.

Spoon stared at Dakota's body, taking in the scene before her. Silently, as if trying to not wake her friend, she covered Dakota with the small blanket, giving her small peck on the cheek and a small apology. Spoon soon took her spot next to Dakota, snuggling closer to her arm with a small blush on her face.

"I'm sooooo sorry for what I did. If you can hear me in there, please forgive me." Spoon whispered. The excitement for the day had caught up to her, causing her to pass out right where she was, right in Dakota's arms.

Meanwhile, back at Dakota's house.

Ash and Stone made it there with little problem, having to push their way through some small crowds of ponies asking about Dakota's condition. Stone had opened the door with his magic, motioning a blushing Ash inside. What they saw when they got in...... An absolute mess. Rainbow had opened a closet and was currently emptying the contents onto the floor in a pile. Fluttershy had brought Angel and both were coordinating various groups of small critters' search patterns from the living room. Rarity was somewhere, probably upstairs looking in Dakota's room. Pinkie was in the kitchen, somehow both making cupcakes and raiding the pantry of all things sweet. Applejack was currently making her way upstairs, having looked through the medicine cabinet.

"I expect that all of you will help in cleaning all of this up when you are done." Ash sighed, not excited to clean the mess alone.

"Ahm sorry, sugarcube. Ah didn't mean to make a mess, it just sort of happened." Applejack shrugged. "Don't worry, ah'll help clean when we find the key."

"Hey girls!" Everyone heard Rarity yell from upstairs. "I think I found something!"

Everyone, except Pinkie, rushed upstairs to see what Rarity found. When they entered Dakota's room, they saw Rarity holding Dakota's doll in her magical grip, the doll slowly emitting some kind of smoke from its body. The smoke was slowly forming something solid in front of the doll, to the confusion of everyone there.... Except pinkie, she sat down at the kitchen table and took an annoyed bite out of a freshly made cupcake, mumbling something about the writer not having better idea for them to find the key and getting revenge for her fallen army of sweets.

"What is that?!?" Fluttershy yells\whispers, backing up into the hallway out of fear.

It was at this point Twilight had teleported into the room, surprising everyone. "Hey, anypony make any progress finding the key?" She looked at Applejack, who had responded by slowly pointing behind Twilight. Twilight confusedly turned around, panicking when she saw the doll doing......whatever it was doing.

"Dear, what is it doing?" Rarity asks, hesitant to let go of it. "It's draining my magic a little...." She huffed, feeling the drain.

"Whatever you do, don't let go! That is some seriously dangerous magic draining you, just one interruption in the flow, it could explode.....or something!" Twilight exclaimed, the smoke taking a more solid form. "Just don't let go and stay calm! It should be done soon." She explained, backing up a little.

Rarity looked worried for a second, before the draining increased drastically and made her almost collapse. Giving another huff in determination, she pumped more magic around the doll, seeing the smoke solidify to form a brass key the size of a filly's hoof. The smoke then retracted into the doll, the doll giving an eerie smile with its sewn on mouth and dropping onto the floor with a heavy thud. The key then dropped onto the ground alongside Rarity, startling her friends.

"I....I'm fine....uh... just a lost a good chunk of my magic, that's all." Rarity assures, slowly and shakily getting up.

"Ya sure, sugar?" Applejack asks, moving over to help support a wobbly Rarity. "Ya look like ya haven't slept in weeks."

"It's fine, Darling. I just need some rest for a little while, losing a great deal of magic tends to make you exhausted." Rarity tiredly smiles at her friend. "It's not a big deal, I can get it all back with some rest....."

Twilight hummed, levitating the doll and key, examining them closely. The doll changed a little, it now had one red button eye, while the other eye is now a crudely sewn on red crossed out circle. It still kept grinning sinisterly, chilling Twilight down to the bone. Twilight tried to search for magic in the doll, only to find some kind of magic that made her horn feel like it was dipped into liquid nitrogen.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy worriedly asks, seeing Twilight visibly recoil at the new sensation. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything should be fine. Just a little worried about this little guy's display, that's all." Twilight admitted, holding up the doll in her magical grip. "It has some new kind of magic I've never even felt before...... Like it shouldn't even exist?" She unsurely explains. "I dunno, I think I'll have to confiscate this thing.... Until we know what the effects of it are, then we can give it back." She adds, seeing her friends' unamused looks.

"I don't think she'll take too kindly to that." Ash speaks up, startling those who didn't notice her in the doorway.

"I know, but, when it comes to magic, especially kinds we don't know, it never hurts to be on the safe side." Twilight quickly teleported the doll away, leaving behind the key. "At least we got what we were looking for."

"Yeah, let's just get that thing back to fix Dakota." Ash sighed, not liking Twilight's plan.

They all quickly left the house, going back to the hospital, Applejack supporting Rarity the whole way. When they got there, they saw the royal carriage parked out front, a small squadron of guards covering the front door. Twilight gasped and ran inside, wanting to be the first one to explain what all happened to her teacher.

Everyone shared a look and went inside with little issue, the guards restricting access to the building let them in, only stopping Stone for a second, before Ash told them he was with her. The group hurriedly went to Dakota's hospital room, wanting to see their friend wake up.

"Hello, my little ponies." Celestia smiled from her seat by the bed, happily seeing the familiar group enter. She had just sat through a quick and precise explanation of pretty much everything from her faithful student. "Nice to see you all again. Oh, I see you have a new member in your group! Can you tell me your name?" Celestia asks, getting up from her seat.

"Stone Heart, princess, pleasure to meet you." Stone politely bows.

"No need to bow, Stone. Now, Twilight, let's get our little friend woken up." Celestia nods towards Twilight, who was levitating the key.

Twilight gently slid the sleeping form of Spoon over, just enough to move Dakota without problem. She then turned Dakota around, the keyhole now visible to everyone. The audience watched in anxious silence, the key slowly entering with a click. The key slowly turned clockwise, the sound of clicking coming from Dakota's back. After three full rotations, the scars flashed and Dakota's eyes shot open, a loud gasp coming from her before dropping unconscious again, startling everyone.

"Okay, Twilight, stop turning it and pull it out. She's okay." Celestia says, hearing the heart monitor start beeping in response to the heart being started.

Twilight pulled the key out and turned Dakota around so she would lay on her back, gently sliding Spoon back where she was. Turning around with the key, Twilight levitated it over to Ash, who grabbed it with a wing.

They spent a few minutes talking to each other, reviewing what they had learned about Dakota and made some plans, in case this sort of thing happened again. Twilight informed them about what she found inside of Dakota, like the wires wrapping around her heart are connected to her tentacles and brain. There was a black mass inside her chest, connected to four empty pockets of flesh. The gears and wires were wrapped around her vertebrae, almost like an extension of her nervous system. Her bones..... Some of them weren't even bones! Some of them were oversized doll parts!

Though the most disturbing fact she released was the numerous small scars criss-crossing Dakota's whole body, meaning that this all wasn't even a natural thing for her species. The scars went from her head to toe, centering around her back, where the gears were. Everyone was a little green around the face at the thought of someone doing all of this to a child, horrified to hear of the torture she has gone through.

After the explaining was done, everyone froze as Dakota's eyes opened up.

Meanwhile, near Fluttershy's cottage.

A little roar came from the woods near Fluttershy's home, startling every critter there. Following the roar, a loud scream belonging to the strange rabbit that ran from the bush near Angel. Angel let out an annoyed huff, this was the third time this week that some kind of predator tried to eat an animal near his home.

The strange rabbit ran into the door, bouncing off of it for a second and turning around, seeing if the monster followed. The roars became louder, more high pitched, as if it was something young. Angel hopped over to the panicking rabbit, noticing its thick armored face and forelegs first. He raised an eyebrow in confusion at the detail, before calling in some backup in the form of Ms. Grizzly for help in case this roaring was something dangerous.

The roaring suddenly stopped, everything going eerily silent, the rabbit wrapping its forearms around Angel in fear.

They waited for something to move, eyeing the forest's edge in anticipation. Suddenly, a black figure rushed out of the treeline, racing towards the two rabbits. Ms. Grizzly acted quickly, clubbing the blur with one paw, sending it crashing into the nearby pond. It clumsily rose to its claws, revealing its dazed form. It looked like some kind of bat, if you didn't count the spiked tail and the dragon-like wings.

It growled furiously, quickly getting out of the water and hissing at Ms. Grizzly, who just stared amusedly at it. Angel hopped beside Ms. Grizzly, leaving the strange rabbit at the door and started chittering neutrally at the creature, trying to talk some sense into it, Ms. Grizzly adding her own two bits into the discussion whenever it became too heated. After some time, they came to an agreement, nodding and slowly moving back to the rabbit.

The rabbit was skittish, looking between the two, as if trying to decide whether or not to run. The creature whimpered in apology, seeing the bear give it a stern look. The rabbit looked confused for a moment, tilting its head before shyly moving beside Angel, who looked pleased with how things turned out.

The moment was ruined by a familiar noise, a growling stomach. The creature looked away, embarrassed by the noise. Angel gave a silent laugh, making the creature growl in response, and hopped inside the door through the doggie door to look for fish to feed this guy. The strange rabbit looked at the creature for a moment and quickly hopped in after Angel, seeing it give her a hungry stare.

Angel was suddenly tackled by the rabbit, its forearms wrapping around him in a hug and making him shudder in response, the armor plating scratched in the right places. He fell, taking the rabbit with him and making her blush what she had done. She quickly got off of him and helped him up, chittering numerous apologies to him, to which he waved off and hopped up onto a counter. He waved to her to get her up onto the counter with him, he needed the help to open the freezer.

She effortlessly jumped up, looking to Angel for instruction. He pointed at the freezer and mimed opening it, she deadpanned and chittered something that translated as, 'you know you can talk, right?" He blushed in embarrassment at what she said.

They both got the freezer door open with little trouble, the strange rabbit's weight helped force the door open, while Angel pushed a few fish out onto the floor. The freezer door shut by itself while they pushed out the fish for the hungry creature outside. The moment the fish were out the doggie door, they disappeared into the creature's mouth.

The two rabbits looked at each other in amusement at the display. The creature looked at the two confusedly, a fish head poking out the side of its mouth for a second, until it swallowed it whole. Smiling happily, it walked over and licked them both in thanks, scarring one and making the other's ego rise.

The only thing that went through Angel's mind at the moment was simple.

"What am I gonna do about these two?"

Author's Note

Well.... Here ya go! Before you ask, I gave the Lagombi a spot in here anyway. :pinkiehappy: I couldn't let the potential for an Angel bunny girlfriend go to waste! :pinkiecrazy: we all know what's gonna happen on that end.

The next chapter will be inside Dakota's head while he was 'dead.'

Meeting Alice

"Where the hell am I?"

Looking around the dark forest I awoke in, immediately noticing that it's night, the only illumination came from the full moon in the sky. The last thing I could remember was the sensation of something in my back, then........ Nothing. I scratch my head in confusion, noticing what appears to be a rundown mansion off in the distance. Shrugging, I walk in the direction of the building, not really wanting to take my chances in this creepy forest.

Slowly and silently, I tread over there, the only noises in this forest was the wind, massively increasing the creep factor. When I finally got close enough to the mansion, unsurprised at the state of the dilapidated building in the middle of who-knows-where, complete with gargoyles. I had entered a garden of some sorts, seeing some dead flowers and overgrown weeds all over the place.

"I swear to god, this had better not be like a Resident Evil mansion." I shudder at the thought of having to find two keys to open a door, which just happens that both keys are separated and protected by big monsters.

Slowly making my way through the garden, pointedly avoiding any creepy statues I came across, I found a door leading inside. The door was a little busted, the holes and scratches all over it inspiring little confidence about the interior of the building. I hesitantly opened the door and reached for a light switch, hoping that whatever deity messing with me will grant me some luck.

The switch flipped...... No light... Damn it.....

"Lemme guess, I'll have to go to the basement." I thought to myself, not wanting to battle the army of darkness to get power working in this place. "Really, if demons or zombies show up, I'll just yell out, 'I CALLED IT!' before running the opposite direction."

My tentacles suddenly popped out of my back and slithered through my sleeves, surprising me that they were even with me. All of them sent over sadness in their connections, like they remembered this place. Crystal glowed gently, illuminating the room and revealing all the creepy paintings and fancy furniture.

I slowly walked over to a door on the left side of the room, the floor creaking slightly under my weight. Freya sent caution over her connection and sparked around her tip, not liking this place one bit. I open the door, quickly shutting it when I heard rapid footsteps coming in my direction, hearing a dull thud when something collided with the thick wood of the door.

"Nope! Let's try another door." I quickly turn the lock on my side of the door and quickly ran through the door on the opposite side of the room, not wanting to take a chance with whatever that thing is.

I took the next few moments of silence to calm down, my imagination running wild and making every shadow become a monster in my eyes. A bright light suddenly blinded me, coming from the other side of the room. I let my eyes adjust before I even started to walk over there.

The light came from an old TV in the corner. It was showing a little girl, terrified and strapped down onto a table inside a dark room, the only illumination came from a single lightbulb swinging from the ceiling. She was in tears, screaming for her Mama the whole time, while a familiar tune played in the background.

"Heh, you know she won't be coming." A smooth voice mocks off screen.

"Let me go!" She yelled at the source of the voice, trying her best to glare at it.

The TV suddenly shut off, a loud, piercing scream echoed throughout the mansion, startling the tentacles and I. Sylphid sent fear down her connection, obviously recognizing what happened here. I gave each tentacle a look, before running towards where I thought the scream came from.

I slammed my way through seemingly random doors, ignoring all the fear pulsating from all of the tentacles. I eventually found a chained up door, some light coming from behind it. Another scream came from behind the door, before abruptly cutting off with a heavy ripping noise. I'm pretty sure if Crystal could puke, she'd be doing that right now, judging from her feelings of disgust.

"Can ya guys open this? I'm pretty sure I need to see this." I ask, seeing Sylphid hesitantly glow, making the chains snap right off onto the ground. I quickly thank them, slowly opening the door with no small amount of fear at the thought of what's on the other side.

The scene on the other side was something reminiscent of a scene from Elfen Lied. The little girl in the gore spattered room was crying in the corner, blood covered tentacles trying in vain to cheer her up. My back suddenly felt..... 'Lighter,' causing me to feel for the missing tentacles in confusion. I looked back at her, the tentacles having given up and turned towards me, flashing wildly in patterns. I slowly walk towards her, feeling the sudden urge to hug her.

"Hey.... Everything's alright. I'm here. I know I'm not much, but I'll help you." I speak up, gaining her attention. She looked at me with her large, blue eyes, seemingly confused at my appearance.

The floor suddenly disappeared from beneath me, sending the girl and I down the inky darkness below with a few screams. She fell right past me, her back to the darkness and staring at me with desperation in her eyes.

"This is definitely some Evil Within type bullcrap...... Screw it, gonna save her."

I did the only thing I could do, dive down and wrap my arms around her in some vain attempt to protect her. The tentacles on her back wrapped around us, forming a cocoon of some kind. We suddenly hit something at the bottom, now slowly sinking into something similar to quicksand.

The inside of the cocoon started to gently glow, illuminating our surroundings. We both stared at each other in silence, unsure of what to say. The girl was pretty young, looking like she could be in middle school. She had long brown hair, her skin a peach color. She wore a torn up maid dress, not unlike the one I woke up in my first day in Equestria.

"You..... Look familiar....." She muttered, holding the side of her head with a grimace on her face.

"Huh, I don't follow ya." I blink, not expecting that kind of reaction.

"Your eyes....." She puts her hand on the side of my head, staring into my eyes with surprised recognition. "..... They're mine....!" She whispered, eyes wide.

"...Still don't follow ya." I smile in some attempt to calm her. "As ya can clearly see, I look pretty abnormal for most people's standards."

She looked like she was going to go absolutely insane, her eyes searching my every feature with horrified amazement. Before she even attempted to speak, the cocoon shifted, a tentacle tip connecting with her forehead and caused her eyes to cross. The tentacle finally retracted after a few seconds, leaving the girl smiling a dopey smile.

"You're right, nothing to worry about." She giggled, now creeping me out.

"I don't think the tentacles want me learning what happened to her....." I think with a shudder, not wanting a tentacle to mess with my head.

I turn my head towards the cocoon and frown. "Please stop it with the mind games! I want some straight answers here, dammit!" I all but scream at the tentacles, wanting some answers for once.

The girl giggled again, gaining my attention. I turn my head and was assaulted by her drunkenly kissing me. I just sat there, thinking about my life choices. She giggled again when she stopped kissing me, seeing the obvious blush on my face.

"W-Who are ya? I can't just call you girl the whole time." I ask, looking around for a way out of this thing and doing my best to ignore the kiss.

The smiled and opened her mouth, only to shut it with a grimace and put a hand on her head in pain. "I-It's..... Alice, I-I think... I've been here for so long..." She says, flinching like it hurt to remember.

She looks at me again, scanning my features. "You're cute..... And familiar..... Who are you?"

"Dakota. Do ya know what's going on here? I don't think we're in reality, seeing as the floor disappeared under us." I look at the cocoon with a glare, not liking what it did to her.

"I don't really know either, the past month has been one big blur for me." She shrugs, absentmindedly poking the cocoon.

Click

"Huh?" We both blink at the unexpected noise, looking around for the source.

"Ahh! Dakota, look, your body!" She points at me, my body starting to slowly fade away. "What's happening?!?"

"I think I'm leaving...... Okay, I have an idea." I look at her, wrapping my fading hand around hers. The fading spread onto her, now causing us both to fade slowly. She screamed in surprise, trying desperately to release herself from my grip.

"What are you doing!?! You're gonna kill us both!" She yelled at me, thoroughly freaking out at the action.

"No, we're leavin' this place!" I assure her, feeling like I was waking up.

The fading finally engulfed us both, darkness engulfing us both......

.......

I groaned, my back was killing me. Someone was talking, very animatedly I might add. Slowly opening my eyes and looking around, everything becoming silent, only a steady beeping from a machine on my right. Blinking away the blurriness, I see some familiar faces.

"Uh, hello?" I confusedly say, waving a little despite the pain coming from my back. I try to sit up, only to flinch at the pain and lie back down, noticing that Spoon was snuggled up against my side. I look around the white room, raising an eyebrow at the hospital setting. "Can anyone explain to me what happened?" I sigh at the various looks I received, ranging from worried to sad.

When they went back to their conversation, I started to scratch Spoon's ear, trying to wake her up. She twitched and groaned, blearily opening her eyes. She looked at me and blinked, her glasses a little askew on her muzzle. She quickly wrapped me in a tearful hug, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "-I'm soo sorry!" She yells in apology, her hooves digging into my back, making me do my best to ignore the pain. I pry her off of me, smiling and shaking my head in my way of telling her it was nothing.

She turned towards the group and said a few things, making Twilight summon up a scroll and quill and pass them over to Spoon. She quickly wrote down something, before passing it over to me, making everyone in the room raise an eyebrow at the action.

(I sorry! Did not know what happen!)

I smile at her and take the quill from her mouth, writing back that everything is alright and I don't blame her. She looked at my writing, then back to me, surprising me with another painful hug. With a strained laugh, I pry her off of me.

"-You can read her language?-" Twilight asks, levitating the scroll over to her and taking a look at the writing. "-Even write in it?-" She asked in amazement, looking between Spoon and I.

"-Just enough for her to get what I'm trying to say.-" Spoon nervously confirms, noticing what kind of audience was in the room. *coughroyaltycough. "-I-It wasn't t-too hard to learn some of it.-"

"-Nice work, young Spoon-" The grey unicorn from the mansion praised.

Spoon blushed at the praise and cuddled up closer to me, her head resting on my chest. I smile at the cuteness and start to slowly scratch her ears, Spoon giving a small moan of pleasure. I look at the princess, trying my best to look pleading, feeling like a bear mauled my back.

She gave an almost imperceptible flinch at the look. "-I think our young patient is in pain. Were any anesthetics used in the operation?-" Celestia looks at Twilight, making her flinch.

"-Er, no, we all thought she was dead at the time.....-" Twilight withered under the disappointed stares directed at her, not liking the fact that their friend was in pain. "-I'll go get the doctor!-" She nervously yelled, running out the door.

"Uhhhh....." A voice moaned, causing me to jump. "Where am I?" I looked around the room for the source of the voice, much to everyone's confusion. "Why can't I move?!?"

"What the hell? Who's speaking English?" I look at the confused stares my visitors are giving me and realize that they can't hear the voice.

"Dakota? That you?" The feminine voice questions, sounding confused. "Where are you?....... And why are there ponies here?"

"Alice?"

"Yep, that's me. Now, where am I?" She asks, sounding a little impatient.

"I...... I think you are in my head.... I've been thinking this whole time, and you've been responding to that."

"Welp, that explains why I can't move..... Got any explanations why I'm up here?"

"I got nothin' at the moment...."

The door Twilight exited opened up, a dirt brown unicorn with a chocolate mane and tail entering with some medical stuff I didn't know the name of. Twilight quickly followed behind him, rejoining her group with a smile. The unicorn and I had a little stare-off, me not liking the way he was holding the syringe full of something.

I broke eye contact with the unicorn for a moment to look at Celestia for some kind of assurance. She almost smiled at the look I gave her, turning to the unicorn and asking something.

The unicorn turned to her for a moment and replied, before turning back to me and quickly sticking me with the needle into my neck. Much to my happiness, whatever medicine they gave me worked pretty quickly, my back felt more numb as each second passed.

"That'sh shome good shtuff....." She slurred the medicine affecting her somehow, causing her to fall silent.

I slowly nodded at Celestia and the doctor, muttering my thanks as he left. I'm pretty sure I would've fell asleep right then, if they didn't shut up, that is. They were all talking a little too loud in their language, me catching a word here and there.

"-Is there anything else to report?-" The princess asks, looking back at the group with a serene smile.

Ash opened her mouth, only to be interrupted by Twilight. "-The doll Dakota had, you know, the hoofmade one? It has some kind of undiscovered magic inside it.-"

Rarity spoke up from her seat in back. "-It absorbed a good deal of my magic to form the key we were looking for, it was nothing too serious though.-"

The princess raised an eyebrow at her student, having not heard about the doll until now. "-Where is this doll now? Knowing you, it is probably somewhere you can examine it without risk of magical interference.-" She points out with a knowing smile.

Twilight blushed. "-Yeah, it's back at the library, in the basement.-"

Celestia frowned a little, not liking taking the doll from a child. "-Just be sure to return it soon, I don't think Dakota will like it to be missing for too long.-"

"-That was the plan, don't worry.-"

Celestia smiled. "-I would love to stay here and chat with you all, but I have some matters to deal with back at the castle, the Minotaurs have sent an ambassador over to chat with me about Dakota.-" She says, looking at Ash with a worried frown. "-He'll drop by tomorrow to meet her.-"

"-What's his name?-" Ash asks, her wings twitching a little in anticipation.

"-Steel Resolve, one of the three chieftains of the island region.-"

Ash shuddered. "-Oh, he finally became chieftain, huh?-"

"-Wait, you know the guy?-" Rainbow disbelievingly asked.

"-I have traveled very much back in my day, before becoming one of Celestia's maids. Steel was my temporary body guard when I visited the Minotaur tribe lands, saved me from more things I can remember.-" Ash shuddered at the memory. "-He was, to put it lightly, efficient at eliminating the problem.-"

"-She's right.-" Celestia said, regaining everyone's attention. "-He gained his position through a duel between him and previous chieftain.-" She informs, noticing the flinch on the face of the only other pony that knows Minotaur tradition.

"-He's never changed, heh. I wonder if he even remembers me.-" Ash smiled.

"-Trust me, he remembers. Now, I have to go back to the castle. Have a good afternoon, everypony.-" Celestia nods at everyone in the room, her gaze lingering on me for a little while longer before walking out of the room.

I took advantage of the ensuing silence to get some sleep, the meds helping immensely.

Meanwhile, back with the changelings.

"Alright maggots, we have some orders from the queen!" Six Six yells to the room full of scout-class changelings.

Scouts were built differently from the normal footsoldier, having thinner chitin, giving them the appearance of an emaciated pony. The fangs were less prominent. The body was slender, with longer legs that caused them to be a full foot taller than their more common counterparts. The dangerous magic they wielded was honed for observation and escape, causing their horns to be curved dramatically curved inward towards their head, looking like a slicked back hairstyle. The fins on a few of their heads flowed back aerodynamically from many years of flying at high speeds.

A scout with a larger horn and some scars walked in front of the group, looking bored with life. "What does she want?"

"She wants the new creature in equestria to be observed from a distance." Six Six glares at the scout, causing him to move back to where he was. "I was told to choose a team of four, three scouts and one of the scientists in the next cavern over."

Another scout spoke up from in back, a younger one that has just grown into the scout class, her horn not as curved as the others. "Are there any specific requirements to get selected?"

Six Six smiled at the mare, this one asked the right question. "Yes, there are a few. The team must have a wide array of stealth skills, so they won't be caught or be seen. Before anyling asks, no, we won't be using the spies. The ones we do have here aren't old enough or ready for any kind of operation."

A lithe changeling by the name of Oculus spoke up from the back, her eyes milky white. "I've got some experience with mass invisibility spells, will that help?" She asked, using a small spell that turned her and three others around her invisible for a few seconds, a slight shimmer the only thing showing where they are.

"How long can you keep that up?"

"As long as necessary."

"Actual time limit, please."

"A little under three minutes, depending on how many I'm cloaking."

Six Six smiled. "Then you are on the team, Mirror. He glared at the rest in the room. "Anyling else have a skill suited towards espionage?"

Another changeling walked in front of the group, a younger one with its horn not yet warped into the position shared by its peers. "I've got some relay-class in me, I could be the source of communication the team has with the hive." She hesitantly says, her voice a whisper.

"Not bad, just one question, how do you have relay in you?"

"A small error in the hive, I was grown a little bit as a relay before it was corrected."

"Were there any defects? I've heard about that kind of scenario before, they grew up a little... 'off'."

"Nothing too terrible, just can't fly as fast as a normal changeling." She points to her wings, two short insect wings that looked like a ladybug's.

"I suppose you can do.... What spells do you know?"

She smiled, her horn lighting up in a green aura. In front of her a small square appeared in front of her, showing the scientists in a cavern, seemingly not noticing that they were being watched.

"So, you can watch from a distance using that?"

"Yeah, though we cannot hear anything on the other side of the screen." She points out, the screen disappearing in front of her.

"You're in the team, Mismatch." He nods at her. He glares back the group. "Any other volunteers?"

The group was silent most of them looking away from Six Six in some attempt to not gain his attention..... Until one sneezed. "You, the one with allergies."

The changeling whimpered in fear, shakily walking in front of the group. He was a little guy, almost like a young, not yet classed changeling in size. The rest of his features spoke otherwise, his horn slicked back so much that it was touching his head, revealing how much time he spent practicing his magic.

"Whoa, I don't think horns are supposed to do that." Six Six winced at the sight. "Did you even listen to the warnings your instructors said?"

"...... Yes, I did. I just never cared, sir." He admits, sounding like a smartass.

"Look out, we have a jokester here!" He laughed, liking this guy's attitude. "Though, that's gotta hurt, show me what you can do."

The changeling nervously got to work, not liking all the attention. His horn glowed, causing all the changelings to quickly fall down and be unable to move, all of them glaring at him. He quickly relinquished them from his spell, all of them glaring at him. He quickly cast another spell, the room flashing in a bright light. All of the changelings paralyzed looked confused for a second before smiling at him, seemingly forgetting why they were angry at him.

Six Six gave a low whistle at the display, impressed at this guy's magical aptitude. "A mass paralysis spell combined with a small memory wipe, not bad."

The changeling blushed green at the praise. "I-I do my best to please, sir."

"How old are you? I don't suppose you have been on a mission before, seeing as you are.... Barely out of the larvae stage."

"I'm only eleven years old, sir."

"Oh, this will be the perfect first assignment for you then. I hear that the creature is around your age, if I'm supposed to believe what the gatherers say." He smiles at the young scout.

"Does that mean......?"

"Yep, you're on the team. Those of you chosen, stay here. The rest of you, dismissed." He announces to the room, the scouts funneling out of the room, leaving him with the three changelings he chose.

"Alright, maggots. I've already chosen the scientist that you'll be escorting. She was the only one that volunteered to go. Her name is Synapse." Six Six informs, another changeling entering the room.

She was normally sized, her horn a bloodstained jagged spike on top her forehead. The lab coat she wore had bloodstains in various places, most prominently around the chest region. She looked tired, her slouching posture and slow walk showing a history of long nights. She nodded at the group, and sat down next to Six Six.

"Synapse is one of our hive's brightest scientists, having mapped sections of the brain." He shudders, not liking her work. "She's also close enough to a linguistics professor to help you with the assignment. Though there is a catch, she's mute."

Six Six looks back at the group. "Here's the mission, you four will go to a town in Equestria called Ponyville to observe the creature for a few weeks. There is a small encampment inside of a cave in the nearby forest, you will reside there for the time being. Any questions?"

The small scout raised his hoof.

"Yes, Neuron?"

"What kind of creature are we observing?"

Six Six smiled. "You'll know it when you see it, trust me."

Just One of Those Days

"Da....ke...up...."

With a small groan, I slowly open my eyes, groggily waking up. I notice that it was early morning, the dull morning light streaming from the window on my left. The hospital room was empty, a few posters and the like decorating the walls. On my right was a small tray, some of the good ol' hospital food that no one liked. I was wearing a hospital gown a few sizes too big for me, looking like I was wearing a large blanket.

"Nice to see some more parallels with stuff back home." I think with a smile, grabbing the small cup of green jello.

"Good mornin', sunshine." A voice says out of nowhere, causing me to drop the small cup onto the floor and make a mess. "Sorry 'bout that."

"That's it, I've gone insane." I think to myself, starring at the mess on the floor with some resignation. "I guess it would've happened sooner or later, I guess."

"Hey!" Alice yells, causing me to flinch at the volume. "You're not crazy. This is not some kind of hallucim... Hallucinam..."

"Hallucination?"

"Yeah, that!" She yells, causing me to imagine her pointing at me with a thankful smile. "We're both in this thing together, so let's just work together to figure this out."

"Okay.... We gotta start somewhere. Maybe..... What do ya remember from before getting up in my head?"

Uh.... I was going to school with my friends. I think one of them noticed someone following us....After that, nothing else.... You?"

"I went to bed after a big anime marathon. Nothing there to suggest something out of the ordinary." I shrug, slowly getting up off the hospital bed to clean the mess. My back felt a little better, the pain more tolerable than when I first woke up.

"Hmmm..... I guess we'll cross that bridge, eventually." She says unsurely, before moving on. " could you tell me about the whole 'ponies' thing? I think I saw some in here, before I passed out."

"Well..... You're either gonna love this, or hate this...." I shrug, ignoring the ensuing discomfort and finishing cleaning the mess. "We are stuck here, in Equestria. Not a single resident here speaks English and, thanks to a certain lavender unicorn, we have to learn their language the hard way...... Oh, and we have some of the residents here crushing really hard on me."

"You're right about one thing, the 'hating this' part." She groans in annoyance. "I guess those Japanese lessons I took might come in handy."

"Wait, Japanese lessons? How old are ya?"

"I'll be sixteen on Halloween."

"Nice, I'll be twenty one the day before."

While we talked and got to know each other, I didn't spill the beans on that I was a guy before getting here. I ate the food on the little tray, ignoring the flowers and hay. There were a few of those hard candies that were on my milkshake the other day, this time they were blue. I threw one in my mouth with a small shrug, loving the blue raspberry flavor.

"What are these? Jolly Ranchers?"

"Something like that, except they are missing that sticky texture that Jolly Ranchers usually have."

The hallway door opened, the butler from the mansion walking in with a blank face. We both had a small staring contest, ending when he levitated a small paper from somewhere. I confusedly grabbed the note, reading the message written in English.

(If you read this, you are able to leave place. Nice ponies said they want play safe after the 'mess.' Stone will take you back home. Your sorry friend, Spoon.)

"Who's Spoon?"

"One of my best friends in this place."

I smile at Stone, sliding out of the bed and grabbing the rest of the candies of the tray. Throwing another one in my mouth, I politely smile at the bored unicorn, causing him to nod and walk out of the room, me following closely behind. A few of the nurses and doctors smiled and waved goodbye at us, Stone nodding in return.

"A-Aren't they going to give you your clothes back?" Alice asked, sounding a little embarrassed at the thought of being outside in the clothes I'm wearing.

"Well..... If I had to guess, seeing as I have only seen these ponies wearing hats, ties, and the like..... They could've cut them off." I frown at the thought, Alice going silent at my explanation. I shivered at the breeze that went through the gown, sending a new feeling through my new....'bits.' I suddenly had the feeling that this walk will be a long one.

The walk to my house was silent, Stone not much of a talker and the residents were watching me wearily. It was about ten minutes into the walk that I noticed something more 'off' than usual, a pink blur moving in between alleyways.

"W-What's that?" Alice asks, sounding a little fearful.

"If I'm right, it's probably nothing to worry about." I shrug, having learned better to question the things Pinkie does.

Stone and I continued on, Alice accepting my unhelpful answer. When we came within eyesight of my home, I ran ahead with the intent to speed towards my closet and change out of my hospital gown, completely missing the surprised expression on Stone's face. I quickly opened my front door with a smile, greeted with a small explosion from a cannon, showered in confetti.

"-Surprise!-" The pink freak yelled from behind the cannon, smiling like the Joker.

"Sup, Pinks. How's it going?" I smile at her, not going to question how she got there so fast.

"-Here's your 'Happy you're not dead party!" Pinkie exclaims, the few ponies behind her cheering.

The trio of fillies from school were here, sitting in my living room with Spike, chewing on some cupcakes. Spoon and Tiara kept their distance from the trio, staying by my bookshelf and waving at me with a smile. Fluttershy was absent, probably dealing with her animals. Twilight was by the TV, trying her best to examine it without touching it. Rainbow Dash was hanging by the punchbowl, keeping herself off the ground by lightly flapping her wings. Ash was doing the thing she did at the last party, keeping to the edge of the room with a small cup of punch.

Pinkie sped away, leaving me with the chance to run upstairs and change. I quickly ran inside my room's closet, giving Alice a good look at all the clothes I have.

"Oh my god! Is that a Sailor Moon outfit?"

"Regrettably, yes. There's pretty much everything ya need to cosplay in this room, all organized by the series they are from." I think with a shrug, eyeing the Akatsuki cloaks in the corner. "Ya know what? I'll let ya choose what I'll wear for today."

I'm pretty sure she grinned like a madman at the thought, judging from the excited squeal that followed.

"Okay! Could you walk around and show me some stuff?"

With a smile at her attitude, I gave her a small preview of the various outfits in the room.

"Oh, god yes! One of those, they're adorable!" She squealed after seeing the Touhou section.

"Okay, which one? There are a lot of these." I ask, poking my way through the clothes.

"The red one, over there."

"Which one? There's a lot of red ones here, as ya can see." I point out, going towards Flandre's clothes. "This? It is a certain vampire's dress, although the wings don't really help out with the vampire description."

"No! The one with the scarf-cape thingy."

"Sekibanki's outfit? Not bad of a choice, if I may say so myself." I smile, grabbing the dress off its hanger. "Want the bow that comes with it?" I ask, reaching up and grabbing the blue bow off of the shelf above when I heard a giggle in affirmative.

I quickly crossed the room and grabbed some blue underwear, before putting on the dress and scarf. I moved in front of the mirror I found in this room the other day, showing Alice how we looked.

"Do you have any makeup? You're a little pale, to put it lightly."

"I dunno, probably. My closet changed when I got here, it never had all this."I wave a hand at the clothes.

Alice hummed thoughtfully. "Then it probably came with makeup, no cosplay collection is complete without the makeup. Check that cabinet, in the back."

I blink, just now noticing said cabinet. I quickly walked over there and opened it, surprised at the seemingly endless amount of makeup in there. There was pretty much everything a person needed for any kind of makeup emergency.

"You know what, imma go get Rarity. She's the one that probably has more experience with makeup than anyone." I tell Alice. "I don't really trust myself to not mess it up."

"Oh, come on! It isn't all that hard to put on makeup!"

"Just trust me on this." I assure her, running downstairs."Besides, Rarity will probably find out about my closet eventually.....it might as well be on my terms." I shrugged a little in resignation. "I am probably gonna regret this...." I muttered to myself as I passed Rainbow.

I found Rarity in the kitchen, sipping something red out of a small wineglass. I blinked at the sight, my guess at the time being somewhere between nine and eleven in the morning. She even had the small bottle set on the table, a sparkly logo of some kind of magical circle emblazoned on the front.

"Sooo.... Drinking, eh? I would've waited until a little while longer, but I won't judge." I say, gaining the attention of Rarity, who just put the glass down.

"-Oh! Hello, darling. That's a nice little dress you have on, makes you look a little mysterious.-" She gushes, lifting the cloak off me to take a better look. "-Just look at how tightly woven the threads are! This was obviously made by somepony with dedication to their craft!-" I politely cough, breaking Rarity from her admiration of the outfit. "-Oh! Sorry, dear. Do you need something?-" She asks, seeing me raise an eyebrow and grab the cloak out of her magical grip to put it back on.

I make a 'follow me' gesture and walk back out the room, Rarity following closely behind. I guess Ash saw us making our way upstairs and got curious, having joined us with a shrug. Sweetie saw us going upstairs and gave me an apologetic stare, like I was going towards death row, having got an idea of what I'm going to do.

With some hesitation, I brought my group to my room, just outside the closet door.

"Time for the big reveal...."

"She's just a pony, what's the worst that can happen?"

"God dammit.... You just said the worst phrase you could ever say."

"Wha-?"

Without another word I opened the door. A loud, over excited squeal was all I heard from Rarity before she became a purple and white blur disappearing inside the room. Ash looked over to me, an amused look in her eyes.

"-Just our luck, huh?-" She laughed, ruffling up my hair with a wing. "-I'm going to be honest. You're not gonna like the next few minutes, judging from her reaction.-" She laughed again. "-Don't worry, I'll get a camera for this.-"

Suddenly I was wrapped in a blue aura and dragged inside, my hands clawing into the floor in some vain attempt to stop what was going to happen next. Ash was laughing uncontrollably at the sight, seeing me stare desperately at her, only to laugh even more. "-You opened this can of worms, now you have to deal with the consequences!-" She yelled in between laughs.

The dragging suddenly stopped and I was lifted into the air, moving towards the nightmare waiting behind me. I was slowly turned around, revealing a Rarity smiling a smile that told of nearing horrors that were sure to be directed at me.

"-Makeover time!-"

It was at this moment I had one thought, one that confused Alice.

"Where the hell are the tentacles when you need them!?!"

If anyone had listened closely, they would've heard something similar to laughter coming from my back.

Author's Note

Sup..... I'm pretty sure I'm going to have the next chapter be a flashback to where Dakota was during Ticket Master...... Or... Would you guys rather have Steel show up? :trixieshiftright: Think Armstong from FMA, but he speaks like the Heavy from TF2. Oh! And the pets will show up there too!

As always....

I love you.

For the guys who disliked this.....

Minotaur Stories and Movie Night\Sleep Overs

"I can't believe this!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it either! She is still doing this!"

It has been an hour since Rarity dragged me into my closet and started a mini fashion show, much to Ash's growing amusement. Rarity had started with the clothes from Tokyo Mew Mew, just now hitting the Naruto outfits.

"-Hmmm....-" Rarity hummed, holding up Shino's hoodie. "-Not everything in here is fit for a young lady.....-" She mutters, putting it back with a frown.

She turns back to me, and smiled at her work. She had put a certain vampire's dress on me, even adding the hairpiece with the cat ears. Rarity either didn't notice, or didn't care about the glare that could have made her mane burst into flames.

"-Just look at how adorable you are! Nopony will be immune to your looks!-" She gushed, somehow pinching my cheek with a hoof.

"Ugh, this was your idea! Get us out of this!"

"Okay, okay, I'll try."

"You'd better. She's pulling out the Sailor Moon outfit!"

Rarity was indeed pulling out said outfit, a sinister looking smile on her face. "-This is even more adorable than what I put on you!-"

"Nuh uh, nope, I'm out!" I yell, taking my chance to run away.... Only to be dragged back by a blue aura.

"So, do you have any other ideas?"

"Just one."

I turn my head. "Girls, please, just get me out of this mess." I say to the tentacles hidden in my back.

"Uh, wha-"

Two tentacles shot out of my sleeves, wrapping around Rarity's horn.

"Huh, that worked better than I expected." I note out loud, feeling amusement from the two.

With a quick flash, Rarity was unconscious, much to my surprise. The two turned to look back at me, sending more amusement down their connection.

"Care to explain your..... Friends?" Alice hesitantly asks.

"Meh, they came with the closet. My guess is as good as yours. Though, they seem to genuinely care about me." I think with a shrug. "They can do magic and stuff, so that's a plus."

Without a word, I left the room, leaving Rarity where she was, knowing she'd be alright. Ash was waiting on the other side of the door, a big smile appearing on her face at the sight of me. With a withering glare in her direction, I pass her and leave my room.

I slowly walk downstairs, now a little apprehensive of my appearance. Taking a moment to peek around the corner of the stairway to check if anyone left, I grimace at the sight of everyone staring expectantly in my direction.

"Lemme guess.... The other pony back there told them that you were getting a makeover?" Alice guesses, stifling a giggle at the blushing I was doing. "You're a little shy, huh?"

"S-Shut up!" I think/yell at her, Alice laughing in response.

I take a deep breath and walk out into the open, everyone giving a little cheer at my new appearance. Spike was over by Twilight, little cartoon hearts floating around his head at the sight of me. Spoon was right next to Tiara, trying to conceal her blush with little success.

"-Awww! She's so adorable!-" Fluttershy gushes from her spot next to Rainbow.

"-Yep, whatever fancy stuff Rarity did really brought it out.-" Rainbow agreed, putting a hoof to her chin. "-Almost like a kitten....-"

"-Spoon.....-" Diamond whispered to her friend. "-Now's your chance, go on!-"

Spoon confusedly looked at Diamond for a second, before giving an 'oh!' and quickly writing down a note in English with some stray paper that Twilight left on my table. She hesitantly brought the note over, looking a little shy of what she wrote.

(You look pretty, glad to be friends with you.) I blink at the note, Spoon blushing.

"She's one of the crushes, eh?" Alice says, appraising Spoon from her spot in my head. "I say let her have a shot. From what you've told me, there's no humans here..... Might as well be open to new kinds of relationships." Alice says, shrugging mentally and causing me to blush in embarrassment. "Hey! Don't do that! You have some apps up here that show some rather 'furry' relations here! Granted, they are anthro....." I feel her blush at what she saw.

"I have apps?" I think confusedly, before blushing even harder at what she said.

"Yeah, you've even got minesweeper in here. Wanna play together?"

"Uh, no.... Minesweeper isn't two player. Besides, I've got more pressing matters to deal with."

I look back at Spoon, still blushing, and scratch behind her ears for a little bit. Spike interrupted by burping up a scroll, Twilight swiftly levitating it over and reading it. Unbeknownst to me, Spike was feeling a little jealous of Spoon at the moment.

"-Steel Resolve is on his way over. Get ready, he'll be here in a few.-" Twilight announced, walking outside to get ready to meet him, everyone following behind.

Meanwhile, with the two soon-to-be pets.

The Nargacuga was chasing the Lagombi again, this time through the town. The bunny squeaked in fear, running behind a flower stall and startling the pony running it. The pony didn't even notice the small bat dragon until it was too late, it crashing through the stall and sending the pony across the street.

The Lagombi squeaked again, jumping up and bouncing off the drake's head before running down the road, the Nargacuga close behind, crashing through the crowds of ponies with little difficulty despite its size. The chase finally ended after a few minutes, ending in front of a certain person's house.

Back with Dakota.

I blinked at the sight of the two creatures in front of me, not expecting these two to even exist here. The Nargacuga had the Lagombi pinned down, its wings holding its prey down. I quickly ran over to them, intent to save the bunny, and grabbed the Nargacuga by the back of its neck, a little surprised that it is as small as a bat. It growled and squirmed in my grip, trying its best to bite my hand.

I looked back down at the bunny and picked it up with my other arm, it shivering in my grip. I walk to Fluttershy and pass the bunny over to her, seeing as the Nargacuga is a little 'upset' at the moment. I scratch his ear, starting to calm him down. After he started purring, I relaxed my grip and held him like a cat, still scratching his ears.

"-What are these?-" I hear Twilight ask.

"-I don't know. They just showed up at my cottage yesterday.-" Fluttershy shrugs, calming down the poor little rabbit. "-Dakota seemed to recognize these little critters though.-"

"-Hmmmm..... Maybe they are from her world?-" Twilight suggests.

"-Ah think so.-" Applejack said, nodding her head. "-Ah saw a poster in her house, it had the bunny over there on it.-"

"-Huh.... Well, I guess she wants to keep the black thing.-" Twilight points out, seeing me start to do the baby talk to the little guy. "-You think she'll want the bunny?-"

"-Probably, she might be the only one to know how take care of it, if it is different from the normal kind.-" Ash spoke up, looking at me with a smile. "-Just look at how good she is with that guy.-"

I had a tentacle make a ball and was treating the Nargacuga like a dog, it responding in kind. "Want the ball? Get the ball!" I threw the ball down the now empty street, probably because the residents were scared of the monster. It chased the ball down and brought it back, not before taking out a tomato stall in the process. "Uh…. good boy!" I praised it, scratching behind its ears.

Ash flinched. "-Well, at least it isn't eating a pony.-"

"-Look! The royal carriage!-" Rainbow exclaimed, pointing at the growing figure in the distance. "-I hope this guy is cool.-"

Ash shuddered. "-I guess you could say that....-"

Within moments, the carriage came to a stop in front of my house, kinda surprising me a little that it was pulled by two guardsponies. It was one of those fancy ones you'd probably see in a Disney movie, maybe the closest one to compare it to was the pumpkin carriage from Cinderella. I could see a large silhouette in the window on the side, the two horns not really inspiring confidence.

With a loud grunt from the inside, the side door was sent flying a few feet, stopping at Ash's hooves with a loud screech. The lumbering giant awkwardly made his way out of the carriage, it obviously being too small for the poor guy. He grumbled a few muffled curses to himself and stretched, making his already imposing size even more terrifying.

Someone coughed, gaining his attention and causing him to turn around. He was a towering figure, maybe even taller than Celestia if you counted his massive horns. His fur was a deep chocolate color, a few lighter patches around his eyes. He had on this fierce expression, his brown eyes telling stories of fierce battles. That expression lifted when he saw Ash, a giant smile adorning his face.

"-Ah! Leetle Ash! Been long time since Steel saw you last!-" His deep voice happily exclaimed, an accent becoming obvious.

"-Yep, It's nice to see you too, Steel.-" Ash awkwardly smiled.

"-Still get lost?-"

"-S-Shut up!-" Ash yelled at him, blushing furiously.

"-Nice to know it wasn't just at Canterlot.....-" Spike mutters from the back, none too quietly.

"-You too!-"

The Nargacuga had snuck up behind the seemingly oblivious Minotaur, getting ready to pounce. Discreetly, I get a tentacle to reach for it, wrapping around its waist silently and bringing it to me with a small growl from the aggravated beast. The growl brought the Minotaur's attention to me, him humming thoughtfully at my appearance.

"-Leetle thing Dakota?-" He shrugged and walked over to me and picked me up with little effort. I kept the tentacle with the flailing Nargacuga away from the Minotaur, feeling caution flow from my back. We both silently stared at each other for a few minutes, his eyes searching mine for something.

"I don't think I like this guy’s stare...." I feel Alice shudder.

"Huh, and I thought he was kinda cool, ya know. He is first minotaur I've ever seen."

He blinked, before frowning at what he found. "/Hmmm.... Broken..... Three pieces.....only two connected with each other.... Not good.\" He muttered to himself in a new language. "/You've been through alot, young one. I wish you good fortune with your insanity. In the end, there will be harmony between the three.\" He said reassuringly, gently placing me on the ground.

He turned back to the group, smiling widely. "-Leetle ponies, letz go inside, ya? Steel will tell stories of homeland.-"

With some cheers they all go inside, leaving a confused me behind in the street to muse over the complete tone shift of the big guy.

"Well, that wasn't ominous at all." I sarcastically thought to myself, walking back inside after giving the guards that pulled the carriage a wave, the one on the left returning the wave with a smile.

"That did seem a little... weird." Alice agreed. "Though, he seems like a nice guy."

I entered my living room, seeing the giant sitting on my lazyboy, causing me to frown and grab my flailing dragon out of the tentacle's grip and scratch his ears again. I leaned on the doorway, observing from a distance.

"Yeah, but in some shows, when the new guy says cryptic stuff to a person, in another language no less, it's usually meaning crazy stuff's about to go down."

"But that's in shows! This is real life! It won't happen!" Alice yelled, somehow pounding on something in my head, causing me to flinch in pain. "Oh! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't think that would happen!"

"It's fine. Don't do it again, and we'll be fine." I reassure, smiling a little. "I think I needed that. Now, let's see about naming this little guy." I look down at the almost asleep drake in my arms, giggling a little at the sheer adorableness this monster is radiating.

"Awwwwww..... It's sooo! Friggin! Cute!" Alice excitedly gushed for a little bit, before calming down a little. "Maybe Nocturne? Its fur is pretty dark, like the night."

"Hmmmm.... I've got the feeling that name has been done before. Whatever, it sounds cool." I nod in agreement. "Imma call ya Nocturne." I say, petting the purring little creature in my arms and going towards the kitchen to make some food for my guests, not noticing the pink monster following closely behind.....

Meanwhile, with Steel.

"How did you two meet?" Spike asked Steel, scratching his head. "I've never heard of you from Ash, and I've practically been raised by her!"

Steel looked at Ash with fake hurt. "Leetle Ash, you hurt Steel so. Why you never talk of me?" He asked, laughing towards the end. "It because of Stonewall, yah?"

"...Kinda, it's because most of what you did is a little too violent for Equestria, you know how this place is peaceful for the most part. I thought we agreed to never talk about Stonewall ever again." Ash shivered. "What you did to him was pretty bad, even by your standards. By the way, could you stop it with the accent? I know you've gotten better with your Equish."

"Yah.... No. Steel find it too funny to stop talk liek dis." Steel laughed, turning back to Spike. "Leetle drake, we met after Steel saved lost leetle Ash from puny water monster."

Flashback, an unspecified amount of time ago.

A younger Ash was traveling through the famed Taur Rainforest, famous for its unique wildlife. Ash had obviously been traveling for a while, dark circles being prominent around her eyes. She was wearing some light armor, forged from dark green dragon scales, one of her gifts from the dragon nation. The armor covered most of her body, even going so far as to cover the backs of her wings, forming sharp blades at the edges of her wings.

Ash had drifted off of the worn path, having followed a strange species of butterfly, sparkles drifting down from its body as it flew. She followed the strange creature for a little while, ending when she found a little oasis.

She gasped at the beauty of the scene before her. There were many of the butterflies flying around this place, some ruins of some kind of temple on the other side of the oasis. A large crystal sphere set on a pedestal was visible from her position. The butterflies seemed to be attracted to the sphere, flying around it and seeming to nest on the walls, forming a blue moving blanket.

"Hmmm....." Ash hummed trotting through the shallow water to get a closer look, having not seen this phenomena before. "Definitely magic, that's for certain." She noted aloud, the butterflies getting noticeably more agitated the closer she got. ".... Might get some quick money for this thing. I've been running a bit low on the bit department." She hummed again. "Now Ash, remember what Daring taught ya. Look for any traps and be prepared for running from a giant boulder."

She stopped at the edge of the ruins, right at the small archway, to search for anything that could count as a trap. The butterflies were now flying around her, practically bathing her in sparkles. Taking a deep breath, she put one hoof on the ground past the archway, tensing for anything to happen.

"Screeeeeeeeee!"

The butterflies swarmed her, somehow lifting her up and slamming her into the water with a great deal of force. Coughing out some water, she shakily got up, bladed wings flaring out. The butterflies dived into the water, seeming to liquefy into a single watery mass. Its body kept shifting, like a current was traveling through it. Its lower body was connected to the water, where its legs should be. The arms were larger than the rest of its body, seeming to get bigger around the forearm and the shifting mass that is its hand. The head was shaped like a raindrop, the four green orbs in it stared at her calculatingly.

"Sigh.... Definitely not a boulder." She sighed, flaring her wings out a little more. "Alright, let's do this!" She yelled, suddenly flying up..... Only to be ripped from the air by the watery hand and slammed back into the water, the mass engulfing her head, the creature starting to slowly drown her. It slammed her down again and again, causing her to breathe in more water with each blow.

"Quick! Brain! Status report!"

"Ggggggghhhhh....."

"That's not good....." Ash thought to herself, starting to pass out from lack of air.

"Raaaaaaaaahhhhh!" A deep voice roared, the creature's arm suddenly separating from its body with a resounding explosion, releasing a gasping Ash from her captor.

A Minotaur crashed through the edge of the oasis, wielding a cannon with one arm, the barrel smoking. He threw the cannon over his shoulder, a strap keeping it on him. He looked over to Ash with concern, before walking into the water toward her. Without an attack from the creature, he picked up Ash and unceremoniously threw her to the edge of the water, eliciting a pained gurgle from the downed pegasus.

"/Pick on someone your own size, like me!\" He announced in Tauran. "/It's been quite a long time since I've fought a water elemental, let's see how you fare against a proud minotaur warrior!\" He got in a boxer stance and glared at the beast. "/I'll give you one free shot, make it count.\"

The elemental stared at the fool standing before it, wary of any kind of tricks this fool has. It quickly wrapped its arms around the minotaur and tried to lift him up, emphasis on tried. For whatever reason, it just couldn't lift him up, its arms not staying solid enough to get a solid grip on him.

He laughed loudly. "/Hahaha! You can't even lift me! Your brethren before you could lift something like me with little trouble! Now..... IT'S MY TURN!\"

He reached out and ripped out one of the green orbs that are its eyes, the monster quickly backing away, as if in pain. He chased after it, not letting the beast have a chance to recover. The ensuing slaughter ended pretty quickly, the water vaporizing when the monster's life was ended by a solid punch to the dome.

The minotaur calmly walked over to the orb in the ruins, picking it up and bringing it to Ash with a small frown. "Leetle pony should not go near things it doesn't know in the woods." He pointed out with disappointment, not liking how quickly the fight went. "Here, its heart. Should get much money for it." He set the orb next to her and started to walk away.

Ash coughed up the last of the water in her lungs, weakly getting up. "Thanks.......Ya.... Ya think ya can escort me to the nearest town?" She asked, the minotaur stopping at the question.

"Hn..... Follow Steel, show you way." He grunted, giving Ash some time to collect her belongings.

Flashback end.

"Whoa! That's soo cool!" Rainbow gushed, suddenly becoming Steel's fangirl.

"Leetle Rainbow think fighting cool?" Steel smiles wide. "We will get along greatly! Maybe Steel will tell other stories of great battles later!"

Rainbow squeed in excitement. "Did you fight a hydra? I bet you punched one in the face!"

Steel laughed, Ash interrupting before he could answer. "Okay, that's enough stories for one day!"

Back with Dakota.

I heard Ash nervously yelling from where I was in the kitchen, making me laugh a little. From what I saw, Ash and the minotaur knew each other. I smile a little at the thought of a minotaur and a pegasus working together to fight an ancient evil, my nerdy side shining through.

"You're such a nerd, ha ha ha!" Alice laughed at me, causing my face to heat up in embarrassment. "Hey, that's a good thing! You've got a bunch of shows up here for me to watch!"

"Nice to know that I'm a source of entertainment....." I laugh a little at the little 'eep!' I got in return. "Just messin' with ya."

I go back to my job at hand, hearing my oven timer go off. I had decided to make some large cheese pizzas for everyone. Not really sure of what kind of toppings they preferred, I just made some small bowls of any topping that wasn't meat to pass around. I pulled out the first two pizzas and sliced them up, placing them on a large plate before throwing in some more uncooked pizzas in the oven and resetting the timer.

With a small smile, I get the tentacles to pick up the bowls while I picked up the plate and walked back into the living room to set out the food. I stifled a laugh when I saw a groggy Rarity sitting next to a smug Twilight. When Rarity saw me, she seemed to brighten up a little, before glaring at the tentacles with no small amount of fury. They all sent amusement down their connection, making me think of something equal to a troll face.

The tentacles and I put the food down on the coffee table. Twilight was the first to grab a slice, putting some mushrooms and peppers on the top before taking a bite. She moaned at the taste, thoroughly creeping me out.

"-She cooks way better than anypony I know!-" Twilight yelled defensively, noticing the confused stares she got. Spike coughed, sending a glare in her direction. "-Sorry, Spike. She even puts your cooking to shame.-"

Steel laughed and grabbed a slice, looking at it closely. "-Hmmm.... Steel never had food like this. What is it?-"

“-Oh, it's nothing special…. Just one of the best foods around! Pizza!-” Rainbow excitedly exclaimed, stacking two slices on top of each other with her hooves. “-Just try some!-”She encouraged, taking a bite out of the stack.

The big guy shrugged and took a bite out of his slice, immediately grabbing, like, five more slices off the plate with a hungry growl. I laugh at the sight of him stuffing his face, before running back into the kitchen, hearing some noise in that direction.

“Dammit, Pinkie….”

Pinkie had took the pizzas out, giving them a candy topping. She put pretty much all kinds of candy on them, grossing me out a little. I had caught her mid-bite, both of us staring at each other in silence.

“-........ The author made me do it! It was him, I swear!-”

I sigh and shake my head, leaving the room and ignoring the pony yelling at my ceiling.

The rest of the Minotaur's visit went without trouble, him leaving when it was sunset. He was loud, for the most part, laughing and telling some stories to Rainbow. Ash kept him from being too loud by giving him a solid buck in the legs, him just shrugging it off with a laugh. Fluttershy kept by the corner of the living room, gently humming a little tune to a drowsy Lagombi.

The newly named Nargacuga had taken up residence in my kitchen, making a nest in one of my kitchen cabinets and throwing out everything that wasn't suitable for nesting material, leaving me to move my pots and pans to some other cabinets with no small amount of glares sent in its direction.

I suppose everyone was going to stay the night, seeing as they were still here when it was pretty dark out. Spoon, Spike, and the school trio seemed to be battling for my attention, Spoon winning with her English writing skills. Ash, Twilight, and the others sat around the living room, sipping on some homemade apple tea I had set out. Applejack seemed absolutely astonished that idea of apple tea, giving me a small appraising stare before taking a sip.

Pinkie was…. Being herself, that's all I need to say about her situation.

Currently, I was digging through my movie collection, steering clear of the horror movies and going towards some of the older movies I haven't seen in since I was a kid. I was going to put on a movie for everyone, deciding it would be perfect to have a little indoor theatre moment. A few minutes before, I had got Ash’s attention and mimed out starting a movie, with some success. While I was digging through my movies, Ash was explaining to the group what I was doing.

“-Okay girls, I think we are in for a treat!-”

With a flash of confetti, Pinkie appeared in front of Ash. “-Did somepony say treat?-” She asked, before being levitated back to the couch by a recovered Rarity.

“-I don't think she meant that kind of treat, darling.-” Rarity looked back to Ash with a gentle smile. “-Go on, dear.-”

“-Okay…. Ehem!-” Ash cleared her throat. “-On my first night here, Dakota showed me one of her ‘special’ books on the shelf she is currently digging through.-” She says, pointing a wing in my direction. “-The reason why they are special is because the story can be watched on that device over there.-” She explained, pointing her wing back at my TV. “-As you all can guess, they all come in her language….-” She blinked, having a sudden thought.

“-Stop having stupid ideas, Author.-” Pinkie muttered to herself, no one listening to her. Suddenly, her mane burst into flame, causing her to run away to put it out, not a single person in the room noticing that random scene.

“-Unless….. Maybe a translation spell would work on her equipment?-” Ash asked, looking at Twilight with a shrug.

Twilight hummed in thought, taking a closer look at the TV. “-Maybe if I tweak the spell a little, the laws of magic are a little different around here.-”

“-What does that mean for those of us less magically inclined?-” Ash asked with a frown, not liking the sound of that.

“-Well… The laws of magic are pretty simple, they are what magic must abide by.-” Twilight was about to go into the aptly named ‘lecture mode’ before Rainbow coughed, snapping her out of the no doubt long explanation full of words that no one really understood. “-The rest is mostly theory, nothing too solid. The laws differ here because, when I use basic levitation spells, there is literally no drain on my magic, something that should have at least a small drain on my magic.-” She puts a hoof to her chin. “-Even when I was using those translation spells here, there was no drain at all. I could rig the spell to work on inanimate objects, if there are more changes to the rules here.-”

“-Then let's get to working on it, dear. It shouldn't take too long, if we already have a base spell to start with.-” Rarity encouraged with a smile. “-Let's just take care to not make the same mistake a certain somepony made the other day.-” She added, making Twilight flush in embarrassment.

“Huh….. It's been awhile since I've seen this.” I mutter to myself, pulling out Treasure Planet with a small smile at the nostalgia at the sight of the cover. “I guess this’ll be fine…. Twi will freak at all the SciFi stuff in here, ha ha!”

“Not a bad choice. Personally, I would've recommended Up or something newer.”

“Oh, be quiet. It's not that bad.”

I turn around, blinking at the sight of the two older unicorns starting up some kind of complex spell, their horns wrapped in their respective magical auras, pony runes swarming around the auras like some kind of angry bee swarm. Within a few minutes of the runes settling into visible patterns that swirled around their horns, the spells were sent in the direction of my TV, gently seeping into the screen with a soft glow.

I raise an eyebrow at the weird display of magic, silently hoping that they didn't break anything important, before starting up the movie.

“-Coming soon to theaters.-”

“What the hell?” I panicked a little at the sudden Equish coming from my TV, before realizing what kind of magic was used. “Ahhhh…. Another translation spell, got it. Hope it won't cause an explosion or somethin’.”

I quickly started the movie and took a seat on a cushion I had a tentacle magic up, Spoon and Spike hurriedly took their spots next to me. I guess the others felt left out, joining us with some excited murmurs at what I've put on, Scootaloo giving Spoon an unamused stare before smiling at me.

“Welp….” Alice spoke up, giving me the impression that she was tired somehow. “I think I'll be turning in for the day.”

“Okay….. After this, I'll get to figuring out how to put you behind the wheel tomorrow. God knows how boring it can get up there.”

“Thanks, Dakota. G’night.”

The movie went on with a few interruptions from Twilight, her freaking out at all of the SciFi technology that was shown. We, mostly the tentacles, made her forcefully shut up with a tentacle wrapping tightly around her muzzle, keeping it shut with only a few indignant grunts from their victim. After the movie was over, I had guided everyone to their rooms. Ash and the older ponies of our group were sent into Ash's room, my parents old room.

Shaking off some depression at the sight of their room, I guided the younger ones to my room, Spike and Spoon never leaving my side. I've quickly placed some extra cushions on my floor for everyone, laying a blanket over the makeshift bed for everyone. Tiara glared at the trio, realizing that she might have to share with them, causing me to sigh and motion towards my bed. She said her thanks before climbing up onto my bed with a smile.

Spoon and Spike glared daggers at each other, causing me to smile in amusement. “Looks like they both know who their rival is….. Not gonna pull the pin on that grenade, nope. Let them work it out on their own.”

I guess Spoon was the fiercer of the two, Spike backing off with a begrudging frown on his face and angrily wrapping himself up in a spare blanket while Spoon joined Tiara on my bed. I shrug and join them, going to sleep in after a few minutes of listening to the the group talk to each other, dreaming of a certain zombie filled city and a crazy rocket launcher wielding zombie.

Author's Note

Sorry if I took so long.

I may have..... Lost my tablet for one or two weeks. :derpytongue2: only to find it under my bed.....
I promise I'll have a Halloween chapter next... You guys can make an educated guess as to what I am gonna do.

Resident Nightmare

Author's Note

Sup, guys! Just a little note up here for a change! I just beat Undertale! Best game evah!
..... Go play it......if you want... :fluttershyouch: Friggin love Muffet....

Have a happy Halloween!

Edit: I think I fixed the music links.... I couldn't really find the two songs on YouTube so I had to find substitutes for them.

Resident Nightmare

“Why in the hell do I keep dreaming of horror games?!?” I think to myself, running from some zombie dogs through a police station.

I quickly opened a door on my left, slamming it shut on a dog's face. Taking a moment to catch my breath, I took a look around the room I was in, recognizing the room in an instant, the East Office. It was the big room with the multiple desks and the chief’s room over to the left corner in the back of the room.

Quickly locking the door behind me, I dash toward the chief's room, hoping for a shotgun to be in there. I shut the chief’s door behind me when I got in there, not risking any ‘rotting’ surprises. I quickly searched the desk, finding a decently sized handgun with a box of bullets and a combat knife inside. Finding the holster for the gun, I put it on and put the gun away, deciding to use the knife on the normal zombies I find.

“Sweet! A back pack.” I grab the pack from under the desk, throwing the ammo in and putting it on.

“Grrrrr!” A dog growled from behind the door I first shut, grabbing my attention for a moment.

“Gotta get outta here…… Maybe the safe rooms are here? I could ride out the dream until I wake up.” I mutter to myself, holding onto the knife with a death grip. “Let's just hope I don't run into any Lickers on the way. I freaking hate those guys!”

I took the back exit out of the room, the door leading outside to a fenced off enclosure and some stairs leading up to the second floor. Some zombies noticed me and started to bang on the chain link fence, making me feel a little nervous about what else is out there. I slowly climbed the stairs and went inside, intent on going to the interrogation room, seeing as I remember finding a shotgun once near there.

I was greeted with the sounds of zombies groaning when I entered, causing me to ready my knife in anticipation. Suddenly, a rip in the air formed next to me, a familiar blue alicorn walking out of it with a frown on her face.

“-Are thou alright? Thou seems to be experiencing a nightmare.-” She spoke up, gaining the zombies attention. They slowly limped around the corner of the hallway, Luna’s eyes widening in fear at the sight of them. “-U-Undead!?! Thou has seen such horrors?!?-” She screeched, a scythe appearing next to her, it decapitating the two in a quick motion.

“Oh, thank god! Come on, get me outta here with your dream sorcery!”

“-Alright, young one. Let's go.-” Her horn glowed, fizzling out seconds later. “-Hmm…. It seems we are trapped here, until we can defeat the source of thou’s nightmare.-”

“No, don't let your magic fail now! I don't want to be here when those two freaks show up! I know that the both of them are here!”

Luna wrapped a wing around me, cooing softly. “-It's alright, young one. Thou are under the protection of the night princess, no need to be afraid.-”

Sighing, I back away from her and walk in the direction the zombies came, Luna following behind with her scythe. After some wandering and zombie slaughtering, we came upon the S.T.A.R.S office, making me almost squeal in excitement. I opened the door….. Only to see Mr. Tall dark and scary himself staring right at me.

“Stars……”

“Nope.” I slowly shut the door on him and ran away.

Luna frowned and moved to open the door, only to get a solid boot to the face and get launched through the wall. Hearing the crash, I only ran faster, intent on leaving this place and escaping that monster.

“She’ll be fine, he's more interested in me.” I assure myself, taking a turn and ramming into something solid.

“Grrrrr……” A familiar monster stared down at me, the large eye on its shoulder blinking down at me.

“Damnit! It’s Birkin!” I scream, the mutated monster lifting me up with one arm. “Hey, uh, you aren't going to….. Do your whole ‘egg’ thing are ya? I'd rather not carry your young.” I say to him, the freak sniffing my face.

“Stars!” We hear Nemesis scream, tremors indicating how close he was.

“So….. Uh, how about you put me down and protect me?” I hopefully ask, Birkin growling in response. “I thought so…..” I rammed the knife into his shoulder eye, causing him to drop me in pain and cover my arm in eye goop and blood.

I quickly released the knife, running past him and into the foyer of the police station. I guess Luna was kicked pretty hard, to the other side of the recently broken statue, her scythe embedded into the wall next to her unconscious body.

“Stars!”

“Grrrraaaaaaa!”

I heard the two freaks fighting in the hall, the whole building shaking in the sheer epic scale of their fight. I quickly dashed over to Luna, intent on waking her up. With a few slaps to her face, I woke her up and dragged her outside, looking for the gun shop.

“Gonna need a more than a shotgun for this crap.”

“-Uuuhhhh, what hit me?-” A groggy Luna asked, following me with a noticeable limp. “-That……. thing was no undead.-” She muttered to herself as I lead her around some slow zombies, keeping an eye out for anything that might be faster than a standard zombie.

I spotted some lickers hanging near the rooftops, seeming to wearily observe us, their tongues hanging out as they hissed in our direction. Luna wisely kept her mouth shut when she saw them, only sparing a moment to stare back before stomping a crawling zombie’s head open with a hoof, the lickers running away in fear.

It took seemingly forever until I found the shop, the arsenal inside being visible through the front window. I opened the door and ushered Luna inside, a curious expression on her face. She sat down behind the counter, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.

“-Thou are lucky…. Thou can't be hurt physically in the dream realm, we can.-” She spoke up, looking at her injured leg with a frown. “-And, thanks to whatever reason, we can't leave until the source is gone.-”

“Here, take these.” I passed her a grenade launcher and whatever shells I could find, it loaded with acid rounds. “That'll do some damage, just pull the trigger.” I motion to the trigger, miming an explosion and something dying.

“-Some kind of bomb launcher? No need, we have or faithful blade; Moonshine.-” She passed it back, her scythe appearing next to her in a flash. “-It cuts through nightmares like they are smoke.-”

I shrug and pack the launcher and shells. “More ammo for me.”

A few dream minutes later.

I had packed the backpack with pretty much everything it could hold, about three packs of shotgun shells, a grenade launcher with six packs of explosive rounds and three packs of acid rounds, and the rest of the space was filled with assault rifle ammo.

I pretty much made myself a walking arsenal, an M16 strapped across my chest with a shotgun bandolier, a Lightning Hawk in its holster on my left thigh, and a fully loaded Striker in my hands. Luna watched me get prepared with a curious stare, having patched up her leg with some magic.

Strangely, no zombies were present outside, not even a corpse. I spared Luna a questioning glance, her nodding in response and levitating her scythe. Slowly opening the door, the noise of crackling fire greeting us, I hesitantly shuffled outside, the shotgun pointing at any would be threats.

“Stars!” I hear the big guy roar from a rooftop, causing me to push Luna back inside, an explosion painfully launching us into a wall.

I dimly heard him jump down from his spot, a heavy thud and heavy breathing the only indicators of where he was. I looked back at a terrified Luna and mutter one word. “Nemesis!” I pick up the dropped shotgun and meet the him outside, him having dropped the rocket launcher.

“Stars….”

“Dude, say something else! It's getting kinda old.” I yell at him, pointing the gun at him and cocking it once.

“Stars!” He roared back, a horde of Hunters dropping down from the building behind him.

“You know what! Screw! You!” I start firing into the horde, backing away slowly as they approached, me having a musical moment and singing as I had my stand, not questioning why I was singing in a language I didn't know and why there was music coming out of nowhere.

The hunters dropped one by one, the few that tried to pounce on me were swiftly ended by a barrage of shells, ending up a twitching pile on the ground. My shotgun ran out of ammo pretty quickly, leaving me scrambling for the assault rifle. One hunter slammed into me, knocking me onto my back. He raised a claw and I quickly pulled out the magnum, firing three rounds into its face, it dropping dead in an instant.

I looked back at the dwindled hunter horde, only five were left. It seemed that Nemesis wanted in on the action, him leaping over to me in one bound and roughly grabbing me by my face. He squeezed my head, trying to crush it like a grape, causing me to scream in pain, it feeling very real.

Suddenly, I was dropped, a silver blade protruding out of his chest. I took a peek behind him, seeing the remaining hunters as piles of mincemeat. Luna smiled at me from her position behind him. “-Thou hath fought valiantly, let me finish this foul beast for yo-!-” She was cut off by an elbow to her face, Nemesis ripping the blade out from his back and throwing it away.

“STARS!” He roared, punting Luna into the gun store window.

Taking my chance, I grabbed the assault rifle and pointed it at him. “Say hello to my little friends!” I unloaded into his back, him hunching over in pain for a second. I ran a good distance away from him, switching over to the grenade launcher and firing a round into his face, it burning off the trenchcoat.

For anyone that hasn’t played Resident evil, that trenchcoat is a limiter keeping him from mutating too much. I panicked when it dissolved, firing all I had into the guy. I guess that I accelerated the mutation process, him skipping into the final form of his mutations. I kept on firing until I ran out of ammo, throwing the gun down and running towards Luna’s position, intent on dragging her away from the abomination.

“-Uhhh….. Why is it so strong!-” She yelled in frustration, slamming a hoof down and cracking the ground. “-My scythe should have finished it!-”

“Come on! We don't wanna be around when that guy gets over here!” I yell at her, doing my best to drag her to the back door. “I gotta find a rocket lau-!” I was interrupted by a tentacle ripping me out of the building by my throat, Luna screaming in fear.

The mutated mass lifted me close to its maw, some kind of gelatinous fluid was slowly leaking out. The tentacle holding me was severed, a scythe embedded into the side of the freak. I coughed and turned in the direction where the scythe came from, seeing a battered Luna staring down Nemesis.

“-Get Moonshine!-” She yelled, pointing at the scythe.

Getting the message, I ripped the scythe out of the beast and ran out of reach. The scythe seemed to ripple as I held it, the shape forming into a familiar sword, causing me to grin like a madman. I point the sword at the beast, another song coming from my mouth.

“This better work! Bankai! Senbonzakura kageyoshi!” I yell as I drop the sword, it disappearing into the ground like it was water. Within seconds, giant blades came out of the ground, them dissolving into beautiful pink petals that swirled around Nemesis like an angry swarm of hornets, tearing into him mercilessly.

He roared in pain, parts of him dissolving into smoke as they got violently removed from his body. When I heard no more from him, I called back the petals, them forming into a dome of pink blades around Luna and I. The only thing left of him was the puddle of blood and the few stray pieces of his trenchcoat, the whole area behind the mess was completely vaporized.

Luna stared at me with amazement. “-T-Thou…. Altered my blade! Even destroyed the source of the nightmare within minutes!-” She took a deep breath, regaining her composure. “-We think we will have a chat with our dearest sister about this development….. And hope we can return Moonshine back to its original for-!-” She was interrupted by a pipe to the side of her head, sending her flying a few feet away.

“Grrrr!” The mutated monster by the name of Birkin growled, staring at me with his regenerated eye.

“-Oh, come on! Can't we get a break! That attack almost killed us!-” Luna groaned, shakily getting up.

He was quickly destroyed by the multiple pink blades impaling him and pinning him to the ground, ripping him apart like a necromorph in Dead Space. We both stared at the mess he left behind, only the giant eye that was on his shoulder was there, blinking wildly at us before being stabbed by four glowing swords in the iris.

With a little huff at the anticlimactic demise of an old boss character, I shrug and sheathe the blade, the bankai dissipating into the breeze like a cloud of pink pollen. Luna slowly limped over to me, everything eerily quiet.

“-We….huff… Think we'll keep the blade…ouch….-” She gingerly took the blade out of my hands with a wing, almost afraid of its power. “-Though…. Thou really need to stop having these sorts of dreams…. The flower from the last dream was almost as bad as these two!-” She looked at me with a playful glare, before sighing. “-We can't deny that they are….. Exciting, to say the least.-”

A tear opened up in front of us, Luna limping into it before turning to look back at me. “-We think we'll just…huff... Put you in a dream less… ‘Nightmarish.’ Then we will turn in for the night and recover from this ordeal.-” She said, lifting me into the rip with her magic.

It didn't take her very long to find a dream to throw me in, seeing a restaurant inside of the purple crystal she brought me to. She threw me unceremoniously into the dream, before leaving the dream realm. Spoon was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes, the feeling of entering the dream was dizzying. Spoon looked at me with dreamy eyes, my clothes changed into some kind of fancy suit that Viper would wear, my hair done up in a bun atop my head. We were sitting across from each other in a fancy restaurant, a small band in the center of the place was playing some romantic music.

My attention was quickly brought to the familiar form approaching our table, almost making me laugh at the sheer stupidity of the scene before me.

“Looks like Pyramid Pony got a new job……”

Breakfast and Meeting a Griffon

I sigh, a little annoyed at the situation I awoke in. I woke up after Pyramid Pony decided to serve us some cake, his blade slicing through it like it was nothing, the sheer stupidity of the situation waking me up. Spoon and Tiara trapped me in my bed, their sleeping forms wrapping around me like they tried to fight over me in their sleep. I sigh again, slowly and carefully reaching for a tentacle to wake up, hoping it could get me out of this with some crazy magic.

After some poking around, I woke one up and whispered to it. “Do you think ya can be a dear and get me out of here? I kinda need to attend to some….. ‘Business’ if ya catch my drift.” I ask a groggy feeling Sylphid, her waking up pretty quickly while she was gently glowing in response.

I felt nauseous after the sudden teleport into the bathroom, not really expecting that to happen. After shakily getting up and doing my morning routine, I go downstairs and into the kitchen, deciding to surprise everyone with a big breakfast. On my way there, I saw a slightly singed Pinkie grumbling angrily to herself on the couch, worrying me a little bit about her sanity. She quickly poofed back to her normal self when she saw me, the burnt spots vanishing in seconds.

“-Good morning, Dakota!-” She exclaimed, me quickly shushing her. “-Oh! Right! Everypony else is still asleep.-”

I shrug and smile at her, walking into the kitchen with Pinkie following behind me. Quickly going into action, all of my tentacles started to whip up some food while I started up some coffee for myself. Pinkie joined the effort to cook, making some doughnuts with a tentacle’s help in magicking up some ingredients.

I took a seat at the table, a familiar black shadow jumping into my face and startling me. Nocturne growled at me, staring at me hungrily with a glare. I chuckle and go towards the freezer, discreetly pulling out a steak and putting it in his little nest, the little guy chirping cutely at me before going into the cabinet and gnawing on his frozen breakfast with little difficulty.

Something thumped into my leg, making me look at the source. The Lagombi had its arm wrapped around my leg, it looking up at me with the cutest eyes I've seen on a monster. I picked her up and went over to the fridge, pulling out a bag of baby carrots and passing her one, laughing a little at her greedily chowing down of the vegetable.

Grabbing a bowl, I dump the small bag in it and place it on the floor with the hungry Lagombi. I pat its head and go back to the coffee maker, make myself a cup and add some caramel creamer, before going back to my seat.

“Hhhnnnn…. That's the stuff.” Alice groaned, having just woke up when I took a sip. “Mornin’.”

“Yup, good morning to you too.” I smile to myself. “Wanna try to get behind the wheel in a sec?”

“Alright, let's do this.” She agrees, sounding a little excited to finally walk around. “Shouldn't be too hard, right?”

“Ehhhh…. Kinda, I've only read some books with this kind of situation happening to the protagonist, it varies from person to person. It could be as easy as relaxing to swap places, in the other, it could need some kind of relic to enable us to do it.” I shrug and take another sip of my drink.

“Like that card game show you got up here?”

“Yep…. Let's just hope it's the easy path.”

Pinkie cheered, placing a tray filled with various kinds of doughnuts and doughnut holes on the center of the table. “-Pinkie’s famous doughnut deluxe is served!-”

My tentacles teleported a large plate covered in French toast next to the doughnuts, sending some excitement down their connection. They quickly made a tray of scrambled eggs and hash browns, teleporting that over too. I looked at Pinkie and pointed upstairs, hoping she’ll get the message.

“-Alright, I'll wake everypony up for breakfast.-” She smiled deviously, bouncing out of my kitchen. “-Heh, heh, heh….. Thanks for the idea, Author!-” I hear her yell, sounds of a bucket full of ice echoing from the living room.

A few suspense filled minutes later, I heard loud screams coming from upstairs, causing Alice and I to giggle like schoolgirls at what just happened. Pinkie quickly ran into the kitchen, looking proud while she was chased by an angry Ash.

“-Hey, look! Breakfast!-” Pinkie pointed at the table full of food, Ash drooling at the sight, briefly forgetting why she was angry.

“-Remind me to hit you later.-” She muttered, before stuffing some French toast in her mouth. “-Mmmhhhh! Schoooww friggin gooof!-”

The others slowly walked inside, looking like zombies, except for Spike, he looked more awake than all of them. Spoon and Tiara looked at the pile of toast skeptically, looking a little confused at what I've made.

“-Uh, what's that? I don't think it's a recipe I'm familiar with.-” Spoon asked with a raised eyebrow at the French toast.

“-Who cares! It's delicious!-” Ash replies with a smile, slamming slices into the duo’s mouths.

Within a few minutes, everyone was devouring the various foods on the table. I shared my coffee with some of the older members of the group, barring a certain pink party pony on a constant sugar high from the substance. Fluttershy and Rarity absolutely loved the stuff, each having had three cups of it before I cut them off.

“-Darling, you simply must share how you produce such a miracle. This stuff will be very helpful in case I have my overnight orders.-” Rarity praised, looking at me with a smile and pointing at my cup.

“-I-If you could, please….-” Fluttershy adds, hopefully smiling at me.

“Man, ya guys act like ya don't have stuff like this.-” I smile and take another sip. “-Ya guys have pretty much all the stuff my world has, why don't ya got this?-” I ask with a shrug.

Ash smiles and turns to Rarity, sounding like she had an answer “-She might have some different plants where she comes from and are exclusive to her world, like the animals.-”

“-Well, do you think the dear can share?-”

“-Hey, it's up to her. Heck, maybe she can open up a little shop that sells the stuff. She can literally make things out of nothing.-” Ash shrugged, putting a hoof to her chin. “-That could probably wait until she can speak a little Equish.-”

“-It probably won't take too much longer, I've almost got her whole language translated.-” Spoon spoke up, looking very excited. “-I just need to give my notes a good look over and some time alone with Dakota, then we can get to working on speaking Equish.-”

Something started to bang on my door, gaining everyone's attention. I quickly hop off of my seat and check the door, opening it with a smile. I blinked at the griffon in front of me, it also blinking in surprise. We both stared at each other, both of us taking in the other's appearance.

This griffon was a girl, judging from the purplish markings on the feathers around her eyes and the little bit of purple in her ‘hair,’ if I could call it that, I wasn't really sure. Her beak was a little thing, looking like it was flexible enough to form some expressions, especially the confused frown that she was wearing. At the end of her forelegs were some weird bird hands. At the middle of her body, just below the wings, the lion part of a griffon started, ending with a long tail in the back.

“Huh, I was expecting something else.”

“Like what? She looks pretty cool, kinda want to meet a fully grown dragon though….. Wanna test my knowledge of the dragon language from Skyrim on them. Maybe I still have the book laying around here somewhere….”

Alice laughed at me, sounding like I made her day for saying that. “Pfft! Neeeerrrrrdd!”

“-Uh, I'm looking for Rainbow Dash? I was told she was here.-” I hear the gryphon speak up, stopping me from defending my interests from such a vile statement.

I recognized the word for rainbow, leading her to the kitchen with a smile. I gotta give the girl some props, she can change her attitude pretty quickly, her demeanor changing into a calm kind of cool you see in some of the popular people you see in those school movies when she saw Rainbow Dash.

“-Sup, Dash.-”

“-Gilda!-” Rainbow cheered, obviously happy to see an old friend. “-What are you doing here? I thought you went to Griffonstone after flight camp was over.-”

The griffon shrugged, smiling at her friend. “-Nah, I was just in the neighborhood and decided to drop by. I was pointed in the right direction by this one crazy frea- her!-” She pointed at Pinkie with wide eyes, said pony shrugging at the stares.

“-Hey, I just know when somepony is looking for a friend.-” She explained. “-It's part of what I do.-”

The griffon's right eye twitched, her expression turning into an annoyed frown before she grabbed Dash and pulled her away from her friends, whispering to her. After a few minutes of heated debate between the two, the griffon giving me a few stares when my name was mentioned. They both calmly walked back to us, Rainbow giving me a smile and the griffon smiling evilly.

“-Guess who's going to fly with us~.-” She sang with a smile, Ash groaning at the idea.

“-I'm pretty sure she can't fly.-”

Rainbow smiled. “-Some things can stand on the clouds, even if they don't have wings.-” She explained, before shrugging. “-Even if she can't, I'll let her ride on me. What's the worst that can happen?-”

Meanwhile, in a cave in the Everfree, a few minutes before dawn.

“Oh, thank Chrysalis we got here.” Mismatch groaned from her seat by the gooey wall, looking a little worse for wear, having had a close call with a manticore.

“Oh, you'll be fine.” Neuron laughed. “He only knocked you into a tree, not hard enough to crack any exoskeleton.” He assured, earning a glare from Mismatch.

“It still hurt….” She pouted, feeling a little sore around her wings.

“Alright, everyling, be ready to observe the creature later today.” Oculus announced, having been placed as the leader of the team. “Synapse, you will stay here and prepare a field lab, in case we have to unexpectedly bring our subject in.” She ordered, Synapse giving her a tired nod and going to her various bags full of science and medical supplies.

“You know…..” Neuron looked around the cave, seeing some old changeling goo buildings near the back of the cave, the goo hardened up and cracking. “When Commander Six Six said there was an encampment here, I thought there would be at least some changelings here…. It’s completely deserted!”

“I guess that means something happened here to force them to leave…..” Oculus hummed in thought, before turning to Mismatch. “Mismatch, link up to the hive and see if anyling knows what happened here. Neuron, look around, maybe you can scrounge up some love rations someling left behind. I'll be back in a little while, going to search the town for the creature.” She ordered, blinking out of existence with a flash of her horn.

Neuron and Mismatch looked at where their leader was, before doing what they were ordered. Everything was silent for a while, the only noise was coming from Synapse’s efforts to make a lab, the sound of her coughing up a small pile of green goop that she quickly formed into a shack.

“Sweet! Hey, everyling! There is a whole stockpile of love back here!” Neuron cheered, having found a large room with a small lake of pink jelly. “Looks like whoever was here last kept a bunch of preserved love for himself. Heh, heh, guess that's all ours for now.” He smiled excitedly, the thought of having more than enough love for this mission making him feel optimistic.

Mismatch entered the room, her eyes widening at the amount of food in the room. “....... I know this might sound bad, but can we swim in that? It's been a small dream of mine.” She shyly asked, blushing a shade of green.

“Pffft! Go on, I won't stop you. Heck, I might even join in.”

With Oculus, in the town.

It wasn't too hard for the cloaked scout to move through the town, keeping a close eye out for anything unusual. She didn't have to search for long, finding a strange purple house with some unusual architecture for the area. She smiled to herself, pleased that the house stood out.

After some deliberation, and no small amount of bug-like curiosity, she snuck into the attic through the window, her telekinesis making it easy to open it. The attic was filled with old boxes, each one labeled in a language she didn't recognize.

Oculus dispelled her invisibility spell, her feeling sure that no one comes up here, judging from the amount of dust accumulated on the floor. She slowly treaded around the room, looking for a way to the floor below. Eventually, after some digging around in the mess, she found the stairs.

“Someling really needs to organize up here.” She thought to herself, her wings twitching a little in annoyance.

She silently walked downstairs, being extra sure to not make any noise, and entered a hallway. After some thought, she became invisible again, opening the first door she saw. She blinked at the amount of sleeping ponies in one room, immediately noticing the element bearers making up most of the group, loyalty cuddling up against a drooling kindness. Staying calm, she saw the green pegasus on the bed.

“Alright, I got a disguise for this thing…. When we drag her to the camp.” She smiled to herself, before hearing the laughter bearer twitch from her spot on the floor.

She shut the door, turning around and looking for the creature's room. After some more doors, finding a closet and a room with a weird machine by the wall and a small closet with a black sword inside, she found a room with more ponies and a small dragon. Oculus carefully flew over the fillies on the makeshift bed on the floor, trying to take a closer look at the obscured mass hidden between two fillies on the bed.

“Huh….. It's cuter than I thought it would be.” she thought to herself, seeing the little thing snore softly, a small smile on its face. “But, there's soo much love coming from this little thing.” She frowned afterfeeling for any sources of love on her target. “Just…. How? It's enough to feed the hive for a while.” She smiled a little, opening her mouth. “I'm sure they won't mind if I have a little taste.”

In a flash, a tentacle wrapped around her, the creature's eyes opening up and blankly staring at her, as if deciding she was a threat or not. As fast as it happened, the tentacle retracted, disappearing into the creature's back as its eyes shut. Oculus blinked and shuddered, taking a quick taste of its love before flying out of the room, shutting the door behind her as quick and silent as possible.

“Mmmmnnn….. Delicious.” She smiled, heading back up to the attic and flying out of the window. “Just gotta be careful around that thing, and everything will be alright.”

Author's Note

Alright guys, here's a little idea I had a little while ago.... You know how pretty much every anime has a pervy character at some point? Yeah, imma let all of you send in your own perverted OC. :scootangel: there can only be one victor, make a certain man proud.

Swapping places and kidnapping plans

“-Wow…. I did not expect that.-” Rainbow said with a raised eyebrow, having dropped me onto a cloud.

Two of my tentacles quickly shot out and sunk into the cloud, causing the cloud to change from its normal white color into an ominous black and solidifying enough for me to sit on it without falling through it. I glared at Rainbow, not too happy that she dragged me out of my home to fly around with her friend, deciding to drop me onto a nearby cloud when she got tired of lugging me around.

It was kinda fun at the start, riding on a pegasus's back as she flew around at breakneck speeds, until I almost fell off when she decided to do some loops and rolls. Alice kept frantically screaming in my head, absolutely terrified of being up as high as we were, eventually turning into incoherent babbling before she went quiet. The griffon kept a sharp eye on me whenever Rainbow did some stunts, looking like she respected me when I never lost my grip on Rainbow, my excited yells causing her to smile.

“-It is somethin’, that's for sure.-” The griffon hummed in agreement, scratching its beak in thought.

“Thank god it's over!” Alice cheered in my head. “I was close to throwing up in here.”

“I'm fairly certain ya can't do that in my head.”

“It doesn't help the fact that I felt like doing it.”

I shrug and look down at the cloud I'm sitting on, giving it a few pats with my hand. I blink at the black blood-like substance that stained my hand a smoky black, making me frown. The tentacles still haven't retracted from the cloud, all of them, except sylphid, sending excitement down their connection.

Rainbow and her friend took their spots on large cloud next to mine, while I tried to figure out how to make mine move. After some experimentation, the tentacles twitched, causing the cloud to gently float forward at a slow pace. I smile, deciding to keep the cloud as my new ride.

“Great, at least we won't be falling to our deaths anytime soon.”

“Oh, be quiet. Flying isn't that bad.”

Rainbow looked at me with a challenging smile, motioning with her hoof. “-Do you think you can make that go faster?-”

I shrug and poke a tentacle, it sending amusement down the connection before the cloud sped around the two’s cloud, stopping when it almost hit Rainbow's face. She looked at her friend, who just flared her wings and smiled.

“-Looks like we're gonna race.-” She nodded, quickly setting up a starting position with some stray clouds, before making a small track for us to follow.

I floated the cloud over to the start, deciding to stand up and ride it like it was Flying Nimbus from Dragon Ball, my tentacles keeping my arms pointed down at the cloud. I grinned at Rainbow and looked down, seeing that we were on the outskirts of town, right above the apple orchard.

The griffon flew next to me, somehow flying upside down and giving me a bored stare, me retiring it with a shrug. Rainbow sped back towards us and stopped next to her friend, telling her something that caused her to smile and get ready to race.

“-Three!-” I heard Rainbow count down.

“Oh, come on! Can't we just go back to the ground? You know, where it's nice and safe!”

“-Two!-”

“Nope, I'll be sure to treat ya something when we're done with flying.”

“-One!-”

“It better be ice cream!”

“-Go!-”

All three of us shot out of the starting spot, Rainbow in the lead while the griffon and I were battling for second place. She frowned and sped up, my cloud easily keeping up with her. After a quick glance in Rainbow's direction, seeing as her friend was a little occupied looking away from us, she grinned evilly at me, before kicking at my cloud, the thing vanishing below me in a puff of smoke.

I suppose she didn't like that I was keeping up with her so easily….

I fell screaming, finally realizing how high we were flying, the ponies below looking like growing ants as I got closer to my doom. Sylphid shot out of the back of my dress, stretching out far enough to wrap around another cloud, abruptly stopping my descent and causing my back to feel like it was going to tear from where she was connected. The rest of the tentacles wrapped around the cloud and glowed, its color changing into an ominous blood red before it shot right at me.

The cloud engulfed me, it changing shape around me like it was alive. After a few seconds, it formed four large cloud wings on my back. The tentacles sent rage down their connection, quickly disappearing into each wing and causing them to start flying me at an insane speed towards the race. Smiling at the griffon’s attempt to get me out of the race, I cheer and enjoy my flight, not needing to do anything to help fly.

It didn't take too long to get to the side of the griffon, her giving me an incredulous look as I passed making me laugh. The tentacles\wings turned me around so I could see the cheater, me giving her the biggest smile I had.

“Ya thought ya could get rid of me that easily?” I yelled, before flying after Rainbow. “You’re lucky that I'm nice!”

It took some effort to get next to Rainbow, dodging some clouds and random birds as I flew. Rainbow looked at me with some surprise, probably not expecting something to gain wings and keep up with her. She gave me a small glare and sped up, shooting past me with a laugh.

I laughed and zoomed next to her again, giving her a small wave before I shot past her and the finish line, cheering at my victory. I did a little victory dance in mid air, before my cloud wings melted and turned back into my cloud seat. Two tentacles retracted into my back, both sending exhaustion down their connection.

Rainbow flew over to me and offered her hoof and gave me a begrudging smile, me returning both with a fist bump and a smug look. Her griffon friend showed up seconds later, glaring at me with some respect in that stare of hers. Deciding to get back to the ground, I wave at the two and point down, Rainbow smiling a nodding.

“-We’ll have that rematch later, little buddy!-” She yelled as I descended, the both of them waving me goodbye.

One I landed, the cloud I was sitting on vaporized as I dropped off the thing. After some thought, I decided to go towards my house, having landed in front of a candy shop a little ways from there. It was a good day to hang out there, a gentle summer breeze bringing smells of whatever is cooking at the various shops.

Making my way through the crowds of ponies, I saw a small shop on the corner, a vinyl record and a music note on the sign hanging out front. With a shrug, I went to check out that place, a little excited to find some new music.

“You do realize that all of the music is probably in their language, right?”

“Meh, it's fine, definitely not the first time I had that problem. As long as it sounds good, I don't really care if I understand what the singer says.”

I pushed open the door, a small bell ringing as I walked in. The shop was divided into two sides. The left side had a bunch of records and dubstep equipment on displays haphazardly strewn about, the DJ from the other day behind the counter, jamming out to some music on her headphones. The other side had stringed instruments of all kinds on some organized stands near the walls, a gray pony practicing with her cello.

Shrugging, I went over to the new pony’s side, deciding to grab a violin and see if still I remember how to play. I went through some of the notes of Saria's song from Ocarina of time, smiling at the memories of playing that game. It wasn't too long until the grey pony started to add in her own notes to the song, catching my surprised stare with a raised eyebrow.

We went on for a few minutes, stopping when I had put down the violin. She nodded at me with a small smile and walked over, After putting down the cello and grabbing an expensive looking violin from behind the counter.

“-It looks like she won the contest, Vinyl.-”

The DJ confusedly looked at the pony and cocked her head, before letting out a loud, “Ohhhh!”

“-That contest? Nopony came, so I thought the thing was off.-” She shrugged, scratching her head with a hoof. “-Strange that she came in at the last second though…. She can't even read, er, maybe, she learned enough?-” She added, looking a little embarrassed.

The grey pony blinked in surprise, turning back to a confused me. Putting the violin in my arms, she pulled out a small flyer from her counter with her mouth and showed it to me.

“First…. Annual… string…. Something?… contest…. Prize…. An….. Special.... Edition….Platinum…… violin. Huh, cool. Oh, there's more…… Can…. use…. Any… Instrument…. In... Store… Only stringed instruments… Allowed for… Contest…. Song… Must be…an original piece.” I slowly read, coming to the realization that I had unknowingly won the thing. “Heh, I won two things in one day, how lucky can I get?”

“-I guess she can read. Just look at her, she's smiling.-” DJ laughed.

“-Hmmm…. Did you know she could play?-”

“-No, didn't even know.-” She shrugged. “-Though, she looks more like a piano player.-”

“Hey, uh, thanks for the violin. But, er, I gotta get going, the voice in my head wants some ice cream and I don't suppose ya have a complimentary case for this thing?” I ask, holding up the instrument, not really wanting to stay and listen to a conversation I couldn't understand.

The grey one looked at me and blinked. “-Oh, right, the case.-” She dug around for a little bit, pulling out a black case, a purple treble clef emblazoned on the side. “-Here you go, I suppose I could give you some lessons, on the count of you sounding a little out of practice.-” She smiled at me. “-I'll just have Vinyl bring me over.-” She said with a wink.

After putting the violin into its case, I thanked them and walked out of the shop, going in the direction of my home. I had gained a few stares in my direction, most of the gazes directed at my case. Once I got within sight of my house, a strange brown pony stopped me, the mark on his rear an hourglass.

“-So, I don't suppose that you're the disruption? Strange….-” He muttered, pulling out a familiar object from nowhere and pointing it at me. “-Void stuff is all over you, hmm…..-”

“His voice sounds familiar….”

“Yeah, it does…. No, it can't be….”

“Who is it?”

“The…. The Doctor.”

My eyes widened and I gave the thing he was holding a closer look, and sure enough, it was a sonic screwdriver. “No. Friggin. Way!”

“Hey, uh, a-are you a time lord?”

His eyes widened, giving me a surprised stare. It looked like he understood me.

“Um, if you are…. Just, er, leave me out of the whole, “timey wimey wibbly wobbly” bullcrap, please?” I ask him, not wanting my life any more complicated than it has to be.

He gave me one long, confused stare. Gently smiling, he nodded, before turning around and running off. Sighing, I walk inside my house and go into the kitchen, cracking out some chocolate ice cream from my freezer.

“Alright, now that I know that the friggin Doctor exists here, I'm pretty sure I'll be meeting him again down the road.” I think with a loud sigh, scooping up a mouthful from the tub. “Let's just get you behind the wheel, alright?”

“Okay…… What should I do?”

“I'll just relax, then you should try to ‘push’ into the front. I'm not really sure if I'm correct on this though.”

I closed my eyes, leaning back on my seat. It wasn't too hard to find Alice’s presence in my mind, seeming to reach out towards me. I latched onto the feeling, pulling it to the front and sending myself into the empty slot. It was…. Disorienting, to say the least. My body felt muted, as if I was partially awake.

“Did…. Did it work?”

I saw my eyes examining my hands, the appendages involuntarily flexing and moving about. Slowly, they grabbed the spoon and scooped up some ice cream. It quickly went into my mouth, causing a loud moan in delight.

“Yes!” Alice cheered, arms going up in celebration. “I love you! Thank you! thank you! thank you!”

“No need to thank me, you go have some fun.” I smiled mentally, happy that she could have some fun.

Meanwhile…..

“Target is back at its nest.” Mismatch spoke to her teammates, eyeing the creature through the window she created. “Strange….. Its demeanor changed….”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s acting like a whole other being, a very childish one at that.” She noted, seeing the thing throw away the spoon and throw her face in the tub, a stupid little smile on its face. “Earlier, it was calm and collected, it didn't even try to get revenge on the griffon that tried to kill it.”

“Strange indeed….” Oculus hummed in thought. “Synapse, do you have any idea why that happened?” She asked said changeling.

Synapse shook her head, brows furrowed in thought.

“Sigh….. This could be a problem….. Did we get any news from the hive?”

Mismatch closed the window, her horn gently glowing. “Well, I did get told of the reason why the changelings that were here left. They were run out of here by an Ursa major, made the stupid mistake of trying to get some love from its cub.”

Neuron squeaked in fear, jumping behind Synapse. “U-Ursa?!?”

“It's fine, the cave it lives in is over on the other side of the forest.”

“Oh thank Chrysalis.”

“I've taken the liberty to give the hive your report on the creature.” Mismatch told Oculus.

Oculus frowned, giving her subordinate a small glare. “I thought I told you not to tell them yet.”

“I felt it was too important to not tell them and, besides, you're going to be famous at the hive! You just found the thing that could keep the hive from starvation for a very long time!”

“Yeah, but, sigh….. It's just a child, we can't just take it and drain the love out of it, we're not monsters.” Oculus sighed again, looking a little tired. “What did they say?”

“We are to take it back to the hive, the queen wishes to see the creature herself.” Mismatch informed. “She had even personally requested for it to be brought over to the hive within three days, unharmed.”

“Great, just great.”

“The second request is to search the old castle that's deeper in the forest, not too far from our cave. The lings at intel have reason to believe that something was left behind on Nightmare's return. That's pretty much everything I was told.”

“You can go back to observing the creature, I will take Neuron and go to the castle.”

“Awww…. Come on, I really don't wanna go into the creepy forest.” Neuron whined, pointing at Synapse. “Can't you just take her?”

Oculus glared at him, causing the guy to slowly walk to the entrance of the cave, a scared expression on his face. “You're more scary than the forest….”

Turning to Synapse, Oculus smiled. “While we're gone, you figure out how we will carry all that preserved love back to the hive.” She ordered, Synapse responding with a sluggish nod and a mock salute.

Ten minutes later.

The duo hadn't had much trouble getting to the old castle, only having some trouble with the bridge. They both stopped for a second when they got within view, the broken down structure still inspiring some awe. They both entered the building through the still open front door, taking care to not make any noise.

“Alright, let's split up and search the castle. You take the right side, I'll take the left, meeting up in the middle.” She said.

Not waiting for an answer, she confidently took the hallway on the left, causing the small scout to hesitantly walk into the right hallway. Oculus searched the rooms as she went, the feeling of being watched urging her on. When she reached the end of the hallway, there was a fancy looking pedestal in a large room, a strange sculpture by the window in the back.

She took a closer look at the pedestal, seeing something small sitting on it.

“A key?” She asked aloud, raising an eyebrow at the object.

The key was a deep black, a crescent moon painted onto the side. It looked far too big for any lock on a door. Shrugging, she picked it up and threw it into her pack. “Better than nothing, I suppose.”

One hour later.

The rest of the search turned up not very fruitful, a few strange relics were found and determined useless. Oculus kept the key, her curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn't get rid of the feeling that she was being watched, even after leaving the castle. When they returned to the cave, they started on planning to get the creature.

“We can't just take it in broad daylight.” Mismatch told Neuron, looking at him like he was stupid.

“I'm telling you, we just need to cloak up and grab her, it doesn't need to be at night!”

“That would be stupid.” Oculus glared, not liking the plan. “Let's just grab it when it goes to bed tomorrow. No one goes up into the attic, so we can sneak in, put her in a pod and fly out without any trouble.”

Author's Note

I know, I know, this might look a little rushed..... Okay, is a little rushed. :derpytongue2: I just wanted to pump out another chapter before the month ended, that's all.

The pervy oc contest is still going on. So keep sending the submissions in! He/she will be a reoccurring character in this thing! Not just a one shot.

The last thing I want to say is...... I want to know who you want to ship Ash with.... I've been thinking about this for a while.... :moustache: She needs some love, dammit! :flutterrage:

Giant Bear Attacks and Revelations

Author's Note

Hmm.... I have a feeling that I may have went a little dark in this chapter... :trixieshiftleft: :trixieshiftright: :pinkiecrazy: meh, whatever. I've been a little sick recently and had some free time.

Well.... Uh... The next chapter will be changeling kidnapping, so be ready for that stuff. To clear any ideas that a whole hive will be completely vaporized, no, there will be no changeling murder in this story. :flutterrage: never gonna happen.

Have a merry Christmas!

Giant Bear Attacks and Revelations

The rest of the day was spent with Alice behind the wheel. It was pretty exciting, watching her explore the town and have some fun, god knew how much she needed it. The griffon showed her face at the market, us catching a glimpse of her stealing an apple from an unsuspecting stall owner with her tail.

We did help prevent Fluttershy from bumping into the griffon, Flutters a little preoccupied with leading a small group of baby ducks through town. Though, the griffon did bump into us and roar in our face before angrily strutting off. I suppose she was lucky that my tentacles were still exhausted from my little flight earlier today, I'm pretty sure that they would've thrown her across the town.

After that was over and done with, Alice hung out around the weird bakery place, Pinkie hooking her up with some free shakes and cupcakes. After about an hour, maybe three different kinds of shakes later, Pinkie set up some decorations for a party, her finishing once Alice blinked. Rainbow showed up and spoke to her friend, then the two of them set up some pranks.

It wasn't long until everyone showed up at the party, the griffon being the last one to show up. Twilight took a seat next to Alice and pulled out a book on some kind of magical study, the weird arcane symbol on the cover being my only clue. It was a pretty funny show we had got, the griffon setting off all the pranks in one go, the bird getting more and more flustered, until Rainbow admitted to something, I'm pretty sure it was about setting the pranks.

The griffon went ballistic, yelling various things at everyone, most of the stuff was directed at Rainbow, before flying out the door, only Alice and I catching the sight of some tears trailing down her face as she left. We were a little surprised at how quickly everyone recovered from it, them all laughing and partying within a few moments of her leaving. Concerned about the griffon, we left the place to search for her.

It took us a little bit, but we eventually found her on the edge of the town, sobbing as she sat down near a tree on a hill. Slowly, Alice approached the griffon and tried to wrap an arm around her in an attempt to console the emotional bird. The crying stopped, for a moment, until she wrapped her arms tightly around our body, crying even louder and yelling various thing at Alice. This went on for a few minutes, the crying slowly dying down as Alice hummed and rubbed the griffon’s back.

After that, she finally realized what she was doing, her face becoming red as she backed away. After listening to some growling in our direction, Alice smiled and mimicked locking our mouth and throwing away the key, the griffon giving us a thankful smirk and playfully punching our shoulder.

And that's how the rest of the day went, Alice hanging out with the griffon until she left, giving us a purple feather from her head before she flew off.

The next day, I woke up early and took the ‘wheel’ from Alice as she slept. With a smile, I went to my closet and chose a new outfit, deciding on Menma’s dress from Anohana, frowning that I still couldn't find anything non-cosplay in my closet. After doing my morning routine, I whipped up some breakfast for Ash and I, deciding on something simple and easy: a pan of cinnamon and maple oatmeal. I quickly started to eat my food and fed the two monsters, waiting for Ash to get up. She eventually stumbled into the kitchen and threw her head into the bowl, slowly and tiredly lapping it up with her tongue.

She groaned as she ate. “-Oh, mmmmmnnn, that hits the spot!-” I hear her yell. “-Thanks, Dakota!-”

I gently smile at her and get up, finished with my food, placing my bowl in the sink and leaving the room. Stopping at the front door, I turn around.

“Hmmm…. What were the words for ‘going out?’” I scratch my chin, and furrow my brows. “Oh, I think it's this….. “-I go ouf!-” …. Did I get it right?” I yelled my broken Equish in the direction of my kitchen.

“-Good job!-” I heard Ash yell in response, the happiness in her voice pretty obvious. “-Thanks for telling me, I'll clean this up! Go have fun!-”

I heard ‘go’ and ‘fun’, taking that as confirmation that she got what I said. I left and went for town square, hoping I could find something to do on this nice summer day. Alice woke up as I walked, telling me about her dream involving rainbows and candy. Needless to say, it was one of those dreams that was heaven to a kid would absolutely adore.

“Yeah, after that, I rode this weird purple drag- hey, what's that?” Alice asked, directing my attention to the blue pony with a silver mane setting up a stage by the big town hall like building. “Huh, she's pretty.”

The pony was wearing a large cliché wizard's hat and cape, stars decorating the articles of clothing. Her horn was glowing as she set up the stage, a large carriage parked next to it as she levitated the parts together. She blinked and turned towards me, her eyes going wide as she took in my appearance.

“-The Great and Powerful Trixie finds it pleasing that the otherworldly creature has taken an interest in my production.-” She said after a little bit, smiling arrogantly. “-Though, Trixie recommends that you wait until she finishes setting up her stage……-” She hummed in thought, eyeing my hands. “-Unless, you would like to assist Trixie in this matter.-”

I blinked at what she said, hearing a certain word repeated at, or near, the beginning of whatever she says. Walking towards where she was gesturing with her hoof, I took a closer look at the stage and was a little shocked. I was no carpenter, but I could tell that this thing wasn't up to code, it looking like it was made of rotted wood.

“Hey, girls….” I spoke out loud, all four tentacles slithering out of my dress and ‘looking’ at me, the wizard's mouth opening up in shock. “Could ya give her some magical assistance?” I ask them, feeling Crystal send determination down her connection.

The single tentacle shot out and burrowed into the ground, a glowing rune filled circle surrounded the stage as I felt something drain out of me. There was a big flash and the stage transformed into a fancy one with large red curtains and a back room. Crystal retracted and sent a feeling of pride at her work, me giving her a scratch on the side and turned back to the unicorn.

I almost laughed at the look on her face, she looked like her brain short circuited. “-Trixie thinks she may have underestimated your abilities….-” She said, sounding out of breath.

I gave her a big smile, waving a hand at the stage. “Go on, give it a good look over!”

She gave me a thankful expression and nodded, gesturing for me to follow her. “-Alright, come on. Trixie supposes she could give you a behind-the-scenes pass for what you did.-”

I followed her into her carriage thing, me not really having anything better to do. This thing looked more like a mobile home on the inside, a bed and a small kitchen sitting right next to each other. The pony’s horn glowing as a small paper slip flew over to me, the thing looking homemade. Taking a closer look, there was a crudely drawn pony taking down a strange bear creature, the pony bearing a small resemblance to the one who gave me it.

I deadpanned at her, not impressed at the paper she gave me. Deciding to help her out, I point my tentacles over to the pile of homemade posters and had them magically give them a touch up, the picture on them turning into an epic battle between the pony and the bear thing that could've been drawn by an expert artist.

The pony blinked at my work and quickly wrapped her hooves around me, thanking me profusely. “-Oh, thank you! Trixie hasn’t had the bits to afford to get good posters. It is very hard to do a magic show when there are other know-it-all unicorns at the show, explaining how Trixie did her act, ruining the whole thing. At least Trixie gets paid enough to get food……. Er, forget that Trixie said such a thing!-” She yelled, embarrassed.

I frowned as she talked to me, noticing that she seemed to think I could understand her. It took a little bit, but I got her to get it that I couldn't get what she was saying, confusing me a little that she almost looked relieved that I couldn't. Not taking no as an answer, I helped her set up her show, my job being setting up the posters around town while she rigged the stage with her equipment.

After that was done, the pony and I stood on the stage and waited for a small gathering of ponies to appear. It didn't take long for the crowd to gather, some of the other ponies from my class making up a portion of the group, a curious looking Spoon hanging near the back with some saddlebags. I gave them a wave as the magician went behind the curtains, probably to prepare for the show. I hopped off the stage and joining Spoon in the crowd, her greeting me with a nuzzle on my face and a note thrust into my hands.

(I will be teaching you how to speak some Equish later today, so please stay with me. P-------------date------------ P.S. Nice dress….)

I blink and blush at the writing, a little surprised that she had improved so quickly and not used to be complimented while wearing a dress. Doing a double check on the hastily scratched out sentence near the end of the paper, the only word I could make out was ‘date.’

“She really has fallen for you!” Alice cooed, making my face turn even more red. “If I were going to chose a person from here to go out with, it would be her. Just look at her, she has the cute glasses thing going on!”

“But, what about Spike?” I shook my head. “Never mind, we need to get to speaking Equish before I can even start thinking about relationships with anyone.”

“Awww, you're no fun.”

“Life's no fun, just look at the situation we're in, it's enough to give me a headache thinking about it!”

I smiled at Spoon and looked back at the stage, the unicorn now walking out and smiling arrogantly at the crowd. “-Ladies and gentlecolts, are all you ready to see the magical feats of the Great and Powerful Trixie?-” She yelled out at the crowd as fireworks shot into the air, everyone cheering as she made her horn flare.

Thirty minutes later.

“Huh, she's pretty good.”

“Yeah, the part where she made the rope snake was pretty cool.”

We watched the show for a while, agreeing that this unicorn was pretty good at what she did. Spoon leaned against me as we watched, her contently sighing every so often as I scratched her ears in response. I blinked as the show was interrupted by Rainbow, her saying something that made the magician glare at her.

“-Well, well, well, it seems we have some neighsayers in the audience. Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie? Do they not know that they're in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?-” She arrogantly asks, making me blink at the emphasized neigh at one of the words she said.

I took a look around, spotting Twilight and her friends off to my left, most of them appearing to not like the magician, except for Twilight. Gesturing for Spoon to follow, I walk over and join them, Spike greeting me with a hug the moment I got close.

“-Oh, good morning, Dakota! You should've been with me earlier, Twi learned this new spell that gave me a fancy moustache.-” He excitedly told me, still holding an embarrassed me in his arms.

I politely coughed, making him release me and cause his face to flush pink. Spoon huffed from behind me, giving us a jealous pout. Rarity giggled at my situation, me giving her an unamused glare and a sparking tentacle pointed in her direction, making her shut up.

Applejack smiled and nodded in my direction. “-Good mornin’, Dakota.-”

Rainbow gained our attention again, sounding like a certain griffon I know. “-So, "Great and Powerful Trixie". What makes you think you're so awesome, anyway?-”

The magician scoffed. “-Heh, why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa major!-” She boasted as her fireworks shot out, everyone around me gasping in awe, except for Twilight, Rainbow, and I.

I heard two colts talking over the crowd and looked at them, blinking in shock at their appearance. It looked like what would happen if Stretch and Fatso from Casper were nerdier, younger and ponified. If I had to guess their names, taking the clues from their marks, it would be Snail and Scissors.

“-What?-” Scissors asked in awe.

“-No way!-” Snail agreed with his friend.

The magician chuckled, sounding smug. “-When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to, but the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and with her awesome magic, vanquished the ursa major and sent it back to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest!-”

“-That settles it.-” Scissors said.

“-Trixie truly is the most talented, the most magical, the most awesome unicorn in ponyville!-”

“-No, in all of Equestria!-” Scissors corrected.

Spike glared at the two and yelled at them, a purple glow turning his mouth into a zipper mid rant. He looked at Twilight and glared at her, trying to unzip his mouth.

The magician laughed again and looked at the duo. “-It's true, my little admirers. Trixie is most certainly the best in ponyville.-”

Everything went silent, causing me to blink in surprise, I could hear the cliché cricket noise from the various cartoons I have seen.

She frowned and looked out over the crowd, before giving everyone a challenging smirk. “-Don't believe the Great and Powerful Trixie? Well then, I hereby challenge you, Ponyvillians. Anything you can do, I can do better. Any takers? Anyone? Hmm? Or is Trixie destined to be the greatest equine who has ever lived!?-” She announced, more fireworks shooting out.

I watched as all of Twilight’s friends challenged the magician one by one, all of them being taken down by some amusing magic trick. I was polite enough to wait until I was sure Rarity was gone before I broke down laughing at her green mane, not caring that I looked like a jerk doing so.

I guess Spike said something stupid and had everyone’s attention directed at Twilight, the poor girl stuttering out a lame sounding excuse before running off, Spike running after her and yelling his goodbye in my direction. The rest of the show ended without much hassle, everyone absolutely enjoying her tricks.

“You know, it was kind of rude to laugh at them.”

“Hey, it's called karma. They called out the magician on her boasting, which is basically her job by the way, only to be humiliated by her in front of an audience. Yeah, they may be friends with me, but it doesn't mean I can't laugh at what kind of trouble bites them in the rear.”

Some time later

Those two colts were still hanging around the magician, being her little followers and giving her things she asked for. The unicorn looked like she liked being worshipped by the two, the arrogant expression on her face telling me all I needed to know.

“-Ehem!-”

I turned back to Spoon, wincing at the glare she was giving me. She started teaching me how to speak Equish when the show ended, us taking seats at outside the nearby Restaurant. I did quickly learn that she was a strict teacher, only being lenient when I hit the bigger words and they came out mangled in my attempts to enunciate them.

“-Sorry…-” I muttered, the word scratching my throat.

She smiled at my use of Equish, pleased that I am learning, even if it is slow. “-It's fine.-”

I smiled back and pointed at the magician, wanting to learn her name. “-Name?-”

She gave the magician a look, frowning a little. “-Trixie, her name is Trixie.-”

“-Trixie say her name a lot.-”

She looked like she was going to laugh. “-That she does.-”

It wasn't too much longer until Spoon was found and dragged away by Tiara, the rich pony not giving her a chance to talk, going on and on about, “-Something she had to see.-” I stared confusedly in the direction they had gone, wondering about if I should go or not.

“-Hey, Trixie's otherworldly friend!-” I looked over at Trixie, the pony waving me over.

I took another look back at the direction Spoon and Tiara went, shaking my head before going over to the magician. Her two lackeys gave me jealous looks, a little annoyed that she addressed me directly.

“-Thank you for all that you have done, Trixie hasn't been nearly as successful in the other towns.-” She thanked me, the duo giving her a look.

“-Hey, what about Hoofington?-” Snail asked.

“-Yeah, you have to be popular over there.-”

“-Er! Yes, Trixie is popular there. She just had to leave when the ursa was driven back to the Everfree.-” She hurriedly explained, sounding more like a lie in my opinion.

They both smiled at her, passing a smoothie over to her. “-Here’s your smoothie, like you asked, extra hay.-” Scissors told her, stars in his eyes.

“-Mmmm, hay.-” Snail repeated, sounding like he was a certain yellow man with a love for pink doughnuts.

I clear my throat, gaining their attention. “-Can now speak little. Nice meet you, Trixie.-” I manage to croak out, every word scratching my throat.

“-Trixie is happy to hear that.-” She said with a smile. “-Now, what is your name? Trixie doesn't believe she asked.-”

The duo answered for me.

“-Her name's Dakota!-” Scissors explained.

“-She’s part of our class!-” Snail added.

I frowned at them and looked back at Trixie, a little upset that I couldn't explain by myself. Trixie laughed and levitated me to her side, whispering into my ear.

“-Trixie thinks you are smarter than these two idiots anyways.-”

I almost laughed, whispering something back. “-Me too. Learn quick.-”

She let me go, giving the two knuckleheads a look. “-Go on, Trixie is far too tired of performing feats beyond imagination, begone until morning.-”

The two groaned and walked away. Unbeknownst to us, they both had a little conversation with Spike around the corner…..

Even more time later.

I hung out with Trixie for a while, us becoming quick friends. She asked if I could teach her a few tricks, me responding with getting each tentacle to do some stuff. I couldn't properly explain each thing they had done, but Trixie attempted to copy it anyway.

Crystal’s tricks seemed more nature based, making plants grow around us while stone formed around the miniature garden. There was even a small display of alchemy coming from that tentacle, magicking up a small transmutation circle next to us and making a dirt replica of Trixie, vines making up the mane and tail.

Sylphid’s magic seemed to be centered around wind and light, the first move being a cerulean sphere of glowing wind, the thing writhing and bending the light around it. Sylphid kept it on the tip of herself, just long enough for Trixie to examine it, before firing it off into the sky, the thing exploding like a firework once it hit a cloud. The second move had her shoot out and wrap around a cloud, the thing turning black as she drug it over. I suppose she wanted to mess with Trixie a little, the cloud turning into a shadow form of her, the thing giving her a smug look and waving.

Trixie blinked and backed away from it, turning pale at the sight of it. She calmed down when it faded away, the wind carrying away chunks of it as it vaporized. “-Trixie thinks that she has seen enough….-”

She gave a few attempts at copying the moves, being successful at all of them on her third try. Trixie laughed at her cloud clone, the thing mimicking her every movement. She had even colored it the same, it looking like an exact copy of herself.

I smiled and noticed the idiot duo trying to sneak around town, going in the direction of the forest, making me frown and start to follow them. I yelled back at Trixie. “-Got go, see you later! Have fun with magic!-”

I didn't hear what she said, I was already running at this point, chasing after the two. Eventually, I caught up with them on the outskirts of the forest. They both gave me a worried look before running in, seeming to know where they were going. I sighed and followed them in, not wanting these two idiots to be eaten by whatever lives in there. I stayed close behind the two, growing more worried as the sun slowly went down.

Maybe forty five minutes of wandering through a creepy forest later, we came upon a large cave, the duo went into the cave, ignoring every horror movie rule ever made. I, being smart enough to say no to going inside of dark caves in the middle of creepy forests, left them to their devices. It wasn't long until I heard them scream and see them run out of the cave. I frowned and ran after them, hearing the roaring behind me wasn't inspiring any confidence that they had woke up a nice animal.

The duo was pretty fast when they are terrified, me losing them pretty quickly in the foliage. The thundering steps behind me were the only thing keeping me running, me eventually getting back to town as the steps got closer. I ran aimlessly through the town, screaming that something big was coming, eventually finding my way back to Trixie’s mobile home.

The thing was already there, it being a large bear made of stars, its paw slamming down on the home like it was a toy. Trixie screamed and backed away from the monster, it making its way over to her and licking its lips like she looked tasty. Alice and I panicked as the monster got close to a cornered Trixie, her terrified screaming causing me to act without thinking……

I got its attention.

“Hey! You oversized teddy bear!” I yelled, it looking at me with a furious glare. “Yeah, that's you! Come and get me!”

“Well….. What now?” I thought as it chased me, eventually coming to a dead end. “God dammit…..”

“My only regret is that I didn't eat any of the cakes down at the bakery.”

“Really? That is your only regret?”

“Alright…. It's not kissing Spoon when I had the chance.”

“You know, if we live through this somehow, I might let you do that.”

The beast turned the corner, growling as it spotted me. It raised its paw and swung down at me, the last thing I felt was the feeling of a small house forcing me into the ground…..

Third person.

The ursa slowly lifted its paw, seeming pleased that Dakota was face down and motionless on the ground. It growled and moved to eat the unconscious being, its maw opening up, beads of saliva dripping down next to its body.

“Hey!” The sudden yell, made the ursa groan in annoyance, it turning to look at the source. There was a purple unicorn standing at the entrance of the ally, its horn glowing brightly. Its eyes caught sight of her friend lying motionless on the ground, gasping in shock. “Dakota!”

Suddenly, there was laughing. This wasn't the kind of happy laughing, no, this was the kind of laughing you'd get from an insane asylum patient, broken and unhinged from reality. There was a thick black fog emanating from the body of the creature on the ground, it quickly covering the town and making it hard to see anything, Twilight feeling a familiar cold feeling envelop her horn.

The creature slowly got up, movements jerky and unfocused. It wasn't long until the two watching realized that the creature was the one laughing, its eyes covered by its long hair. The laughing slowly stopped, turning into creepy giggles.

“Where, hehe, is my dolly?” It asked in a double toned voice, looking up at the ursa with a wide smile. “Would you like to be my new dolly?” With open arms, it looked at the ursa with an almost motherly smile.

The ursa growled at the pest in front of it, giving the crazy being a solid swat into the side of the building, it slamming into the wall with a laugh. Twilight screamed, seeing her friend being hit by the ursa. Suddenly, the crazy laughter pierced through the noise, an explosion of smoky magic coming from the destroyed wall.

“You are adorable, thinking you have a choice…..” A voice echoed through the hole, a taller being walking out of the rubble.

She was taller than Dakota, about the size of Celestia if you put them next to each other. The dress she was wearing transformed before them in a blaze of black fire, it turning into a tattered black and red maid's dress. Her eyes were black pools of darkness, her stitched together mouth turned upwards into a sadistic smile.

“Let's take this somewhere else, I have my tools here.” She laughed, all four tentacles tearing open the air in front of her, a black void opening up and starting to suck in the ursa.

“Oh, it's alright….. You don't have to be afraid, I'm just going to gut you and turn you into one of my dolls.” She chuckled darkly, jumping behind the ursa and kicking it into the rift. “Have a nice trip! I'll be there soon!”

Turning around, she gave Twilight a pleased smile. “Great, there's going to be two dolls!” The girl cheered, a tentacle shooting out. “This is going to be sooo fu-gah!” The tentacle stopped short, the girl grabbing her head with both arms, her eyes turning back into shocked looking blue orbs. “No…”

She started to scream in pain, feeling her head trying to split open as the two personas fought for control. Dakota slowly started to back away, getting closer and closer to the dark portal she had opened. Twilight bravely got to her side, trying to push her away from it, only to be batted away by a tentacle.

Twilight frowned, worried for her friend, before running off. It took a few minutes, the dark persona taking control of Dakota and pleasantly smiling. “Heh, looks like I won't be getting two…...” She shrugged, sounding pretty excited. “Whatever, I'm going to get a teddy bear.”

Then she jumped into the rift, it closing behind her silently…..

With Twilight.

She had ran in the direction of her treehouse, the only thought in her head was to get the doll, its magic matching what Dakota displayed. The town was silent as she ran, the dark smoke permeating the streets adding to the creepiness. It wasn't long until she ran into Trixie, the scared mare shaking as she looked around, searching for any sign of Dakota being alive.

“Have you seen Dakota? She saved Trixie’s life from the ursa major.” She worried, looking around at the smoke. “Oh, curse this smoke! Where did this even come from!? There is nothing burning here!”

Twilight frowned and ran past her, Trixie huffing in annoyance at the lack of answer and following close behind her. They both got to the house in a few minutes, Trixie following confusedly as Twilight went towards the basement, the mare too engrossed in her thoughts to notice Trixie following.

Spike was there, having hid in the basement when the ursa was sighted. “Twilight?” He asked, breaking Twilight out of her reverie. “Weren’t you going to take care of the ursa major?..... And why is that showoff here?”

“Hey, Trixie is here to find out what's going on, and your friend here seems to have an idea. Also, Trixie is not a showoff….. Mostly.”

As the two argued, Twilight levitated a container out from a nearby shelf, a small stream of black smoke flowing out from the top. Looking closer, there was a small handmade doll inside, the things stitched mouth wide open in a smile as it spewed out the smoke.

Twilight and Trixie grimaced, the strange magic hitting them hard. After some thought, Twilight pulled out the doll, the thing spewing out even more smoke once it was out. The magic pulsed from the doll, smoke forming into a small ring in response, a portal opening up inside the ring.

“Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to send a letter.”

Spike dug around and pulled out a scroll and a quill, ready to write down anything. “Ready.”

The letter was quickly wrote and sent, it explaining what was going on and asking for help. They quickly got a response from Celestia, her telling them to stay put and that both she and her sister will be there in a little bit.

“Did all that really happen?” Spike asked, worried for Dakota.

“I'm afraid so, Spike.” Twilight shuddered, remembering that crazy look that Dakota gave her.

“Look on the bright side, the ursa isn't a problem anymore, and Dakota's okay.” Spike said with some optimism. “And……she even hesitated when she was about to attack you, that says enough about whether or not she is still friendly.”

Trixie huffed in frustration, gaining their attention. “Trixie would like an explanation.” She said with a raised eyebrow. “You know Celestia personally and there's a strange portal in the middle of the room, Trixie believes it would be the very least you could do.”

“Oh, why are you here?” Spike sneered. “Didn't you say earlier that you banished an ursa major? Go on then, if you did it once, you can do it again.”

Trixie looked away, her face turning red in embarrassment. “Trixie…. May not have done some of the things she said, they were all made up to make more ponies come to the show.”

“You liar….” Spike muttered, turning away to look at the portal. “So, Twi, you said this thing might lead to where Dakota is?”

Twilight hummed in thought, her horn lighting up as she examined the mysterious void’s magic. “It's the best idea I have, this sort of magic is unique.”

Without warning, Spike jumped into the portal, the thing rippling like it was made of water before disappearing……

Meanwhile…..

Bear screams echoed throughout the ruins of the rundown mansion, maniacal laughter accompanying them. On the outside of the building, a portal opened up in the garden and spat out a familiar dragon, the little guy landing onto a dead rose bush.

Eventually, he climbed out of the bush, taking in his surroundings with some curiosity. He flinched at the loud pained roar coming from the building, the sound cutting off abruptly with a loud wet noise. Mustering up more courage, he entered the backdoor and started to search the place.

He used his nose to find his way through the dark building, following any scent that was close to Dakota's. The search took him to the basement, the scent getting stronger at a few of the doors down there. The first door he found had some other scents mingled together, the most prominent one was similar to the hospital’s smell.

He opened the door and almost threw up at what he saw.

The room had probably been used as an operating room at one point, a blood soaked operating table sitting in the center of the room and a small table covered with bloody tools and a jar filled with small black things sitting next to it.

Spike gulped and searched the room, more specifically the jar on the table. The things inside seemed to move in response as he got near, trying to get close to him and plinking against the glass. He frowned, noticing that they looked like smaller versions of Dakota’s tentacles.

“Maybe they get bigger?” He thought out loud, lifting up the jar. “At times like this, I wish I had a satchel, then I could carry more….. Maybe I'll get Rarity to make me one later, when this is done.”

With some hesitation, he blew some fire on the jar, the thing turning into smoke and sent towards Celestia. “She'll probably know what to do with this.”

Sparing one more glance around the room, he left, going to the door opposite of the room he was in. This room was full of various drawings taped to the walls, most of them depicting a being similar to Dakota. It was a gangly thing, the most disturbing thing about it was the fact that it didn't have a face.

Spike shuddered and continued his search in the room, looking through the desk with the strange device on it. He found a journal in one of the drawers, the thing full of drawings and notes in another language, even a rough design of the keyhole in Dakota’s back.

He quickly sent it to Celestia and looked at the device on the desk, his eyes settling on the softly glowing button on the box next to it. Shrugging, he pushed it, the device lighting up and a slowly filling bar appearing on it. When the bar filled, the screen showed a being like Dakota standing in the operating room.

It was wearing a labcoat and looked pretty old, a crazy look in his brown eyes, it pacing back and forth like it was worried about something, the screen going black after a few minutes. Next, the screen showed a different room, the doctor guy throwing a little girl into a cage. The cage next to her had an emaciated male with brown hair and broken glasses on his face, a calm smile on his face as he tried to calm the panicking girl.

The screen went dark again.

When the screen lit up again, Spike gasped. The male was out of the cage, now wearing the lab coat the doctor was wearing, a pleased smile on his face as he sneered at the girl. She now had one familiar tentacle coming out of her bandage covered back, a look of disbelief on her face as she stared at him.

Spike glared at the male’s figure on the screen, every word coming out of its mouth only making spike hate him more.

“-G-Give i-it b-back…-” The girl stuttered, an almost broken expression on her face.

The male laughed, looking thoroughly amused at what she said. “-Give it back? I don't think so, mine is already gone. I wonder if the both of you will be alright in there? Ha ha! Thanks for the new body!-” He laughed as he walked to the door, stopping for a moment to say one last thing. “-Don't worry…. I have special plans for the both of you.-”

The screen went back again….

The screen lit up again, now showing the operating room again. Now the little girl looked exactly like Dakota, her unconscious form strapped face down on the table as the muttering male worked on her. From the angle, Spike couldn't see what he was doing, only catching glimpses of the device being embedded into his victim.

“-Just… A little…. Bit… More….-” The man muttered, before backing away. “-Ah, there. The failsafe is done, don't have to worry about her killing me now. Heh, she'll need me to keep her active.-”

Dakota twitched, a wisp of smoke coming out of her back, causing the doctor to groan in annoyance. “-Dammit….-”

For the last time, the screen went dark and lit up.

It showed Dakota standing in a new room, all four tentacles splayed out on the floor as they came out of the back of her tattered maid dress. She was sitting at a desk, humming creepily as she worked on a doll, the thing looking like the one that made the portal. This went on for a little bit, until a door opened and the doctor walked in.

“-Honey? What are you working on?-” He asked with false kindness, a frown on his face.

Dakota kept humming, not giving any indication that she heard him. The doctor growled and moved to grab her shoulder. “-Hey! I asked you some-gah!-”

A tentacle speared through his shoulder and lifted him up, a second one wrapping around his throat. Dakota didn't even move, still working on the doll.

Finally, she spoke, her voice double toned. “-You know…. After some thought about what to do, even taking into account that thing you put in me, even after trying to erase us, even after taking my damn body, we came to a conclusion….. We actually are thankful.-” She giggled, turning to look at the man.

Spike gasped at what he saw. Dakota's eyes were pitch black, crude stitching keeping her mouth in an evil grin.

“-These things are the best thing you have done for us…..-” She stroked a tentacle, almost purring at the thought. “-Thanks to your laziness, we learned some new….tricks while we tended to your needs.-” She smiled at the struggling man, almost excited to get her revenge. “-I'm gonna break you….-” She whispered into his ear, the camera barely catching what she said. “-Like a Kit-Kat bar…... Ha ha ha ha!-”

The insane laughter continued as she tore the man apart, Spike looking away in disgust. He quickly left the room, having seen enough. Giggling echoed from behind, causing Spike to jump in fear.

Walking out of the shadows, Dakota smiled at Spike her eyes still as black as when he saw in the video. She held a new doll in her arms, this looking like the ursa that attacked town. It was still pretty large, a blank smile stitched onto its face.
“-Did you come for my dollies?-” She asked, looking completely detached from reality.

Spike frowned and approached her, a tentacle whipping by his face once he got close. “This isn't you! Please, try to remember!” He yelled desperately, getting closer to her. The tentacles kept trying to hurt him as he got closer, the futile attempts to impale him ending with a tentacle bouncing off his scales.

He wrapped her in his arms once he got close enough, the sudden hug causing everything to go silent. Dakota pushed him away and grabbed her head, screaming in pain as she fell to the ground and writhed in pain, the teddy bear falling next to her.

A black smoke flowed around both Spike and Dakota, them both vanishing from the mansion in a few moments…..

Back with Twilight.

“That crazy drake….” Trixie muttered, looking at where the portal was.

Celestia and Luna had appeared shortly after Spike jumped in the portal, the both of them teleporting into the basement. Celestia was trying to calm down a hysterical Twilight, the poor mare fearing the worst. Luna was examining the doll, feeling the familiar magic for any clues to where Spike went.

Suddenly, a jar appeared in front of Celestia, the princess catching the thing with her magic.

“Hmm?” She blinked at what was in it, before smiling. “I think I have an idea where Spike is.”

Twilight almost broke her neck, her head turning so quickly. “Where?! Where is he?!”

Celestia held the jar out for Twilight. “He sent this over. Does the contents of this container look familiar?”

“They are…..?” She gasped in realization. “More of Dakota’s tentacles!”

“Yes, Twilight. And that means……” Celestia trailed off, knowing that her student would connect the dots.

“He is where Dakota was, when she got those surgeries…..”

Another flash of smoke, a journal appearing in front of Celestia. “And then there's another.”

She took a quick glance through it, frowning at all the notes in Dakota’s language. The frown deepened when she found diagrams of the windup mechanism in Dakota, various parts sketched out in detail.

“I think he is sending anything he could find connected to her past.”

A few moments later, the portal opened up again, the thing dropping Spike and Dakota onto the floor with a strange ursa plush before disappearing. Spike groaned and got up, quickly dashing to her side. “Come on, please. It's all over now.” He whispered comfortingly into her ear.

Back to Dakota's POV.

My body was aching, a coppery taste in my mouth. Someone was whispering into my ear, my body feeling all fluttery inside as he spoke. I almost frowned at the feeling.

“Wait…. It's a dude?” I think groggily, slowly opening my eyes. “What happened? Did I die?”

I was greeted with the sight of a worried Spike, the poor guy gained some bruises on his face. I looked around, seeing Celestia and Twilight giving me some thoughtful looks. Luna smiled and walked up to me, saying something I couldn't catch.

Trixie quickly joined Spike, worried for her new friend. “-Are you alright?-”

I frowned, trying to remember what happened after the bear hit me. “-What hap? No can remem?-” I ask, looking at everyone.

Spike shared a look with Twilight, before smiling at me. “-You were knocked out by the ursa and I drug you over here to recover.-” He explained with a laugh. “-You just rolled out of bed. Come on, let's get you back over there.-”

I was too exhausted to notice anything wrong, nodding dumbly and shakily getting up to follow him. He led me over to a bed, I think it was his, and I collapsed into it, falling asleep in seconds.

Back to 3rd person.

“She’s asleep?”

“Yep, using all that magic drained her pretty badly.”

Knock knock knock!

Twilight sighed. “Just what we need, visitors.”

Twilight quickly went back upstairs and opened the door, being greeted by a panicking Ash.

“Twilight, have you seen Dakota?!” Ash asked, eyes wide. “I haven't seen her anywhere!”

“Ash, she is he-” Twilight was cut off by Ash’s rambling.

“Ash!” Still rambling.

“Ash, please!” Rambling intensifies.

“ASH!” Twilight yelled, finally shutting the panicking pegasus up. “She is here, come on.”

Ash pouted and stared at her. “Why didn't ya say so?”

Twilight sighed and led Ash to the basement, explaining things as they went. When they both got to the basement, Ash almost rushed to cuddle the sleeping form of Dakota.

“Ash, I'm glad to see that you're alright.” Celestia smiled, before giving Ash a stern glare. “Any reasons why Dakota was out when the ursa was attacking?”

Ash gulped.

Kidnappings and Journal entries

“Uh, guys?” Mismatch spoke up, gaining the other three’s attention. “The magical interference is gone and, uh, well, would you like the good news…. or the bad?”

Oculus sighed, shaking her head. “The bad first.”

“The creature is at the library not far from her house, the, er, princesses are there. They look like they are discussing something important with the librarian.”

“Just wonderful! What’s next? A full squadron of the princess's elite guard?” Neuron yelled hysterically, Synapse smacking him when he ran next to her. “Thanks…..”

“The good news?”

“Oh! It looks like it's going to go back to its house, the caretaker is carrying it on her back while it's asleep. Oh, and the magician pony is coming along too.”

“Alright, everyling!” Oculus yelled with command, every changeling in the room snapping to attention. “We have to get this done tonight. Mismatch and I will be the two to get it out of town, less trouble with my cloaking spells when there are less things to cover. Neuron and Synapse, you two will be carrying the preserved love and destroying any traces of us being here. If the princesses are going to get involved, which they probably are, they will be using the best trackers they can find, so be thorough! We will be back in a little bit.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Awww, with her…..?”

Synapse glared at Neuron, before giving Oculus a salute.

Midnight, at Dakota's house.

Everything was quiet as the two scouts entered through the attic window, quickly going downstairs after some listening for any sounds coming from downstairs. Oculus led Mismatch to their target’s room, getting ready to wrap it in a cocoon.

“Awww…. It's kinda cute.” Mismatch quietly cooed.

“That's what I thought when I first saw it.” Oculus agreed, her mouth starting to drip a glowing green goo. “Leff dif shtarted.” She slurred, starting to wrap their heavily sleeping target in the substance.

It was over quickly, the creature not moving an inch while they both worked, their result causing it to look like it was frozen in place inside of a crystal, an almost serene expression on its sleeping face. Quietly, Oculus levitated it onto her back, the both of them leaving the same way they entered.

Meanwhile, with the princesses.

“Sister, do you have any idea what those things are?”

“Hmmm…. I believe they are what Dakota has in her back. Though, they are smaller than what she has.” Celestia said, looking closer at the squirming things in the jar. “I could pass these to the ponies at R&D, have them take a good look at these.”

“We don't think that would be wise, dearest sister.” Luna shook her head. “The journal must have information on those creatures, it would be unwise to give this ‘are and dee’ anything that could be dangerous.”

Celestia sighed, looking at the cover of the journal, the thing looking like it had seen better days, splotches of blood marring the cover. “I did give it a brief look over on our way back, the writing in there is barely legible. One of the parts I made out, thanks to Spoon’s translation notes, were the details of that mechanism in Dakota's back.” Celestia shuddered. “He wanted her to be completely loyal to him….”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“The device manipulates the mind of the subject, keeping it docile and loyal, seemingly overwriting the original personality and most of the negative memories he or she may have. The other function is that it needs to be wound once a month, or she will be shut down. A few more pages in, he wrote how it made Dakota see him as her mother….”

“That’s monstrous!”

“He truly was a monster.” Celestia agreed. “Another passage revealed some other things, there were other victims of his experiments, I don't know how many.” She yawned, looking tired. “I think I'll just retire for the night, you can look through it if you want.” She told her sister, before walking to the door, stopping as she remembered something. “Oh! One last thing, how's Moonshine?”

Luna sighed, glaring at the journal like she had nothing else to blame. “It’s….. still that blade she made. The cursed thing just won’t change back, it’s almost like it wants to stay that way.”

Celestia chuckled and left the room, just in time for a cushion to hit the door.

Luna growled in annoyance, upset that her sister had to bring that up. Turning back to the book and notes, she started to slowly decipher the book…..

Day 10

I've finally figured out the means to transfer my mind into a new body…..

I already have a suitable vessel to inhabit, the only problem is that the means of transfer won't put the vessel's current mind in my, then empty, body. I believe I will need a third, preferably a little girl, might as well get some amusement out of this situation.

As a side note, he keeps calling me Dr. Crazy….. Funny.

Luna frowned at the entry, disturbed at what she just read, before shaking her head and continuing.

Day 17

The mind transfer was successful, albeit there were a few complications. The vessel's mind was sent to the girl, as I suspected, but the both of them seem to be clashing beautifully, the expressions on her half consciousness face were just fascinating to watch.

My new body keeps giving me memories of strange creatures….

Luna turned a shade of green, but continued reading.

Day 20

After some experimentation on some new subjects, I've made some new organisms. I believe I will call them spirits, on the account of their production. Strange, the only viable candidates for the process were mothers…...

The first one was implanted into her back, it being the first step to transforming her into a facsimile of the creature I keep seeing. She did live through it, her mental state seems to have the made the male as the dominant one.

He actually asked me for his body back! The broken expression on the girl's face made it even more funny!

It was hours later until I came back to check on her. The girl was back in control and babbling about her dead mother, crying and screaming for her. She had even argued with herself! This might actually be a problem…..

The rest of the page showed diagrams on how to make these ‘spirits,’ the things looking similar to the tentacles. They were made from other people of her kind, Luna almost growling in fury at the thought of more people experimented on by this monster.

After a while, he wrote about how he wanted to make her into some kind of vessel for some kind of necromantic magic, similar to a phylactery, the only difference being, it could defend itself and listen to commands. At one point, he decided he needed a failsafe, just in case she became violent, hence the device in her back. It was the first of its kind, it made out of spare materials he had lying around.

Luna looked at the jar full of tentacles, muttering a small apology to the things that were transformed, feeling conflicted. They are still alive, but they can't ever go back to their original form. Placing all the things under a spell that will notify her if they were touched, she left the room, two of her thestrals guarding the room.

She sighed and went to do the one thing she could think of, do some dream patrolling…..

Back with the changelings.

The scouts had done their job well, leaving almost no trace of them being anywhere near the town. Oculus was the one left carrying their target, her dragonfly like wings keeping the cocoon secured on her back. The rest of the group was carrying larger pink cocoons, the substance inside sloshing about visibly from the outside.

“This stuff is heavy! How do the gatherers even get this stuff back to the hive?” Neuron groaned, his legs shaking under the weight.

Mismatch huffed in exertion, walking with some difficulty. “They were grown to carry mass amounts of excess love inside their bodies, more than what any other changeling can safely hold.” She explained as they passed the border of the everfree, finally getting within view of the badlands from the hill they stood on.

“Ahh…. So that's why they look so fat?”

“Nah, it’s them being a little gluttonous.”

“A little?! You sure? The one gatherer I met was looked almost like that weird talking Tatzlwurm that attacked last month.”

“Oh, the Tatzlwurm? I was sent to the hive in the griffon kingdom the day before that happened, what happened with it?”

“All it kept saying was, ‘Jabba so hungry!’ It ate, like, twenty drones before Chrysalis herself to put that thing down!”

Oculus and Synapse shared a look. “It’s gonna be a long trip.”

“Oh, have you heard the rumors about Six Six?”

“You mean the ones saying that he has a crush on someling?”

“Not just anyling, it's one of the barmaids in the Slimy Slug.”

“Really? Which one?”

“Patch”

“..... My eggmate? Really?” Mismatch glared, not believing the rumor.

“Hey, like I said, it's just a rumor.”

One long trip later.

The sun was about to rise when they finally got to the entrance of their hive, the opening covered in many kinds of illusion spells. They traveled through pitch black tunnels for a little while, their connection to the hive being the one thing keeping them from getting lost.

It wasn't long until they reached some light, glowing orbs of slime dangling from the ceiling of the cavern they entered. Many kinds of changelings were running about, doing the jobs they were assigned to. One changeling noticed the group entering the cavern from his stall full of strange fruit, his appearance caused him to look a little intimidating, his fangs were larger than normal and his chitin was much thicker than a warrior's, meaning he was one of the newer boulder class changelings.

“Hey, more love!” He announced in his deep voice, pointing at the pink cocoons on the four new arrivals, everyling stopping what they are doing to stare at the precious resource hanging off their comrades.

Most of the crowd rushed the four, intent on getting their fill. The guards that were nearby stopped them with a quick barrier spell, effectively stopping the crowd.

“There's nothing for you here, everyling! If you're all hungry, just go to one of the love dispensaries, they will provide you with enough rations to hold you over for the day!” A guard instructed the crowd, before looking back at the four. “Go to the castle, the princess will be waiting for you.” Frowning at the love they were carrying, he continued. “Just, er, drop all of that off at one of the dispensaries along the way, don't want to be attacked by hungry changelings, eh?”

“That would be a wise course of action.” Oculus agreed, cloaking her group with a grunt of exertion. “Come on, I can only do this for a few more minutes.”

The four flew and dropped off the love without much trouble, Oculus about collapsing from exhaustion when they uncloaked. It wasn't too long until they got to the castle, the structure was a large obsidian spire that reached the top of the cavern, with glowing goo decorating the walls with a giant green heart with bug wings.

The guards at the front gates met the team and brought them to the throne room, Chrysalis and Six Six waiting inside. Sighing tiredly, Oculus carefully propped the creature’s cocoon on a nearby pillar and sat down. Chrysalis was silent as she walked up to examine the creature, her face expressionless as she checked the amount of love it held inside.

“.... This is it?”

“Yes, my queen.” Oculus confirmed, doing her best to not yawn in front of her queen. “Oh, and this was found inside the castle.” She held up the black key, it looking even more ominous than before.

Chrysalis took the key and examined it, levitating it to the throne when she was done. “Hmmm….. All of you are dismissed. Six Six will make sure all of you are awarded accordingly.”

The four slowly shuffled out of the room, Neuron sparing the creature a worried glance before the door shut.

“Six Six….” Chrysalis slowly addressed her head guard, glancing at him with a frown. “Please wait outside.”

His lone eye widened in surprise, before narrowing. “You don't mean that you want to release it? Do you have any ide-”

“Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I want to talk with it and ask if it would be willing to part with her love, you won't be much help.” She interrupted, giving him a thoughtful look. “Just look at yourself. You are pretty scary compared to most of the hive.”

Six Six sighed and nodded, leaving the room with an almost hurt expression on his face. “Scary….? That's not what Patch says….”

Chrysalis levitated the cocoon over to her throne, looking determined to make the creature listen to her. Sparing a moment to position it for the best first impression, she sat down on her throne.

Then her horn lit up…..

Dakota’s POV.

“Mmmnnn…..”I groaned, just loving the warm blanket thing wrapping tightly around me. Slowly, I opened my eyes, quickly closing them once goo glopped into them. “Wha-gggh!” I gagged on the surprisingly tasty slime in my mouth, panicking and flailing about inside the cocoon like thing I was inside.

There was a loud tearing noise and I tasted fresh air, my eyes assaulted by the color green. Coughing out the goop in my lungs and wiping my eyes of the substance, I looked around, before my jaw dropped in awe at my shiny obsidian surroundings.

The room I was in had many chiseled pillars placed symmetrically around the place, a glowing green orb hanging off every second pillar, lighting up the place ominously. There were green trails on the walls forming some kinds of tribal designs, leading to a weird heart shaped symbol in front of the throne next to me.

“What the heck? This had better not be some kind of weird xenomorph civilization…. Wait a minute…. I'm awake…… No, no, no! I thought I was done with the world hopping!” I panic, almost whimpering in fear.

A polite cough gained my attention.

“Oh, thank god. I'm still in ponyland.” I sigh in relief at the sight of the pony on the throne.

She looked a little strange, two cute little fangs jutting out from her mouth. Her body was covered in black chitinous armor, a small crown thing on her head. The slit eyes were the weirdest thing I have seen, strangely cute on her face. The holes in her legs worried me a little, not having seen anything like that in any living creature, real or fake.

“Cool, bug pony princess. Just one question, can I keep it?”

Alice ‘twitched’ inside my head. “Eww…. What is that?”

“Something that I think is adorable.”

“-Welcome to my hive, I am Queen Chrysalis, queen of the changelings.-” She greeted me with her velvety voice, smiling regally. The green lighting shined behind her, making her look like she was coming from heaven.

I clear my throat. “-Dakota, nice to meet you.-” I frown, realizing something. “-How I get here? No can speak well, yet. -”

She frowned and stared at me, those cool eyes of hers measuring me up. After a few moments of silence, she smiled, pleased with what she saw. “-You were brought here by my scouts. I was informed that you had something my hive was so desperately lacking.-”

“-Small word, please.-”

“-Er, you have a food I need. No need to worry, it’s a special kind of thing that only my kind eat.-” She explained, seeing me freak out a little at the mention of food.

“Great, she wants to eat me. Lemme guess…. She's a vampire.”

“Those fangs probably aren't for show.”

“Still….. She's cute, let's just let her get what she needs.”

“Blarg! She's a bug! Why is that cute for you. Need I remind you that she kidnapped us!”

“Just look at her! Small bug alicorn thing! What's not to like?!”

Ignoring Alice’s complaints about Chrysalis, I smile and ask one thing. “-What do you eat?-”

“-Love.-”

“Perfect, succubi. Best. Day. Ever!”

The sound of a facepalm echoed through my head. “Dare I ask what succubi means?”

Back at Dakota's house.

“Dakota, are you awake yet?” Ash yelled up the stairs, having woke up cooked breakfast for everyone.

Trixie was sitting at the table in the kitchen, absentmindedly shoving a doughnut in her mouth. “Trixie thinks Dakota needs her rest, let her sleep in for the day.”

Ash hummed in thought, before shaking her head. “Nah, she needs some food, then she can sleep in. I'll go check on her, don't eat all the food on us.”

“Trixie makes no promises.”

Ash went upstairs and slowly opened Dakota’s door, looking inside with a smile on her face as she saw the lump under the covers of the bed. “Come on, buddy. You gotta get some food in ya.” She said in an almost singsong tone, poking the lump with her wing.

Frowning at the lack of response, she slowly pulled the blanket off the bed, revealing pillows meticulously placed to look like Dakota was still asleep in bed. Suddenly serious, Ash searched the room with sharp eyes, finding a strange green stain on the floor. She gave it a few sniffs, scowling at the unknown scent.

“Great…. Just great….. The princess is gonna definitely be mad.” She muttered to herself, shuddering at the ideas of what the monarch will do to her for punishment.

She rushed downstairs and out the front door, Trixie hearing the door slam behind her. “What's her problem?” A black spike embedded itself into the side of her seat, causing the magician to fall down onto the floor. Nocturne was out of his little nest, his tail spikes fully out as he hungrily glared at her, not happy that he didn't get his steak of the day.

“Grrrr…..” He growled and left the kitchen, searching for the being that fed him as the Lagombi followed at a safe distance. Trixie scowled in the direction the strange creature left, muttering a quiet insult and earning another spike to the chair.

The strange duo hopped upstairs, following the Dakota's scent. Nocturne followed the trail into the attic, stopping at the window. The Lagombi squeaked, gaining his attention. She made some gestures and squeaked some more, telling him that she saw some strange creatures carrying Dakota out…. And that she's upset that she wasn't given a name yet.

Nocturne grunted and trudged past her, focusing on the new scents and going back the way he came, stopping for a moment to look at his prey with an expectant stare before continuing forward. She shivered and followed after him, wanting to help with the search.

It wasn't too hard for them to get outside, the Lagombi’s paws being nimble enough to open a window for them to jump out of. The ponies outside gave the little wyvern a wide berth, not risking any chance of angering the beast. The strange duo followed the scent towards the forest, a familiar pony stopping the two on the edge of town.

“Where are you two going?” Spoon asked them, interested in what her friend's pets were doing.

The wyvern looked at her with disinterest, pointing at the forest with a wing. The Lagombi chittered and mimed out she was saying. Spoon adjusted her glasses and frowned, watching the little bunny’s movements with growing confusion.

“Uh, you are searching for something?” The Lagombi nodded and pointed at the forest. “And it's in the everfree? Alright, what is this thing you are looking for?” It just scratched its head and shrugged, not sure how to explain without words.

“.... Great, now I'm even more curious.” Spoon groaned and eyed the duo's features, looking for any sign of them being able to protect themselves. She took a brief look around to check if anypony was watching them, before smiling. “Okay, here's the deal, I'm coming with you two, don't you growl at me.” She glared at Nocturne, who was giving her the meanest growl he could give her.

The Lagombi jumped between the two and chittered angrily, causing the wyvern to growl and march towards the edge of the everfree, stopping for a second to give them an annoyed stare and motion for them to follow him. The Lagombi looked at Spoon for a moment, before following after Nocturne with Spoon close behind.

“I hope you two can keep me safe from the things in here….”

Nocturne grunted as his eyes glowed red, his tail spikes fully extended and ready to deal some damage…..

Back with Dakota.

Chrysalis looked extremely relieved that I was so cooperative, probably having expected me to try to run at the first chance I get. We had left the throne room after some more explaining that they actually fed on love, you know, the emotion.

“I still don't like this.”

“Hey, it's gonna be fine…. I think.”

“That really doesn't inspire confidence.”

“Oh, be quiet. She said she needed some love and, with as much as I like bug races, it shouldn't be too hard to give her what she needs. I still don’t get how they feed on love, but I’ll believe just about anything, having seen a bear made of friggin’ stars and lived. ”

“Sigh….. I hope you know what you're doing.”

“Just trust me on this. I have played enough RPGs to know how these things go down. All we have to do is listen to her. Assuming she's the kind of queen worried for her people, it would be more dangerous to not listen and not cooperate at all…. Then again…. She may be one of those greedy characters that won't be satisfied until they have everything under the sun…. But, after seeing the way she looked relieved that I will help her, I can safely say that she is not one of those people.”

“You really are a nerd at heart…. But, I suppose that game knowledge might come in handy. Just, er, remember that this is real life, not one of those games.”

“Trust me, it's gonna be just fine.”

I was following Chrysalis in a hallway through a door behind the throne, a few bug ponies standing guard by the walls, these guy being bigger than Chrysalis and having even more fangs visible on their heavily armored faces. Having unknowingly gotten closer to Chrysalis’s side in fear, she visibly frowned and her horn gently glowed, causing any guards further down the hall to hurriedly leave. My drenched dress squished audibly as we moved on, a sickly green slime dripping off of it, my whole body feeling disgusting and sticky.

I shivered, the dark hallways carrying a cold breeze that, confusingly enough, smelled of maple syrup. We walked in silence for a while, until Chrysalis came to a large black door guarded by two tall bug ponies, these guys were taller than the other guards in the hall and were less armored, their horns were the only things that separated the two. The one on the left had visible frost covering his twisted horn, while its brother had fire engulfing his, them both seeming to not care that their horns did not look normal.

Chrysalis's attitude quickly changed into a proper queen as she addressed them. “-Are they gathered?-”

The fire one answered in an angry tone, his face scowling as he spoke in a familiar voice. “-Yeah, every damn changeling is right in front of the castle.-”

The ice one looked at his queen with an emotionless stare, his monotone voice sounding even more familiar. “-Apologies for this trash, my queen.-” He almost sighed.

"-Hey, who the hell are you callin' trash!-" Fire yelled at Ice, his horn flaring up.

Chrysalis shook her head, giving the duo a worried stare. “-Are you two alright?-”

Fire glared at nothing in particular. “-I hate these dark spells! This fire magic is making me even more pissed than usual!-”

Ice slowly blinked and nodded. “-Dark magics do tend to warp their caster after a few uses. The fact that we are easily susceptible to these… Mutations don't help the matter.-”

The queen shook her head, sighing at what the two said. “-You two can go take a break, try not to use any of those spells while you're at it.-”

The duo looked a little surprised, the icy one hiding it better. After a moment, they both passed us and went on their way, the fire one muttering something. “-About damn time….-”

I giggled at his behaviour and followed Chrysalis through the door, it leading us out onto a balcony, a whole swarm of changelings covering the area as they tried to get a good look. My eyes widened at the sight, the changelings covering both the ceiling of the cavern and the ground were giving me curious looks, most of which were hungry stares and I think a few were drooling, the strange goo dripping from a few of hungrier one's mouths.

“-Greetings everyling, I have some wonderful news for all of you!-” Chrysalis announced to the buzzing swarm, gaining some cheers. “-The rationing of love is over! Thanks to our newest ally!-” She smiles and nudged me in front of her. “-She has enough love to keep everyling fed for years! By next week, we'll have all the love we need!-”

She went quiet for a moment, basking in all of the excited cheering. It took a few moments for the cheering to quiet down, Chrysalis continuing with grace. “-In between drainings, she is to be allowed to explore the hive without being harassed, I'm looking at you, Zapp!-” A few chuckles came from the changelings on the ground. Chrysalis cleared her throat and finished her speech. “-That is all for now, we will begin the draining in a little bit.-”

As we went back inside, I shuddered as I felt some of the slime on me harden and crack, shedding off of me like it was some kind of snake skin. Chrysalis looked at me with a small smile. “-How about we wash you up?-” She asked before realizing something, turning sheepish. “-I probably should have done that before addressing everyling….-”

I pouted. “-Yes, you should have.-”

After a few more minutes of going through hallways, she led me into a large room with a pool of water in the center, two changelings with blue membrane like hair were standing attention off to the side. They both looked the same, aside from their fangs. The right one's left fang was larger than its right, the exact opposite of its twin.

Chrysalis addressed the two while she pushed me in front of her, my face turning red as I realized what was most likely going to happen. “-Splish, Splash, my guest is in need of some cleaning up.-” She paused, scrutinizing me for a moment. “-The royal package, if you will.-”

The twins nodded and drug me over to the pool, ignoring my protests, a mischievous smile on the Queen's face as she watched the spectacle. “-I'll be back in a little while, have fun you three!-”

Embarrassed screams echoed throughout the castle for the next hour…..

Author's Note

Hi! Pinkie Pie here! :pinkiehappy:

Pinkie, lemme go!

:pinkiecrazy: Nope! You just sit there while I talk to your readers. :pinkiegasp: I almost forgot the gag!

mmmmmppppppp!!

That's better.... Now, moving on. I want all of you to name our little monster bunny! I can't believe he forgot to name her... :pinkiecrazy: no matter, he'll get what he has coming soon.

Have a happy new year!

Mph, Help!

Oh, no you don't! :pinkiecrazy: let's get that back on!

Celebrations gone wrong and search plans.

I had to give those twins some props, they were thorough. The first thing they did was rip off all my clothes and push me into the warm water, one of them going off to grab some supplies while the other dropped some blue soap into the water. They both allowed me a few moments to wash myself of the hardened slime, my face as red as a tomato while they both watched me with curious eyes. After a few moments of washing slowly, the left twin giggled at my behavior and took over, grabbing a sponge and starting to scrub anything she deemed dirty, which was everywhere.

“Eeep!” I squeaked out, not expecting her to go after the more….. ‘Sensitive’ bits.

They both gasped as they saw the slot in my back, just now noticing the device embedded into me. There were a few murmurs of curiosity as they examined it, one brave enough to try to poke it. Freya shot out and wrapped around her hoof, giving it a firm squeeze in warning, before retracting into where it came with an audible squish.

“-Isn’t that going to rust?-” Splish asked, giving it a concerned stare.

I shrugged and shook my head, still blushing. “-I no think so, have been washed before, no bad thing hap yet.-”

They both looked at each other in thought, before continuing with the washing. After that was done, I was led to a table with some cushioning on it, a towel too big for me wrapped tightly around my body. I raised an eyebrow at the twins and followed their instructions to lay down on it, quickly realizing that I was going to get a massage from two cute changelings.

“-You know what you doing?-” I asked, sparing a worried glance at their hole filled legs.

They both nodded and grabbed some ominously glowing bottles, Splash smiling confidently. “-If we can massage our queen, we can massage just about anything.-”

The blue bottle was emptied onto my back, the smell of blueberries permeating the air. Two pairs of soft hooves met the stiff parts of my back, applying just enough pressure to elicit a pleased groan from me and cause all four tentacles to ease out of my back as they lied down on both sides of me.

Splish started to hum a little tune while her twin sang softly. “-Welcome to our royal spa, little friend.-”

“Oh, god…. Not again!”

“What? She's just singing.”

“This place seems to have a thing for musicals. There were, like, five times back in town where, when one pony starts singing, they all start singing and dancing.”

“It can't be that bad.”

“Just you wait. I bet that we're going to see some changelings do some synchronized swimming in the bath pretty soon.”

Out of nowhere came some more music….

One musical later.

“Called it!”

Alice was quiet for a moment. “That was the best thing I have seen in my entire life.” She said with utmost seriousness, before breaking down in giggles. “Did you really have to join in?”

“Er, uh, I couldn't help myself.” I flushed, embarrassed. “Was I good?”

She laughed. “You did pretty good.”

I did call the part about the changelings going for the synchronized swimming bit, their wings helping them buzz through the water with ease. The musical quickly wrapped me up in it, some strange feeling causing me to sing with them. After that was all said and done, the random changelings leaving, my whole body feeling way better and my tentacles sending pleased feelings down their connection, I was allowed to laze about as we waited for Chrysalis to come back.

It didn't take too long though, the queen opening the door and entering quietly. She smiled and looked at me with amusement, me having been floating in the pool with my tentacles fully extended in the water for them to soak.

“-You seem to be enjoying my royal spa.-” She pointed out, laughing when I jumped and fell below the water.

Sputtering, I swam from the deeper part of the pool, climbing out as my face turned red. Grabbing a towel and quickly drying off, my tentacles magicked up some new clothes for me as they replaced my slimy dress. Sighing at the cosplay that appeared, I put it on, tentacles styling my hair to match.

“-Hmm….-” Chrysalis eyed my new clothes, a custom fitting imp form Midna suit, minus the fused shadow helmet thing. “-That’s…. Actually pretty cute.-” She smiled, before thanking the twins for their service and motioning for me to follow her.

I waved at the two and followed Chrysalis outside into the dimly lit hallways, noticing the lack of guards.

“-Where we going?-” I asked, looking around the place for any kind of decorations that could be used as landmarks, in case I get lost in here.

Chrysalis’s horn gently glowed green as she looked around, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. “-I have some of the tunneler changelings expanding the love stores below the castle.-” She explained. “-So, while that is happening, we are going to the center of the hive. There's a large empty lake there from when we ran out of love months ago, so we are going to try to fill it today.-”

I frowned and nodded, not really believing that I could fill a lake with love. We silently walked through the halls, me taking quick curious peeks at her legs, wondering what kind of purpose they serve. It didn't take long for us to get out of the castle, a few guards getting to our sides as we traveled through the streets, some changelings giving me some hungry stares.

“Ah!” I screamed as I fell, my foot twisting painfully.

I tripped on something in the street, the thing completely catching me off guard in this dimly lit cavern. The guards frowned in concern for me, one of them protectively levitating me onto his back.

“-Are you alright?-” Chrysalis asked, worriedly looking at my ankle.

“-I be fine. Why thing in street?-” I asked as I pointed at the trench, the thing leading all the way up the street to somewhere.

She smiled, sighing in relief that I haven't broken anything. “-It used to be one of the rivers that ran through the hive.-” She laughed, remembering something. “-It was a little project to remember my mom’s hive by. She had these running all throughout her hive, the love flowing brightly through them.-” She sighed, looking wistful. “-I wonder how she’s doing…. Oh! We're here!-”

I stared wide eyed at the giant hole in front of us, the thing looking like some sort of pit of death. There were some fatter looking changelings standing near the pit, one of them addressing his queen with some excitement in his tone.

“-My queen, we are ready to commence the draining.-”

“-Good work, Sludge.-” She smiled, turning to me. “-My guards will bring you to the place where these nice changelings can drain the love without trouble.-” At my nod of understanding, she motioned the guards to move.

I was quickly brought to the fatter changelings, a few of them licking their lips as I came close. I was met by one that wore some goggles, it smiling in reassurance as he told me what was going to happen and what to expect. The whole process was going to be in shifts, two of each gatherer are going to be on each side of me and drain as much as they can carry.

We quickly got started, the guard that was carrying me placing me onto the ground. It was a tiring ordeal, the draining making me almost go to sleep from the relaxing sensations coming from their magic. As soon as the first two were full, their belly glowing a bright pink, they quickly ran over to the pit and started….. regurgitating into it, another set of changelings taking their place.

Maybe an hour later, we were done. I was half conscious from all the waiting, doing my best to stay awake as they got what they needed. Blinking, I looked at the now filled pit, the pink slime glowing brightly as I saw a few of the younger changelings swimming about in it.

“Whoaaaaa……”

Chrysalis laughed, rubbing a hoof on my back. “-And you still have more. Thanks for your help, Dakota. You can take a break for the day…..-” She looked at me with some thought, before gaining a small green blush on her face. “-I suppose I shouldn't leave my guest alone while she explores the hive, right?-”

My face turned red as I agreed, crushing on the cute bug pony queen. Her horn glowed as the gatherers left, some of them giving her a knowing smile. The guards left as well, leaving just Chrysalis and I on the shore of the glowing lake.

I started to walk, a little shaky from my twisted ankle, down one of the streets, avoiding the flowing river of love on the side. Passing the changelings that were celebrating in the streets, their cheers consisting of bug chirps and loud wing buzzes, I searched for any kind of place that caught my eye, a certain queen following next to me with a beaming smile on her face.

There was this little place on the corner with a bright sign depicting a snail that was dripping, causing me to blink in thought and go over there, some rowdy music getting louder as I got closer. Chrysalis obviously recognized the building, the smile on her face getting even bigger, before looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

“-You want to go in there?-” She asked, sounding like I was going to regret it if I entered the place. “-How old are you? This is a bar….-”

Smiling, I answer. “-Older than I look.-”

“Really? You're going to drink?” Alice asked, sounding a little upset at the idea.

“Hey, let's have some fun. We literally just saved an entire race from starvation somehow, and I believe that merits some kind of celebration.”

“....Fine, just don't overdo it, okay? I want to be in control after this.” Shesighed in resignation.

“I make no promises on the overdoing it!” I internally cheer, before continuing. “You can take the wheel tomorrow, okay? Just in case I party a little too hard with these guys. Seriously, I can hear them from here!”

Chrysalis grinned and walked to the saloon style doors with me, opening them for me as we entered. The whole place went silent as they regarded us, only for the drunkest one to raise his mug and slur out something I couldn't make out, causing Chrysalis to flush and make everyone laugh.

Without word, I hopped up onto a stool near the bartender and gave him the most serious look I had in my arsenal, the guy almost cooing at my adorableness.

“-Strongest drink you have, please.-” I ask him with the most serious voice I can do, making him laugh, Alice screaming in outrage in my head. All of my tentacles felt kind of disappointed in me, except for Jynx and Freya, they were cheering me on in this.

“-Ha! A little thing, like you, wants the strongest drink here? Six Six!-” He called out, a rugged looking changeling strolling up to us.

He was missing an eye, a black eyepatch covering it. The holes in his legs were more jagged than any of the changelings I have seen, looking like chunks were taken out of him. There were cracks all over his chitin, most of them centered around his chest.

He gave me a calculating gaze, seeming to size me up, before nodding, seeming to like what he saw in me. Chrysalis took a seat on my left, much to this guy's surprise.

“-P-Princess! Why aren't you back in the castle?-” He sputtered, causing her to smile in amusement.

“-Can't a queen have some fun with her subjects?-” She asked, getting a glowing red drink from the bartender with a laugh. “-Besides, I've always wanted to come here to meet your little marefriend.-”

He looked like he was short circuiting, his left eye twitching as he tried to come up with a response. The bartender laughed at him. “-Hah! She's got ya there!-”

Six Six scowled in his direction. “-Why’d you call me over here anyway?-”

“-This little lady over here wants to drink the strongest thing we have….-”

“-And….?-”

“-Well, I want to see the two of you have a drinking contest! Come on, this is a celebration!-” He laughed, smiling as he passed some drinks over to a barmaid changeling.

Six Six quickly got two mugs from the guy, the contents in one was glowing a gentle pink, the bartender giving me a playful wink once I looked at him. I took the first drink, chugging the strawberry flavored stuff until the mug was empty, slamming it down with a cheer, knowing that Chrysalis will have my back if I go too far.

“Woooo!” Everyone was quiet, awestruck, before getting loud with applause, the drunk changeling passing out on the floor. “Let's get it started!” I yelled out in English, the band on the other side of the bar starting to play a song.

Six Six smiled and slammed down his drink, everyone going nuts in response.

“This is gonna be fun!”

“I hate you sometimes, you know that?”

Six drinks later, Chrysalis’s POV.

Dakota was holding out against Six Six admirably, her tentacles keeping her from falling off the stool, her cheeks a rosy pink as she spoke up in her language. I smiled as she took another round against Six Six, my commander slurring out some kind of insult to get Dakota riled up, only to fall down, unconscious.

She cheered and turned around to look at me, about falling over in the process, and leaned forward, motioning for me to get closer. I leaned in and was given a kiss, my face heating up as everyling cheering her on.

“It's ‘bout time you got a new marefriend!” One yelled out.

“Go! Go! Go!” They all chanted as she kept kissing me.

“Well…. I do think she’s cute…” I flushed, returning her kiss a little before casting a sleep spell, putting her asleep. “What did you put in her drink?” I asked the bartender, the drone smiling sheepishly as I gave him a suspicious glare.

“Heh, I may have mixed some love nectar inside, to sweeten it for the gal, ya see?” He explained as he pulled out a large pink bottle, earning an exasperated sigh from his Queen.

“Do you remember what happens to anything that isn't a changeling when it drinks love?”

“Of course! It will act as a love poti- ohhhh!”

I took a closer look at my guest, immediately noticing that her blush was turning into heart shapped markings on her cheeks. “How much did you use?!?” I panicked, not having seen this before. “How pure was it!?!” I forcefully lifted him to my face, snarling in protective anger.

“Uh, a-all of it! I-I-I didn't remember that would happen! Please forgive me!” Growling, I threw him across the place, landing face first into the wall.

Everyling looked at me with wide eyes, not expecting anything like that to happen.Floating Dakota onto my back, I ran out of the place without word, heading toward the nearest hospital I knew.

The nurses were ready when we got there, having received my quick message through the hive link, hefting Dakota onto the gurney with practiced efficiency. With a loud tearing noise, a white tail tore its way out of her clothes, surprising everyling in the vicinity. She groaned and opened her eyes, revealing blue heart shaped pupils, and looked around, only to spot me and…. Purr?

“Dakota, how do you feel?” I hesitantly asked her, receiving more purring in response before she transformed more.

Her skin kept making hearts until they all blended together on her skin, turning her a dark pink, the hearts on her cheeks turning blue. Her tentacles flew out and spasmed, like they were trying to resist what was happening, before going still and turning the same color as their owner, gaining the heart markings near their base. There was a loud crack and she spat out one tooth, a small fang replacing it and jutting out of her mouth a little, similar to a young changeling barely out of the larva stage.

I blinked, only to find that she disappeared from her spot. I felt something wrap around my body, the nurses starring in horror at something behind me. There was a playful giggle, and I was lifted by the transformed being and brought to her face.

She smiled widely, wrapping her tentacles tighter around me as she reached out and cupped my chin, cooing softly as she stared at me with half lidded, glowing eyes. Reaching out with my connection, I informed my guards.

“Anyling with strong sleep spells, please come to my location immediately! Our guest has had a bad reaction with consuming love and is highly unstable!”

“Who the buck gave her love?” One changeling asked through the connection.

“On my way, my queen!” Another said, his link feeling close.

“What kind of bad reaction?”

“She’s mutated into some kind of… feral thing. She's very fast and…” I stopped for a second, seeing Dakota bring me closer to her, growling possessively at the few guards that approached, bearing her teeth. “Seems to have claimed me as her mate….”

“It’s about time you got someling, other than us, to love you.”

“....”

“Did I say that out loud?..... Buck!”

Meanwhile, with Spoon and Co.

They walked through the forest without much trouble, only coming across a few cockatrices that were swiftly disposed of by Nocturne, the small wyvern eating only the chicken part. The Lagombi had hopped onto Spoon's back, deciding to take a nap.

“Sooooo……. How deep is this thing you are looking for?” Spoon asked, wearily looking around the place. “We are already in pretty deep…”

Nocturne gave a noncommittal grumble as he walked further in, causing Spoon to frown. It wasn't too long until they got to the end of the forest, the badlands visible from their positions, looking like some kind of large scar in the land. The wyvern continued on without any noise, not sparing the worried Spoon a look.

“Uh, maybe we should go home. We are probably pretty far from town… “ There was no response from Nocturne, causing Spoon to glance nervously at the forest in thought. There was a loud howl that pierced the silence, causing the poor filly to run after the wyvern in fright, having made up her mind to keep following her only source of protection.

With Ash, in Canterlot.

Ash had flew nonstop to the castle, getting there in an hour, almost collapsing upon arrival. It wasn't too hard to get inside the place, most of the guards remembering her from years of dealing with her. Celestia was in the dining room, eating breakfast with her barely awake sister.

The big doors slammed open, a visibly exhausted Ash flying over the table and coming to a stop in front of Celestia, the princess looking surprised at the sudden appearance.

“Dakota’s gone!” Ash yelled out, before dropping down face first into Celestia’s oatmeal, fast asleep.

“Thou are a complete imbecile!” Luna thundered in Royal Canterlot, making everypony around the castle to flinch in surprise. She had fully woke up upon hearing the news, glaring at the sleeping pegasus that failed in her duties.

“Luna, why don't you gather the guards while I bring my maid to the infirmary.” Celestia calmly said as she levitated Ash up from her ruined breakfast.

“Fine, we will do just that.” Luna growled out, stomping her way out of the room. “Just see to it that she will be punished severely!”

Celestia shook her head with a laugh, amused at the way her sister was protective of Dakota. Lifting up Ash, the princess teleported over to the castle infirmary, quickly giving the surprised doctors the unconscious pegasus.

“Just look over her and inform me when she wakes up, please.”

“Okay, prinzess.” The head doctor said in his thick accent. “Ve vill do juzt zhat.”

Half an hour later, in the throne room.

Captain Shining Armor was one of the many knights called into the throne room, most of which were staring in fear at the sight of Luna in full war armor. Cadence had heard some of the commotion going on and joined the princesses in on the briefing of the situation.

Some of the more ‘untrusting’ knights, the ones that didn't want anything to do with the search, found themselves quickly rendered unconscious by a certain alicorn of the night. Celestia kept a poker face throughout the whole thing, almost laughing when her sister threw one of the more ‘passionate’ refusers.

“Alright, everypony….” The solar princess spoke up, gaining everypony’s attention. “I would like all of your cooperation in our search for Dakota. She was last seen inside of her bedroom, at around ten o’clock at night, the only clue that was left behind was a recent green stain on the carpeted floor near the door.” Celestia informed, having gotten the info from Ash a few minutes earlier, the poor mare trying to stay calm as she explained to her boss. “There were no signs of a struggle and there was no forced entry into the home. If I had to make a guess… the perpetrators responsible couldn't have gone too far in such a short time, so they are still within Equestrian borders.”

“Why would anypony want her? I-I mean, she's still young, right? There can't be much she could be useful for…. Maybe a ransom?” One guard questioned, his helmet covering most of his face, causing his voice to have a kind of echoey tinge to it.

“That would be the case if it were a pony.” Celestia pointed out, teleporting in a jar full of black leech things, the small things wriggling about inside. “These are the probably the reason of her being kidnapped.”

Shining raised an eyebrow and scrutinized the leech like things. “They don't seem like much…”

Luna gave the things an apologetic glance before explaining, her expression turning back into a scowl. “These are a product of the monster that experimented on young Dakota.” She shuddered at the thought. “Those tentacles that are inside her back are the very same things inside of this jar.”

Cadence stared at the jar, turning green at the feelings that were emanating from each tentacle, almost screaming out in revulsion at the conclusion she came to. “They all are practically flowing with a mother’s despair!” She thought to herself, almost throwing up.

Luna continued explaining, noticing that Cadence was getting unsettled at the sight of the little creatures. “Each of these are capable of using powerful magic, a single one has enough power rivaling that of our strongest unicorns. As all of you may not be aware, Dakota has four inside her, meaning she could have enough magic to rival Discord if she knew how to use it. If she were somehow controlled by anypony with ill intentions….” She trailed off, the very idea making her teleport the sword that Dakota had transformed Moonshine into and embed it into the floor of the throne room. “We can't let that happen!”

Celestia frowned at the news, her sister having been quiet about what she had learned last night. “Luna is going to head the search, so please listen to her.”

All of the knights saluted and yelled out their affirmative, except the few that were left unconscious on the floor.

Luna frowned in thought. “I hope Dakota is going to be fine…. Who knows what kind of torment is happening to her.”

Back with Chrysalis. 3rd POV

“Great, just great….” Chrysalis thought to herself from her spot in Dakota's arms, her grip surprisingly strong as she slept off the multiple sleep spells and the effects of the love.

After she was tranquilized, she was carried into the hospital while she kept an embarrassed queen wrapped in her arms as some kind of teddy bear. Dakota had turned back to normal shortly after she was brought into the room, only the tail and fang being the only things that had stayed.

The various doctors and nurses were baffled at what had happened, no being had ever reacted that severely to drinking love. Oculus and her team had quickly showed up when they heard the news, Synapse joining the doctors in examining Dakota, them all giving Chrysalis an all clear that most of the love in Dakota's system has finally been cleaned out. The effects of a standard love potion will persist throughout the next day, without further fear of mutation.

“She just won't let you go, eh?” Neuron asked, an amused smile on his face. “If something that cute was holding me, I wouldn't mind.” He pointed out, seeing Dakota mumble something and adjust her arms to better hold her temporary teddy bear.

Oculus glared at him, before giving her queen an apologetic smile. “Please forgive him, I believe he was dropped as an egg.”

“Hey!”

Chrysalis smiled and chuckled softly. “It’s fine. Though, why are you all here? Not that I'm complaining.”

Mismatch smiled as she looked at her queen’s little predicament. “We’re here to congratulate you on getting a marefriend….”

“She is not my marefriend!” Chrysalis practically screamed, a green blush gracing her face in embarrassment. “I'd have to know her well to call her that.”

Mismatch gave the queen a conspiratorial smile. “If I remember what you said at the announcement…. It was that the hive will have more than enough love by the end of the week. So, if I had to put two and two together, she’s staying for a week, right?”

“R-Right.” She confirmed.

“That's plenty of time for you to get to know her!” Mismatch almost cheered, the idea of being matchmaker for her queen going through her head. “I'll even help you out!”

Oculus frowned and apologized, getting ready to throw Mismatch out the window. “Sorry, I think she has been dropped as an egg, too.”

“What? Don't you want her to have someone to love her, besides all of us? It's been forever since she went out with anyone! Think about how lonely that is!”

Oculus thought about it for a second, before nodding her head in agreement. “I…. I can imagine that it would be a little dull.”

Chrysalis pouted. “I'm right here. Please don't talk about my love life in front of me….” She gave Mismatch a little smile, before asking one thing. “Say, if I was interested in your offer…. How would you help? As far as I know, you haven’t been with anyling.”

Mismatch smiled confidently. “I have read some romance books that a few of my friends brought in from outside. There are some pretty good ideas in them, like going out for a dinner…..”

Meanwhile, inside Chrysalis’s throne room.

The key that was left on the throne was missing, in it's place was a mass of smoke, it's form taking on a vague alicorn shape.

“Grahhh! Why couldn't they just put me in her?” It grumbled, its voice being obviously female. “She’s the best chance I have at getting a body and getting my revenge on those six mares!”

It floated to a window, looking over the entire hive. “The changelings, eh? It has been a while since I have heard any news from them….”

“Huh? Who's there?” A new voice spoke up, a changeling poking his head inside the doorway.

“Crap! Crap! Crap!” It panicked, turning back into the key and dropping onto the floor with a loud metallic clunk.

“Coulda sworn I heard someling in here…. Oooh! A key!” He said with some curiosity, lifting it up with his magic and examining it. “Shiny……” He thought out loud as he left the room with the key in his magical grip.

“Oh, great. I get the idiot to pick me up….”

Author's Note

A new challenger has entered the ring! :trollestia:

.... What? Chrysalis is my favorite character! You can't expect me to not have her as a love interest! :pinkiecrazy: .... I may have a few more lined up in the future. :moustache: but, as per anime tradition, there will be an emotional thing to work through before Dakota will get the girl/boy. :twistnerd:

The whole mutation thing kinda.... Well.... I watched a certain show and got the idea from that. :trixieshiftleft: couldn't help myself. :twilightblush: points on my favorite reviewer board if you can guess what I watched!

Love Influence

Author's Note

This chapter is the start of some changes. Spoken English is now going to be in "-these.-"

I, uh, don't have too much else to say.... :twilightblush: read on and review.

Love Influence

“Wake up!”

“Zzzz… Snerk!”

Head pounding and an unfamiliar feeling pulsing through my body, I slowly open my eyes and look around the unfamiliar room. The first thing I noticed was four new changelings talking with Chrysalis as she was held in my arms like some kind of plush toy, all of them not noticing that I was awake.

It looked like I was inside a hospital, again. My mouth suddenly twinged in pain, my newest tooth making itself known to me. The thing was sharp, having accidentally cut my tongue on it.

“Hey! Can you hear me?”

With a strange sense of reluctance, I let go of the queen and sat up, clutching my head with one hand. Everyone looked at me with some levels of surprise and worry, probably not expecting me to get up.

Chrysalis spoke slowly. “Dakota…. How do you feel?”

“Hurt. What happen?” I asked, not looking at her, the strange feeling in my body getting warmer once she spoke.

“You had a bad reaction to the drink, don't panic!” She held up a hoof, seeing my eyes widen in response to the news. “You might have noticed your new…. ‘Additions.’ We're just as surprised as you.”

As I started to hyperventilate in panic, something soft twitched near my legs, making me jump in fright. Slowly feeling under the black blanket that covered my waist, I came across a fleshy thing that twitched crazily once I touched it, my hand quickly pulling back in shock. Throwing off the blanket, I saw the thing that kept moving.

“We have a tail…..” Alice muttered and went silent, causing me to think she had fainted.

It was an albino white, not a single hair or scale on it. Long and sinuous, it ended with a heart shaped tip. Gasping at the new sensations coming from the sensitive appendage, feeling every change in the air with ease.

My back ached as much as my head, each tentacle somehow grimacing in pain inside. Nervously chuckling, not really believing what was going on, I looked to Chrysalis for reassurance. Frowning at my lost expression, she hugged me tightly, two of the other changelings laughing a little at the move.

My heart fluttered at her touch, face turning red in embarrassment. For a brief moment, I had the idea of kissing her, feeling lightheaded. Shaking it off and looking back at my tail, trying to figure it out.

“Any other thing I need be worried ‘bout?” I ask, my tail swinging over into my leg with a loud slap as I found out how to move it.

The changeling to my left explained. “The stuff put in your drink still hasn't worn off. You do know what a love… drink is, right?”

My stomach dropped at the implications. “Yes? I no like where this going…”

She winced at my tone, noticing that Chrysalis was looking away from me. “Eh, how do I put this….”

The only male changeling in the room groaned and caught everyone's attention. “You are going to have some lingering side effects from drinking love. I'm sure you have noticed by now, seeing as you kept taking peeks at our queen with that red face of yours.” He quickly explained with a knowing grin and nudge to his friend, before he got thrown out the window by a taller changeling mare.

This one was one of the cooler ones I've seen, her whole body having this reflective sheen on everything, like she was made of mirrors. She glared out the shattered window, the poor guy flying back in with a smile on his face. “Worth it.”

She shook her head, before turning back to me. “I don't believe we introduced ourselves, I'm Oculus.” She introduced in her smooth voice, pointing at herself. “The idiot I threw out the window is called Neuron, and our resident airhead, the mare next to you, is Mismatch.” She looked to my right, smiling a little. “Synapse was the one who helped the doctors with finding out what was wrong with you.”

With a small smile, I slowly get up from the bed, feeling a little sad that I was moving away from Chrysalis. Shaking my head at the feeling, subconsciously having my tail wrap around my leg, I gave Oculus a look.

“How long will thing last?”

Mismatch spoke up, sounding excited. “It'll wear off by tomorrow afternoon. Just one question….” She winked at Chrysalis, smiling like the Cheshire cat. “What are your feelings towards our queen?”

I flushed a deep red, feeling lightheaded. “S-She pretty….” I smiled a little, knowing that the love potion was messing with me, not really caring that my feelings were being messed with by something I drank, as long as it doesn't kill me.

Chrysalis pouted, blushing that cute shade of green. “Stop interrogating her. You know she can't help it!”

All of them laughed at her reaction, while I thought that was adorable. As if on cue, all their horns glowed, them frowning in response.

“Looks like we have visitors….” Oculus frowned, sighing a little bit.

Neuron looked terrified. “We’re all gonna die! She found us!” He screamed, hyperventilating.

Mismatch slapped him, glaring a little bit. “It's just one pony, and it's a filly at that. There's no way Celestia would find us that quickly, we hid our trail pretty well.”

Chrysalis turned serious and looked at the trio. “Bring her in, the animals too.”

Outside, with Spoon. A few minutes later.

As they traveled through the badlands, the heat being almost unbearable for the trio, they were being watched by the few changelings on watch for anything approaching the hive. Nocturne was panting like a dog from the heat, his instincts telling him to leave this place now, and that he was being watched by some kind of predator.

Spoon was sweating as she followed the wyvern, having been following him through this place for what felt like hours through the heat. She huffed and kept going, silently hoping for an oasis of some kind. The Lagombi was still on her back, looking like it was being cooked alive in the heat.

“Hi there!” A pony called out, startling the trio. “Are ya okay?”

They all looked at the new mare standing on top of one of the large boulders strewn about the area, taking in her appearance. Her fur was a deep muddy brown, while her mane was a sandy color. This pegasus looked at home in this unbearable heat, not even affected like Spoon was.

Spoon huffed and looked at the mare with a smile, relieved that she wasn't the only pony in this place. “I'll be fine.”

The mare frowned and flew over, making Nocturne growl at the mare, recognizing her scent. “Ya don’ look fine! Here, ah know a place nearby that yall can cool off at. follow me!” She insisted with a smile. “Mah name’s Cactus Flower, what's yers?”

Spoon smiled and started walking beside the enthusiastic mare. “Silver Spoon.”

Cactus hummed in thought as she led the trio, skipping over some rocks with a flap of her wings. “Ya look pretty young tah be explorin’ this place.” She pointed out. “An’ the only town nearby is Ponyville, iffn’ ya are brave enough tah go through th’ everfree.”

Spoon smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I, uh, followed my friend's pets through. They were looking for something, so I got curious….”

Cactus hummed again, looking at the two animals Spoon was with. “What do yah suppose they are lookin’ fer?”

“I don't know. We are pretty far from home though…. So it's probably something important.” She said, adjusting her glasses with a huff. “I just hope that it isn't too much further, at least then I could make it home by supper.”

Suddenly, Nocturne dashed off, disappearing into the side a nearby rock formation. It was made of multiple boulders set in a semicircle, a large dead tree in the center of it all. The last thing Spoon saw of him was his tail vanishing into the center boulder behind the tree, the thing rippling like it was made of water.

“Wha-?”

“Sorry.”

Suddenly, the world went dark for Spoon, rabbit chittering being the last thing she heard before she fell over.

In Ponyville, Filthy Rich’s mansion.

“Young Tiara, what's the matter?” Stone asked with a raised eyebrow, seeing the filly slam shut the front door, looking frustrated about something.

“I can't find Silver!” Tiara yelled at the butler, actually startling the guy.

His eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing in thought. “Did you check with her parents? Maybe they know where she is.” He asked in his normal monotone, going back to sweeping the floor.

“I've already been there! They didn't know either!” She whined, stomping a hoof in frustration. “Is she avoiding me…..?”

“Hmmm…. It is unlike her to avoid her best friend.” Stone hummed, not looking up. “Have you seen Dakota? I did hear that young Spoon would be helping to teach her Equish.”

“Yeah, and I couldn't find that…. Freak anywhere!” Tiara huffed, jealous of her friend's affections for the girl. “Why can't she be like that for me?”

“Young Tiara, what have I told you about insulting ponies?”

“But she's not a pony!”

“It doesn't matter. You shouldn't insult anyone, you’d have more friends if you didn't.” He pointed out, not looking at her. “I know that your parents are too busy with their work most of the time, but insulting everypony around you isn't going to gain any positive attention from either one of them.”

She furiously glared at the grey butler, not amused by the low blow. “What gives you the right to talk to me that way!?”

“Your parents, more specifically Sir Rich. As another thing to point out, who has been working with your family the longest?” He stared at her, unblinking.

She flinched at his tone, looking away. “I guess you're right…”

Stone smirked at her admittance, walking to her side. “You need to be nicer to everypony, especially those that try to be friends with you, for your best friend’s sake.”

“Alright, I'll try.” Tiara muttered in response, shrugging noncommittally. “For Spoon’s sake.”

“Good. Now, let's see about finding Young Spoon.”

Back in the hive, the Royal spa.

“Hey Splash! Wanna see what I've found?” Zapp asked holding up the dark colored key. “It was just lying on the floor!”

Splash hummed and looked at the key, her sister growling at the sight of the cocky looking drone.

Splash recognized the end of the key. “Hey, I think that goes to that thing in our guest’s back!” She exclaimed with wide eyes. “Where did you get that?”

He shrugged and smiled. “I found it in the throne room after my shift was over. Someling must have dropped it in there.” He said, passing the key over to Splash.”Here, You seem to always know where these things go to.”

Splash grinned and took it, thanking him.

Zapp spared a glance at her sister, his eyes widening in fear of what he saw in her eyes. “I gotta go!”

Splash cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Huh….?”

Splish smiled evilly, pleased that she scared off her ex. “He probably had something else to do, maybe something involving a new mare in his circle.”

“Oh yeah…. You two were dating for a while, right?”

“Yeah, and I regret every moment.” Splish shuddered, remembering something. “He knew I'm not into being in a herd. But what does he do? He forms one behind my back!”

“That's awful!”

Splish sighed and looked at the key, frowning a little. “Let's just get that thing to Dakota.”

“Finally! Soon…. I will have my revenge!” The evil entity thought to itself, chuckling silently.

With Dakota, a few minutes later.

“I'm surprised that I'm not still drunk.” I thought with a shrug. “Maybe I have a higher resistance or somethin’?”

“Uuuhhh…. What happened?” Alice groaned as she woke up.

I smile as I rode on Chrysalis's back, the strange feeling making me ask for the ride. We walked through the hive after leaving the hospital, the scout crew following close behind. The love potion was starting to noticeably affect me, my eyes not wanting to stop looking at Chrysalis, while my thoughts turned more romantic if I didn't focus hard enough.

“Well, the bartender secretly added some love to my drinks to make them a little more bearable for me. And, uh, it may have acted as a love potion…. And it will affect us until it wears off tomorrow.”

“What!?” She screeched, pounding on something. “Who?”

“Chrysalis. We also got a sweet tail out of this.” I smile, wiggling my new appendage.

“It’s that…. That…. Beautiful bug?” She dreamily responded, the potion affecting her more than I expected. “I don't mind. Just kiss her for me, will you?”

“No! She's mine! I’m not sharing!”

“She's mine!”

“Are you alright? You look a little… weird.” Neuron asked, waving a hoof in front of my face.

Shaking my head and ignoring Alice’s jealous screams, I looked at him with a nervous smile. “I good. What happen?”

He frowned as we passed over a small bridge with the pink river flowing underneath. “A filly and her pets have found the hive.”

I blinked. “Dis place supposed to be secret?”

“Yeah, long story.” He grimaced. “Ask Chrysalis later.”

“So…. We go to see her?”

“Yep.”

We walked through the streets for a while, before Chrysalis huffed impatiently and flew the rest of the way. The place we came to was basically a hole in the wall, glowing slime balls being the only source of illumination. Some familiar roaring was echoing through the cave.

As we entered, it became obvious that this was a dungeon. The guards were big and heavy, each step shaking the ground as they walked, some nodding towards their queen in acknowledgement before going on with their duties.

“Hellooooo? Anypony out there?” A familiar voice echoed from the cell we stopped in front of, its door just a chunk of stone with a small viewing hole near the top.

“Spoon?”

“Dakota?! What are you doing here?!”

Chrysalis gave me a look.

“She friend.” I explained. “Teach me words.”

“Well then, I suppose I could let her loose….” She looked through the peephole. “If she could keep the location of my hive a secret.”

“Deal! Just lemme out!”

With a quick flash of a horn, the stone door opened, revealing Spoon, Nocturne and the Lagombi. Nocturne grumbled and glared at all the changelings, his fur stained green. The armored bunny was lying in the corner, a single ear pointed in our direction.

Sylphid slithered out of my back and ‘looked’ at Nocturne, before magicking up a nice steak for him. Spoon jumped at the sight of the bleeding slab of meat, my wyvern immediately picking it up with a purr.

Spoon gave me an unamused look, me responding with a sheepish smile. “Nice to see that you're alright.” She sighed, smiling back at me.

Mismatch whispered conspiratorially into her Queen's ear. “Looks like you have some competition.”

Another Nightmare

The rest of the day went pretty quickly for me, having given up on resisting the love potion. Spoon seemed pretty angry when Mismatch explained the situation to her, trying to glare a hole into the queen’s head the rest of the day. Chrysalis was by my side as we all went back to the castle, being led into a large room underneath the place, the sight of a deeply dug ocean of stone greeting us.

She had some more changelings drain my love some more, lasting for a few hours. In my lovestruck state, I was perfectly fine being cuddled up next to Chrysalis as they filled the place, actually falling asleep during the process…..

In the dream realm.

“Hey, kid, wake up. We’re almost there.”

I slowly opened my eyes, meeting a familiar face. “Isaac?”

“The Ishimura is going to be in view in a few minutes. I thought you wanted to be awake see it.” He smiled, walking back to his seat.

I looked around the ship I was in, having a bad feeling about the situation. It wasn't long until the ship lurched and the front window cleared, showing an even more familiar ship hanging above the planet behind it. By this point, I finally realized what I was dreaming of.

“Dakota? Are thou alright?” Luna’s voice suddenly came from my left, causing me to jump. Looking in her direction, my jaw dropped at what I saw. In her place was a tall, blue haired woman. She was wearing a modified, star themed, EVA suit.

“Luna?” I blinked, awestruck at what I was seeing.

“Oh! Thou like what she sees?” She smiled coyly, causing me to blush and forget what was to come. “This dream was more powerful than usual and, ehm…… We may have gotten stuck in here.” She winced. “It even changed our form to match it….”

“It changed more than you think.” I pointed out. “You're speaking perfect English.”

She sighed, shaking her head. “Then this is a very bad nightmare….” She nervously stared out the window. “Do thou know what this place is?”

I shuddered. “One of the few things that truly terrify me…. Can't you just get us out of here? Please?”

“Do not be worried, Dakota. You have us to protect you.” She said confidently, warping Senbonzakura into her hands. “This should be more than enough to take any nightmarish monstrosities to their grave.”

“You still have that?”

She glared at me. “My scythe won't change back.”

It took a few minutes for the ship to dock with the Ishimura, Luna and I working on our game plan for getting out of here. There was no preparing her for the blind dash through the hallways, Slashers coming out of any vent we saw. Isaac and his crew were separated from us during the mayhem

It wasn't long until we found a safe spot, inside one of the restrooms nearby. Luna was sitting on the sink, breathing heavily as she nursed the long gash on her arm, courtesy of her attempt to behead one monster.

“So…. What do you think?” I drawled out, keeping an eye on the door.

“Thou…. Thou really need to see a therapist.”

“C’mon it's not that bad.”

At that moment, a loud screech echoed throughout the ship. Luna looked unamused, tensing a little when she heard the noise.

“I'll take that back….”

“Sigh…. Are thou alright?” She suddenly asked, looking up at the ceiling. “In the waking world, I mean.”

“Oh, that?” I laughed. “It's not as bad as you think.”

Luna gave me a suspicious glare. “Thou were kidnapped.” She deadpanned.

“Eh… They kinda want to be secret.” I sheepishly smiled. “They haven't hurt me, if that's what worries you. I'll be back home in a week, I think.”

Luna snorted, her arm still dripping a little. “We are sending out most of the royal guard out to search for thou.”

“Y-You don't need to do that!” I yelled, surprised that she would do that for a person she hadn't met in person. “I, er, kinda…. like them?” I hesitantly added, wincing under her suspicious stare.

“Thou has feelings for them? The situation is as we feared….” Luna muttered to herself.

“How about we get outta here, I will explain then.” I spoke up, getting to my feet. “Just pass me the sword, I know how to use it better than you.”

“And leave us defenceless?”

“You are an alicorn princess with powers over dreams. I think you can handle the common monsters in this place.”

“Thou has made the point.” She growled out, sounding like she wanted to keep it to herself. I couldn't say I blame her, it is a cool sword.

“Hey, don't be like that.” I elbowed her shoulder, smiling a little. “You'll get it back when I wake up.”

We both wandered through the ship with only a few encounters with some slashers, Senbonzakura turning them into mush with a quick cloud of pink. Luna was skeptical of my plan to steal a shuttle and just ride the dream out until it ends.

“Are thou sure it'll work? Those sorts of things don't usually work as planned.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. With my luck, we'll walk into a room full of regenerators.” I laugh as we pass the door leading into the medical ward. “I can barely remember the layout of this place.”

“Were thou here before?”

“Nah, I just know the story.” I shrug. “Maybe I'll tell you sometime. It's a good horror story.”

“We would like that.” She smiled thankfully. “We love the good tale of terror every now and then.”

“Screeee~!” Something screeched nearby, some maniacal laughter following after.
“Perfect. Crazy doctor man is done making his monster.” I sarcastically quipped, my heart rate picking up. “Let’s go, before he finds us.”

“We couldn't agree more.” Luna agreed, sparing a concerned glance at me. “You're shaking….”

“I'm fine!” I snapped, opening a door and turning a leaper into a new stain on the wall. “We need to get out of here before that thing he made is released! I don't know if this will kill it, and I intend on not finding out!” I held up the sword, breathing heavily.

A few minutes pass in silence, I sigh and look back at Luna. “Sorry, it's just…. I am absolutely terrified of the monster we just heard.”

“More than that undead thing in the other dream?”

“Yes, more than Nemesis.”

She put a comforting hand on my shoulder, looking like she was going to kill anything in our pash as she took the sword from my shaking hands. “We will handle anything that will dare try to hurt our precious early dreamer.”

I was still shaking as she wrapped her arms around me in a hug, crying a little in fear. “I-I don't wanna be here…. Why couldn't I just dream of something nice, like friggin’ Naruto….. I’ll even take Batman.”

“Thou shouldn't worry. We will personally ensure thou has pleasant dreams, thou has our oath as the princess of the moon.”

“Thanks….” I sniffle and leave her embrace, feeling a little better. “Alright, let's get that arm patched up. I think there should be some health packs nearby.”

We split up and searched the room we were in, the large room past the waiting room near the hallway to the tram. I did remember something as I dug around, it was being held in a tank nearby, freaking me out even more. I did find the little blue bottle thing that was a med pack. I popped the cap of the bottle and found a small syringe.

“Huh, kinda what I expected.” I mumbled in thought, turning to Luna and calling her over. “Here, hold still.” I told her, getting her to take a seat on a gurney and hold out her wounded arm. It slipped under the pale skin around the gash like it was nothing, the blue liquid closing it up like some kind of healing spell you’d see in an anime.

“What is this?” Luna asked, moving her arm experimentally. “Healing magic in liquid form? This would be useful for any emergency.”

I shrug, chucking the empty bottle over my shoulder. “Nah, I have no idea what's in these.” I suddenly had a thought. “How does this dream thing even work for you?”

Luna smiled and explained for me. “This is one of the responsibilities we have as the princess of the night. We are supposed to prevent our ponies from having any nightmares. Before thou asks, thou are considered one of our ponies.” She winked, making me blush a little. “Thou are our friend.”

“N-Nice to know.” I stuttered, before looking away from the beautiful woman in front of me. “C’mon, we gotta get outta here.”

Luna laughed at my reaction, getting up and readying the sword. “Thou are adorable when you react like that.”

I could feel my face turn red as I gave her an embarrassed glare. “S-Stop messing with me!” I yelled.

Luna smiled playfully, before her eyes widened in surprise and traveled down to look at something on my leg. I blinked and looked down, before gulping loudly and looking back at her.

“Well, I can't survive in every nightmare, can I?” Those were my last words before I was dragged away by the tentacle wrapped around my leg, screaming in terror as I entered the hole in the wall it came from, Luna chasing after me and yelling my name.

I was still alive as I was dumped into another room, the whole place smelling of rotten meat and despair. There were half eaten corpses scattered about, most of which were what I was sitting on as I stared in terror at the only other thing that was alive in the room. It was flapping its leathery wings as it drilled its spike thing into the skull of a dead crew member, the body twitching wildly as it was converted into a necromorph.

There was a sudden noise I heard, briefly realizing that it was me, screaming. It stopped what it was doing, poking an antenna like thing in my direction and detaching itself, flying over to me in a flash and grabbing me and pinning me down.

“Aaaaahhhhhhh!” I screamed as I felt my head split open……

Real world.

I awoke with a start, blindly grabbing the closest thing I could find. My hand wrapped around some weird ‘handle’ thing, my eyes not focused enough to see what I was holding onto. It twitched in my hands, a melodious groan sounding from next to my head.

Blinking wildly, I traced a finger around the thing and found that it was circular, the voice groaned again and the thing moved away. Frowning as my eyes adjusted, I finally could see what I was messing with, one of the holes in Chrysalis’s forelegs.

I took a peek at her face, my own heating up in embarrassment, silently hoping that I haven't woke her up. I held my breath as she shuffled a little and wrapped her legs around me, smiling slightly as her face turned green.

A door squeaked open and the sound of small hooves slowly moving against the floor echoed softly around the room. I couldn't really move to see who it was from my position.

“Dakota?” I heard Spoon whisper. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah. Bad dream….” I respond, unconsciously snuggling closer to Chrysalis. “What wrong?”

“I couldn't sleep.” She sighed and climbed into the bed, laying down next to me. Spoon was quiet for a while, staring at me with unsure eyes, almost like she wanted to ask me something. “D-Do you l-l-like her? Chrysalis, I mean.”

“I do. I think she is….” I struggle for the word, seeing Spoom turn teary eyed made something in me flinch. “...Cute. You are too.”

Her face turned red as she turned away from me, embarrassed. “Well, I don't like her.”

“Why? She nice.”

Spoon huffed, glaring a little. “She kidnapped you and got you to drink something similar to a love potion.”

“It accident.” I defended the queen, my tail snaking out and wrapping around Spoon’s hoof. “She not hurt me while I here. I say yes to help her to feed her… family.”

“Was that before the potion?”

“Yes. I...I think she cute be-before the drink.” I smile at the memory, squeezing her hoof a little. I shook my head a little, some new warm feeling in my chest surprising me. “Uh, I li-like you too….” The words forced their way out of my mouth, my head spinning at the feeling.

She blinked in surprise, blushing brightly. “Are you sure you are still affected by the drink?”

“I…. I no know.” I frown.

“I think I have an idea.”

We both were surprised when Chrysalis spoke, the queen smiling as she opened her eyes to see our stunned faces. She giggled a little and kept her legs wrapped around me, causing Spoon to deadpan at her.

“You were awake the whole time, weren't you?” She accused, pointing a hoof at her. “You little…. bug!”

Chrysalis glared at Spoon and growled a little, her wings fluttering a little in agitation. “I am not a bug!”

“Hey!” I yelled, not wanting the two to fight.

They both sighed, not wanting to fight in front of me, before Chrysalis informed Spoon. “Calling my kind bugs is the worst thing you can say….” She growled out, making Spoon gulp in fear, no doubt making her think ‘what have I done!?’ and ‘I'm gonna die!’ in the same moment.

“...but.” Chrysalis deflated, looking a little depressed. “I suppose we do look like the things, don't we?” She was quiet for a moment, before releasing me and hopping off the bed, smiling widely. “Here’s why we are called changelings!”

A sudden burst of green flame blinded Spoon and I for a moment, the queen disappearing in the center of the blaze. A small grey hoof took a step out of the fire, a filly climbing out as the fire died down. Spoon and I gasped in surprise at what we saw.

It was another Spoon!

She was smiling smugly as she hopped back into the bed, taking her spot on my left. The original Spoon was dumbfounded at the sight, mouth wide open in shock as she stared at her clone.

“Do you like this?” The clone asked, wrapping her hooves around my midsection.

“What? How?!” Spoon sputtered.

“It’s my kind's ability to be able to assume the form of anypony…. Or gryphon, in my sister’s case.” The Spoon clone smiled, before opening her mouth and taking a sip of my love, causing my skin to tingle a little. “Delicious.”

Spoon shivered and cleared her throat. “C-Can you go back to your normal self? Please?”

Chrysalis smiled mischievously and gave me a peck on the cheek, my face heating up at the contact. “What? Do you have a problem with this?” She asked, snaking her long snake like tongue against my ear.

“It’s weird…. And creepy!” Spoon yelled at her. "It's like seeing an evil version of me!"

"Okay, fine.” Chrysalis laughed, changing back with another display of green fire. “Now, let's get back to the topic of the love potion.” She immediately went back to business. “Most of the time, as cheesy as this sounds, true love can seep through the effects of the potion. That sort of thing always wears down the potion faster.”

Spoon frowned and took a seat on the bed to my right, slowly putting a hoof on my hand and looking into my eyes. “She likes you now…”

I blinked, confused at what was happening.

Chrysalis stared at the hoof for a moment. “Considering her reactions from earlier, I'd say that she likes both of us.”

Spoon's face immediately went red. “A-A-A herd!”

“Okay, I wasn't taught that one.” I thought to myself, raising an eyebrow. “What word mean? A he...hearf?” I ask out loud, struggling with the word. Spoon didn't even reply, her whole head turning red from embarrassment.

“A herd, Dakota, a herd.” Chrysalis repeated to me, making sure I knew how to pronounce it. “It means more than two ponies in love with each other.”

“Oh…. Ohhhhh!” I blinked in realization, before fainting. "The anime harem route is a thing here! Best! Day! Ever!"

Making a sister.

“Okay….” My soft voice echoed in the silent room. “I’m sensing a theme here….” I muttered to myself in English, feeling sets of hooves wrapped around both of my arms.

Opening my eyes and letting things get into focus, I looked to my left and saw Spoon. Her hooves were holding my hand close to her belly, a small smile growing on her lips when I wiggled my fingers a little. When I turned my head to the right, however, I let out a small ‘awww’ at what I saw.

“Looks like someone was sleep transforming.”

Chrysalis had halfway transformed into Spoon, the result being an adorable fusion of changeling queen and earth pony filly. Her dark green mane was done up similarly to Spoon’s, the only difference being that there was a bang hanging down on the right side of her face. Her fur was a smokey grey, a little darker discoloration around where the holes should be on her legs. The one thing that I loved the most was her little fangs jutting out from her mouth.

I was broken from my musings from a giggle, making me suddenly look for the source. One of the twins from the royal spa was standing in the doorway, smiling knowingly at my embarrassed face.

“Oh, don't look at me like that.” She whispered, chuckling a little. “I'm here to drop off something.” She held up a black windup key in her magical grip. “I think you lost this.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.” I blinked in confusion as she left it on a little obsidian table next to the door, sparing me an amused glance before leaving.

It took a few tense moments of careful wiggling to finally get out of my little prison in between them, my tentacles waking up from the movements. I quickly ran across the room to get a better look at the key, the floor feeling cold against my bare feet.

When I picked it up, all of my tentacles ‘hissed’ at it as if it was pure evil, all of them shooting out and making me put it back down. Needless to say, I took the hint and left that thing alone.

“So…. Do you girls know what I'm going to wear today?” I quietly asked them, walking over and taking a seat on a cushion by the coffee table. “Please, can I have something normal?”

There was a flash and I was left with a familiar hoodie, glove, stocking and boots combo. I sighed and every tentacle felt happy with what they had given me.

“Really? Strength’s clothes from Black Rock Shooter? …. Fine, ya know what? I'm okay with this.” I throw up my arms in defeat. “Couldn't ya make the mecha fists she had at least?” They all felt amused at my reaction.

I sighed and changed clothes, Sylphid magicking my dirty ones away with a wave. Somehow, these felt different than the other stuff I've put on, my tail and arms tingling seconds after I finished putting the outfit on.

“Huh?” I wiggled my tail, feeling something different about it. A quick glance made me sigh and look up, mentally screaming out to whatever deity that hates me. My tail had turned into the metal one Strength had. “Great… Magic cosplay. Anything else?” I glared at the offending tentacles.

Freya sent excitement down her connection and tapped the back of my hands, turning the gloves into Strength’s weapons, her signature mecha arms. Smiling widely and doing my best to not giggle like a madman, I swung the bulky and awesome things around, taking care to not break anything.

“Huh…. I thought they would be impossible to carry. Anime laws strike again!”

“Ahhh!” Alice screamed, making me fall over in surprise, the whole room shaking a little from the weight of the arms. “What happened to our arms?!”

“Magic, ‘nuff said.”

“A-Are they g-gone for good?” Alice worriedly asked.

“Probably not.” I reply with a shrug, using my new limbs to lift myself up off the floor. “The tentacles did do this.”

“Soo… Can ya change ‘em back?” I asked them, feeling kinda stupid for even asking for these arms. “I, uh, think I'll save these, for emergencies I mean.”

Freya was disappointed at my request, reluctantly turning my arms and tail back to normal with with a quick flash of magic and a slap to my face. I sighed and looked at the sleeping duo, hoping that they didn't wake up from my little fall. They both were cuddling each other, much to my amusement.

“So, eh, did I miss anything? Everything I can remember after the bar turned into a pink haze...”

I shrugged and smiled, absentmindedly scratching Freya. “Not much. Spoon came here with my pets and was ‘detained’ for a little bit by our resident queen until I vouched for her. I think Nocturne killed a few of her subjects in defence.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” Alice asked in disbelief.

“Oh, me? I'm actually a nervous wreck. Everything has been happening pretty quickly this week, and it's only a Wednesday. God knows what's gonna happen next….” I sighed and plopped down onto the cushion, holding my head in my hands. “Can't things ever be calm around here?”

“Well, I'm here for you.” Alice said reassuringly. “We're both in this together. Now, I remember someone saying that they’d let me drive today.”

I chuckled and threw her in the front of my mind, me going into the spot she just left. Alice immediately hopped up from where I was sitting and climbed into the bed, settling down next to Spoon. With a few careful movements, she stole Spoon from Chrysalis’s hooves.

“Uh, what are you doing?” I asked, earning no response.

Alice gently leaned her head in and kissed Spoon. I could faintly taste bananas as I was shocked completely wordless at the action. It took a few seconds for the filly to wake up after that, Alice giggling at the poor girl’s surprised reaction.

“D-Dakota, w-w-what are you doing?!” Spoon sputtered, her face turning all kinds of red.

“Yeah, what are you doing?”

Alice giggled. “Remember what you promised when that star bear attacked?”

Chrysalis woke up shortly after Spoon fainted, a bright red blush covering her face. She poked Spoon’s face, receiving only a twitch in response. “Huh, I thought she’d be braver than that. To faint from a single kiss….” She shook her head, chuckling a little.

“What we doing today?” Alice asked, smiling a widely.

Chrysalis put a hoof to her chin, briefly giving the appendage a curious look. “Well, that depends on what you'd like to see. I could show you the egg chamber, there's always one or two hatching in there. Then we have the Pitt, if you want to see some of my fighters battle some beasts.”

Alice turned squeamish at the idea of seeing baby changelings. “So it's either more bugs that'll probably have slime all over them, or the arena where they practice fighting with some animals that are most likely dangerous. Great…”

I spoke up, sounding more excited than I should've. “I’d like to see the babies, if that's alright with you.” Upon hearing Alice mentally grumble back, I elaborated further. “C’mon, I bet they are cute! Also….. Maybe if I can get a tentacle to cooperate, I can get you a body in return. I mean, these things do magick up food from nothing. Who knows what else they can do?”

“....You just now had that idea?”

“Hey! You try dealing with all this bullcrap for a little over a week!”

“Hey, it's fine. I didn’t think of that either.”

“Uh, Dakota?” Chrysalis spoke up, looking a little concerned that we were still staring at her, taking notice that she still hasn't turned back to her normal changeling queen form.

Alice smiled for me. “I would like to see the babies.”

Meanwhile, with Ash.

“So, uh, what's gonna happen to me?” Ash nervously asked the lunar princess, the long walk to Luna’s chambers with some silent thestral guards not inspiring any confidence. “In my defence, we couldn't have known that there would've been an attempt at foalnapping her this soon.”

All she received in return was an unamused glare from the princess on the cushion across from her. “As much as we would like to throw thou to the dungeons and remove thine wings….” Ash visibly flinched at her threat. “Our dearest sister has, regrettably, informed us that we can't.”

There was a loud sigh of relief, some thankful mutters in a certain solar princess's name. “Don't be so relieved yet. Thou will still have a fitting punishment.”

Luna smiled sadistically, causing the pegasus to gulp in fear. “Thou will still watch over young Dakota, yes. But, thou will have nightmares that we will personally oversee for the next few months.” She chuckled a little at Ash, her fur turning white in fear. “Thou can thank thine charge for what thou will experience. Her nightmares are quite… exceptional. Thou are dismissed, return to the house while we search for young Dakota.”

“Y-Yes, princess.” Ash stuttered before leaving the room as fast as she could, fumbling with the door in her hurry.

Ash left the castle within a few minutes, only stopping to say hello to some old friends in the castle staff. Her flight took only a few hours to arrive back in Ponyville. When she finally got back to Dakota's house, she was a little surprised when she heard some classical music coming from inside.

With no small amount of confusion, Ash entered the home. From where she entered, Ash saw a certain silver maned magician taking a nap on the couch in the living room, some of the speakers placed around the room playing the music.

With a sigh, Ash tapped the mare’s horn and spoke. “I thought I told you that you had to leave in the morning.”

“Ah! Watch the horn! Trixie is sensitive there!” Trixie yelled, falling off the couch in surprise. The mare got up and turned off the music with a flash of her horn, the sound of a button being pressed coming from the stereo.

“Alright, leave. Now.” Ash pointed at the door, glaring at Trixie.

Trixie shrank from the glare, eyes tearing up a little. “B-But, Trixie has nowhere else to go…” She stuttered out. “Trixie’s trailer was destroyed in the Ursa attack…”

“I'm not in a charitable mood. Get lost.”

Trixie slowly got up and walked towards the door, her ears plastered against her head. Seeing this Ash sighed, cursing her conscience for what she was about to do.

“Wait… I... guess you can stay, for a little while at least.” Ash groaned out, frowning a little.

“Do you really mean it?” Trixie asked in surprise at Ash’s change of heart. “Are you really going to let Trixie stay?”

“Yeah… But there's going to be some ground rules, okay?” Ash sighed and took her spot on the couch, looking a little tired.

Trixie almost squealed and crushed the mare on the couch with a hug, managing to only smile thankfully. “Trixie thanks you for this.”

“Firstly, you have to stop it with the third person thing.” Ash stressed her point, rubbing a wing against her head. “It's annoying. At the very least, just stop doing it while you're in here.”

“Trix-er… I will try my best.” Trixie nodded.

“Why do I get the feeling that I'll have to remind you all the time?” Ash shook her head. “When Dakota gets back here, she'll decide if you can stay here. She is pretty mature for her age.”

“I’ve noticed.” Trixie smiled, taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch. “It is pretty unusual. How old is she?”

Ash hummed and put a hoof on her chin. “Well, Rarity said that she was a little over twelve. Though, I think she fibbed a little.” She laughed. “That filly acts way older than what's good for her. Seriously, what kind of child cooks every day and not mess up at least once on something.”

Trixie chuckled, smiling lazily. “Hey, maybe she has a cutie mark in cooking. Have you ever seen her out of those clothes?”

“I dunno. I've only seen her without them once, but she quickly shoved me out of the room before I could get a good look. She is really shy about being seen without them.” Ash hummed thoughtfully. “I guess it is a cultural thing, ya know? Kind of like how in minotaur culture they will only let those they deem worthy to fight beside them.”

Trixie smiled widely, remembering something. “Sorry for changing the subject, but didn't you notice that I figured out how to use some of these things.” She pointed a hoof at the entertainment system. “Just goes to show how great and ingenious Trixie is.”

Ash snorted in amusement. “Yeah, yeah, you figured out how to push a few buttons. Good for you.”

Trixie’s ego deflated at the sarcasm, giving Ash a small glare. “Couldn’t you have let me have a moment of pride at what I've done?”

Ash smiled, messing with Trixie’s mane. “Nope. It's just buttons.”

“Hey!”

Meanwhile, with Shining Armor.

“Sir! Team seven found somepony in the living in the Everfree!” A ranger reported, giving a small salute.

Shining nodded in acknowledgement. “Who is it?”

“Uh, from what I've gathered, her name's Zecora. She's some kind of zebra witchdoctor that moved in there in search of rare materials.” He informed, flinching a little when he realized the bad news. “Sir, I should probably mention that she, er, talks a little funny.”

Shining raised an eyebrow. “How funny?”

“Uhhh…. You are going to hear it for yourself.”

A little discouraged at the news, Shining had the ranger lead him to her home. It didn't take too long to get there from the base camp they set up a little ways inside of the Everfree. There were a few knights standing guard on the perimeter of the clearing Shining was led to, a robed figure standing in the doorway of the hut, denying any attempt of searching her home.

“For the last time, I did not do the crime!” Zecora yelled, stomping a hoof in agitation.

“All of you, stand down!” Shining ordered, the three knights hesitantly backing away from Zecora at the yell. Sighing a little, he gave the zebra an apologetic look.

“I assume you are the commander? These guards would make better salamanders.” She rhymed, sounding a little annoyed. “Maybe I could give them a certain flower of blue. That might give them a clue.”

Shining almost facehooved, not wanting to deal with someone who spoke in rhymes. “I am sorry for my subordinates, miss. They are a little desperate to find the person we're looking for. Luna is not happy, and they don't want to be reprimanded by her.”

Zecora gave him a look. “Working with the princess of the moon? Surely you are a loon.”

“Sigh… We're looking for a child that was foalnapped from Ponyville. She’s the creature that appeared with her house last week. Have you seen her?” Shining asked, levitating a small bag out of his saddlebags. “I have been authorized to pay for any information on her whereabouts.”

Zecora hummed, before going inside. “I think I have something I could make. Come inside, for your sake.”

Shining was a little nervous of what he saw inside her hut. The cauldron filled with some kind of glowing liquid was slowly spewing out green fog. If he was going to be honest with himself, he would've ran away if he was not without backup.

Zecora took a quick peek at the contents of the cauldron, nodding when she saw what she wanted to see, and went into the back room and came back with some herbs and some kind of glowing flower.

She threw the whole flower into the mix, a cloud of violet smoke shooting out in a flash. Giving Shining an appraising look, Zecora passed him the herbs. “Eat these and peer into my potion. It will give you peek at her location.”

Shining’s face turned a little green. “Your terrible rhyming doesn't help me any...”

Zecora was unamused, quickly grabbing a small blue flower from somewhere and placing it into his mane. “You should be more careful with what you say. It might save you one day.”

With a shiver at her ominous tone, the captain of the royal guard ate the foul tasting plants. He gagged a few times when a particularly tough herb didn't want to go down. When he was done, he took a peek inside the cauldron, knowing that the zebra knew what she was doing.

It took a minute for anything to happen, the inside of the cauldron gently shimmering for a little bit, showing various locations until stopping onto the barren wasteland known as the Badlands.

“So she's in the badlands?”

Zecora slapped the back of his head, forcing his head into the drink. “Just give it a bit, or you'll get another hit.”

Shining coughed out the foul liquid, hissing a little at the stinging sensation it gave him where it touched. “Ugh! What's in this thing?!”

“You don't want to know. You have something better to do, no?”

Sighing, Shining took another look in the drink. It didn't take too long for the vision to go below ground, showing an entire underground kingdom. He frowned, not liking what he saw. Then he saw Dakota, the pale girl looking a little green when an egg hatched near her.

Dakota’s POV.

“Ugh…Gross! They’re so slimy.” Alice groaned. “Can't you get to making my body?”

I chuckled mockingly. “What? Can't handle some adorable changeling babies?”

We got to the hatchery in half an hour, taking a moment to wake up Spoon. The whole chamber was filled with green goop that held eggs in position on the floor and walls, each egg transparently enough to see the little guys inside growing.

There were a few other changelings in the room taking care of the eggs, moving the ones getting ready to hatch to a little enclosed area so their parents could see them hatch. Oddly enough, there was one smaller egg separated from the rest, a tiny changeling lying eerily still inside.

Chrysalis spoke up, catching my stare. “That one doesn't seem to want to hatch. Some of the nurses say it's sick, so they are keeping it until the parents know what to do with it.”

All of my tentacles drooped in sadness, feeling a little heavy. Having an idea, I took back control of my body. Alice was a little surprised by the sudden takeover, but was quiet about it. I took a few steps toward the egg and kneeled to take a better look.

The egg was paler than the rest. I slowly cradled it in my hands and lifted it up, ignoring Alice’s protests at picking up the slimy thing. It was still alive, that's for sure. I could feel a heart beating faintly through the thick membrane like shell.

I suddenly had an idea. “I think I found you a body.”

Alice wasn't too happy with that. “No! I am not being a bug!”

“What are you doing?” Spoon asked, looking curious.

I shrugged and gave Chrysalis a glance. “Can I do thing?” I asked, ignoring Alice's screams. “I swear to god! If you put me in that bug, I'll kill you!”

“Excuse me?” Chrysalis asked confused.

Spoon looked at my tentacles, each of them wiggling anxiously around my back. “I think she wants to help.”

Chrysalis looked thoughtfully at me, before her horn lit up. There were a few flickers, almost like she was talking with someone, before she nodded. “You can do what you want with it. Turns out, this is one of Zapp's herd’s eggs. ” She chuckled a little. “He has many to spare. A bit too many if you ask me.”

Nodding, I look back down at the egg. “Alright, can you girls put Alice in this?” I asked in English, feeling some nervousness from Crystal and Jynx, before they made a nodding gesture.

“Graaaahhh!” Alice screamed in outrage.

“... Can ya try to make it human?” I suggested once I felt Jynx make contact with the side of my head. “Or, at least, as close as ya can?” I felt them feel a little unsure of their strength, but nod in affirmative.

My vision blurred as I felt Alice being thrown into the egg, a bright light enveloping it as the tentacles did their magic. I was vaguely aware of Spoon and Chrysalis watching in awe as they saw the silhouette inside the egg change shape.

After a few minutes, I collapsed to my knees, feeling my back burn, breathing heavily as Jynx retracted from the egg. Gently putting the egg back down, noticing it had gotten bigger, I took a few steps back, almost hiding behind Chrysalis in preparation.

“What did you do?” The queen asked, eyeing the egg carefully.

There was a loud tearing noise that echoed throughout the room, a chitinous hand suddenly ripping through the egg, green slime flying everywhere. A little girl slowly climbed out, her long green changeling hair plastered against her back as she crawled a little ways away from the egg.

She was adorable! Most of her body was covered in black chitin, stopping at the edges of her face and ears. Her face was human, small button nose and green eyes proving that my tentacles had done most of their work on the face. On her back, little dragonfly wings buzzed wildly as they threw green goop everywhere in an attempt to get the stuff off. Her legs weren't close to human though, holes dotting all over the both of them as they ended in some kind of weird satyr changeling hybrid.

Then my eyes traveled to her chest. “....Really? They're bigger than mine! I don't mean to complain, but why!?” I thought to myself, earning only the equivalent of laughter from Jynx and Freya.

“Hahhh….” She breathed in, before coughing out green goop and yelling out in English. “Really, I am so done with this stuff!” She licked her lips with a snake like tongue, before continuing. “Mmmm… Oddly tasty.”

Everything was silent as she got up on shaky hooves, wobbling uneasily as she tried to balance herself. Alice looked around the room, her green eyes stopping on me and staring. With only a few stumbles, she walked over to me, Chrysalis moving out of her way in some attempt to not anger the unknown girl.

Alice glared at me, frowning a little. “You know I hate bugs, right?” She slowly asked in English, looking down at her chitin covered hand, each finger ending in a small clawed point, before looking back to me.

I silently nodded, my tail instinctively wrapping around my leg in fear.

She reached out and slapped me, earning a gasp from the spectators of the scene. “That was for putting me in a bug. And this….” She hugged me tightly, suddenly reminding me of her new ‘assets’ and making my face turn a bright shade of red. “... Is for at least trying to make it human for my sake.”

“You do realize you're naked, right?”

She looked down at herself, her face turning pink at the sudden realization.

"..... AAAHHHHHHH!"

Author's Note

Sorry for taking so long. I had to deal with some family drama. You guys know how all that goes... :raritydespair:

The Nightmare Appears!

A few minutes have passed after Alice’s ‘hatching,’ Chrysalis leading our group to a small room for some privacy. I had gotten a tentacle to magic up some clothes for Alice, them ending up being Hinata’s clothes from Naruto and, adding to her embarrassment, she couldn't wear the pants.

“.... So.” Chrysalis began, looking between Alice and I with no small amount of confusion and curiosity. “What did you do?”

Alice gave me a worried look, before getting behind me without word. I gave her a reassuring smile, before looking back to Chrysalis with the biggest grin I could make on my face. “I made a… Sister.” I struggled to find the word, earning Alice a few thoughtful glances sent her way.

Spoon hummed and got closer to Alice, taking a closer look at her face. “I… I think she's onto something…” She blinked, seeing some similarities. “They look pretty similar. Though, the only question I have is how.”

Much to my surprise, Alice spoke up from behind me, shyly poking her head out from behind me and holding up a finger. “I was in her head. Kinda was stuck in there for a little while.”

I gave her an unamused glare, before muttering in English. “Great…. She can speak Equish better than me.” I sighed. “Really, Alice?”

“What? It's not my fault, you're the one that should try to work on your emmunci- enuci- ugh! How do you say it?”

“Enunciation.” I replied dryly, a little annoyed/jealous of her ability to quickly learn and speak foreign languages, yet not be able to say some of the bigger words.

Spoon coughed to gain our attention, raising an eyebrow as she adjusted her glasses. “New girl. Explain. Now.”

Alice gave the filly a small smile, obviously a little nervous being the center of attention. “Dakota and I were… sharing her head for a little bit.”

Chrysalis groaned. “You already said that! We want to know why and how.”

We both fidgeted a little, Alice suddenly finding her claws interesting. “We don't know…. I just woke up in this nerd’s head a few days ago, just after our lovable glasses wearing friend decided to put her hoof into something she shouldn't.” She laughed, making the filly blush slightly from embarrassment. “Couldn't keep ‘em off us, eh?”

Chrysalis gave me a look. “Are you sure you don't know?” She asked me, earning a shrug in response. “Hmmm…. I suppose some strong magic is the cause.”

Spoon blinked, suddenly realizing something. “The keyhole!” She exclaimed.

All of us looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate further. Spoon smiled widely before making me turn around and show off the device embedded into my back. “This is connected to pretty much everything inside of her, including her brain! It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that it can affect memories.”

I blinked. “Well, that's news to me.”

“So I can imagine that we need to use the key to ‘unlock’ the memories.” Spoon continued, chuckling at her little pun.

“That pun was so bad, it gave me chitin rot.” Chrysalis deadpanned. “One of my scouts found a windup key inside some ruins. I suppose we can use it on her little device, if it fits.”

Spoon blinked in surprise, her head snapping in Chrysalis's direction. “Um, I suppose you can give that a try. Does it, er, have some kind of special magic in it?”

Chrysalis's horn glowed for a second, a bright flash blinding me for a moment as a windup key was teleported into the room. “I’m sure it'll be fine. Do you mind?” She asked me.

I, against the urging of my tentacles, decide to let Chrysalis try using the key. I shrugged and lifted the back of my hoodie, giving her a clear view of the keyhole. Shuddering a little, I felt the key lock into place, a cold feeling encompassing my body.

Chrysalis gave the key a single twist, my back now giving off some loud clicking as I moaned a little at the unexpected feeling in my head, the whole world turning white as my mind blanked. I barely registered that I fell to my knees, alarmed voices echoing around me as I tried to ‘wake up.’

“Sleep, young one.” A sultry woman's voice whispered in my head. “Doesn't that sound nice?”

Shaking my head, I blindly tried to stand, only managing to stumble and fall forward onto my face. The presence didn't let up on it's assault, causing my back to start smoking as I twitched on the ground.

“Go! To! Sleep!” It growled, emphasizing each word with another slam into my head.

“Who…. are…. you….?” Thought sluggishly, my whole body suddenly feeling heavy as I heard slow ticking.

“What's that noise?” It sounded confused, the ticking coming to a stop as everything went dark, the voice screaming the whole way.

Inside Dakota's head.

I woke up strapped face down to a bloodied table inside of a vaguely familiar room, a small light hanging off of the ceiling. Worried, I struggled against my restraints, realizing that my small body was covered in bloody bandages. Pain immediately assaulted my senses, making me cry out as it felt like my insides were bathed in acid.

“Uh, girls? Could you help?” I croaked out as my throat burned, focusing on my tentacles, a single small one wiggling out of my back. “Well… that's not good.” I grimaced in pain as it glowed pitifully in response.

“What's this?” A woman asked, a rusty door opening up behind behind me with a screech. “A memory?”

I tried to look at her, only to flinch in pain. “Ah! W-Who’s there?”

“Just…. A nightmare.” She replied, sounding a little hesitant.

I huffed, eyeing my restraints. “Alright, Miss Nightmare, can ya get me outta these things?”

I heard hooves clop against concrete as she came into view, revealing an alicorn with a crescent moon on her flank. “Luna? What are you doing in here? How are you speaking English?”

She glared at nothing in particular at the mention of Luna. “I am not that failure. I am Nightmare Moon, the true princess of the moon.” She arrogantly smiled down at me. “Surely you've heard of me?”

“...Nope. Never heard of ya. If it makes ya feel any better, I am pretty new to this place.” I chucked nervously, before wincing from the sudden pain flaring up in my chest. “Can ya get me out of this, please? I would like to be able to move, if I can.”

“I am afraid I can't.” She apologized, turning around. “I'm going to possess your body for a while.”

“....Alright.” I said after a moment.

She quickly turned around, eyes wide in surprise. “Alright? What kind of reaction is that!?! I just told you that I'm stealing your body!”

“That ya did.”

“...Why?” She finally asked, looking dumbstruck.

I smiled at her. “Ya have this…. What do I call it….. ‘Sesshomaru’ vibe about you.”

“What does that even mean?!” She screamed in confusion, stomping her hooves against the floor.

“A person that certainly has it's evil moments. but…... deep down, after some moments of opportunity and the occasional person beating some sense into him, is a good person.” I smiled widely, causing Nightmare’s face to turn bright red. “So, that's why I'll let’ch ya take over for a bit.” I finish with a wink, not worrying that much.

She cutely struggled for a response, before glowering. “For your information, I tried to bring about an eternal night.”

“So? That's not the worst plan I've heard.” I chuckled, ignoring the pain in my chest. “This one guy, I can't remember his name, wanted to set fire to the sun!”

“That… is next-level idiocy.” Nightmare laughed. “At least my eternal night would've made everyone appreciate the night.”

“Oh, really? What stopped ya? Did a group of misfits came across some kind of relic containing an ancient power that is pretty much the strongest thing in the land?” I deadpanned. “Lemme guess….. There was even a prophecy about it and everything?”

Nightmare blinked in surprise, before she gave me a suspicious look. “That's awfully spot on….”

I chuckled. “I haven't read up on Equestrian history much, but I've seen this kind of thing happen many times. What kind of thing did they use to foil your plans? I'd place my bet on… something someone important had at some point, oh, and each part of it resonated with each person at the last minute. That's normally how any hero story goes.”

Nightmare laughed with me. “Right? It's so cliché! To summarize my embarrassing loss with two words it would be…. Friendship. Beam.”

“Pffft! Hahahahah! Ohmygod! Please tell me it was a rainbow! It will make! my! day!” I laughed even harder at the fact, trying my best to not focus on the flares of pain in my chest.

“It was! That was the most absurd thing that has ever happened to me!” She admitted. “Seriously, why a rainbow? Why not blue, or green?”

Still smiling, I looked at my restraints. “I dunno, but, eh, can ya let me free?”

“Oh! I suppose I can.” She said with a smile, her horn glowing brightly for a second, my restraints vanishing.

I slowly sat up, the action causing every muscle in my body to burn like crazy. I let out little whimpers as I got my legs to dangle off the table, braving the pain like a champ. Some of the bandages fell off my chest as I was moving, revealing the various fresh stitches crisscrossing my body, each one seeping blood as my whole body shook uncontrollably.

“Wh-What happened to me…?” I hissed as fresh air made contact with them.

Nightmare gasped, as if she was finally seeing my state for the first time. “Oh, this takes a special kind of monster to do this to anyone.”

“I...I honestly don't remember all this…” I looked around the room, keenly aware of the various surgical equipment in the room. “I’m pretty sure I don't want to remember.”

Nightmare hummed in thought. “Well, we're inside your mind. If I really wanted to, I can do some digging around.” She giggled a little, suddenly excited. “It's like a mystery! I've always wanted to play detective!”

“Yeah, yeah, it's like a friggin Scooby Doo episode, except darker and more bloody.”

“What's Scooby Doo?”

“Remind me to explain later.”

A few hours later, with Shining Armor. 3rd POV.

“Thou says Dakota is in an underground kingdom led by a race of bug ponies?” Luna asked in disbelief. “Are thou sure?”

“Yes, and there are two fillies there too.” Shining added with a frown. “I think one of them is Silver Spoon, she was reported missing yesterday. Oh, and Dakota made…. Something.”

“Hmmm? What does it look like?” Luna asked, frowning a little at the news.

“Well, er, it's some kind of fusion of whatever Dakota is and the bugs.” Shining informed. “It seems friendly enough, actually hugging Dakota shortly after being… hatched.”

“Hatched?”

“Yup, hatched. She got one of the eggs and did something to it, not really sure what though.”

“Sigh… did anything else happen?”

“Well….”

Luna facehooved. “Just tell us.”

“They used a windup key on the thing in her back and it pretty much melted into her, knocking her out.” Shining quickly told her, looking away in fear. “It had your mark on it.”

“My mark? Are thou sure?”

“A moon was on the side of the key, there's only one pony I know with that mark.”

“That doesn't bode well.” Luna shook her head in disappointment. “We assume thou has made a plan to storm the place.

Shining nervously nodded in affirmative, definitely not liking the way that one of the thestrals in the room was staring at him with its green eyes. “I suggest that we try to find the entrance. It would be crazy to try and dig into the cavern, one wrong move could drop the whole ceiling onto the kingdom.”

“Thus killing everything inside. Hmm… We'll need to borrow General Solaire for this.” Luna put a hoof to her chin, looking thoughtful.

Shining’s eyes widened at the mention of his superior. “You really want that fanatic to help get her back?! He would rather have her die!”

“Where did thou hear this?” Luna asked in surprise. She hasn't really met the stallion in question, but is skeptical of the rumors circling around him.

Shining looked at the thestral guards again before whispering to the lunar princess. “He is the leader of an insane cult called The Solar Imperium.”

“...and what does this cult have to do with Dakota?”

Shining sighed. “Well, they believe that Celestia is the one true goddess and hate you, thestrals and everything else not a pony. It also doesn't help that some of the crazier ponies are proclaiming Dakota some kind of exiled goddess from another world.” He chuckled a little. “That bit of news was like bucking a hornet nest.”

Luna frowned at the captain, unsure if he's lying or not. “How did thou come across this? Why are thou telling us?”

“Solaire tried to get me to join a few months back. The reason I am telling you this is because…. He is more likely to shove a spear through her chest than actually save her.” Shining shuddered, remembering the rumors of sacrifices circling around the group. “I just don't want anyone else hurt by him or any other member. You’d be surprised at how many members there are in Canterlot.”

“Does our sister know of this?”

“To be honest with you, I haven't told her. Solaire is always with her and I don't know who's part of his group in the guard.” He sheepishly smiled. “Let's deal with this Dakota situation first though, then we can try to take down an entire cult based on your sister.”

Luna scowled at him, before sighing. “Agreed. So, Solaire is out of the question… We suppose we'll have to assist in the search for the entrance with thou, without Celestia knowing.” She smiled at the idea.

“P-Princess?!” Everypony else screamed in surprise, one guard dropping his spear. “You shouldn't put yourself in danger!”

Luna laughed. “It would be done in an instant if we come to assist in the search. Captain, thou said they had horns like a unicorn, no?” She looked towards Shining, receiving a nod in affirmative. “Then we can find the entrance easily with advanced magic circles placed on the perimeter of the badlands, they can pinpoint the locations where residual magic is fresh and remove any illusions placed.”

“Can’t a group of unicorns do it?” Shining asked, furrowing his brows.

“They all need to be powered by the same pony for the spell to be accurate.” Luna proudly stated as she smiled widely.

One guard facehooved before Shining deadpanned. “Who’s the idiot that made the spell?”

Luna’s face turned pink as she looked out the window. “W-We can't recall….”

One hour later. Luna’s POV.

It was a simple matter for me to teleport and set the spells around the badlands, the hardest part being that I had to fly in a circle around the place and connect them all with single line of magic.

Team seven greeted me once I finished and flew back to the camp. They are the oddest group of ponies I've ever met. The team's leader, a pegasus stallion by the name of Late Lightning, always wore this strange mask that covered most of his head, simply nodded towards me before pointing to the big tent in the center of the camp.

Shining walked out of the tent as I approached, looking apprehensive about the situation. He gave me a salute when he finally noticed me. “Princess, I assume you have finished with the spell?”

“Thou are correct. The entrance should be easy to find now.”

Shining sighed with relief, before looking at Late Thunder. “Hey! You and your team go find the entrance! If you see any activi-”

“Hello.” A voice interrupted from our left. “I believe you all are looking for Dakota?”

I scowled in the voice's direction, levitating a few spears and pointing them at the empty space it came from. “Show thyself!”

Shining quickly put a magic dome around the whole camp, removing any chance of escape for the intruder. “I don't want a fight on our hooves. Just come along quietly.” He spoke with authority.

The voice chuckled, before a strange bug pony appeared out of thin air. “The whole hive doesn't want a fight either. I am Oculus, it's an honor to meet the both of you.” She introduced herself with a slight bow of respect.

“I assume thou are not the leader? It would be foolish if it were true.” I calmly asked her, moving the spears to flank both sides of her.

She smiled as she regarded the spears with her silvery eyes, seemingly amused at the action. “I am just the guide. One of my higher ups wanna meet you two, so I am supposed to bring you two in for peace talks…. before the whole hive gets arrested and/or executed.”

Sighing deeply, I move the spears so that they were hovering just over my wings and nod. “Lead the way. Dispel the barrier, Captain.”

“Princess, maybe we shou-”

“Now, Captain.” I interrupted with a pointed glare. “We don't want to ruin a chance to get our friend out without conflict.”

“Oh? Dakota's your friend?” Oculus smiled warmly at me. “The little girl has captured the hearts of everyling in the hive. We are willing to let her come and go as she pleases.” She admitted, before wincing as her horn burned green.

“What was that?” Shining asked in concern, removing the barrier around the camp.
Oculus started walking in the direction of the entrance, motioning for the both of us to follow her. “Just someling overhearing what I’ve just said and he wasn't happy.”

Shining raised a brow, nearly tripping on a rock. “He heard you? How does that work?”

The bug chuckled. “My kind, the changelings, are all connected, sort of. It's really hard to explain. If you need the exact details, I'm not the one to ask, I'm just a scout.”

I hummed a little in thought. “Why did thou foalnap young Dakota? That's the one thing we don't understand.”

“She has an endless supply of love, yes, the emotion, for us to feed on.” Oculus blinked at how bad that sounded. “It’s not as bad as it sounds! The hive didn't have that much love to live off of before we… ‘borrowed’ her. After we explained ourselves to her, she was all too happy to give us her love.” She groaned a little, her tongue snaking out the side of her mouth. “And I must say, it is delicious!”

I scowled as we came to the entrance. A small cave in the center of a semicircle of boulders, dim green lights in the back illuminating a stone door on the far wall.

It opened on its own as we got close, green runes flaring up on its surface in tune with Oculus’ horn, revealing another hallway lit by more green globs of slime attached to the walls.

“Okay, you'll need to leave the rest of the guards out here. There's a lot of traps up ahead and I can't lead all of you through.” Oculus announced as the guards that followed us entered the cave.

One guard in red armor, Sarge, growled in her direction. “Ah can take anything you can give! Ah once fought against the evil blue army!”

Another soldier, this one in orange armor, groaned. “That was just a game of capture the flag! And why did you even drag me here in the first place? At least somepony needs to watch over the camp while everypony is here.”

“You just want to stay back and eat all the snacks.” Another guard in red armor mocked. “Just like what happened in capture the flag.” He shook his head.

“See? That's why Simmer is a better guard than you.” Sarge laughed.

“Silence!” I yelled in full royal canterlot, the cave shaking a little from the sheer volume. “All of thou can go back to the castle, or wherever each of thee came from! We can deal with this ourself!”

Oculus dashed in front of me, shaking her head in panic. “Stop yelling like that! This whole place could cave in! Some of our earliest works ar-!” She was interrupted by a loud cracking noise coming from underneath us, cracks spider webbing at our hooves. “Alright, one of tw-” More cracks spread out as some smaller portions of the floor fell in, green light flowing in from below. “-one thing is going to happen…. Everypony, hold onto somethiiiiiinnnng!” She screamed as the cave floor finally fell, taking all of us down with it.

With Six Six, just a few minutes earlier. 3rd POV

“She’s fine, my queen.” Six Six reassured Chrysalis, the mare still in her filly form and crying as she held onto Dakota. “You heard Spoon, this has happened before.”

Alice frowned as she looked at the keyhole. “I am pretty sure keys don't usually melt…”

The commander sighed in frustration. “Luna is on her way here.”

That got everyone's attention. “What!?” Spoon and Chrysalis screeched at the same time, leaving Alice scratching her head. “Who's Luna?”

Ignoring Alice, Six Six continued. “She's dispelled the illusion around the entrance. So I've sent Oculus to bring her and the captain in for talks.”

Chrysalis took a deep breath, her hoof meeting her face. “My mom’s gonna kill me….”

“My queen?”

Chrysalis suddenly smiled, having an idea. “Okay, I can salvage this situation. Six Six, you are going to be king of the hive in front of them.” She laughed at his surprised stuttering. “Keep our shape shifting ability a secret, it would cause panic for everypony.”

“B-But, what are you going to do?”

She looked at Alice and Spoon. “I'm going with them to Ponyville, as a poor little orphan filly that has been adopted by the hive.” The queen smiled, gesturing at her still transformed body. “Just send me messages through the hive link if you need my help in ruling.” She playfully winked at the commander, giving her tail a little swish.

“I guess my Pitt fighting days are over….” Six Six groaned, knowing that he couldn't get her to reconsider. “Fine. Just… Stay safe, alright? Your mom didn’t send me to your hive just so you can die. ”

“I’ll be fine.” She smiled evilly at Spoon, transforming her eyes into blazing red ones and adding more fangs to her mouth. “Riiiight? You wouldn't try to rat me out, would you?”

“No! No! For the love of Celestia, no!” Spoon squeaked in fear, jumping behind Alice to get away from the nightmare looking at her. “Why aren't you asking the new girl?”

“Alice.”

“What?”

Alice shyly looked away from everyone, nervously playing with her claws. “That’s my name. It's Alice.”

“Well, it's nice to meet you.” Chrysalis smiled softly at the display.

The whole place suddenly started shaking, bits of rock falling off the ceiling of the room. Alice and Spoon screamed in fright, holding onto each other as they huddled together next to Dakota's body.

“Ahhhh! I don't wanna die crushed by a cave-in!” Alice screamed, her voice being drowned out by the thunderous crashing coming from outside. “I wanted to die from a tragic chocolate cake accident!”

Chrysalis and Six Six almost collapsed from what they felt. On the Eastern side of the hive, most of the cavern collapsed in on itself, taking almost a hundred changelings with it in an instant, their last moments broadcasted with them over the hive link.

Six Six growled when the crashing stopped, the noise almost demonic as it echoed throughout the room. “That princess is an idiot…!”

Chrysalis looked at the floor, tearing up as she mourned those crushed. “I… sniff….. I am sure it was an accident…”

Six Six sighed at the sight, his horn glowing green. “I'll gather some of the tunnelers and dig out those we can save.” He told her with a frown, before smiling evilly. “I'll give the princess and her surviving crew the ol’ Pitt welcome when we dig them out.”

“You shouldn’t, we need her and the guards to know that we are peaceful.” Chrysalis slowly walked to Alice and Spoon, double checking Dakota’s status for a moment and sitting down next to them. “I'll get these three back to the castle and get myself ready to leave. Just…. try to be civil with her, alright? Luna is known for her infamously short temper.”

“Yes, my queen.” Six Six saluted her, bowing a little before he left the room. “Heh, infamous for her temper? Nah, it's legendary!”

With Luna, underneath the rubble. 1st POV.

I sneezed as we waited in the shield bubble Shining had cast as we fell, protecting us as we waited underneath the rubble, unable to make a move for fear of being crushed. Surprisingly enough, all the guardsponies were saved by the captain's quick thinking.

“Well, look at what you've done, princess.” Oculus drawled sarcastically, eyeing the green stains marking the rocks outside of the bubble. “You just smashed the marketplace, are you proud of yourself?”

Shining grunted from exertion. “It was an accident. Eh, is anypony coming to dig us out? I don't think I can hold this barrier much longer….”

All of the guards started whispering to each other at his worrying words, gradually gaining volume as they grew more panicked.

“Oh, I should've just stayed home today…”

“I don't wanna die!”

“Today's a good day to die!”

“Uh, no, it's not! I'm supposed to get married Saturday!”

“Only two days ‘till retirement…..”

These comments continued on for a few more minutes, much to my irritation, until some of the rocks were moved off the top of the barrier. Two changelings peered down at everypony inside the barrier from the small opening in the rocks, looking almost disappointed from their discovery. One of them looked away and yelled something, making more of them flock around the hole and start clearing the rubble with their strong pointed hooves that effortlessly tore through stone.

Shining hesitantly dispelled the barrier when they finished, both him and the guards keeping their distance from the other changelings. “I… don't think they like us…” He noted out loud, seeing the pointed glares sent our way.

Oculus snorted. “Oh, I wonder why? Maybe it's that your princess did just drop the bucking ceiling of a quarter our cavern, our bucking home!” She all but yelled in my direction.

“We apologi-!” I was cut off by a new changeling, this one looking more battle hardened from the numerous cracks on his chitin.

“Apologies doesn’t fix any of this.” He grumbled out, glaring at everypony. “Do any of you have any idea of what just happened? Hmmm?” He asked.

Sarge stupidly spoke up, a stupid smile on his face. “A lot of bugs were smashed.”

Everything suddenly went quiet, everyling’s eyes visibly glowing in rage as they stared at the idiot. “What? You guys are bugs.” He pointed out, his voice echoing throughout the cavern.

“Now he's done it…” Oculus sighed.

Forcing a smile, the leader looked at me. “Just come with me. Oh, and would you please leave that one behind? I think some of the surviving families would like to meet him and…. educate him on insulting things he doesn't know.” He said with an evil smile.

I sighed and shook my head, knowing what my sister would do if I let one of the guards die. “We cannot, even though it would please us to see the fool get hurt.”

“Are they talking about me?”

“Just shut up!” Somepony yelled at the fool.

The changeling finally smiled a little at the display of idiocy, chuckling a little. “Well, it looks like you have quite the band of misfits. Okay everypony, please follow me to the castle.” He said, walking towards the towering black spire

“Wait!” Shining yelled out. “What's your name?”

“I'm Six Six, the leader of this hive.” He introduced himself, flaring his wings a little as he walked. “Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘You don't look like it!’ But, let me tell you, I like to fight a little bit more than the average changeling.” He chuckled warmly, as if remembering something.

We passed some more changelings as we walked, most of them glaring at our group before going on with their business, pointedly ignoring us. Six Six kept quiet as he led us to his castle, not paying any mind to the distrusting comments that some of the guard were saying.

Shining coughed, gaining my attention. “Do you think we can trust them?” He asked me with a frown. “The changelings, I mean.”

I scowled. “They seem to be the secretive sort….” I whispered to the captain, before eyeing Six Six. “And more than capable of defending themselves from harm. It would be wise to stay cautious around them.”

“I heard that.” Six Six spoke up, looking back at us with a small smile. “Remember this: I have eyes and ears just about everywhere in here.” Then he shrugged and continued. “I can understand why you all are cautious about us. ‘A whole new race of ponies? Why haven't there been any records of this?’ Heh, maybe you should check out some of the old pre-tribe unification myths.” He chuckled. “You should find mentions us in some of those.”

“Y-Your kind is that old?!” Shining sputtered in shock.

“Yup.” He simply said, leaving everypony to think on that.

Once we finally arrived at the castle, some nervous changeling guards ushered us inside and led us to the throne room. Six Six took his seat on the black throne, eyeing both Shining and I with a blank expression.

“Oculus, please bring Dakota and her friends.” Six Six ordered, raising a hoof. “Don't forget her pets, I think those are still in the dungeons after that black bat thing ate Nickel.”

“Poor Nickel…. Alight, sir. I'll be right back.” The scout nodded, walking out the way we came.

Six Six then turned to me, frowning deeply as he looked at everypony in the room. “As there is no chance of keeping the knowledge of this hive from the public… All I ask in return is that there will be no hostile measures taken against us.”

Shining stepped forward. “I think we should wait until those taken are here. They should have a say in this, if they aren't harmed.”

“We agree with the captain. Young Dakota is smarter than she gives herself credit, she should have a say.” I said with a small smile, causing the king to wince in response.

“Ooooohhhh….” He groaned, gritting his teeth as he forced a smile. “Yeeeeaaaahhhh, about her….” He said as the doors opened up behind us, some gasps coming from the guards near them.

I turned around and scowled at the scene. Oculus held an unconscious Dakota on her back as two fillies followed closely behind, the two small animals protectively sitting on the human's chest growling at everything that came close. At my glare, the changeling fearfully levitated Dakota, with the animals still on her, to me and setting her down at my hooves.

“What happened?” I growled out, seeing the new additions to her body. “She didn't have a tail before! And look at that fang!”

The filly with the green mane spoke up, shyly walking over to me. “S-S-She h-had a b-bad reaction t-to the p-pink s-stuff….” She stuttered out, not making any eye contact. “S-She d-drank t-too much… S-Sorry…. I-I’m not u-used to n-normal p-p-ponies…”

“What?”

Six Six coughed to gain my attention. “Oh, that's Poison Moss. She's…a special case. Some of my scouts found her in the badlands, beaten and bruised. The whole hive took her in and has pretty much has raised her as their own since then. Right, honey?” Six Six smiled warmly down at the filly.

“Yes!” She almost cheered in reply, before seeming to realize where she is. “I-I mean…..”

Six Six chuckled warmly. “So, why are you here? I thought you would be with the Nectar sisters today.”

“I-I-I wanted t-to s-see what was g-gonna h-happen with Dakota…” Moss admitted, her cheeks turning pink.

“Hey!” A new voice yelled out, a strange creature standing in the doorway, a scowl on its face. “You forgot me!” She said, pointing at Oculus.

“I was going to bring you later, when we get this mess sorted out.” Oculus groaned, facehooving.

The creature blinked at the response, before smiling widely. “But, I'm here now! Is that the princess? ” She asked, not noticing the spears pointed in her direction as she got closer to me. “Hiya! I'm Alice. Nice to meet you!” She greeted herself as she casually wrapped an arm around my shoulders, smiling almost as widely as the bearer of laughter.

“Oh, thou too?” Was all I could say as it thought to myself, “What have I gotten myself into?”

Back in Dakota's head. Dakota's POV.

I blinked at the familiar door that Nightmare led me to. “Uh, I am pretty sure I took a peek in this thing the last time I was here.” I spoke up, my stitches stopped hurting a little while ago.

“Really? What was inside?”

“I dunno. Something came running to the door once I opened it, sorta just slammed it shut and never looked back.” I answered with a nervous smile, hesitant to even get close to it. “I… I don't like the feeling it gives off.”

“I agree….” Nightmare hummed, raising a brow as she got closer to the door. “It does feel… odd. Well, it's either now or never.” She said as she opened it, revealing the splintered wooden walls on the other side, bloody handprints smeared on everything like some kind of demented art show.

“Huh….” I slowly limped my way inside, Nightmare following behind me as I examined the damages. “It looks like someone was trying really hard to get out….”

Nightmare stayed silent as we went further down the long hallway, the handprints becoming less frequent on the walls, eventually disappearing altogether once we came to a stairwell leading down. Nightmare and I shared a look, before we went down it.

Then I tripped, somehow bouncing comically on every step, before landing in a heap of pain at the bottom. “Motherfu-!”

“Ah, ah, ah!” Someone chastised me, a red finger waggling in my blurry vision. “Little girls shouldn't curse, Mama doesn't like that.” It said, the voice distinctly Harley Quin-ish, the older animated one.

“Wha-!”

She interrupted me by covering my mouth with a wet hand, lifting my aching body with her other and running away from the stairs. I could faintly hear Nightmare calling out in worry as the girl weaved her way through various doors, making sure that her pursuer wouldn't be able to follow.

“I want to show you my dollies….” She muttered to me, her glowing red eyes the only thing I can see in the dark room she carried me to. “Yes….. Maybe Mama would like to see you too…”

I winced at the sudden bright light that filled the room, revealing everything inside. A tattered and stained bed, an unknown black liquid seeping out from underneath it. Various styles of homemade dolls, from animals to people, littered the dirty floor. To my left, I saw a desk with lots of sewing equipment.

I looked up at the new girl's face, still in her arms. “What the he-!” I almost yelled, interrupted by a swift slap to my face. “Ow!”

“What did I say? No cursing!” She chastised, wagging her finger in my face again.

I blinked at her, thinking to myself. “Why does she look like me? Well, she's taller and more stitched up…. Awww hell naww! Not the whole ‘evil me’ bullcrap!”

“Soooo….” I drawled, nervously smiling as she stared at me with her creepy smile.

She didn't even blink as she kept staring, her smile still there, bordering on psychotic. Suddenly, she started moving towards the bed, humming a little tune as she practically skipped her way there. Dumping me onto the bed, she smiled even wider, revealing red stained teeth as eight thick tentacles burst from her back and lifted me up by my waist.

I closed my eyes in acceptance of my fate, my body being pulled closer to her…..

“I’ve always wanted a sister!” She giddily squealed, hugging me as hard as she can. “And I got a twin! Yay!”

She let go when she felt me pounding on her shoulder, blood dribbling out the corners of my mouth. “Awww…. Why does everyone break when I hug them?” She asked with a frown, her tentacles glowing green as they healed me.

“Ugh… Ya… You're a strong one.” I wheezed out, seeing stars.

The girl smiled, taking a seat next to me. “It's just the way Mama made me!” She proudly pointed out her scars, each one wiggling as something moved underneath. “Oh… Looks like you're not done yet…. Awwwww, I hope Mama doesn't make me break you. She always makes me break the mean ones, and they're always not done…” She said as she poked at my stitches.

“Uh, do I look mean?” I asked her, putting on my best puppy dog expression as she looked at me.

She wrapped me in another painful hug. “Nope! What's your name?”

Da….kota….” I managed to choke out, trying to wiggle out of her grip.

“Mama always calls me Shade when we're out, but I'm her little Honey when we're home.” She told me, still hugging me with that crazy strong grip.

“Shade.” Another voice spoke up, startling us both.

Shade's attitude changed instantly, her smile turning into a blank mask as she turned towards the doorway. “Yes, master?” She asked, turning me around to see the figure that appeared.

It was just a cloud of black in the shape of a person, its form constantly flickering in some unseen wind. One hand held onto the doorway as it stared in our direction with its featureless face.

“Put her down.” The voice commanded, a smokey claw pointing at me.

Wordlessly, Shade gently put me down, offering me a small smile in reassurance as I nervously backed away from the smoke monster. It approached me, coming to a stop a few feet away from me and crouching down.

“... So you don't remember me?” It asked, not moving at all as it stared at me.

I pointed at it, smiling smugly. “Yeah, you're one of those invisible matter things from Aijin.” I then nodded, like it was the correct answer.

“Seems that you kept your sense of humor…” It suddenly grabbed my head with one arm and stood up, squeezing tightly as its claws dug into the sides of my head. “No matter, when I find a suitable vessel, I'll just break the damned thing!” It growled, throwing me against the wall.

“Begone!”

A beam of light hit the smoke monster in the back, making it flinch and turn towards the alicorn that showed up just in time. Nightmare glared at the creature, its arms going wide as it crouched down. It chuckled, the sound coming out like it was choking.

“A pony? That's the dimension she ended up in?” It murmured itself, sounding thoroughly amused as it regarded Nightmare. “Hmmm…. I don't suppose the name Star Swirl means anything to you?“

“The famous sorcerer? You knew him?” Nightmare asked, keeping her horn lit as she prepared a strong spell. “He's long dead and buried. Why do you ask?”

“That's none of your business. I suppose I'll take my leave. ‘Till we meet again, princess…” It spat out, vanishing in an gust of invisible wind.

“I hope I won't meet that guy again.” I shuddered a little. “He seemed a little… off.”

Shade slapped me, frowning at what I said. “Don't talk about our Mama like that! She's the one who made us!” She chastised me, lifting me up with a few of her tentacles as she glared at Nightmare. “And you! How dare you attack Mama like that!”

“Mama? That was clearly a male.” Nightmare laughed as she released her spell, a bright beam of black light speeding towards Shade’s face. “Take this!”

“Gladly!” Shade yelled, opening her mouth wide and eating the beam. “Mmmph, dish ish too schweet.” She shuddered and moaned, chewing on the magical attack like it is candy.

“Did she just…?”

“Yep.”

Shade finally swallowed the attack, giving nightmare a manic grin as her scars glowed brightly, black smoke flowing off each tentacle as they held onto me. “I’ve always wanted a pony. Come on! I'll enjoy making you my new dol!”

“Can’t just put me down first?” I was ignored as Shade launched towards Nightmare, the tentacles holding me squeezing tighter. “Come oooo-aaahhh!”

Author's Note

Hello guys! I'm sorry for taking so long to update. :ajsleepy: it's been pretty rough on my end.

I want to see who can try to name the connection between the shadow guy and Star Swirl. :derpytongue2: I have a dastardly plan for those two. :pinkiecrazy:

Also this is who voices Shade.

My mind, my rules!

“You know…. I would love this fight, but she won't put me down!” I thought to myself as I tried to duck out of the way of a stray magical blast from my spot in Shade's tentacle's grip, only to be violently swung to the side, the beam missing my head by an inch. “Hey! Are ya tryin’ to hit me?!”

“I don't see you helping!” Nightmare yelled back, dashing down the hallway and blasting any tentacle that came close to her.

“Stay still!” Shade screeched as she chased the dark alicorn, tentacles bursting from her arms in a shower of blood.

“Not going to happen!”

“Awww, come on! It's only going to hurt for a second, then you won't hurt ever again!”

I scowled at Shade as we got outside, Nightmare taking to the skies the moment she had the chance. “That's called being dead!”

“Oh shush, you.”

Nightmare’s horn glowed brightly as she flew in the dark sky above the forest edge, her form disappearing a moment later. Shade stopped moving and closed her eyes, listening closely for any noise, only to be sideswiped by Nightmare’s high speed tackle. Dropping me onto my face, Shade's tentacles moved to wrap around the mare, who just teleported us both away in a flash of magic a second later.

“No fair! That's cheating!” Shade’s voice echoed throughout the forest.

I closed my eyes as I tried to keep from hurling. “Urp! I hate teleporting...”

Nightmare laughed a little as she tried to catch her breath. “Teleportation sickness? We're in your mind, it shouldn't affect you.”

I slowly got up, wobbling a little. “Tell me about it. Teleporting just doesn't agree with me, even when I try it myself. Now, what's the plan with evil me?” I asked Nightmare, leaning against a nearby tree as I kept an eye out. “I assume we can't kill her? It is never as simple as that.”

She shook her head, glaring into the darkness. “Trust me, she'll only get stronger if we tried.”

I smiled at her tone, finally putting some pieces together. “I think I get it… You and Luna were both the same person, am I right?”

Nightmare only blinked widely at me.

I only frowned and pointed at her, “That tells me all I need to know. You look and sound like her. The thing those ponies used against you just kicked you out of Luna, recently too, from how modern you talk. How long were you in control?”

Nightmare stared at me for a few minutes in silence, stunned that I could figure all of that out. “A thousand years.” She told me, before scowling at me. “You're an observant little girl, aren't you? I was born from that failure's jealousy towards her sister’s day.”

“Probably because everyone slept during the night and did just about everything during the day? Sigh… It's official, I now live in a kids’ show.” I facepalmed, groaning at the realization. “It would explain everything, even the stupid singing that happens everywhere.” I sighed in resignation, shaking my head. "At least I know it'll be mostly safe. Nothing too bad happens in a kids’ show, right? It's not like there'll be some kind of magic eating tyrant that can hyperbeam everything he sees.”

“Stop hiding, or I'll turn this whole place into ashes!” Shade yelled, her angry voice echoing throughout the forest. “I'll give you both the count of three!” She announced, a bright red light burning through the darkness.

“Quick! Do something!” I panicked, trying to blend in with the tree. “There's gotta be something you can do!”

“One!”

Nightmare calmly looked at me, her horn flaring up with a cloud of night sky colored magic. “There's one thing…. Do you trust me?”

“Two!”

I nodded after a moment, giving the alicorn a smile.

“Two and a half!”

Nightmare melted and flew towards me, latching onto my bandage covered chest and spreading out to cover my body. “Just think of the strongest things you can think of, I'll take care of the rest.” Her voice came from the goop, making me smile widely.

“Three!”

And everything turned red…

In the changeling throne room. Luna's POV.

“You have an awesome hairdo.” Alice pointed out, smiling as she played with my mane in front of everypony. “How do you keep it moving like this? Are you part ghost or something?”

Everypony, including me, was shocked as the girl openly touched me without fear. Shaking my head, I frowned at her. “Nay, we are not a spirit. Our mane has always done this.”

Alice giggled at my tone. “I like the way you talk.” She told me, oblivious to everypony’s disbelieving stares. “I think it makes you more… princess-ey.” She admitted, scratching the back of her head with her clawed hands.

I smiled at her. “We thank thee, it has been too long since anypony said anything positive about our Royal Canterlot speech.”

Six Six coughed, earning everypony’s attention. “How about we change the topic?” He spoke up, scowling at me. “Maybe back to the dead changelings that are buried under a ton of stone, hmm?”

I winced. “The most we can do is help with reconstruction. Again, we apologize for the incident.”

He growled, his eyes flaring up with green light as he glared at me and every guard in the room. “Saying that you're sorry isn't going to get you my forgiveness. The blood is on your hooves just because of your little tantrum, so you, princess, are going to pay the Pitt a little visit.”

Moss gasped at what the king said. “Not there!”

Shining Armor raised a hoof, awkwardly raising an eyebrow at Six Six. “Uh, what's the Pitt?”

Six Six chuckled, smiling cruelly at me. “Oh, it's nothing special… Just a little arena that some of my subjects like to practice in. Heh, there are some special challenges in there for the brave ones.”

“...How long will we be there?” I asked after a moment, regarding him with a cool expression.

“Oh, it depends on how quickly you finish the challenge I give you.”

“Princess?! You can't really be-!”

“Just…sigh… Let us deal with this.” I interrupted Shining with a sad smile, before turning back to the king. “Will the guards be involved?”

“No. Remember, it was your yelling that caused the cave in.” He pointed out with a pointed glare at me, before his expression softened. “I know that you didn't really mean it, you couldn't have known. But with the amount of lives lost….”

“We understand.”

Something suddenly growled loudly in the room, Alice's face turning a light green as she chuckled nervously. “Sorry, I, uh, haven't ate yet…” She pointed towards the door and started walking. “I'll, er, see about getting some food.”

“Heh, heh, heh!” Six Six laughed, making Alice stop in fear. “That stopped the heavy mood, eh? Anypony up for lunch? We can continue this after we all eat.” He asked everypony in the room, smiling widely as he got up and joined Alice’s side. “Oh, one of you should go and get whatever Dakota needs while we're at it.”

“Agreed. Shining, do thou know a teleport spell? Then you can go to Ash and get the key.” I ask the captain, earning a sheepish smile from him.

“Err, no… I don't have that one down yet.”

Late Thunder spoke up, taking a few steps towards me. “I can fly there, I am one of the fastest ones in our group.”

“Then thou can go.” I nodded, levitating Dakota and placing her on my back, her pets joining my side with a few cautious noises. “Just be quick.”

He gave me a small salute with his wings and flew out of the room without word. Our large group followed Six Six as he led us to the dining room, two streams of pink water flowing into small pools on both sides of the room. A long table was placed in the center of the room, platters of various exotic fruits and vegetables adorning its stony surface. Alice all but ran to the food, intent on trying everything there.

Before anypony assaulted the feast, a changeling mare wearing an apron walked into view. “All of the food is pony safe.” She informed with a forced smile, gesturing at the table. “Everything here was grown and harvested inside the hive. As a side note, don’t drink the pink water.”

A guard snorted, earning everypony’s attention. “If you need love to survive, then why do you bugs grow food down here?”

The changeling took a deep breath and calmly explained. “We may need love, but we can taste other foods too. Most of us like to have some variety in our meals.”

“Thanks for the explanation, Blackberry.” Six Six nodded thankfully to the mare, taking a seat at the end of the table. “You are dismissed.” He said with a wave of his hoof, the mare leaving with only a glare sent in the guard's direction as she passed him.

Shining took the seat on the ruler’s left, eyeing some of the stranger fruit placed in front of him as Alice took the opposite seat. The rest of the guard took all the other seats, eating only the foods they recognized.

Alice reached over and picked up a bright red pineapple like fruit, little fleshy tendrils hanging off the bottom. “Uh, what's this?” She asked, pulling on one of the tendrils, only to have it pop off and start dripping a bluish liquid.

“Ah, nice choice. That one's for the brave or a good prank, a Frostbite.” Six Six smiled at the hybrid and levitated the tendril over to his mouth, sucking the juice from it for a second before eating it. “They start off as a kind of pleasant peppermint-ish taste, before trying to incinerate your mouth like dragonfire.”

Alice paled and slowly placed the fruit onto his plate, looking at the other foods. “Is there any sweet things in here? The others took all the apples….”

“Here.” Six Six levitated a bright pink banana and dropped it into her hands, chuckling a little at her reaction. “These are a special kind of banana that grows only on the shores of the nearby underground lake, the newly hatched just love these things. The best part is that you don't even need to peel them, you can eat them whole.”

Alice took a small bite, her face lighting up at the taste. “It tastes like strawberry milk!” She noted to herself, reverting back to Dakota's language for a moment. “I love these! Can I take a few with me when I leave?”

“Heh! You can take whatever you want with you. You were hatched from a changeling egg inside of this hive, you're practically one of us already.” Six Six said with a smile, patting her had with a hoof.

“Leave? Where is she going to go?” I asked, walking up to the little hybrid.

Alice nervously looked at me, taking small nibbles of her food as she tried to explain. “I… was in Dakota's head for a little bit. And before you ask, no, I don't know how I got in there.” She shook her head, smiling a little. “She's been pretty nice to me since I've met her, even tried to make this body human just for me, so I think it should be pretty clear that I'm going with her.”

“She must be quite skilled in the arcane to change a body and put an entity inside.” I note, taking a glance at the unconscious girl on my back. “And thou seems to have learned Equish faster than her too.”

“I just listened… It did help that she had what little she did learn in her head too. ” Alice scratched her head and grabbed another pink banana, everyone in the room curiously listening to her as she talked. “Look, Dakota and I might as well stick together.” She gave me the most serious look she could muster before she finished, her voice almost venomous. “If you or anyone else has a problem with that, I'll do my very best to make you all regret it.”

I stared back, the whole room going silent at what she said. “Oh, really? What would thou do to oppose us? Do thou realize that we are the princess of the moon?” I questioned Alice, leaning in closer with a blank expression.

She blinked and glared back into my gaze, taking another slow bite from her food. “I dunno… but I will figure it out, believe me!”

Six Six laughed. “Ha! Watch out, princess! She's got the heart of a manticore in her!” He warned with a smile, getting up and ruffling the hybrid's green hair, earning an embarrassed squeak from her. “Seriously though, nopony said anything about not letting you go.” He then turned to me, still laughing. “Right?”

I gave him a neutral look, before giving Alice a warm smile. “You are free to come with us. Now, let's get back our feast, we believe that those pink things are something that we should try.”

Back in Dakota's head. Dakota's POV.

“Ugh….” I groaned, holding my head as I got up. “That kinda hurt.”

I blinked at my surroundings, seeing as I was in an alleyway of some kind of city. I was wearing a yellow suit with a red cape with matching gloves and boots. Panicking a little, I reached for my head, making sure that I still had my hair.

“Oh, thank god.” I sigh in relief, feeling my hair. “Now, let's find that Nightmare lady.”

“I'm here.” A voice dryly spoke from behind me.

Turning around, I almost started drooling at the sight of the cyborg woman in front of me. Her long hair had kept the same qualities as her pony counterpart, still flowing in an unseen wind and filled with stars. Her well endowed chest was covered by a simple black hoodie, still somehow making me feel a little jealous of her.

“I think I've accepted this being a girl thing a little too quickly…” I thought to myself, giving my own chest a once over. “So, Nightmare, what did you do?”

She gave me an annoyed glare before explaining. “I just gave your thoughts power. Remember, I told you to think of the strongest things you can think of.” She flexed her metal hands for a moment, trying to get used to them. “I guess that your mind sent us into another section to protect itself from any damage the oncoming battle.”

“Huh… Then where did Shade go?” I asked, taking a peek out of he alley way.

Nightmare shrugged and leaned against the wall, looking thoughtful. “She should be near, if I'm right. So, what did you think of? I just modified the form of the second thing you thought of.” She gave me a calculating stare.

I looked back at her with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of my head. “Just a hero for fun and his disciple.”

“A… hero for fun…?” She just stared at me for a few moments, before face palming. “We're doomed.”

“Hey! He is Saitama, also known as One Punch Man, the only guy to win every battle with one punch!” I defended myself, dramatically gesturing to my clothes.

“That…. actually sounds kind of amazing.” She blinked in surprise, looking at her hands with with newfound interest. “Then, who am I?”

“The blonde cyborg, Genos. He ca-!”

“Hey! I know that you all are out here!” Shade's annoyed voice echoed throughout the city, sounding much closer than I expected.

“Dang! Alright, you're gonna have to figure them out later.” I tell Nightmare, dramatically walking out of the alleyway with a flick of my cape, feeling cocky. “I’m gonna punch an evil me into submission.”

I then dashed down the road, in the direction of Shade's voice. It took a little bit, but I found her just outside of a supermarket, all of her tentacles released from her back and arms. We both stared at each other for a moment.

“So… where's the pony?” Shade asked me, raising an eyebrow on her deadpanned expression.

“Oh, ya know, around….” I casually answered, waving a hand behind me. “Why do you want to kill Nightmare? All she did was protect me.”

Shade bristled at the mention of Nightmare, a few tentacles violently slamming into the sidewalk, cracking it slightly. “She hit Mama! I will never forgive anyone who hits my Mama!” She growled, before smiling. “It just gives me the perfect excuse to make a pony doll, too. I've always wanted one.”

“Well, about that, I've already kinda promised to help her. So, maybe, just maybe, could ya not try to turn her into one of your dolls? Besides, it looked like it didn't even hurt the guy.” I suggested with a frown.

“No! Mama always says that I should take out anything and anyone that dares to try to harm her!” She recited with a scowl, as if she was corrected many times before. “You should be helping me hunt that pony down, not trying to defend her!” Shade screeched, sending a tentacle directly towards my face. “That means I must break you too!”

I chuckled and caught it with one hand, surprising her as I replied with an amused smile. “So… how about we make a little bet?” I asked, still holding onto the tentacle as it twitched wildly in my grip.

“...I'm listening…” Shade growled out, taking deep shuddering breaths.

“If I beat ya in a fight, you'll listen to me from now on.” I told her, before adding another thing. “That means your ‘Mama’ cannot order you around anymore.”

“....and if I win?” She asked, glaring at me.

“Well, lemme see….” I drawled, playfully putting a hand on my chin in fake thoughtfulness. “I guess that you'll get two new dolls in return.” I finished with a wide smile, letting go of her tentacle, the thing retracting back to Shade's arm.

She was silent for a moment as she closed her eyes, all of her tentacles retracting back into her skin without a sound. “....”

Blinking at her actions, I frowned and took a step away from her. “Uh, that's definitely not a good sign…”

Nightmare came dashing in from behind me, her arms glowing orange as she held her hands out towards Shade. “What have you done! She's calling something here!” She frantically informed me, blasting her target with a beam of fire, a large plume of smoke erupting from the blast point.

“Gyahahaha!” A screechy voice laughed from the smoke, a pink light shining through.

I face palmed, the action making a small shockwave from the force. “She just had to bring him into this….”

Nightmare sighed and glared at me. “It would appear that she called in one of the villains you know of.”

“Okay, here's the plan. You take Shade, while I take on Mr. Bubblegum.”

“Mr. Bubblegum?”

The smoke cleared, revealing Shade and Kid Buu standing in the middle, the pink alien giving us a manic smile as steam shot out of the holes in his head. Shade gave him a high five and smiled smugly at us, saying only one thing before she snapped her fingers. “Deal.”

Kid Buu shot forward, grabbing me by my face and flying me away from Shade and Nightmare at the speed of sound. A moment later, he threw me through a skyscraper, me painlessly going through it and a few other buildings until I hit the ground, digging a mile long trench with my body as I tried to recover.

Crawling out of the trench, I glared at Buu as he floated above me, a large orb of pink energy coming into existence above his outstretched palm before he hurled it at me. Jumping to meet the ball, I caught it with one hand and threw it back at him, only for him to dodge it with a laugh and try to punch me back into the ground.

I caught the fist and ripped his arm off, beating him across the face with the appendage and sending his head flying off into the distance. “Ha! Home run!” I yelled, his body falling to the ground with me.

Buu’s remaining arm twitched, his head growing back in seconds, a menacing snarl gracing his mouth as his arm grew back with a loud squelching noise. With a stupid smile on my face, I punched him in the chest, his back stretching out for a mile like rubber, Buu whimpering at me for a moment before he flew backwards to meet his back, stuck inside of a wall like a piece of chewed up piece of gum.

“Ugh… He was way more stickier that I thought he would be.” I noted, looking at my gloves, pink chunks sticking to them. “Hey!” I yelled at Buu as I ran up to his splattered form, the poor guy visibly shuddering at the sight of me. “Soo… Wanna help me out?”

He tilted what little of his head that wasn't stuck to the wall. “Geeeh?” He made a questioning noise as I grabbed his leg and pulled.

“What? I've always kinda liked ya. Not so much your fat form, but you know what I mean.” I admitted with a small smile. “So… What do ya say?” I asked as the last of him peeled off the wall, his body regenerating back to normal.

“Gyahahaha!” He replied with gusto, grabbing my shoulders and flying upwards.

We both flew around for a bit, looking for Shade and Nightmare. It wasn't long until a plume of fire shot towards the sky, Buu flying us both towards the battle with an excited laugh.

With Buu dropping me, I landed right next to Nightmare, one of her arms hanging limply to her side as she fired round after round fire after Shade, the girl gracefully dodging like it was some sort of ballet recital. Buu stayed flying above us, both hands held upwards as he charged up an attack.

“Soo… How's your fight goin’?” I asked with a smile, batting away a tentacle that tried to spear my face.

“What. Do. You. Think!?” Nightmare said, shooting a beam of fire with each word. “This bucking foal won't stand still!”

“Bucking?” I casually asked, scratching the back of my head as I watched the show.

“Yeah, bucking!” Nightmare repeated, missing another shot. “I'll tell you when you're older! Now, are you going to stand there, or are you going to hel-!” She was interrupted by a tentacle going through her arm, tearing it off like paper. “....” She stayed silent for a moment, eyeing the empty slot with an annoyed glare. “I think I hate you….”

“I love ya too!” I chuckled, patting her cheek and running at Shade.

All of Shade's tentacles went for my chest, only to be caught by my hands. Pulling as hard as I can, she was lifted off the ground and sent flying towards me, meeting my outstretched fist with her face, her nose snapping loudly. Before she could fall to the ground, I swung her tentacles upwards along with her.

“Do your thing, Buu!”

“Gyaaaa!” Buu screeched, an energy ball the size of a small planet erupting into existence in his hands before it shot towards his unfortunate victim, his body vaporizing shortly after he launched his final attack.

“Aaaaaaahhhhh!” Shade screamed in pain, her silhouette visible in the center of the attack.

When the orb finally dissipated, Shade stayed in the air for a moment, her clothes badly burned and torn, before dropping like a rock. I jumped up and caught her in my arms, landing without a sound as I laid her down onto the ground.

“Hey, you still with me?” I asked her with a worried frown.

Shade's eyes slowly opened, her mouth curling into a small smile at the sight of me. “It’s nice that you're worried for me… Not even Mama gets like this.” She muttered, wincing as her nose loudly snapped back into place. “.... I guess that you're my Mama now, though.”

“Eh, no, don't call me that.” I told her, shaking my head at the term. “Just to be clear, your ‘Mama’ is a guy. The voice and the whole smoke monster thing doesn't really help his case either.”

“Hey!” Nightmare yelled at us, having turned back into her pony form as we were talking. “If you two are friends now, can't we do what we came for?” She asked with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head.

Shade sat up, giving the alicorn a distrustful glare. “What is it?”

Nightmare pointed at me. “She wants to remember what happened to her. I was helping her find the memories, but our search led us to you.” She explained, her horn lighting up with magic as she eyed Shade’s tentacles. “Huh, that’s odd…. You are an artificial construct in her mind, made to keep most of her memories.”

Shade blinked in confusion. “Wait… Her mind?” She asked, pointing at me. “This is not real life?”

“What kind of reality would teleport you randomly and let you summon fictional villains?” Nightmare dryly pointed out.

“.... It happens more often than you’d think.” Shade admitted with a shrug.

“Let’s get back on topic, the missing memories?” I cut in, taking a seat next to her. “I am pretty sure that they are not going to be pleasant, but I would like to at least know what happened to me.”

Nightmare’s horn glowed along with her eyes. “Just hold her hand, I'll take care of the rest.”

Slowly, I reached out and grabbed Shade’s hand. Nightmare grunted from exertion and shot a cloud of black magic at my head, my vision turning white….

Author's Note

Sorry for taking so long, guys. :ajsleepy: I'll try to pump one more chapter out this month as a sorry.

I just now realized that Dakota would be at home in season four....

Flashbacks and Luna's trial.

Author's Note

I'M NOT DEAD!
:twilightsheepish: :ajsleepy: .... Sorry, guys. Life hit pretty hard for me and I almost forgot about this... :raritydespair: Just a quick shout out for Vilkathewolf for sending me that pm that he did, it just showed up in my email earlier and I had a heart attack at the sight of it!. :pinkiecrazy:

So, anyways..... This is a chapter I had whipped up the day before everything went to crap... I have another one I'll put up soon, so please be patient please.... Don't be mad... :fluttercry: :raritycry:

Flashbacks and Luna's trial.

Four months ago. Dakota's POV.

“Ugh…” I groaned as I tried to get up, nausea assaulting my every sense.

“Wake up, Dakota.” An old man sinisterly spoke up, a boot slamming into my ribs and sending me into a nearby wall. “We need to talk.”

“Urp! … Where am I?” I calmly asked after I threw up on the floor, the thick carpeting soaking it up like a sponge.

I blearily opened my eyes, seeing my kidnapper for the first time. I almost groaned in embarrassment at what I saw. A haggard old man stood over me, his skin barely hanging onto his sinisterly smiling face, his teeth yellowed and sharpened. The large lab coat he wore showed how often he wore the thing, various stains splotched all over.

“Great, kidnapped by a crazy, old scientist. Just my luck.”

Said man chuckled, amused at the expression on my face. “Oh, you shouldn't feel so bad. I have been around much longer than you can imagine…. Much longer, heheh!” Still chuckling, he pointed a gnarled finger at me, its tip engulfed in a deep cerulean aura. “I suppose I should give you a demonstration of my power!”

“And he's apparently a god damn wizard, even better.” I sarcastically thought to myself as he magically lifted me, bringing me close to his face. “So…” I slowly began, hesitantly meeting his bloodshot gaze. “Who are you?”

He smiled even wider. “I am Dust.”

“Is that what ya named yourself? Or is it something your friends call you?” I blinked at his unusual name.

He immediately frowned, sending me flying into the wall with a flick of his wrist. “Don't. Question. My name.” Dust's voice rung in my ears as I tried to recover.

“Understood! ......Can I ask where we are?”

He glowered at me as he answered cryptically. “A pocket in between worlds, my home. That's all you need to know.”

“Huh, okay.” I said as I furrowed my brows in thought, before raising a hand.

“Yes?”

“Uh, what do you need me for?”

Dust gave me his creepiest smile. “Why else? I need your body.” He explained, before cackling insanely. “My newest fixation is the pursuit of immortality. I can't keep this body sustained much longer and I want a fresh, younger one to continue my research. Sadly, I haven't yet made the spell for a mind transfer…”

“I don't suppose you have a brother I can talk to? Maybe the most sane and morally straight one?” I drawled in half resignation and hope, only to be slammed again into the wall.

“I don't have a brother, anymore.” He bitterly told me. “He's the reason I'm here…. Stuck in this disgusting form. Who in their right mind would test an untested spell on their own brother?!” He shouted, eyes wide as he gripped my shoulders and looked at me for some kind of approval.

“Eh, you're asking me? The guy ya kidnapped and just told that ya wanted his body for some kind of attempt at being immortal?” I shook my head. “You really are a piece of work.”

Dust scowled and left the room, making my levitating form follow him down a long hallway filled with various pictures and paintings, the old man stopping to leer at one of them before moving on. Raising an eyebrow at what I saw, the picture one showing a bearded, silver unicorn wearing a star patterned robe and hat.

“Ooookay….”

I was brought into what appeared to be the basement, a large silver magic circle in the center of the room. There were five doors placed symmetrically around the room, two doors on both sides of the place and the last door placed on the center of the far wall.

“So, eh, Dust, what's going to happen to me while ya figure out the spell?” I asked as we went through one of the doors on the left, a room full of cages greeting me. “Ah….”

He chuckled and shoved me inside one of the smaller ones, locking it with a large padlock. “You know, there is a reason I chose you.” He started with an excited smile. “The spell I used to get you here had a few specific… criteria. First, the person needed to be young, well, way younger than me. Second, he needs to be what your kind calls, a ‘nerd,’ if you will. I've seen some of the things you humans use to waste your pitiful lives with, some of which gave me some interesting theories when it came to magic.” Dust listed off, giving me a knowing glance. “Sadly, those things won't survive my method of transportation to this place.”

“Okay, I get it.” I sighed and shook my head. “I'm not telling ya anything.”

“Then I won't feed you.” He glared at me, his left hand glowing a dangerous red. “I can make it so that you won't die.”

“Yup…” I drawled as I tried to make myself comfortable, resigning myself to whatever comes next. “I’m not going to tell you anything. I know I'm stuck here, with a guy that can most likely kill me, bring me back, and kill me again. At this point, I don't really care.” I finished, crossing my arms and giving him a stony glare. “Feel free to try. You went through all this trouble to get me, I'm pretty sure you won't harm your future body too badly, am I right?”

He stared at me for a moment, almost in disbelief, before leaving the room in a huff.

Sighing in relief, I quietly laughed as I tried to calm my nerves. “Ohhhh, heheh! That's my best acting yet!” I cheered. “I knew drama club would come in handy some day.”

One month later.

Dust left me alone for the most part, only coming to see me when it was feeding time. Time passed quickly pretty slowly for me after I found that my captor enchanted the cage to burn me if I tried to mess with its lock. He even set it up to shock me if I made it move across the floor, after my most recent attempt at escape.

“Hey, lemme go!” I heard a girl yell, Dust kicking in the door to the cage room as he magically threw her into the cage next to me.

“I’ve got you a roommate. Be careful, she bites.” He laughed as he listened to the girl's angry screams, leaving the room shortly after her yelling stopped.

She started sobbing in the corner of her cage, the sound low enough for me to hear. I quietly took in her appearance, her blue dress ripped and torn in various places, she looked maybe five years old.

“Hey, uh, what's your name?” I tried, speaking softly to the distraught girl. “I'm Dakota.”

She continued sobbing for a moment, looking away from me. “Alice.”

“How old are you?”

Alice sniffled and turned towards me, her big blue eyes wide. “I'm eight…. Are we going to die?”

I didn't flinch, meeting her terrified expression with a warm smile. “That’s not going to happen.” I assured her, trying my best to make her feel better. “I'm a smart guy, the kind that can come up with a way to get us outta here.”

“Really?” She asked, the hope in her voice practically hurting me.

I nodded, seeing her hopeful expression. “Yep. See that, over there?” I pointed at the other side of the room, a small key hanging on a hook a few feet off of the ground. “That’s our way outta here.”

She blinked at it, before turning back to me. “How can we get it?”

Frowning, I gave her a look. “Well… Here's the thing… I can't move this anymore.” I gave my prison a little heave in one direction for an example, the cage inching over as electricity suddenly arched from the bars into me, each one hitting like a Zeus bolt. “Hnnnnnggg!” I held in a scream, before slumping over as the electricity stopped.

Alice gave a small worried scream at my pain. “Mister! Are you okay?”

I chuckled tiredly as I stayed down, nodding a little as feeling came back to my body. “Shhheee?” I slurred, my tongue feeling numb. “He dishint do shat to yersh…”

Alice shook her head. “I don't like where you're going with this.”

“Yesh. Yer goinsh to needsh go getch shat key!” I finished with my numb tongue, giving her an encouraging smile as the feeling faded. “So can you be a brave little girl for me? Then we can go home.”

“I…. I’ll try.” She whispered, nodding with determination.

She quietly inched her cage across the room, us both flinching when the metal screeched overly loud at a few points. Reaching the wall, her prison hitting it with a loud clang, she poked her arm through the top and tried to get the key, one finger just barely nicking it.

She gave me a look, jumping a little in an attempt to get it. “I can't reach it!”

I frowned and nodded, putting a hand to my chin. “Try to flip your cage, it's longer than it is tall.”

“Are you sure he won't hear?” Alice asked, looking at the steel door. “It's gonna be loud…”

“Pfft! He won't, I'm sure.” I laughed, before explaining. “Dr. Crazy works on the other side of this mansion, probably because he likes being alone… And that I forced the guy to move his lab after singing Hooked on a Feeling every day at eight.” I shrugged. “Make as much noise as ya want.” It took a little effort, but Alice did flip her cage on its end, giving her the extra reach she needed to get the key. Quickly, she got out of her prison, running over to mine and freeing me.

“Eeeewww… You stink!” She exclaimed, covering her nose.

“Do you really think he'd let me use the bathroom?” I sighed, knowing all too well how bad I smelled. “The only thing he uses to clean up in here is a quick blast of water from his hands.” I shook my head, opening the door that led to the hallway. “Let's get outta here, kay?”

“I knew I heard something.” A thoughtful voice came from the hall. “Simply marvelous. You can't seem to give up on escaping this place, even if I keep catching you.”

“Run!” I yelled, picking up Alice and dashing in the opposite direction, only to be wrapped in a blue glow. “Damn it!”

Alice wilted under the Dust's glare as he lifted us to him, making him chuckle cruelly. “Oh, don't be scared. I already have the preparations done, you should live after the ritual is completed.” He smiled widely, leading us down the hall into a small chamber with a magic circle etched into the stone floor.

“I don't suppose I can get you to let us go home, can I?” I nervously asked as he placed me onto the edge of the circle, leaving a squirming Alice on the other end.

Dust chuckled, the circle lighting up with green energy as a green blob oozed its way out of the center of it. “I believe that gives you your answer?” He smugly said as he stepped into it., the blob slowly growing to engulf him, it stopping at his neck. “And….. Start!” He yelled, the gelatinous thing suddenly growing to cover his head.

After a moment of eerie silence, it shot out and latched onto both Alice and I. My head felt like it was going to burst as the blob forced its way into my ears and nose before I blacked out, a sharp scream echoing throughout the room.

Change to 3rd POV.

The blob dissolved Dust's body once it finished with Dakota, the old wizard finally in control of the younger man's body. Next, it moved onto Alice’s face, forcefully shoving itself into her nose and ears, her panicked eyes going cross-eyed as it shoved Dakota's mind inside the little girl.

It gently lowered Alice onto the stone floor once it finished, going back into the center of the floor without a sound. Dust chuckled a little as he did a few experimental movements with his new body, finding it to be way more comfortable than his old one.

“Ahhh….” He sighed, a few pops coming from him as he stretched. “Maybe I should've kept him in one of the guest bedrooms… There's some soreness in the lower back area….” He noted, before turning to the little girl, her small body twitching every so often as the two minds clashed against each other. “Fascinating… I wonder which one will be the dominant one.”

He shrugged and picked the girl up, heading towards the guest bedroom. “Ah, no matter. This gives me the perfect opportunity to test the prototypes I've been working on.” He blinked, stopping for a moment. “Wait….Why am I saying this out loud? Eh, must be a side effect of the transfer.”

He quickly and gently placed her onto the old bed once he got in the room, deciding to keep her there while he takes care of some experiments he had put on hold. Without a second thought, Dust left the room without locking the door behind him, knowing that the little girl won't be waking up anytime soon.

A few days later...

Once he got to the lab, he strapped the still unconscious girl face down onto the operating table. With a small frown, Dust dug around in the nearby cabinets for a moment, pulling out a small jar full of strange leech things. He stared at them briefly, remembering the disgusting method he used to create them.

“It’s all going to be worth it….” Dust told himself, pushing aside the memories of screaming mothers. “I'll finally be able to go home and get my birthright….” He glanced at the girl on the table, a thoughtful smile on his face. “Maybe….. Maybe once I'm done, I'll raise her as my own. But first…” He sighed, placing the jar down and pulling another object out of the cabinet, the device's wiring all tangled up. “Gahhhh!!! How did this happen?!”

Three very frustrating hours later.

Dust chuckled exasperatedly as he finished untangling the copper prototype’s wires, each one sorted by which organ each is supposed to attach to. “Well…Heh, heh. That took longer than I wanted it to…” He scratched his chin, reviewing his old failure of a project.

The device looked like it was some kind of clockwork nervous system, the windup mechanism made to attach to the lower section of the subject's spine already had its key inside. The theory behind this prototype was to keep its host dependant on whomever has its key, the only downside was that some of the parts need to be replaced every few months, or the host could...

Dust shook his head at the thought, trying to remember why he didn't use it before, growling a little as he modified some bits. “There, that should work until I can make a more permanent one for her.” He then grabbed the tentacle jar and pulled out one, the little thing squirming wildly in his grip. “You are going to be the first step towards getting me home.” He told it with an excited smile, before grabbing a scalpel with his other hand and making a small incision into the little girl's left shoulder blade.

Dust muttered a small incantation, making the cut glow a gentle green as he slowly inserted the tentacle. The little thing wiggled a little in protest, before willingly going deeper into the cut and making its home somewhere in the girl's body. Dust mumbled a little in thought, nodding and leaving the room, deciding to let the tentacle mature a bit before he implanted the prototype.

Present day. Inside the changeling hive, just outside the entrance to the Pitt.

The group had left the dining hall after the small feast. Luna, finally having the thought to have her guards help the changeling’s cleanup crew, sent her guards in squads to the most affected areas. Spoon and Chrysalis were ordered by Six Six to stay back in the castle with Dakota and her pets until either Late Thunder returns with the key, or when Luna finishes her trial.

Luna was led by Six Six to the large pit on the southern side of the cavern, the only visible way to enter was the simple wooden elevator manned by a raggedy looking changeling. The poor drone had a large seeping crack on his right foreleg, the thing showing the green muscle below.

“T-T-The trial is s-s-set up.” He stuttered out, his eyes wide as he pointed a shaky hoof at the Pitt. “W-Why did you w-want it out? Y-You can't believe h-how happy I am that it c-can’t fly.”

Six Six raised a brow in concern. “Mulch, I hope It didn't give you too much trouble, did it?

Mulch gave a shaky salute, flinching a bit. “N-No, sir… It's just that it came a little too c-close to getting me than I would've liked.” He showed them both the large crack on his side, a slow trickle of green blood coming from it. “It got a cheap s-shot in before I got it in the arena.”

“Go and get that looked at, Mulch. I got the rest.”

“Y-Yeah… I wish you the best of luck, princess.” Mulch told Luna before he limped away.

Six Six sighed as he watched him leave, shaking his head. “Poor guy, he's been working here as a beast wrangler for about five years now. Not a job I would want.” He walked to the lever beside the elevator, giving Luna a look as she curiously peered over the edge of the Pitt. “You're not going to see anything from up here, enchantments to keep all of the flying creatures from leaving the place make it pitch black at a certain point in there.”

Luna frowned at the darkness she saw. “What do we have to fight?”

Six Six smiled widely, his sharp teeth gleaming. “It’s something the hive discovered during the construction of this place. I think you're really going to love it.”

“... Well…?”

“Oh! Er, uh, it's a crystal golem.” Six Six sheepishly added.

“We have to do what!?” Luna yelled in disbelief, not using her Royal Canterlot volume. “How in the world did thee get an entire crystal golem?! We thought those were all destroyed long ago!”

“I thought so too, until we dug one up.”

Luna’s horn glowed brightly as she summoned her weapon, it still in its altered state from Dakota’s dream, the sword embedding itself into the ground in front of her. Grumbling a little that it wasn't her usual scythe, Luna levitated it into a ready position by her side.

“What are the terms of this challenge?” She sighed, her left eye twitching a little. “And how many have perished to it?”

“Three.” Six Six said without hesitation. “There's always a crew on standby if a match looks like it could end with a fatality. All you have to do is either beat it into submission, incapacitate, or kill it.”

The lunar princess gave him a feral smile. “Hmmm…. This challenge, we believe, will be somewhat entertaining for us.”

“Just hop into the elevator here and I'll lower it into the arena.” Six Six smiled in excitement as he announced through the hive link that the match is about to begin. “It'll take only a few minutes to reach the bottom once I flip this lever. Are you ready?”

“We are.” Luna gave another feral smile, taking her place on the elevator.

“Good luck, princess.” Six Six pushed the lever, sending Luna down into the Pitt. “....Not that you're gonna need it, heh.” He muttered a few minutes later as he observed her decent.

“We heard that!” Luna’s voice echoed, making the fake king jump back in surprise.

Six Six took a few steps away from the Pitt as his horn lit up, the hive link telling him that Late Thunder is back with the windup key.

With Luna.

The lunar princess allowed herself a moment to be baffled once the elevator hit the bottom, the scene before her raising many questions. “What…..in the world?”

The eight foot tall, pegasus shaped construct of various crystals and long lost magic, was chasing a single butterfly that had somehow found its way down here. It kept chasing after the bug with its mouth open wide, as if trying to eat it, before slamming hard into the granite wall. At this, Luna saw the large chunk missing from the left side of its head.

“Wonderful. Just wonderful….” Luna dryly muttered to herself. “It has brain damage, that's how they've kept it down here for so long! It has the mentality of a foal!”

At the yell, the golem looked over to the princess and smiled. “Hiiii!” It stupidly greeted, waving a glowing hoof at the dumbstruck princess. “Iz tink Iz broked teh pretty ting!”

“....Thou can talk?” Luna curiously asked, keeping her weapon out of sight.

“Yeah!” It nodded its head vigorously. “Iz learded allz by myzelf!” It proudly stated, before giving the princess a thoughtful look, the missing part of its head sparking. “Youz…. Iz seez youz ‘forez…?” It closed its eyes for a moment as it tried to remember, before suddenly glaring at her, its green eyes turning red. “Luna….. Teh king wantez youz dead…”

“Then come at us!” Luna yelled as she threw her sword at the back of its head, only for it to harmlessly bounce off the crystalline skin.

The golem laughed at the attempt. “Hah! Iz getz youz nowz! Rahhhh!” It roared, its wings pointing at the princess and firing two continuous beams of light at her.

Luna dodged them with ease, the beams making the ground explode a few seconds later. Taking to the air, she was assaulted with crystal feathers, most of them being shot out of the golem’s wings, that cut into her skin like little daggers whenever she failed dodge even one. “Ah! Thou….!” She kept herself from screaming out once her wings got hit, making her crash hard against the stone floor, her head painfully hitting the wall with a loud crack.

“Hah! Prinzezz is bleedin’!” It laughed with a cruel smile, its mouth shifting into a sharp toothed monstrosity. “Diz migh’ be eazier than Iz thoughz!” It took a few steps toward the downed princess, a few crystal feathers piercing her wings, not noticing the pink glowing sword behind him.

Luna saw it, frowning a little as she looked up at the golem. “Thou might want to turn around.”

It laughed. “Iz may beez stoopid, but iz not dat stoopid!”

The sword started floating upwards as the golem started its rant, the glow engulfing it suddenly shot towards the ground and vanished, the floor rippling a little from where it hit. Almost immediately, the arena started to distort itself into an endless expanse of darkness, a single cherry blossom tree and large lake growing into existance out of the ground right where the sword was. Two moons and a rainbow colored sun suddenly appeared in the sky of the strange realm. One moon was a deep purple crescent on the left side of the sun, whereas its opposite was a pure white, whole orb to the right side of the sun.

The golem turned around, confused at what’s happening around it. Suddenly, a single pink sword made of energy pierced the center of the golem’s face, stopping at its hilt.

“Aaaahhhhh! Blade! In! Face! Whyyyyy!” The golem screamed in confusion, somehow managing to sound even more stupid.

A white robed mare appeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms, six pink wings made of thousands of the various colored glowing petals flowing from her back. Her white furred head had two small horns that turned a deep black towards their tips. The mare's milky white eyes blankly stared ahead, the sight of which made Luna think she was blind. “Hmmm….” The mare blinked, a small scowl on her lips as she grumbled to herself a little. “Why am I here…..?”

“Whoz youz? Iz doeznt afraid of anydang!” The golem charged at the mare, its forehooves turning into blades.

The mysterious mare only perked an ear at the golem as it quickly approached, her blank eyes seemingly focusing on the dumbstruck princess before she started to slowly walk in her direction. “Scattter….” Her quiet voice echoed throughout the void, a thousand colossal blades emerging from the air around the golem, forming a prison around the doomed being.

“That's it! I'm going to ask her what she did to Moonshine!” Luna screamed in her head, thinking about all the things that could go wrong.

The blades suddenly disintegrated into more flower petals, all of them converging onto the golem in one quick swoop, it screaming in pain as it was torn apart piece by piece, cell by cell.

It ended as fast as it began, all of the petals dissipating and showing the few ground up crystals in a pile. The mysterious pony practically teleported in front of Luna once she finished with the golem, the arena turning back to normal in a few moments, before the mare glowed and turned back into the sword.

Luna stared at it for a moment, picking it up when she deemed it safe. “Well… that was definitely a surprise.”

“Princess!” A changeling screamed as it flew down towards her, another one following close behind her. “What happened?! Your sword just did something crazy!”

“Silver, quiet down.” The other one calmly spoke up.

“But it just made a dome of magic!” Silver yelled in awe, pointing at the sword. “We couldn't see anything inside of it!” She started drooling as she stared at it. “The work put into it….. Mmhh! Can I buy it off of you!”

“Uh, no.” Luna shook her head with an unsure laugh, wincing as the crystal feathers dissolved and left a few gaping holes in her wings. “Though, we believe that our wings need to be tended to…”

With Silver Spoon, inside the royal bedroom.

“What took you so long?!” Spoon yelled, glaring at the pegasus pegasus guard. “I heard you say that you're the fastest one here! It took you two hours!”

“I am.” Late Thunder began, lazily holding up a hoof when the filly tried to interrupt. “In my defence, I did get there in a few minutes.” He yawned as he pulled the key out of a pocket in his armor. “I just had to take the long way back, there was a black cat, you see….?”

“Ugh…. Fine, just give me that.” One of Spoon's eyes twitched as she kept from facehooving, taking the key from the dumb guard. “Seriously, how did you get hired?”

Thunder laughed, his mask preventing the filly from seeing most of his face. “Because I am pretty good at what I do.” He told her as he pulled a small book out of nowhere, quickly starting to read it.

Chrysalis, still in her disguise, spoke up. “Spoon, let's just wake Dakota up, okay? No need to be trying to start a fight with the guard.”

Spoon sighed, nodding as she moved to the unconscious girl’s side. “Alright, let's hope that she's going to be fine when she wakes up.”

Alice, from her seat by the door, looked up from the book she was reading. “She should be fine, if a little grumpy.” She told them with a small smile.

“Are you sure?” Spoon curiously asked, giving the hybrid a small frown. “The other key melted into the device…”

“For the most part, I think? I did some searching around while I was up in there.” Alice shrugged, pointing at her head. “She’s pretty much an expert on just about anything magical, evil or otherwise.”

“Really?”

“Yup, I'm pretty sure if anything tried possessing her, heh, it'd be in for a shock.” She laughed, smiling widely as she remembered something. “I'm going to bet that that key was like some kind of thing in her nerdy comics, I think it was called Venom.” Frowning, she added, “I think?”

“That doesn't sound good.” Chrysalis narrowed her eyes her. “What is it?”

“Uh, I dunno…. All I remember was that it's weaknesses are sound and fire.” Alice held a clawed hand to her chin as she tried to remember. “Though, it was much bigger than what we saw….. Huh….” She shook her head, throwing her hands up in defeat. “Whatever, let's just wake her up already! I have some questions for her anyways.”

“Alright, alright.” Spoon raised an eyebrow at the hybrid girl, before inserting the key into Dakota's back, the mechanism sparking a little. “Whoa!”

“Uh, that supposed to happen?” Thunder asked, his one visible eye widening a little.

“It didn't happen the last time.” Spoon replied, worried for the unconscious girl. “I guess I just turn this…” She hesitantly turned the key once, a few more sparks shooting out.

Inside of Dakota's mind. Her POV.

I blinked as I was broken from the flashbacks by a loud click, startling both Shade and I, causing the few I haven't seen stay forgotten. Groaning a little at the sudden dizzy feeling, I looked around, trying to calm down from the terror I felt from the memories I saw.

Shade quickly helped me up, before hurriedly taking a few steps away from me. “Mama, I have to go back to my room before you wake up. Just call for me when you need something broken…” She ran away before I could stop her, her form vanishing into a nearby shadow.

“Odd… I thought she'd stay with you.” Nightmare nonchalantly said as she took a few steps toward me, putting a wing over my shoulders. “Well, you said that you'd help me with my revenge plans. So I suppose I'll let you stay in control for a bit while I make said plans.”

Before I could say anything, another click echoed throughout my mindscape, causing both Nightmare and I to start fading. Nightmare seemed a bit surprised as the final click came even faster than the previous one, us both blacking out as the fading consumed us.

The next thing I knew, I felt like I was suffocating as I took a deep breath, hearing a few panicking voices as I woke up. Groaning, I slowly pushed myself onto my back, an object popping out of the keyhole as I moved with a loud click.

With my eyes still closed, head pounding, I spoke up in English. “Am I still in the hive?”

“Yep.” Alice confirmed, popping the p, taking advantage that she’s the only other one that speaks English. “Still here. The princess is here, er, Luna?” There was a silence as she thought about it. “Yeah, its Luna.”

“Heh, she do the whole ‘thee and thou’ thing?”

Alice smiled as I opened my eyes to look at her. “Yeah, I think it makes her seem more royal. She even has this whole….feel about her, legit princess stuff.”

“You should see her sister. Complete showoff, with hints of motherly love.” I chuckled a little at the memory of her first impression. “Instead of teleporting the normal way, like I've seen Twilight do a few times, Celestia freaking does this whole ‘gliding down from the heavens’ thing with a whole squad of guards.” I winced a little. “They, uh, heard me call her that, thanks to a botched translation spell.”

Alice visibly tried to not laugh at the story, only to laugh really hard.

“Can you two please speak in a way the rest of us can understand?” A masked pegasus spoke dryly asked from his position by the wall, a familiar orange book held by his wing.

“Goddammit….. Kakashi as a pony, never thought I'd see that. Who’s next? Pein? Mr.T? …..Q?” I sighed in my head, forcing a small smile. “Okay. I don't word good, dough”

A few chuckles came from the obvious ninja. “It's fine, kid.”

“What I miss?” I asked, sitting up and letting my sore tentacles stretch out, a few pops coming from their base in my back. “Ooohhhh, that felt nice.”

“Weeeellll….” Alice hesitantly started, making a face. “Luna….. Sort ooofff…. Accidentally.... Made a quarter of the ceiling crush the hive.”

“That…. bucking Idiot!” Nightmare’s voice yelled in my head, making my headache to grow even worse.

I took a deep breath, trying really hard to not facepalm. “How?”

“She…. Yelled.” Alice winced, scratching her head.

“Just my luck….” I groaned, dramatically falling back onto the bed. “Let's hope there won't be a war.”

Meanwhile…..

A certain thick headed unicorn guard was walking alone through some of the hive’s many alleyways, grumbling not so quietly to himself and offending any changeling he came across. Finding a good spot out of sight, he sat down and pulled out an old pipe and a little baggie of some kind of blue plant from a hidden compartment in his breastplate.

“These bucking bugs…. Solaire’s going to have a field day with these things.” He chuckled lowly to himself, a sinister smile on his face as he packed the blue leaves into the pipe. “Welp, it's not my problem.” He sighed as he lit it with a quick burst of flame, taking a long drag from the pipe and blowing out a little smoke ring.

“Oh? What is this? A royal guard using something that is illegal in Equestria?” Oculus amusedly asked as she popped into existence right in front of him, having been following the idiot since he made his dislike for her species well known. “I wonder if I should tell the princess about your little… problem.”

He coughed a little in surprise, the pipe falling out of his mouth and landing onto the ground. Oculus took advantage of the moment to quickly grab it, examining its contents with a few quick sniffs. “I was right! This is the very same stuff some of the smarter diamond dog slavers pump into the mines to keep their slaves nice and docile, some very addictive stuff.” She hummed a little in thought. “Needed a little something extra to calm you down, eh?”

“Hey! You bucking bug…. You are going to get it!” He growled out, taking a swing at the scout, only to suck and deliver a powerful kick to his head, just hitting the base of his horn. “Gah! Sonuva! You are gonna regret this….!” He hissed out as the mare pinned him to the ground with a few quick movements. “Help! The bugs are attacking!” He yelled as loud as he could, only for an eerie silence to greet him in response.

“Noponies’ gonna hear you while I keep my silence spell up, but feel free to try again, if you want, I love it when my prey screams.” Oculus gave him a toothy grin, making her teeth appear like knives. “I am soooo going to enjoy what I am going to do with you. Kind of hard to use magic after smokin’ that stuff, isn't it?” She chuckled, pushing a little harder on his left foreleg. “Oh, and just so you know, WE ARE CHANGELINGS! NOT BUGS!”

A loud crack signaled that she broke his leg, the guard visibly shaking as he held back his scream of agony, not wanting to show weakness to his tormentor. Oculus blinked in surprise, he was tougher than she expected.

“Huh… What's your name? I might as well know the name of the pony to top my list at record speed.” She calmly asked, giving his broken leg another press and earning a hiss in response.

“It's Jagged Edge, you. mother. bucking. Insect!” He growled, his attacker’s hoof cracking against his horn. “Aaaahhhhh!” He screamed as his horn cracked at the base, stars of pain appearing in his vision.

“Hmmm…. What was that?” Oculus asked in fake concern, putting a free hoof against her lips in thought as her horn flared up for a brief moment. “Oh, say nighty night!” She chuckled and slammed his head for a final time, managing to knock the piece of trash out.

“Take him to the catacombs, make sure nopony will find him.” Six Six said as he came into the alley, another changeling following close behind the false ruler. “Mirror Image will take his first assignment as a newly graduated spy; Taking his place.”

Mirror gave the unconscious guard a distasteful glance, a disgusted grimace on his face at the sight of the greasy coat. “Do I really have to? He makes me feel gross just by looking at him, just imagine what it would it be like being him.” He gagged a little. “He even smells horrible… Guuurk!”

“Too bad.” Six Six deadpanned, giving the new guy a look. “Look, it's either you or no one, and we can't really let a guard mysteriously disappear. It won't look very good for us.”

Mirror let out a shuddering sigh, shaking a little. “Okay, okay, geez… Way to put the fate of the hive in my hooves like that….” He groaned, quickly transforming into Jagged Edge and letting out another disgusted groan once he finished in a flare of green fire. “Ugh, I feel like I've been rolling around in bacon grease….”

“Yep, you're a real hero, alright….” Oculus sighed, her faith in this plan sinking to abysmal levels.

Going home.

Author's Note

Whew.... :pinkiesick: that took longer than I thought it would. Sorry to all my loli lovers! It's gonna take a little bit for the next chapter, but while you wait for it, please check out Sanguine Dream's stories out. :twilightsmile: We both are working on this little crossover one shot thingamajig called A Loli, A Horror, and far too many tentacles.

I'm also gonna write up a Displaced story real soon. It's about this poor guy displaced into the Minotaur Archipelago as a Ralts. He won't be able to find a dawn stone soo.... :derpytongue2: the poor guy will grow into a beautiful trap.

Going home.

“I hate her so much….!” Nightmare growled in my head, reminding me that she was up there as my group headed towards where Luna is. “Would it really be so bad to attack her when we see her?”

“For the last time, yes! She's open for some pranking, and that's it!” I kept a smile on my face as I walked down the castle halls with my little group, my tail gently wagging. “I'll give ya some ground rules for your plans later.”

“You think you can command me to-!”

I cut her off, mentally scowling. “Yes. Trust me on this, okay? Bad guys don't win, at all, especially when it comes to a world where friendship beams exist.” Yawning, I stretched as I walked. “It’s better to be a good guy, especially when you've been hit by said attack. It gives ya a good excuse to lay back and relax, maybe annoy the actual heroes with mass amounts of pranks.”

“.... It sounds like you've thought of this a lot.”

“I’ve been thinking of how I should explain you if anyone should find out. I don't wanna be hit by the rainbow, sounds like would burn like fire.”

“You’re right, I might be found if Luna suspects it's me up here…. And it did burn, a lot more than you can imagine.” Nightmare whispered the last part.

“.... For what it's worth…. I'll do my best to keep it from happening to you again…” I sighed, secretly cursing myself for feeling bad for the possible demon.

Nightmare went silent at my promise for a few moments. “.....Thank you…..” She whispered before disappearing deeper into my mind.

“Hey, are you okay? You've been kinda zoned out for a bit.” Alice waved a clawed hand in my face, speaking up in English.

I blinked and gave her a smirk. “Yeah, I'm fine. Just appreciating the quiet up here.” I gave my head a few taps, earning a mock glare.

“Are you saying I'm loud?” Alice pouted, crossing her arms and looking away. “Ugh, maybe we aren't friends.”

I chuckled, before giving her a fake serious look. “Well…. If ya say it like that, no more cookie dough ice cream for ya when we get back home.”

Her eyes comically widened and she grabbed me by my shoulders, shaking me a bit. “No need to be like that! We're besties, aren't we?”

“Hmmm…..” I mock hummed in thought. “I dunno…”

“Really? You have to think about it?” She punched my shoulder, giggling at my act.

“Heh, ya should know the answer.” I smiled like an idiot, putting an arm around her shoulder.

We both skipped down the hall like idiots on a yellow brick road, gaining a few laughs from our group and any changeling we passed. My pets, somehow unnoticed by everyone, stuck close to us in some kind of defensive position. Nocturne, who blended in with the dark surroundings despite the greenish stains around his muzzle, stayed inside my shadow as he gave every changeling a dark glare. The Lagombi, whom I forgot to name, stayed in front of us as it walked on its hind legs, regarding everyone who passed us with a curious flick of its ear.

“Your pets are kinda weird. Did you even name the bunny?” Alice curiously asked, pointing at the armored rabbit.

“I, uh, forgot….. Ya can give her a name if ya want, I guess she'll be yours while I keep the Nargacuga.” I gave her a wry smile. “Knowing how ya are, you would try to steal one of mine, and Nocturne isn't the cuddly type…. Yet.”

Alice squeed in excitement, detaching from me and quickly picking up the Lagombi in one clean swoop. “I'll love you and feed you, and call you Fluffy!” She declared as she started to scratch it behind its ears, the lucky little thing’s eyes rolling up into its head in obvious delight, a few purring noises coming from it. “Thank you!”

“No problemo.” I gave her a lazy smile, having one of my tentacles to pick up Nocturne and plop him into my arms. “And you, my little monster, are going to get some extra steaks when we get home, maybe even a whole ham. I wonder if I can get them to magick up some dinosaur meat for you….”

His eyes lit up at the mere mention of food, making me giggle a little as his tongue poked out in excitement. “Screeeee~!”

“Yep, I knew ya'd like that.”

Within a few minutes, we got to where Luna was, a deep hole in the ground just a few feet behind her as her wings got bandaged up by two changelings. Some splotches of red seeped through the white fabric, making me frown in worry

“Hay, you alright?” I asked in Equish, surprising the princess with my appearance. “Not look good.”

“We'll be fine, young one. We just have to refrain from flying for a few weeks.” Luna gave me a warm smile, the injuries forgotten for a moment. “How are thee?”

“I am fine.” I smiled back, my tail subconsciously wagging happily.

Luna raised an eyebrow and slowly levitated a familiar sword in front of me, earning a small gasp from everyone in the room as she dropped it into my hands. “We would like to ask about the changes thou made to our weapon.”

Giving her an unsure look, I examined the surprisingly light sword, noticing a few differences from its counterpart. “Hmmm… What it do?”

“It turned into a pony.” She deadpanned, rolling her eyes. “And it used all of the strange pink flowery magic you used in one of your dreams.”

I blinked and handed it back to her, suddenly realizing something with a laugh. “Ohmygod….. You gonna have fun with it, I think. Just find its true name.”

Luna's face turned into a scowl at my response. “Thou finds this amusing?”

I only laughed in response, nodding my head with a large smile on my lips. No matter what, I wanted to see what will happen with the sword. Who wouldn't want a princess to have a magical sword?

Luna sighed, giving me a relieved smile. “It's nice to know that thou is still normal, well, normal for thee.”

I nodded, surprising the princess with a small hug. “I am happy you came.”

It was almost as if she couldn't comprehend what I was doing, her mouth and eyes snapping wide open in shock. “We… We…. We thank thou, it's been many years since anyone besides our sister has been happy for us.” Luna hugged me back, a small smile on her face. “We thank thee, young one.” She said low enough for only me to hear, making my chest warm up in response. “If thou needs anything, just ask.”

“You know… if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you might be crushing on the princess.” Nightmare deadpanned, causing my face to heat up. “I can't say I blame you though, who wouldn't want a princess in her herd?” I'm pretty sure my face was bright red at this point, making Nightmare laugh. “You really are as cute as they said you are! I swear, if I get another body, I'm adopting you.” She paused for a moment, as if embarrassed. “J-Just forget what I said!”

“Awww! Thou’s face is the brightest shade of pink!” Luna cooed in my ear, embarrassing me even more. Her tone suddenly changed, her eyes gaining this mischievous look. “Thou art the male, are thou not? How is it, being the other gender? Oh, and don't try to deny it, we have already pieced together who thee’s friend is.”

“I've been kind of curious too…” Nightmare admitted. “I’ve been polite enough to not dig through most of your memories, but I did see what you got back.”

“I-I have pretty much accepted it at this point….” I replied to Nightmare, feeling self conscious about my body. “I-It was pretty, uh, strange for the first few days…. Made a mess in the bathroom on day three…” I hesitantly admitted to her, immediately regretting telling her that last bit.

“Lemme go.” I managed to croak out as my head filled with Nightmare's laughter, pretty sure that my blush was reaching my ears. “Please.”

I heard Alice laugh in the background, Spoon and Chrysalis joining in once they saw my pink face. My pale skin did nothing to hide my blush, it only made it worse. Realizing the situation I was in, Luna let me go, a mischievous smile directed towards me for a brief moment before she went back to her usual serious self.

“Are all of thou ready to go home? We can teleport all of thou within the outskirts of Ponyville in a matter of moments.” Luna calmly asked in her regal tone, her horn glowing a bit in preparation.
Chrysalis, somehow still in her filly form, walked up to the princess. “I-I want t-to go w-with.” She stuttered out, acting like a whole different person, then gave me a shy look. “I w-want t-to go w-with h-her.”

I smiled widely at the thought of having an amazing shape shifting changeling queen living with me, and all of the absolutely diabolical pranks we could accomplish. “She can come, I no mind, even got a room for… Er… what was the word again? Oh, right. Guests.” I smirked a little, proud that I remembered the Equish word.

Alice came up and ruffled the disguised Queen's mane, giving her a smirk. “I think she can come too. Oh! We could get bunk beds!” She squeed, sounding more excited by the minute. “Pleeeaaase tell me that you can make them with your weird tentacle magic thingy!”

“Oh, alright. I'll put them up in the guest room when we get home.” I chuckled at her enthusiasm as I agreed in English. “Tell ya what, we can have a little slumber party tonight, given that nothing too hectic happens later.”

Meanwhile, in Sugarcube Corner.

A certain pink pony suddenly twitched, her mane bursting out in an afro and scaring everypony inside the store at the sudden display. “Full body twitch and afro mane… Slumber Party!” She squealed, dashing into the basement at a speed that would've made Rainbow Dash jealous. “Thank you, Writer!”

Back with Dakota.

My tentacles started to tingle, a sudden wave of nervousness causing me to realize something with a groan. “Aaaaawwww…. Welp, I just incited Murphy's Law.” I face palmed, shaking my head at my mistake. “Kill me now….”

Alice chuckled at my attitude. “Don't worry, we can take on whatever comes together.” She put an arm on my shoulders, reminding me that she's nearly a whole head higher than me. “We got this.”

Spoon adjusted her glasses and looked towards the princess, wincing a little as the sunlight from the hole in the hive blinded her a bit. “I believe we are just about ready. We only need the pets to get closer to us, right?

At Luna’s nod, Spoon looked towards the strange duo of pets, the both of them curiously staring down the into Pitt. She whistled sharply, gaining their attention. At her gesture to come over, they both dashed to Alice and I's sides, seemingly knowing that something is going to happen.

“Alright, we'll see all of thou at a later date.” Luna informed, giving me a meaningful look. “Especially thee, Dakota. We have more questions to ask.”

With that, her horn flashed, blinding all of us and causing my recurring case of teleportation sickness to come back as I landed face first onto the dirt road. I dry heaved as I fought the nausea for a bit, jealously noting that Alice wasn't in the same predicament as me.

“Whhhyyyy!” I sickly groaned, realizing that we were dropped off at the entrance to the town, two royal guards watching our arrival with bored faces. “I haaaaate teleporting!” I groaned again, my tentacles rubbing my belly in some kind of attempt to make me feel better. “Why doesn’t anyone use portals! At least then it'll be like walking through a doorway!” I practically begged in English, feeling like a certain motion sickness prone dragonslayer.

I heard Twilight clear her throat right next to me, apparently having been waiting for us for a while. After Alice translated for me, Twilight went into lecture mode. “We don't use portals because they are too magically complex and expensive to maintain for any period of time.” Then she paused for a moment, rethinking something. “Some theories say that the cost can be reduced to practically nothing if it is linked to some kind of magical object. Nonetheless, most of the portalmancy journals were lost in the fire of the grand library, a few months before the unification event.” Twilight excitedly explained, making me wonder if all she did was read. “All that's left are the odd scraps-”

“Twilight….” I sighed, giving her a small smile as I got up, glad to hear her adorkable self. “Nice to see you too.”

Twilight blushed a little, realizing what she just did. “It's nice to see that you are all alright. I'm not going to lie, but you and Spoon both kind of had the whole town in a panic.”

“I am sorry.” I slowly apologized, giving Twilight a look. “Twi, I save a race of ponies.” I deadpanned, giving her a cocky smile. “What you do? Take that, you adorkable librarian.”

She met my stare with a smile of her own. “My friends and I prevented a dragon from covering Equestria with its smoke, though it was mostly Fluttershy….” She trailed off, frowning at the end.

My mouth dropped open at the bit of news, surprised that the pony, who is literally scared of her own shadow, stopped a dragon. “Flutters?!” I started in disbelief, checking around to see if she was near. “She get a… Dammit, come on, you know this one…. Award for it?”

Twilight blinked, her ears flattening against her head at the realization. “Er, does a group hug and a congratulatory party count?” She sheepishly asked, knowing that I have helped her friend with a certain devil rabbit whenever I had the chance.

“No, sigh…. I make it for her later.” I shook my head, already thinking of what to get my tentacles to whip up for the shy pegasus.

Alice clapped to gain our attention, giving us both a wide smile. “Oooookay!” She loudly started, holding up a finger. “Can we all just go home and relax for the day? I'm sure that Spoon’s parents are worried sick, and I have a date with some ice cream.” Alice gave me a look, pointing down the road. “C’mon, you promised! Hurry up!” She impatiently got behind me and started pushing, not noticing the almost predatory stare of Twilight

“Oh! Mom’s going to kill me….” Spoon groaned at the reminder and ran past us, stopping a few feet away. “See you all later! ….If I'm still alive…” With that, she was gone, disappearing behind a few houses.

Chrysalis gave Twilight a small smile and chased after Alice and I, leaving the librarian to watch us go down the road, her eyes lingering on my hybrid friend. I turned around the best I could as the hybrid pushed me, giving Twilight a wave goodbye.

Chrysalis spoke up a few moments after we left Twilight. “Alice, you do know that you are leading us in the wrong direction, right?” She asked dryly, giving me a look, noticing that I was visibly trying not to laugh. “When were you going to tell her?”

I snickered as Alice pouted and turned away from me. “When she asks.” I then gave the disguised queen a raised eyebrow. “How did you know?”

She tapped her head. “Hive link. Every queen has an unbreakable link to her hive, I can just bring up the details of your little… trip.” She quietly explained, taking care to not let anypony hear her.

Alice blinked in surprise. “Does that mean that I am connected to?” She worriedly asked.

“No, er, sort of….” Chrysalis closed her eyes in concentration. “It feels like you are a fellow queen, if only a newborn one. I'm sure if you tried, you'd be able to ‘peek’ into the hive link, you did come from one of my hive's eggs.”

“I'm royalty?” Alice happily giggled to herself, pointing at me with an over dramatic flair of her hand. “We order thee to take us to thine home!” She ordered me in English, adding a snobbish tone to her voice.

“Wait, wait, wait! I said you feel like one, it doesn't mean that you are one.” Chrysalis corrected her as I started to lead us home, making the hybrid girl deflate a little. “There's a whole process before a queen is crowned. For example, I have two sisters, and only one of them is an actual queen.”

“Does that mean I can be one? Maybe just a princess?” Alice asked, stars visibly appearing in her eyes, creeping out a few of the ponies we passed.

“It could be possible….” Chrysalis gave Alice a big smile. “I suppose if I really wanted to, I could announce you as my daughter. That might make my mom angry though….” She frowned a little at the thought. “She's really traditional, like super serious traditional, if you know what I mean.”

“Ah, I get it.” I chuckled as I spotted my house a few blocks down from us. “You not like her, different ways.”

“Yeah, she doesn't even let her drones, which make the entirety of her hive, have names. All they've got are these series of numbers and are pretty much mindless.” She shuddered at the memory. “Her hive is…. Cold, for lack of a better word. It took me months to get six six to openly show an emotion.”

“What about your sister? I remember that you mentioned her.”

Chrysalis instantly brightened up. “Queen Cocoon is much less strict with how she runs things, the only real difference from her hive and mine is that she doesn't even feed off of love.” She smiled proudly. “As a result of a slight mutation, she feeds on a potent mixture of arrogance and pride.”

“Okay, we are home.” I announced, giving my new housemates a friendly smile as I opened the door.

“Ash! You here?!” I yelled as I came in, kicking off my shoes and going into the living room.

“Dakota!” Ash screamed in relief, flying across the room in the span of a second to wrap me in an almost painful hug. “Are you alright? When you disappeared, I-I thought the worst had happened!” She bawled, still not letting me go. “Then, Luna was going to do the worst to me! Thank Celestia….. literally!”

I chuckled at her, kind of forgetting that Luna might've gone berserk on my semi-guardian. Now that I thought about it… “Something happen to you?” I asked as my little group and pets came into the living room.

“Ehhhh…. Does eternal nightmares count as something?” She sheepishly asked, sighing at my unamused glare. “I don't think that they could be all that bad. She did say that you're the one that made them up.”

I kept my face blank, trying really hard not to laugh hysterically. “Oh…. You gonna have a fun time with them.” I calmly told her, giving her a coy smile.

“Oh? Is Trixie’s otherworldly friend back home?” A familiar voice loudly asked from upstairs, a few loud thumps heading towards the stairs. “Trixie wanted to thank you for saving her!”

Trixie practically fell down the last few steps in her haste to greet me, her face greeting the floor with a loud thunk. “Trixie's okay!” She assured us from her position, holding up a hoof.

“Why she still here?” I slowly asked, raising a brow at Ash.

“Oh, uh, she kinda doesn't have anywhere to go.” Ash scratched the back of her head, pointedly looking away from me. “And, er…..” She trailed off, sighing deeply.

“So she stay?” I deadpanned, not even mad.

Trixie sprinted to me, putting on her best kicked dog look. “Trixie only means to stay until her trailer is repaired.” She then suddenly brightened up. “And Trixie would like to learn a few spells from you, they could make the great and powerful Trixie even more great!” Her eyes somehow turned into stars. “Just imagine how famous Trixie could be if she could show off a few your unique spells, she'd be one of the star shows in Las Pegasus…..”

“What did I tell you?” Ash asked, annoyed.

Trixie winced at the glare. “Er! I'm sorry, it's kind of a reflex at this point.”

Sighing and scratching my head, I gave the magician a small smile. “I guess you can stay.” I told her, before turning back to Ash. “She share room with you.”

At Trixie’s sudden blush, Ash gave her new roommate a wink. “It’ll be fine. On my mom’s honor as a member of the elite royal squadron, there won't be any funny business on my half of the bed…..” She promised, before whispering into Trixie's ear. “....unless you want it? It has been a while since I…..” She finished a little too low for me to hear, making the poor mare's face turn even more red.

“Er, uh, uh….” Trixie sputtered, apparently at a loss of what to say, before recomposing herself with a few shakes of her head. “There are children in the room! What kind of caretaker would offer…. ‘that’ with a child not a few hooves away from her?” She scolded, pointing out my new housemates with a wave of her hoof.

“Oh! I, er, didn't notice you girls there! Just, eh, gimmie a sec….” Ash tried to play it off, giving them both an embarrassed smile before quickly turning back to Trixie. “I thought it was just her here! She may be smart enough to piece together what everypony is saying with what little she already learned, but I am pretty sure she hasn't learned the adult stuff yet.” She quickly explained in her defence, before turning back to Chrysalis and Alice. “Now… How can I help you two?”

Alice and Chrysalis both shared a look, shuddering a little at what they heard. It's not like could blame them, I kind of expected Ash to at least talk about her…. habits without me in the room.

Alice shook her head. “You are a piece of work…..”

“That's for sure….” Chrysalis finished, facehooving with a sigh. “At least make sure there's nopony else in the room before you talk about your business.” She groaned, realising something worse. “I can't even imagine what you are going to be like during your heat, but it has to be pretty bad.”

Ash's face betrayed nothing, keeping her polite smile. “You have no idea…” She muttered under her breath as she gave them both a strained look. “Do you two need something, or are you two here to just listen about my love life.”

“Crys-er… Moss and I are going to be living here with Dakota.” Alice calmly explained, crossing her arms and raising a brow at the pegasus before her. “She did say she had a spare room.”

“Oh, uh, I guess it's okay.” Ash gave me a small frown, probably wondering why I am letting random people to stay at my house, before giving Alice a curious stare. “I don't wanna sound mean, but what exactly are you?”

A few minutes later….

“Okay, lemme get this straight….” Ash sipped on a cup of tea I prepared as Alice and Chrysalis explained what all happened at the hive. “She had a voice in her head? And that was you?” She asked earning a quick nod from Alice. “She made a body for you from a potentially dead changeling egg and put you inside it…. Wow, just….Wow….” Ash stared at me in awe, letting out a loud groan. “Ohhhh boy, and, before that, you saved an entirely new species of pony from starvation…”

Trixie smiled widely at me, her pupils turning into stars. “How would you like to costar in Trixie's show?” She asked, earning a burning glare from Ash. “Okay… Geez…”

Chrysalis shyly sipped from her cup. “I heard from a few drones that her love was refilling as fast as it was being drained….” She softly spoke up, earning looks from Ash and Trixie. “I-I'm sorry, I'm Poison Moss, sorry for not introducing myself.”

Ash smiled at the disguised queen. “It's fine. We're all buddies here, no need to be shy. So… How did you find your way into the hive?”

Chrysalis suddenly found her cup more interesting, her eyes tearing up. “M-My p-parents…. They f-fell in q-quicksand…. I did the best I could to get them out….” She let out a shuddering sigh, shaking her head. “I was found wandering the badlands a day later by a group of changelings.” Taking another slow sip of her tea, she finished. “It was supposed to be a simple camping trip…..”

“She's a pretty good actor.” Nightmare noted out loud, admiring the Queen's skills in deception.

“She's the queen of an entire race of shape shifters, It would be embarrassing if she couldn't put up a convincing act.” I rolled my eyes, taking a seat as the four of them talked. “Sooo…” I drawled, a little curious. “I wanna know something…. Would you like to tell me about the magical artefact that stopped your little eternal night scheme?”

I felt Nightmare bristle at what I said, obviously a little angry that I casually asked her about the object that foiled her plans. “They’re called The Elements of Harmony.”

“Real original name, but okay. I'm going to hazard a guess and say it is broken down into six or seven pieces, am I right? It always happens like that, unless we're talking about a giant robot, then it is five… And you don’t seem like giant robot material.”

“Er, it is in six pieces, and each piece has a bearer.” She explained, trying her best to ignore what I said. “You've actually already met the bearers.”

“Say what now?”

“Yeah, you met them all on your first day here.” Nightmare nodded in my head. “Twilight and her little group of friends.” She pointed out, trying her best not to sound angry at the thought of them.

“What's the name of each element?”

“Well, there's loyalty, generosity, kindness, honesty and laughter. The last element was a secret for the longest time and could only be found when the rest were together.”

I tried not to facepalm at the names of each element. “This sounds like a sailor moon ripoff… Sigh, lemme guess the last one… Is it….god, I feel stupid saying this, magic?”

“Yep, and I'm pretty sure you can point out who has what element.” Nightmare chuckled at my disbelief.

“It sounds like something I'd hear from almost every magical girl anime I've ever seen… Friendship is magic! Now taste the rainbow you vile fiend!” I almost laughed hysterically with Nightmare, a wide smile appearing on my face.

“Heh, you have a funny way of viewing things.” Nightmare seemed to smile, amused at my opinion. “Though I suppose that since your mind is practically an encyclopedia of countless magic systems, you'd find some magics kind of cute. Star Swirl would’ve had a field day with you if you showed up when he was alive.”

“Sounds like my kind of guy.”

“Dakota?” Alice waved a hand in my face, looking at me with a worried frown. “Are you sure you are alright? You've been zoning out a lot recently….” She trailed off, giving me a suspicion filled look. “....as if there's someone else in there….”

“Buck! She's onto us!”

I chuckled, shaking my head. “Nah, just thinking about what else I could meet out in this world, ya know? There could be spriggans, water nymphs, maybe even some colossi in some remote regions…” I trailed off, scratching my chin. "Then there's the possibilities of subspecies of minotaur. I wonder if the holsataurus is a thing here...."

“Neeeerrrrrd!”

Meanwhile, in the abandoned mines below Canterlot.

“Praise the sun! Praise the sun! Praise the sun!” A group of robed ponies chanted in the altar room.

Three beams of sunlight coming from separate holes in the chamber's ceiling, shining down onto a pool of thick golden liquid, a golden stained unicorn slowly climbing out of it. He let out a slow, shuddering sigh once he finally got out, a robe gently floating over and wrapping itself around the shimmering unicorn as he walked to the altar.

“Greetings, everypony.” He calmly greeted the crowd, sleepily smiling at everyone. “I welcome you all to my grossly incandescent abode.” He then frowned at all of them. “But… I have terrible news for all of the loyal followers of the sunlight.”

The cult members started to whisper to each other, worried about what their leader might tell them. A loud clack silenced the whispers, all of them quickly turning back to the golden unicorn with a few gasps.

He smiled at all of his loyal followers, the action radiating a sinister vibe that went largely unnoticed by the cultists. “A new race of….. Abominations has been discovered. They are known as the changelings and they have sided with the false goddess!” He announced with a snarl, his face twisting into an ugly scowl. “And, to add to their mockery of ponykind, their appearance is a facsimile of our dear goddess of the sun! They are demons!” He preached with flair, the golden liquid forming into the shape of a changeling, most of its details exaggerated. “Behold! The vile fiends that allied with the false goddess!”

“Praise the sun! Praise the sun! Praise the sun!” The cultists chanted, stomping their hooves to a beat.

“Yes! My followers! We must show them the error of their ways!” The golden unicorn smiled widely, the fake changeling getting impaled by a golden spear, thick golden liquid spattering the audience. “By sending them to the great light!”

“Praise the sun! Praise the sun! Praise the sun!”

Again, what the hell?

Author's Note

Wazzap brotatos! Here's another chapter for you all! Just before you all start reading, I have two things to say.

One, my Ralts displaced is going to take a bit longer than I expected it to be....

And two... The next chapter for this is going to be a non-cannon crossover with Sanguine Dream's My Life as an Eldritch Horror.

And... That's about it, I suppose... Later guys!

Again, what the hell?

“It's a slumber party!” The pink party animal excitedly announced in front of me, my tentacles debating on whether or not to simply teleport her away from my home. “C’mon!

My right eye twitched as Alice joined Pinkie in the wild celebration, silently wondering how Pinkie even knew about the slumber party. Even Fluttershy and Rarity, who both showed up in a quick flash of pink, seemed confused as to why they were even there.

“She works fast, doesn't she?” Nightmare let out a low whistle. “It looks like she already did your work for you. See? There's the bunk beds.” She pointed out with a laugh, before screaming at something I didn't notice. “Duck!”

There was a loud bang, confetti engulfing my vision as I jumped in surprise of the cannon that just fired in my face. My tentacles angrily erupted from my back, tearing through my clothes to get rid of the thing that just blinded me. They quickly flashed it away and turned towards Pinkie, ominously ‘staring’ her down with a few stray purple sparks running off all four of them.

“No! Bad girls!” I slapped their sides with my free hand, using the other to try and remove the confetti from my face. They drooped in sadness and withdrew into my back, giving Pinkie one last mean look.

“Sorry, Dakota!” Pinkie loudly apologized. “The cannon can go off for, like, no reason.” She then put a hoof to her chin in thought. “I really should get that looked at…”

I chuckled, smiling at the party pony. “Nah, it's fine.”

Rarity politely coughed, gaining everyone's attention. “Excuse me, dears. Why was Fluttershy and I dragged here?” She deadpanned, narrowing her eyes on Pinkie. “I have to finish my fashion projects tonight and Fluttershy always has some kind of critter to care for.” Rarity then gave me an apologetic smile. “It’s not like I'm not happy that you are back, dear, but I still need to run my business.”

I nodded in understanding and turned to Fluttershy, the mare shyly trying, and failing, to hide herself behind her mane. “What about you?”

Fluttershy squeaked at the attention, nervously eyeing Alice, the hybrid now happily devouring her ice cream on the top bunk. “U-Uhm…” She stuttered, seeing Alice’s fangs. “Maybe I should go home, Angel will throw a fit if he doesn't get his bedtime salad, sooo…..” She slowly walked to my door, only to be pulled back by Pinkie.

“Don’t worry, I have Spike on that.”

Meanwhile….

“How did I... get here?” Spike asked out loud, wondering how he got to Fluttershy’s place from the Library in ten seconds flat. “I was getting ready to sleep….” He groaned, running a hand down his face. “Huh?” He pulled a sticky note off his chin, giving it a resigned stare once he saw the signature balloons that made up Pinkie’s cutie mark emblazoned in the corner. “Watch the critters for tonight. There's ten sapphire cupcakes in it for you.”

He tiredly blinked, frowning at the note. “She thinks she can kidnap me and make me a foalsitter for ten cupcakes…..” Spike thought for a moment, then nodded. “I guess it'll be alright, so long as Angel and I still have our truce…”

And in the window of Fluttershy’s cottage, he didn't notice the little white ball of pure evil pounding its paws together as it stared at him.

Back to me.

“....Maybe I should-” Fluttershy nervously started, only to be interrupted by her charismatic friend.

“It'll be fine!” Pinkie assured, nodding her head rapidly. “Spikey-Wikey can handle the great tiny evil!”

“Wha-?”

“I said he can handle Angel.” Pinkie quickly corrected herself, before turning to Rarity. “Thanks to your clients ‘mysteriously’ coming down with the flu…” Pinkie barely hid the mischievous smile that appeared on her face. “The deadline for your projects have been extended for a few days.”

“You didn't…..” Rarity stared wide eyed at her pink friend.

“What did I do?” Pinkie innocently asked, tilting her head in honest confusion.

“Ugh… fine, dear. I'll stay for the sleepover.” Rarity shook her head, deciding not to press.

“I-If Spike has everything handled, I-I think I can stay for the night.” Fluttershy shyly said, having got Alice to start sharing her ice cream with her.

“So…. What the plan?” Alice asked, giving Pinkie a look as she put her bowl down.

“Oooh! Makeovers!” Rarity excitedly suggested. “Dakota has an entire collection of fabulous clothes and makeup in her closet!”

“No.”

Rarity’s enthusiasm immediately deflated at my tone. “But, dearie…. With a makeover party, you can learn how to use your makeup.” She smirked victoriously at my curious expression, obviously planning something. “Then you can do your own makeup for Gala.”

“What's this about the Gala?” Ash asked, coming into the room. “You mean the Grand Galloping Gala, right?”

“That's the one!” Pinkie confirmed as she dug around in her mane, pulling out a shredded boot and giving it a look before throwing it away.

“Yes, and the princess sent Twilight an extra invitation for Dakota the other day.” Rarity explained, giving Ash a polite smile. “Where's that magician you let stay here?”

“Eh, Trixie decided to turn in early.” Ash scratched the back of her head, yawning a little before she gave us all a look. “I'm gonna do the same, too. Just don't be loud, okay? Oh, and Dakota, since nothing too bad happened, you're going back to school tomorrow, so don't be up too late.” She smiled at me and then left the room.

Once everyone in the room heard Ash’s bedroom door shut, everyone, except Fluttershy, gave me a look that I can only call pure evil. “Oh…no….”

One agonizing hour later…..

“Rarity…” I glared at the offending unicorn, feeling too ‘pretty’ for my liking.

Rarity had Alice hold me down as she went for my closet and pulled out an assortment of clothes and makeup, my tentacles practically laughing at me. Chrysalis even helped Rarity with applying the makeup, holding my head still with her hooves. It didn't help that Alice was laughing at my situation, barely able to breath after a familiar frilly black and red dress was forced onto me.
Rarity was a little surprised at the sight of my new tail when she stripped me for the first time, almost ripping it off before she realized it was a part of me, not some kind of fashionable scarf that I wrapped around my leg. Pinkie just didn't care, only wondering if it can hold a cupcake. Fluttershy gave the cutest little ‘woohoo’ when she saw it, claiming that I simply had to have a tail and that it just grew back. Neither Alice, Chrysalis, or I had the heart to disagree with her.

“Oh, don't be like that, darling.” Rarity said with a smile, satisfied with her work. “I think it makes you look rather…. noble.” She nodded to herself. “Yes, like a princess.”

Sighing heavily, I nodded as I looked at myself in a mirror. “I… It okay.” I agreed, begrudgingly deciding to go along with it. I twirled a little, the dress fanning out with the action. “Good?”

Chrysalis blushed a little, giving me an encouraging smile. “You look great!”

Alice giggled and put another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. “Yeah! Looks great!” She then frowned at her suddenly empty bowl. “Mind if I get some more?” She asked in English, holding it up.

“Yeaaahhh, no. Not happening.” I gave her a knowing look, speaking in English. “All that sugar has to go somewhere, and I'm pretty sure I don't wanna find out the hard way. you've already had, like, five bowls of the stuff...." I shuddered a little in realization that it was probably too late.

“Oh, dearie! I found another fabulous outfit for you to model for us.” Rarity excitedly held up an all too familiar red sailor uniform, the red ‘eye’ on its left shoulder staring at me. “This style of clothing is simply marvelous! Just feel the material of this, I don't even know what it's made of…”

“Wait, wait, wait… What did she say?” My eyes widened, catching something I really hoped I haven't heard. “The unicorn who makes clothes for a living doesn't know what this one is made of?”

“Uh, yeah. She said that she doesn’t know.” Alice confirmed in English with a curious tilt of her head. “What's so wrong about that?”

And that's when the ‘eye’ blinked.

I pursed my lips and gave my tentacles a nervous sounding command. “Take this one away, girls. I have a bad feeling about it.” I frowned as my tentacles warped the offending outfit away to wherever, making Rarity visibly flinch once they got too close to her horn.

“What was that for? It’s just clothes.” Alice gave me a look.

“I now live in a world full of magic and other things I can't really explain. From my experience, one shouldn't take any chances in said world.” I snorted, giving Alice a bland look. “That outfit could've been the real deal, and things would be even more crazy if it were.” I then frowned, scratching my chin in thought. “Maybe I should hide some of the stuff in my closet, you know? I could've sworn I saw Majora’s mask….” I shuddered. “If that thing is the real deal… and, I swear to Jashin and Sheogorath, if there is a certain set of cursed rings….”

Alice blinked at my seriousness, then smiled at me, remembering something. “What about those balls with the stars in them? Do you think they're the real deal too?” She giggled a little at her sudden idea. “Maybe we can summon that wish granting dragon, I remember there being one that can grant three wishes.”

“Wait…. WHAT!” Nightmare shrieked in surprise. “Where are they!? And why haven't you used them yet!?”

“It's not what you think. The one she's talking about needs me to speak in Namekian, and we both know I can't do that.”

“Um, dears?” Rarity slowly interrupted giving Alice and I a curious look. “What are you two talking about? It sounds like it's serious.”

I cleared my throat. “Er, uh, magic stuff.” I slowly explained in Equish, struggling for the right words. “Bad magic, might need to hide.”

“Oh, well, I'm sure it can wait until the morning.” Rarity assured with a smile, obviously not believing me. “If it is really so bad, Twilight can handle it.” She then gave my tentacles, which were just hanging out of my dress sleeves and sending amusement as they looked at me, a slightly disgusted look. “And, if those…. appendages of yours are so powerful, they can do something too.”

I smirked at the feelings of pride emanating from my tentacles, nodding at Rarity. “Kay, I wait until morning.” I then gave her a sorry look, turning my cuteness level up to twenty. “Sorry about the clothes…”

Rarity then suddenly wrapped me in a bone crushing embrace. “It's fine, dearie. I'll just have to find another, even more fabulous outfit for you.”

“Oh god….” I muttered in English, resigning to my fate for tonight.

Two more beautiful hours later, just as Dakota went to sleep.

“Oh, wow!” I gasped in amazement as I recognized where my dream is taking place, smiling widely as I saw the familiar bat symbol in the night sky from my spot on a roof. “Yes! Gotham city, you are way better than any nightmare.” I fist pumped in victory.

“What is this place?” Nightmare asked from behind me, footsteps coming up behind me. “And what are you wearing?”

“Huh?” I blinked at what she said, looking down at my clothes. “Oh, wow… I'm Catwoman, deal with it!”” I giggled, striking a pose with my claws.

“Cat…..Woman?” She slowly asked in disbelief, questioning my sanity. “Are you okay?”

“Never better! I have a feeling that this dream is gonna be a little therapeutic.” I gave her a small smile, feeling very relaxed. “She’s not the person I really thought I'd dream myself as, but at least she knows how to have some fun.” I noted to myself, balancing myself on the edge of the roof. “I need this.” I gave Nightmare a look, suddenly realizing something. “Oh, Luna might drop by soon, so ya might wanna get outta here, just in case.”

I didn't even wait for a response, dashing and jumping across the numerous rooftops with a happy laugh. “Yeah! Look at me go!” I laughed, speeding across the city on all fours, heading towards nothing in particular.

“You think you can just brush me off?” Nightmare asked as she flew above me, sounding a little annoyed. “We need to plan my revenge!”

I frowned as I got onto the top of the GCPD headquarters, giving the dark alicorn a burning glare. “We can plan later. Just let me have this. This is my first nice dream since I got to Equestria.” I then turned up the heat on my glare, silently promising a fate worse than death if she interrupted this dream again. “Sooooo, it's either join me and have fun…. Or get the hell out of my dream.” I then gave her my most innocent look, tilting my head to add some cuteness.

Nightmare winced, then sighed. “I suppose I choose to join. Just give me a moment to blend in, just in case.” She gave me a small smile, her horn glowing. “Think of someone.” She told me, furrowing her brows in concentration.
I smirked, knowing just the person.

Nightmare's form quickly melted into an inky blackness, it changing it’s shape into a more humanoid form. The blackness then seeped away, a vibrant red coloring her now long hair and a sickly green for her skin. Leaves formed a leotard for her, covering most of her body.

“Hah! You're that little girl Poison Ivy!” I laughed, seeing her as short as I am. “Catwoman and Poison Ivy…. Sounds like a wonderful duo, don't ya think?”

Nightmare took a deep breath, calming herself down. “Sounds like fun. What kind of dream is this going to be?” She asked, curiously looking around. “A superhero dream?”

“Nope! A villain dream!” I laughed, pointing in the direction of Arkham Asylum. “And first order of business is… to bust out Harley!” I smiled widely, excited to be evil for once. “Maybe even let Crock loose, the poor guy needs some love.”

“I have no idea who those people are, but I'm in.” Nightmare giggled, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Have more dreams like this, and I think we're going to best of friends.” She honestly told me, a blue flower budding out of her hair. “So what's the plan? How do we get in?”

“Well, I'm gonna find a vent and shut down some security systems, maybe even find a way to remotely open some cells.” I scratched my chin in thought “Then I'd let Harley and Crock loose during the chaos, then I'd see if there's any other villains I want loose….. God, if Riddler is there I'll lose my mind.” I laughed, remembering my favorite version of the Riddler. “And then, if the bat shows up with his boy wonder, I'll try to take ‘em on, with your help, of course.”

“Wha-?”

I interrupted her with a hand over her mouth. “Shhhhh…. Just roll with it.” I giggled at her unamused glare, pulling my hand away. “Now….. Let's go and break out some baddies!” I cheered, leaping off the roof without waiting for a response and landing onto another building on all fours.

After a few minutes of leaping across rooftops, we both stopped at a safe distance from the prison, planning our little break out. I informed Nightmare about Ivy’s powers after a minute, the dark alicorn giving me a feral smile in glee at what we're about to do.
Once we finished, Nightmare held both of her hands out towards the prison, massive purple flowers erupting from the ground and destroying everything outside the place, green pollen visibly raining down on the area and knocking out everyone who breathed it. She then turned to me, smiling proudly at what she did, earning a wide smile from me.

“Well, that's not quite what I had in mind….. Whatever, Leeeeeerrrroooy Jeeeeeeenkiiiiiiins!” I yelled out my battlecry, giving Nightmare a quick high five and running head first into the prison, the pollen not affecting me as I ran through it.

“Hi, boys!” I smirked at the shaking guards inside, giving my best Catwoman impression as I strutted confidently past them. “You really should talk to your gardener, those plants outside are preeetty crazy.”

I then saw that one pissed himself, the dark stain on his pants growing by the minute, making me laugh as I opened a door and let myself into a hallway filled with prisoners in orange jumpsuits. Each of them yelled at me to let them out, some even begging me as I confidently strutted past, ignoring the noise and going into another door, this one labeled ‘special prisoners’.

The circular room I entered had four steel doors and one plexiglass cell with one familiar woman sitting calmly on a cot, looking up at me with a disappointed frown. “You're not my puddin’.”

“Nope, but I'm here to bust ya out.” I told her with a smile, punching the keypad next to her cell and opening it with one quick movement. “Go on, I've got some others I wanna bust out.”

“Wait!” Harley yelled as I went over to one of the steel doors, running out to follow me. “Who are you?”

“Just a pesky cat that wants to make some villainous friends.” I smirked as I stuck a claw into the lock, jiggling my finger a bit and unlocking it in seconds. With a quick thanks to dream logic, I opened the door, peering into the darkness. “Hey, anyone home?”

“Grrrrr….” The man growled from the darkness, yellow eyes practically glowing as they glared at me. “What do you what?”

“Nothing.” I smiled at him, opening the bigger part of the door to let him out. “Crock, I just want ya free. Nothing as awesome as you should be caged up in this place.”

“.... Nobody's ever said that to me before.” He grumbled in surprise as his massive green scaled body lumbered out of the cell.

“..... I like it.”

“You're welcome. Harley, who's all in the rest of these?” I asked, scratching my chin in thought.

“Well, there's Bane.” Harley pointed at one. “Then there that Clayface and Mr. Freeze. What? Are ya gonna bust all of us out?”
“Not tonight, Catwoman.” A familiar gruff voice spoke up, a man in a batsuit dropping down from above. “Why are you doing this? You usually steal.”

I smirked at him, placing my hands against my hips. “Well, I just felt like making new friends. Harley, run for it. I think your puddin’ will be pleased to know you're free.” I motioned for her to run, pulling out my whip with my right hand as I watched her run past Batman, Harley ducking under a batarang with a laugh. “Crock, you up for letting Mr. Freeze out for me?”

“I'm on it, girly.” He grumbled, stomping over to the steel door on the far left and grabbing its edges with his massive clawed hands, ripping the thing off in one quick movement. “There ya go. Want some help with the bat, or should I grab Freeze and run?”
I chuckled, giving the oversized gator man a look. “Grab him and run, I'll deal with Batsy.” I smiled widely, taking on a battle stance. “Oh, and help him out, would you? I actually like the guy.”

“Hmmm…. Fine.” Crock nodded after a moment, giving Batman a look after he pulled out the blue man inside with one arm. “Good luck, girly.” He waved and ran through the wall, leaving a perfect Crock shaped hole behind him.

“And then there were two….” I laughed and looked at Batman, cracking my whip against the floor. “Where's the boy wonder?” I curiously asked, circling him at a safe distance. “Oh! Did you loose another one? You just keep running through them.” I laughed. “I feel like I should be making a priest joke….”

“Dealing with Ivy.” Batman coldly informed, glaring at me. “How about you come in quietly?”

“Nope!” I laughed, flicking my wrist and sending my whip towards his face. “When has that ever worked?”

“You'd be surprised.” He dodged, grabbing my whip and yanking me toward him, sending a quick jab towards my face.
With a theatrical cat hiss, I ducked under the blow, releasing the whip and bringing my foot up towards his groin, a loud clang echoing throughout the room. “Gah! Metal there?! What the hell!?” I flinched at the pain, taking a few quick jumps back. “Why?!”

“Joker.”

I nodded in understanding. “Ah… makes sense.”

Then the air rippled, causing time to stop in the dream. Luna suddenly warped into existence in my dream, the very air distorting around her entrance. I facepalmed at her entrance, letting out a deep disappointed sigh.

“Hi, Luna. How's it going?” I asked, dejectedly scratching the back of my head. “You're actually ruining the best dream I had in a bit…”

“Oh! We apologize for our transgression.” Luna bowed a little, giving me a small frown. “We simply couldn't wait to question thou about thine past, young Dakota.”

“How are you speaking English?” I blinked in surprise, then scratched my chin, having a little trouble with my mask. “I assume the last visit’s result is now a perk for you while in the dream realm, or something.” I shrugged, throwing up my hands in defeat. “Pfft! Magic, I tell ya! The most unpredictable thing I've ever seen.”

“Thou sounds like Star Swirl.” Luna giggled in amusement, raising a brow at me.

“Whoever this Star Swirl is, he sounds like Merlin.” I sighed. “Then again…. Canterlot does sound a lot like Camelot. Huh, I wonder if there was a Lancelot here.” I shook my head, giving Luna a look. “Whatever. So, you wanna question me? Go ahead, I guess.”

“We want to learn more about thine past. Sir Spike sent us a journal when he followed after thee during thine…. we can only assume it was a blood rage during the Ursa attack, the likes of which allowed thee to cross dimensions. The journal held the methods of how thee were made.” Luna gave me a sad smile, taking a few tentative steps toward me. “We’ve managed to translate a few passages, thanks to Spoon's notes on thine written word, but we can only discern so much.”

I took a deep breath, a certain bulky man in a luchador mask poofing into existence next to me, jumping up and punching the man in the face, earning a grunt from him.

“What are thou doing?”

“Punching Bane.” I deadpanned, punching him again, sending him to the ground. “Just relieving some frustration.” I gave him another kick and sent him away in a cloud of smoke, happier after that little stress reliever. “Alight, ask away. Then I'll ask mine.”

“Er, where did thee come from?”

“Earth.”

Luna frowned at the answer. “Really?”

“Yeah. Earth, Terra, the blue marble, that's my home. More specifically the good old U.S of A.” I smirked, remembering a joke. “Heh, ‘Murrica!”

“Hmmm…. Are thou alright? From what we read, the experience thou went through would've broke many ponies…” She draped a wing over me, nuzzling me a little in reassurance.

Sighing again, I gave her a small smile. “I’m…. I think I'm going to be okay. I've got my tentacles, they never stop sending love down their connections, ya know? It's like constantly hugged. Then I've got Alice, Spoon and Crys-er… Moss and Ash. Then there's my pets.” I chuckled a little. “I’ve even got you and Celestia, well, I know I have you. Celestia… Ehhh, I dunno about her. Then there's the whole Changeling hive.” I broke out laughing at a sudden thought. “I wonder if I'm going to get a statue of me in there. Oh my god, I can see it now! Dakota, the endless ocean of love, savior of our kind!”

“Thou are quite the positive one.” Luna giggled at my attitude. “Are thou really the grown stallion?”

“Hey, I've accepted this!” I backed away from her, giving her a cute pout. “What's so wrong about that? It's not like I'm gonna be Mr. Herbert in disguise, I'm gonna wait until I'm older for the grown up stuff.” I then blinked, then turned a little green. “Oh, no…. Why did I have that image in my head…. Bad brain… Bad.”

“At least we don't have to worry about that from thee. Now, there's another thing we must question…” Luna took a deep breath. “We know that thou… dispensed of thine captor, but we would like to know his name.”

“Ah, Doctor Crazy didn't put his name in the book, did he? He kept callin’ himself Dust. The guy kept ramblin’ about how his brother accidentally put him there, didn't mention his name.” I raised a brow. “I think he was from your side, he had these paintings of ponies everywhere over there. I think I can get us there later, if you really wanna see the place, shouldn't be all that hard to get there again if I already did it once.”

“We would like that very much, if it isn't too taxing for thee.” Luna nodded in agreement. “Sir Spike also found a jar filled with tentacles….” She unsurely trailed off.

“Okay, ya might wanna keep them hidden.” I gave her a serious look. “Or at least put the rest inside me, I like to think I'm mature enough to handle whatever power I'm given. I sure as hell know this…. They are going to be taken and used by some bad guy the moment he/she/it catches wind of them.” I raised a brow at her, frowning. “Just gonna be honest with ya, I dunno if the element's little friendship beam will work against them if they get a new host. Their magic is… I wanna say universal, like it can mimic any kind of magic, fictional or not. I haven't really had the time to try to practice with mine very much, but I get the feeling that, if I really wanted to, I could pull off the infinity blade works or fairy law.”

“That…. sounds bad.” Luna scrunched up her face in confusion.

“Actually it would be a good thing if I have them all. I'd be the only one to do all that overpowered magic.” I confidently smirked. “That’d make me your trump card if the elements fail somehow. I'd actually be really happy to do that.”

Luna kept frowning at me. “Thou wants to be a hero?”

I pouted at her disbelieving tone. “Hey, I like to think I'm a nice guy.” I grumbled a little self consciously. “I'm sure that you and your sister both have some kind of great baddie or two sealed and hidden away somewhere.” I pointed an accusing finger at her. “I know from experience that they will escape somehow.”

Luna turned away from me, humming a little in thought. “Thou… May be right.” She slowly replied, opening up a portal out of my dream. “We must take our leave now. The tentacles are going to be…. stored somewhere secure, until we discern that thou are ready for the responsibilities that come with them.” She informed as she stepped toward the portal. “And, as for thine insight on the villains we have in equestria, we'll increase the amount of guards.”

“It won't work!” I yelled after she disappeared inside the portal, the thing closing behind her with a quiet fizz. “Heh, they never learn…. And I didn't get to ask my questions, rude." I shook my head, chuckling quietly. “Alright, Nightmare! Ya can come out now! I know that ya were watching!”

Nightmare melted up out of the ground next to me, appearing to have reverted to her alicorn form. “Alright, you caught me. You're pretty good at this.”

I sighed. “When you are warped into a world that is just like a kid's show, ya can just tell what's gonna happen next. And, unsurprisingly enough, not one person is going to take my advice, well, aside from you.”

Nightmare smiled, her wings fluttering a little as she blushed. “It's just so I won't be hit by the elements again….”

“Oh, I have just one question….” I held up a finger, a sudden thought coming into my head. “If you're basically all of Luna’s bad, albeit ‘cleaned’ a bit from a friendship beam. What about Celestia? Does she have her own dark side too?”

Nightmare gave me an evil smile. “Oh, she does. Did you notice how the female population is outnumbering the male?”
I almost broke out laughing, holding a hand up to my mouth. “Noooo…. No way….”

“Yup, that was her.” Nightmare chuckled a little. “If you want to meet her, she's locked away in the deepest pit of Tartarus. Celestia erased all memories and written record of that particular incident.” She sighed wistfully. “I should've broke her out when I got back, maybe then I would've won.”

“What's her name?”

“Molestia.”

“..................” I was laughing so hard, I wasn't making any noise but this hoarse wheezing as I rolled about the floor. “Oh! My! God! Whhhhyyyyy! Now I want to meet her!” I began tearing up at this point. “Seriously, I wanna meet this piece of work!”

“I think she'd like you, too.” Nightmare laughed with me, but not as hard. “A bit too much though, hah! Maybe she’d wa-oh!” She blinked at something I couldn't see. “Looks like you're going to be waking up early.”

“Huh?” I questioned, before everything turned white….

In Dakota's bedroom, 5:00 A.M.

“Uugh…..” I sleepily grumbled as I opened my eyes and rolled over to see my digital clock. “Five in the morning? Really?” I took a deep breath and sat up, wincing a little when the base of my tail decided to bend the wrong way. “Alright, I'm up, guess…”

My stomach startled me with a loud roar, demanding some food. “Well, that explains why I'm up at this ungodly time.” I took a peek at my window. “And its still dark out….. Fine, I guess I can eat.”

I quietly creeped downstairs into my kitchen, peering into my fridge for something to eat. “Now, what am I gonna get….” I hummed a quiet tune as I dug around. “Oh, I know…. Everyone's still asleep, I can get my first burger in a while. Not quite breakfast, but it’ll do.” I smirked in realization, grabbing a few jars and bottles, even a few slices of cheese. “Hey, girls. Wakey wakey….” I murmured gently to my tentacles, awkwardly reaching an arm behind me to nudge one of them. “I need some help quietly defrosting some meat.”

A few minutes later…..

I smiled at my finished creation, a double cheese stuffed burger with some ketchup and pickles to top it all off. “Hmmm…. Can't have a burger without fries…. No, girls, I wanna make them myself.” I mumbled to myself, turning around and leaving the glorious thing on the counter to make the fries, not noticing the yellow and pink pegasus that is Fluttershy come into the room.

“Hmmmmhmm… Cooking up some fries~” I sung to myself, throwing them into the fryer with a satisfied smile.

“Mmmmm! What is this?” I head Fluttershy’s soft voice ask, her voice slightly muffled by her mouthful of food. “It's soo good…”

I almost started screaming in panic when I turned around and saw her eating my special burger, the mare enthusiastically chowing down. “Uh, when did you get up?” I nervously asked her in equish, not taking my eyes away from the sight.

“Well, I normally wake up this early.” Fluttershy explained inbetween bites, happily muching away. “This is really good! What's it made of?”

“Uh..….” I trailed off as she finished it, licking her lips. “You no wanna know….”

Fluttershy gave me the most heart melting confused look she had. “R-Really? I think I do….”

“....Uh, meat. Cow.” I winced as I said it, looking away from the possibly traumatised pegasus.

Fluttershy blinked in surprise, then looked down at the plate, then back to me. “Let this be our little secret.” She winked conspiratorially, showing some confidence I didn't know she had as she pushed the plate towards me. “Do you think you can make another, If it's not too much trouble?”

“Well….. This is going to be a strange day.”

“I agree.”

2 Spoopy 4 Me (sorry, gonna be bad.)

Author's Note

It's probably gonna look a little hurried at the end.....sorry, I just wanted to get this thing outta the way for Halloween. Ugh, mom wants to do some last minute decorating tomorrow and she's going all out, and I'm the only one helping here.

Still, I'm trying to get my Ralts thing past moderation, so I'm gonna write up another chapter and resubmit it. Have a happy Halloween guys.

Quick edit: I did this!

2 Spoopy 4 Me (sorry, gonna be bad.)

“Oh! Hello there, discount Cthulhu.” I greeted with a smile, my tentacles shooting forward to meet the ones on his face. “I honestly didn't expect to see ya here!”

“Wat?” Obviously confused, Eldritch blinked and looked around the dark room, before spotting the candles surrounding my black doll. “I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! Why is there a creepy doll here! This can only mean bad things!”

I told Twilight the same thing….” I sighed, turning to look at the stunned lavender unicorn. “Be happy you got this guy. He's waaayyy better than Sheogorath.” I gave her a smug smirk, my tentacles practically radiating love for Eldritch's tentacles.

Twilight recovered, her face turning into an expression of pure unadulterated joy as she magicked up a scroll and quill, frantically scribbling down Eldritch's description. “It worked!” She laughed, sitting down and rubbing her hooves together. “Do you know what this means!? Hahahahahah! I've done something that even Star Swirl couldn't do!” She laughed again, picking up my doll with her magic and planting a kiss on it. “And, all thanks to you, a whole new school of magic has been discovered!”

“Uhhhh…..Care to explain why I’m here? I was having some bonding time with my kid.” Eldritch asked with a…..frown? Kind of hard to tell with a tentacled face.

I smiled and held up a finger, only to wince and put it down. “Weellll…. It's mostly Twilight's fault, sort of mine.” I admitted, scratching my arm as I looked away. “She's just lucky it was you she summoned.”

He blinked and put both his hands on his face, letting out a deep sigh. “She's practicing some good ol’ trans-dimensional summoning?”

“Yup.”

He groaned, shaking his head. “At least it wasn't Khorne she summoned.”

“Soooo….. While Twi is doing her ‘thing’ over there, how about I tell ya the events leading up to this?” I took a seat on the table next to him, staying away from the crazy scientist unicorn.

“That would be nice.” He nodded, then spoke up. “Chair.” His voice thrummed, a lazyboy recliner coming into existence behind him.

“Oh! You got that power down, I see.” I noted with a smirk, raising a brow at him. “Is it still random?”

Eldritch sat down, running a hand through his face tentacles. “Eh, kinda. I practiced. Now, story please?”

“Alright, fine.”

Two hours ago, Dakota's house.

“No.” I deadpanned, giving Twilight a flat look. “I no wanna go in your basement.”

“But, Dakota, please. I need your help!”

I took a sip out of coffee, raising a brow at her. “With what?”

Twilight pulled my doll out of her saddlebags, the thing still smiling creepily. “This thing has some strange magic.”

I frowned, glaring a little. “You stole it.”

Twilight winced, her smile faltering. “Er, I borrowed it. I was going to give it back.” At my staring, she looked away, unable to meet my judging eyes. “I’m curious. Is that a crime?”

“Stealing? Yes.” I deadpanned, then sighed. “It okay, I no angry.”

Twilight sighed in relief, giving me a thankful look. “Thanks. Please, I know that you're excited for Nightmare Night, but I need help. By my calculations, it can only be done tonight.” She whined a little. “Spike is in Canterlot, so I'm down an assistant.”

“What. Are. You. Doing?” I finally snapped, wanting to get to the point.

Twilight checked the room, and upon finding no one else, she leaned in. “I'm going to try some trans-dimensional magic. I'm going to try to get an occupant of a world parallel to ours to come over.”

I blinked, not understanding some of the words she said, before agreeing to help her so she won't get hurt, or worse. “Fine.” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, a little dejected about not celebrating Nightmare Night. “I even had the Painwheel costume pulled out….”

“I've got a bad feeling about this.” Nightmare spoke up in my head. “But, at least we won't be celebrating my mockery of a holiday.” She grumbled a little. “Seriously? Fillies and Colts giving me candy as tribute for me not to eat them? Who came up with that idiotic practice?”

“I happen to like this holiday, thank ya very much.” I mentally snarked back, shaking my head at Twilight. “No bad thing happen.” I told Twilight with a serious look, finishing off my coffee with a large gulp. “Or you get prank.”

Twilight paled, having heard of my legendary pranks that I pulled off with Rainbow Dash. “N-no need to do that. I assure you that this experiment will go without a hitch.”

“It better.” I glared a little, shaking my head.

Some time later….

“Twi?” I nervously spoke up, eyeing the very ominous pentagram etched into the floor of the basement, my doll surrounded by black candles. “That not cool. Only mean bad stuff.” I pointed out with a frown.

“I wonder… Why can't ya instantly give me instant knowledge of Equish? You are a pony from this world.” I mentally complained.

“Because, I am…. for lack of better word, lost.” Nightmare grumbled a little in admission. “I've been translating what you hear, but I just can't instantly make you immediately know how to speak it. Your mouth is nothing like a pony’s, completely alien to me.” She hummed a little in surprise. “Oddly enough, you know ancient Dovahzul perfectly.”

“Great. Nice to know that.” I rolled my eyes as Twilight finally came into the room, wearing a deep purple robe, its hood covering her head.

“I know how bad it looks, but it is necessary for the power within the doll. It agitates its magical field in just the right way for it to open an uncalibrated portal, similar to the one that you used when you…. snapped at the Ursa Minor.” She shuddered a little at the memory, taking her place at the pentagram. “Just, er, be ready if the thing I summon is angry.”

Nodding in understanding, I sighed in exasperation, figuring that I couldn't stop her even if I wanted to. “Better not be.”

Twilight quickly lit up the candles around the doll, the flames a dark blue. A few seconds later, my doll shuddered and opened its stitched mouth, the thick strings straining as a thick black smoke erupted out, coalescing into a black oval a few feet away from it.

Twilight smirked, happy that the first step worked as planned. “Now then, I feel like I should say something…..” Her horn lit up a deep purple, her eyes somehow multiplied into four glowing red ones underneath the hood. “Azarath metrion…..” She started, making my jaw drop and eyes widen in surprise at the familiar words. “ZINTHOS!” At her shout, a four eyed black raven zoomed out of her horn, going inside the black oval, making it start sparking.

At this point, I was slowly clapping, not even questioning that a purple unicorn said that, a wide toothy smile on my face. “Good job, Twi.”

Then the world warped for a moment, the very air turning thick, a golden triangle wearing a hat appearing in the portal for a moment. Acting quickly, all four of my tentacles shot something at the portal, making it shift and blink out anticlimactically.

I let out a relieved sigh, giving, the now normal, Twilight a look. “Well, that wa-!” I started, only for the portal to open up again for a brief moment, spit out a Cthulhu wannabe, then vanish again, presumably to wreak havoc about the multiverse.

Present…..

“A Cthulhu wannabe…..” Eldritch said, a little hurt at what I said.

“Hey, no offense.” I shrugged unapologetically.

“Some taken.” Eldritch laughed a little, getting up and poofing his chair away. “So, just gimme a sec, imma fix something. Everyone unknowingly speaks English now, until I leave.” The world seemed to shudder under the weight of his words, everything going quiet for a moment, as if pausing, then starting up again. “Oh boy, that was something.” Eldritch blinked and rubbed his chest a little. “Took more than I expected.”

Twilight finally finished celebrating, somehow not noticing the major magic Eldritch pulled off, and came over with her scroll and quill. “Hello there! I welcome you to Equestria!”

“I feel welcomed, alright.” Eldritch chuckled a little, pulling a muffin out of somewhere. “Here, have a muffin.” He said as he impaled it on her horn, scratching underneath her chin with his free hand.

Twilight’s eye twitched, her excited smile turning more strained. “Thank you….”

I laughed at her, leaning against the wall and managing to keep my tentacles away from Eldritch’s with a few well placed slaps. “Let him have this, Twi. His Twilight hates him.” I informed with smirk.

Twilight’s head snapped towards me, Eldritch continuing with his scratching. “You know this thing!? How?!”

“First of all, It is a he. And his name is Eldritch.” I corrected, then shrugged. “And second…. He channeled godhood while sneezing and brought me to his world, I wanna say… a few months ago.” I shook my head. “I'm not so good with time, especially when in actuality I was only gone for a few minutes here while I spent a day there.”

“Ah! That reminds me.” Eldritch stopped petting Twilight, giving me a look. “Did you do the thing?”

I frowned. “What thi-ahhh! That thing!” I laughed once I remembered, returning Eldritch's look with one of my own. “I'll tell ya the full story later, but can tell you two things. One: Its permanent. Two: I've got pictures.” I smiled mischievously, looking like the Cheshire cat.

“You know, Discord is going to be very unamused with what you've done.” Nightmare pointed out.

“Oh come on, it's not like that statue is the real deal. Who in their right mind would keep the petrified remains of their nemesis as part of their public displays?”

“......”

“...... I hate this place.”

“Oh, you are a treat.” He laughed, his face tentacles pulling a ‘Zoidberg’ and showing off his beak mouth.

“Twilight, I hope ya don't mind if I bring this big guy with me to celebrate some good ol’ nightmare night fun?” I asked with a smile. “I'll explain some stuff for ya after I send this guy home later, okay?”

Twilight adamantly shook her head. “In the name of science, I won't let this chance pass me by. Now, Eldritch, tell me all about your world. Every. Graphic. Detail.” She sat down and vaporized the muffin on her horn, her quill and scroll ready for everything.

Eldritch gave Twilight a blank stare. “Alrighty then….” He cracked his neck, shot me an evil look that I returned, then started talking. “How about we start where any story should start….the beginning.”

ONE STORY LATER.

“And that's how you make an eldritch abomimuffin do your bidding.” Eldritch finished, the abomimuffin he summoned mid story promptly exploding and covering the room with its muffin goodness. “Any questions?”

Twilight raised a hoof, only to put it down after seeing my glare. “Uh, no.”

“Good.” Eldritch clapped his hands, hopping up and heading for the stairs. “I've got a Nightmare Night to celebrate. You coming, Dakota?” He asked as he went up, ignoring Twilight's pleas to stay.

“Yup. Sorry, Twi.” I apologized, laughing a little. “There’s no stopping him when he's like this.” I explained, following after him.

“Hmmm…..” I found Eldritch humming in thought as he stood in front of the front door, his hand hesitating on the knob.

“Hey, it’s gonna be fine.” I assured, smirking a little. “It's Nightmare Night. I can just say that you're part of my costume.”

“And that costume is….?” He asked, raising a brow at me.

At the snap of my fingers, my tentacles flared with magic, making my costume magically appear on my body. Fake stitches held the grey mask on my face, its burning red eyes faintly glowing in the lighting of the room, a few screw-like protrusions coming out of my hair and shoulders. A grey hospital gown replaced my clothes, my pale feet bare and showing off my black nails. Replacing my tail, a mechanical one took its place, the sound of a motor kicking into gear as the four bloody blades on its tips spun dangerously fast, my tentacles retracting fully into my body.

Eldritch blinked, then started clapping. “You really like to go all out, don't you?”

“Hey, when it comes to scaring everyone, I go all out.” I defended, adding a slow tilt of my head and a few twitches of my right arm, causing a few spikes to painlessly come out of my skin. “Graaaahhh!” I roared, trying and failing to mimic Painwheel’s voice.

Eldritch gave me a serious look. “Okay, that's adorable. You wouldn't have any problems with me unofficially adopting you, would you?” He scratched his chin, nodding a little. “I am seriously considering this.”

I thought about it for a brief moment, only for Nightmare to yell in my head. “No! I've already adopted you!”

I choked on my spit, much to Eldritch's confusion. “W-When did that happen? I don't remember agreeing to that!”

“I….. Might have taken the liberty of taking control while you were sleeping and forged some adoption papers, just in case I get a body.”

“Well, that's not creepy at all.” I told her, sarcasm dripping from every word.

“Hey, uh, you havin’ chat with... Nightmare up there?” Eldritch asked, taking a moment to see if Twilight was around.

“Buck! He knows, ruuuun! Run for your life!”

I winced at how loudly she panicked, giving Eldritch a look. “How’d ya know?”

He chuckled, ruffling my hair. “Eh, you'd probably hate my explanation. No worries though, I don't mind.” He nodded a little to himself, as if making a silent promise. “So, how about that adoption thing?”

Raising a brow at his lack of explanation, I shrugged. “Sure, why not. It's only valid over in your world, okay? Somepony else already called dibs.” I giggled, pointing towards my head. “I think she'd be alright, given the chance.”

“Awww… You like me?” Nightmare asked, happy at my admission.

“Honestly? I think you'd be a fun mom.” I told her, mentally smiling in her direction. “Ya just need to chill on the whole ‘revenge!’ thing. Besides, who wouldn't want an all powerful and awesome alicorn as their mom? Evil or not, I'd be flattered if she even considered adopting me. It’d be like…. If Maleficent wanted to adopt me.”

“Who?”

“Just dig around in my head a bit, you'll find the movie.”

Eldritch blinked in surprise, before laughing. “Quite the possessive little parasite, eh?

“I'm NOT a parasite!”

“Don't call her that.” I winced. “She doesn't take too kindly to being called that. Ouch…” I rubbed my head. “Let's just get to trick or treating, okay? I want some candy, even if it is the equestrian bootleg kind.”

“Awww… I was looking forward to some butterfingers.”

At that, I smiled widely, my mask shifting a little to show it. “Ah, don't worry. I stockpiled my house with the good stuff, all king sized. We can hit it up after we've had some fun.” I cracked my knuckles, laughing evilly. “We’re gonna scare everyone!”

“Whatever you say, kid.” Eldritch laughed, opening the door.

Once we walked out, everypony went silent at the sight of us for a moment, Eldritch and I staring back. Taking my chance to scare them, I jumped towards them, landing on all fours and spinning my blade tail threateningly, growling loudly.

“Aaaaaahhhhh!” They all screamed, taking a few steps away from us.

“Heel, girl!” Eldritch commanded, his voice turning serious enough to make me turn to him and tilt my head in confusion. He glared at me, then bowed to the crowd putting on a sophisticated British accent.. “I apologize for my daughter, she loves this holiday too much.” He then clapped his hands, gesturing to me with a dramatic flair. “Say hello to Painwheel, one of your current providers of horror for the night.”

“Uh, hi?” One pony cautiosly said, waving a hoof at me.

“Oh, we've got a brave one here. Here's the deal, Painwheel and I are going to have some fun, which consists of scaring the grownups of the entire town.” He explained with a curt nod, spreading his arms out. “Nopony can escape the town or use offensive magic until the deadline at midnight.” Eldritch's voice thrummed with power, causing a thick fog to start to engulf the town. “Spread the word, or else…… Mwaaaahahahahahahah!” He laughed demonically, taking a few steps backwards to disappear into the growing fog.

I blinked in surprise, then followed after him, throwing another growl at the quickly dispersing crowd. “Grrrraaaaa!”

A two hours later, at the marketplace. 3rd POV.

Rainbow Dash, clad in a Ryuk costume that Rarity modified after Rainbow ‘borrowed’ it, couldn't believe what is happening, the thick fog won't disperse, even if she bucked some of it. “Just. Go. Away!” She screamed at the fog, bucking at each word, the stuff going right through her hooves. “Agh! Just what is this stuff?” She grumbled, finally giving up and crossing her hooves as she floated just above the ground, glaring at her foggy surroundings.

“Grrrr…..” A growl echoed throughout the place, making Rainbow jump a little in surprise and turn her glare in the direction she thought it came from.

“W-Who’s there?” She asked, taking a few steps back. “I'm warning you, I know karate!”

“He he……” A creepy giggle replied, something cold poking Rainbow’s side a moment later. “I'm heeeeeerrrreeee……” It sang, scaring Rainbow stiff.

Rainbow turned her head, her sight greeted with a mask. “Aaaahhh!” She jumped, flying upwards a few feet. Upon seeing the familiar shape, she smirked. “Hah hah, nice one Dakota. You really got me there. Nice costume.”

Dakota only tilted her head at her, dropping onto all fours and revving her tail blades, making Rainbow even more nervous. “Uh, h-hey….that's not real, is it?” The little girl, taking a moment to stare at the pegasus, slashed her tail at the ground, ripping chunks of dirt up. “Oh…..” Then she started crawling on all fours towards her prey, the tail revving threateningly.

“Nopenopenopenopenope!” Rainbow chanted, flying away from the creepy girl, deciding to spend the night at her home than mess with that terror.

Dakota grinned under her mask, disappearing into the fog, looking for another target. It wasn't too long until she found Alice, Spoon and Chrysalis all together outside the town hall, and hid behind some empty stalls. They all sat on the front steps, looking through their sweet spoils.

Alice wore a grey and orange dress, six sharpened stones floating harmlessly behind her. She carried a staff with an orange crystal with three stones floating around it in one hand, and a bag filled with candy in the other. Spoon was wearing a blue dress, four ice crystal wings floating on either side of the dress, her mane dyed a vibrant blue. Chrysalis, still in her pony disguise, was wearing a very familiar white and red mask that was modified for her, a black coat finishing her costume off.

“Man, Bon Bon has some good candy.” Alice said with a smile, throwing a piece of gum in her mouth. “These things are pretty good.”

“I know, right?” Chrysalis agreed, speaking with her mouth filled with jelly beans.

“Don't speak with your mouth full, that's disgusting.” Spoon scolded the two, picking through her candy. “But, I do agree that she has outdone herself this year. The lemon drops are my favourite.” She finished with a smile, pulling out a piece of said candy.

“Sh-sh-sh ha-ha-ha…..” The familiar sound came from the fog, making Alice smirk and look around. “Dakota, I know it's you!”

“Who says it’s her?” An unfamiliar voice came from behind them, startling all of them. “Don’t you know how to greet a new friend? Shake my hand.” It said, sounding like it was really close.

Alice, scared out of her mind, closed her eyes and turned around, reaching out and grasping the voice's owner’s hand. A deep farting noise came a moment later, it carrying on for a good minute before stopping, stunning the three even more at the randomness of the situation.

“Heh, the whoopie cushion in the hand trick, never gets old.” The voice laughed, then flicked Alice's forehead. “Come on, open your eyes.”

Alice frantically shook her head, releasing the hand like it was made of fire. “I'm already dead, aren't I?”

Spoon deadpanned at Alice. “No, you're just fine.” She then frowned up at Eldritch, the guy chuckling loudly at Alice. “But, he might not be in a moment.” She finished with a scowl, waving a hoof at him. “Jerk!”

Eldritch held up his hands in mock surrender, still laughing. “Heh! What? Don't like a good prank?”

Alice finally opened her eyes, now not scared anymore, then screamed at the sight of Eldritch, slamming her staff into his head. Eldritch's head turned a little from the force of the hit, then he slowly turned it back to give her an unamused look. “Ow.” He deadpanned. “That hurt.”

“Just what are you?” Chrysalis asked, poking his leg as Alice apologised profusely.

“A Cthulhu wannabe!” Dakota informed with a laugh, coming up the steps. “Right, buddy?”

“Ugh….. Right.” Eldritch sighed, shaking his head. “You’re never gonna stop calling me that, aren't you?”

“Nope!” Dakota smiled behind her mask, then stretched and yawned. “Welp, I've had my fun, wanna head back to my place?” She asked as her back popped. “I'll show you the pictures.”

Eldritch waved to the girls and followed after her, leaving the three of them confused as to who and what he could possibly be. They all shared a look between each other and shrugged, going back to their Trick or Treating, figuring that whatever Dakota is doing is probably too crazy for any of them to deal with.

Flashback, at Discord's statue. Dakota's POV.

I smirked evilly as I shook up the spray can in my right hand, giggling a little from how terrible the guards are at their job, except the ever so popular Shining Armor, that dedicated stallion was a tricky one to sneak past. Taking a moment to appraise the mismatched statue, I started spraying, starting with adding some risque pink fishnet stockings with careful concentration, knowing that the guard watching the place is a heavy sleeper.

“Heh, he really shouldn't be sleeping on the job.” I laughed, poking the statue. “Right, Dissy? Eh, whatever, less trouble for me.” I shrugged, continuing with my work. “You must be a pretty important guy in this place's history. But I gotta say, you're an ugly one. It makes me wonder why he wanted to mess with your stoney but.”

Unknown to me, the statue's eyes moved to look at me, its blank stare betraying a little anger at my actions. My tentacles extended and seamlessly added a short stone skirt onto the statue, leaving it up to me to paint it to match the stockings, realizing that I had unintentionally accentuated his legs and behind once I finished. Pursing my lips and reaching into my bag of spray cans, I decided finish my primary bit of work with adding a tight black shirt with my painting skills, my tentacles adding very obvious mounds on the statue's chest. The finishing touches took less time than the rest of the stuff, some makeup here and there, and painting its claws and horns a deep pink, the snaggletooth being turned to gold, and even changing the mane into blonde pigtails took less time for some dumb reason.

Taking a moment to look at the finished product, I nodded to my tentacles, all four of them flaring up with rainbow colored magic and covering the statue in it. Smirking even wider, I packed up the cans and took a few pictures with the camera I brought, my face starting to hurt from the amount I've been smiling these past few minutes.

“Halt, who's there!?” A deep voice came from behind me, startling me and causing my tentacles to flare again with some kind clear magic. “I could've swore I saw some flashes from around here….” Shining Armor muttered to himself as he came into the area, looking around and somehow not spotting me.

I blinked, realizing that I just went invisible, then smirked and set my camera to record his reaction when he found my ‘additions’ to the statue. “Hehe….” I quietly giggled to myself, taking care to not be loud enough for him to hear.

Shining then noticed the statue of Discord, caught dumbfounded for a few moments as he stared at it with his mouth wide open in shock. Then his expression changed, him sitting down and covering his mouth with both hooves, tears welling up as his body shook.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!” The dam broke almost immediately, Shining’s laughter loud enough to wake anything up in a mile radius. “Oh, my Celestia. Hahah, hey, guys! Come look at this!” He called out to his fellow guards, still laughing the entire time.

“What in the-HAHAHAHAHAH!” Another guard came and spotted the statue. “Hold on, hehe, I need to get the others!” The new guard told Shining, running off. “Oh Celestia, my sides! It hurts!”

In a matter of moments, about forty random guards gathered to witness the statue, almost all of them showing their amusement in one way or another. Just one guard didn't find it funny, the esteemed Solaire seemed to scowl at it and look around for the perpetrator of this crime, his horn glowing gently as he searched the area, leaving his fellow guardsponies to their fun.

He almost found me a few times as I filmed the scene, making me move a few times and settle on a perch on top of the stone arch to escape his search radius. Eventually, Celestia came over to see what the commotion was about, walking through the very arch I was on.

“Hmmm….” The princess hummed, silencing everypony. “Whoever did this, is very dedicated to their craft.” She noted with an amused smile, giving me a glace, surprising me. “It would be a shame for it to be cleaned up after all the work put into this.”

“P-princess?! You can't really mean….”

“Yes, leave it.” Celestia nodded to Solaire. “It would be nice to add some comedic value to this statue.” She finished with a giggle sending a wink my way. “Though, I'll find the pony responsible and punish her for not running it by me.”

I gulped and hopped down from my seat, my tentacles easing my drop and giving me a speed boost as I ran away from the scene, stopping the camera as I went.

End of flashback. Back at Dakota’s house.

“Heh, really? You made the Discord statue into a hooker-cord?” Eldritch asked once the video was over, throwing another handful of popcorn into his mouth. “Nice one. What did Celestia do to you then?”

I shrugged and pulled off my mask. “Eh, she just wanted a never ending supply of cakes. I just gave her a cake button.”

“A….cake button.”

“You know…. Like a muffin button, but with cakes.” I explained, my tentacles magicking the fabled muffin button into my hands. “See?” I pressed the button, a random muffin magically appearing on the table.

“I know what a muffin button is. I just didn't expect you to make them.”

“Oh, well…. here.” I chucked the button into his lap, smiling a little. “Give this to your Derpy, kay? Consider it a gift from me.”

Eldrich laughed and got up, swiping a few pictures off the table. “Alright. Wanna try sending me home? It's probably about time for me to be home.”

I got up and stretched, yawning deeply. “Yeah. Hey, girls?” I asked my tentacles, each of them nodding to me and ripping open a rainbow colored portal in the middle of the living room. “Here ya go, a one way trip home. Call me when ya need me, okay?”

“Got it, little buddy.” Eldritch ruffled my hair with a hand, then walked through the portal, it collapsing right behind him.

Yawning again, I headed towards my room, only to be stopped by the green glow that erupted into existence behind me. “Oh geez, Rick wh-where are we now?” A nervous sounding kid asked behind me.

I sighed when I heard the voice I expected next. “I-I dunno Morty. It looks liiike we're in a shitty fan fiiiction world.” He burped a few times mid sentence, looking around my living room.

“Hello there, I'm Dakota.” I greeted, rubbing my eyes and yawnin again. “Could the both of you just go through your portal and come again another day? I'm sorta going to bed and my…. I wanna say family will be back soon.”

“W-We should do what she says, Rick.” Morty told his grandpa,

“Eh, whatever. I don't want to mess with whateeeever you are anyways, at least not now.” Rick told me, scratching his chin and taking another sip from his flask. “Later, kid.” He said, making another portal and waling through it, Morty following along after saying goodbye.

I groaned and went up to my room, just wanting to sit down and relax after today. Running around and scaring ponies is more tiring that it seemed. It wasn't too long before I fell asleep playing Minecraft, in the middle of building a castle.

I woke up the next morning with a curly moustache drawn onto my face. “Aaallllliiiiice! Get over here! No more candy for you for a week!”

Look before you sleep. Dakota's version.

Author's Note

Merry Christmas guys! I'm not really having a good one here.... My furnace died and the snow just hit where I am, so here I am.... praying that my turtle doesn't die....... Well, anyways, here you guys go as a sort of Christmas gift. I'm probably gonna get back to working on my Ralts thing before I pump another chapter out for this. Well, er, have a happy new year. Here's a little gif I absolutely adore.

Look before you sleep. Dakota's version.

My nose tingled as I moved some stuff off my porch to save them from the coming storm, the tentacles in my back helping me multitask. “Ah….. Ahhh…..Achoo!” I sneezed, thick mucus dribbling down my face. “Ughh…” I groaned, feeling a little too hot despite the steadily strengthening winds.

“Dakota? Are you okay?” Alice asked in English, concerned for my well-being. “You're looking a little pale…. Well, paler than usual, and your cheeks are turning a little pink.”

“Ah’m fine….” I defensively replied snorting what I could and dragging the sleeve of my coat along my nose. “Jus’ a wittle cold, nuthin serious.” I shrugged as my tentacles finished with putting away the plastic chairs, eyeing the ever darkening clouds above us with a small amount of wonder.

“It's pretty cool how the weather ponies can do this. I mean, my world would kill for this kind of power. Hell, I wanna help do this sometime.” I thought to myself, smiling a little. “I wonder if they'd let me….”

“I think they'd let one enthusiastic filly help out for a day, it wouldn't mean the end of the world.” Nightmare chipped in, then groaned a little. “I think you're about to….”

“Urrp!....” I safely made it over to the side of my porch, losing my breakfast as the rain started to fall, my tentacles retracting and drooping out of my sleeves like limp noodles. “Yup… Ah’m definitely sick….” I blearily looked up, spotting Rarity and Applejack running for cover from the rain. I took a deep breath, deciding to help the both of them about. “HEY! OVER HERE!” I yelled at them, my throat burning from the sudden powerful shout in Equish.

They both looked at me and sprinted through the now pouring rain, taking only a few moments to reach my house and get under the meager shelter that is my front porch. I weakly smiled and was immediately had the back of my head slapped by an angry Alice, the girl giving me a worried glare.

“Thanks fer helpin’ us out, ‘Koda.” Applejack thanked me with a nod, then turned around to look at the rain, it coming down harder by the second. “Ah don't think ah’m gonna make it home in this storm, the weather ponies really outdone themselves this time.”

“Aw, just look at my mane!” Rarity whined, pointing out the dripping wet mass on her head. “It's ruined!”

“It's not the end of the world, Rarity.” Applejack deadpanned.

“It might as well be. Do you know how long it takes to keep it as fabulous as I do?” Rarity complained.

“It's fine. Just stay here for night.” I coughed, the Equish not really agreeing with my cold.

“Are you alright, Dearie?” Rarity asked, seeing me shaking a little as I kept myself steady with a hand on the metal table next to me, forgetting about her mane for a moment.

“Woah, you dun’ look so good.” Applejack pointed out, frowning a little in concern.

“She's sick, you moron.” Alice explained, saying that last bit to me in English and wrapping an arm around my shoulder to help me keep my balance. “Why didn't you tell any of us?”

“It wasn't this bad earlier.….” I weakly defended myself.

“Come on, let's get you to bed.” Alice sighed, shaking her head. “You two come on, too.” She told the duo, missing the glares they sent to each other.

Alice practically carried me in, gently dumping me into my recliner after a failed battle to get me up the steps, thankfully giving me enough time to shimmy my tail into a comfortable position. Ash and Trixie, who just finished washing dishes together, saw this and started to panic a little, not having a clue as to how to help a sick…. whatever being I classify as now. I focused on Applejack and Rarity for the moment, a little curious of the tension between them.

“Applejack, are you so uncouth as to track mud into your host's home?” Rarity stopped the cowpony at the front door and rudely pointed out, gesturing to her muddy hooves. “Go wash up some, if you don't mind.”

“If ah gotta spend another moment with that prissy little bi-!” The last of what Applejack said was cut off by a loud boom of thunder as she wiped her hooves off at the welcome mat. “There, ah’m done, ya happy now?”

“It’s...better, I suppose.” Rarity conceded with disdain, huffing a little. “Here's a proposition, we both try to get along in front of the others, especially in front of poor Dakota, agreed?”

Applejack spat on her hoof and held it out towards the fashionista, smiling widely. “Yeah, we're gonna be the best of friends tonight!”

“Eugh… So uncouth…. And disgusting.” Rarity eyed the wet appendage with a disgusted look, then glared.

I giggled weakly at their antics, knowing that they will most likely fight a lot tonight, my tentacles sending amused down their connection at the thought.

“.....Those two should just make out already.” Nightmare suddenly spoke up in my head, almost making me break down laughing at how suddenly and seriously that comment came from her.

“Huh…. You know what? I’d ship it.” I agreed with her after a moment of thought. “In some cases, opposites attract, and I'm a big sucker for those.” I admitted, remembering the binder of shame full of various DVDs hidden in my room.

“Dakota?” Alice's voice broke me from my thoughts, the girl holding a spoonful of purple medicine out towards my face. “Here, drink this.”

Sighing, I drank it, scrunching up my face in distaste. “Ugh, really? Ya grabbed that stuff?”

Alice shrugged unapologetically, then gave the others in the room a look. “Alright, everypony, try to keep it down.” She ordered.

“Ah'll be quiet, ah promise.” Applejack promised with a nod, then jerked her head towards Rarity with a frown. “Ah dunno about this drama queen though.”

Rarity bristled at the insult. “Drama queen!? You-!”

“Shut up!” Ash cut her off with an intense glare, making me blink at the purple aura growing around her, nobody else seeming to notice it. “I don't care about whatever kind of feud you two have at the moment, but as the both of you can see here….” She gestured to me with a hoof, taking a deep breath. “Dakota is in all of our hooves tonight. I don't want to worry about you two trying to kill each other over something stupid on top of that.”

Suddenly, Rarity and Applejack wrapped each other in a hug, putting on big smiles. “Feud? We're best friends!” The cowpony nervously assured. “Indeed, darling. I wouldn't ever dream of harming my friend.” Rarity followed suit, nodding as much as she could.

Ash gave them both a long look, then smiled and clapped her hooves together. “Great. Now, can I trust you two to get her a blanket or two from her room?” She all but demanded in the syrupy tone of her voice. “Be mindful of Moss while you're up there, she's been playing those game things all morning and I don't think she'd like to be interrupted.”

Alice leaned in closer to me. “How can Chrysalis play them again?”

“Magic, ah suppose. Those hooves aren't just for show, some kind of invisible force, probably magic, surrounds them and acts like a pseudo hand.” I quietly explained, remembering my exhausting tutoring with Twilight.

“Ah…”

“Last time I checked, Chrysalis was playing Super Mario Sunshine.” I informed with a glance at the time, sniffling a little. “If I had to guess….. She should be hitting the challenge bits right about now, the ones that made me wanna eat my hands outta sheer frustration.” I giggled a little, wishing that I was up there to witness Chrysalis’s torment.

Alice blinked in confusion. “You wanted to eat your hands?”

I shrugged. “Yup…..What? Have you ever been that frustrated with yourself? Knowing how to do the thing, yet somehow not making the jump you need far too many times to count.”

“No. But I think I understand.” Alice giggled at my admission, ruffling my hair with her chitinous hand. “I should probably help them. Chrysalis seems like she'd be a monster in more ways than one while angry.”

We both shared a look. “…..Nah.”

Switch to 3rd POV.

Rarity magically folded one of the two big blankets on Dakota's bed, grinning as she made sure it still looked clean. “It looks like she isn't a fan of being cold.” She noted out loud, noticing that they're thicker than the kind of blanket she usually sees.

Applejack snorted, smirking a little. “Well, that should make sense. She doesn't have any fur on ‘er aside from that mane of her’s.” She then leaned in conspiratorially, her smirk evolving into a confidant smile. “Twenty bits says she'll practically hibernate in here during the winter.”

Rarity gasped putting a hoof up to her mouth in shock. “Gambling? Applejack I thought you were better than that…..” She then smiled back. “You're on.”

“Ggggrrrrraaahhh! This bucking game!” A filly screamed from the room across the hall, earning the duo's attention. “Stupid hooves!”

They both shared a look and went to investigate, finding Moss on a cushion with a controller in her hooves. She looked about as angry as the abridged version of a certain sayian did when he couldn't find the one Namekian Dragonball he needed, her face a bright red as the fat plumber on the screen fell to his death once more off a giant sand bird.

“Buck, Buck, BUCK!” She screamed, throwing the controller, it embedding itself into the TV with a loud crash. “I'M DONE! BUCK THIS GAME AND BUCK THE SADIST WHO THOUGHT THIS LEVEL WAS A GOOD IDEA!”

“Language, dearie.” Rarity cautiously spoke up after the rant, a little fearful of the filly in front of her. “And you really shouldn't break Dakota's things.”

The filly went quiet, slowly turning her head to silently scowl at them. “..... I don't care.” She finally said after a moment, her eyes seeming to glow red for a moment, smiling widely as she ripped the disc out of the console and snapped it in half. “Now I feel much better. Now, what's going on?”

“Er…..” Rarity hesitated, getting a bad feeling from the filly. “Dakota is sick.”

“Oh, well then, I suppose I should help take care of her.” Moss blushed a little at the thought, some romantic fantasies running through her mind. “Just, eh, let's keep quiet about my little…. tantrum, okay?” She smiled a little too sweetly at them.

“Alright, ah suppose.” Applejack agreed for both her and Rarity, catching the vibes the filly gave off and giving the fashionista a pointed look.

“Agreed.”

Half an hour later. Back to Dakota's POV.

I smiled a little as I snuggled a little deeper into my blankets, content with watching the movie Alice put on, chuckling a little as the big white robot did its little hello.

To my left, Applejack and Rarity unhappily sat next to each other on the couch, it forced upon them by a very stern Ash. The both of them tried to argue against it, but eventually accepted their fate, quickly becoming engrossed in the movie once it started.

To my right, Alice and Chrysalis sat on some cushions, a big bowl of popcorn to share with the both of them. Fluffy, the Lagombi, was seated in between them, quietly sneaking armfuls of popcorn from the bowl when she could.

“Where's Nocturne?” I thought to myself, looking around for the sneaky little bat wyvern, before being surprised by him jumping up onto my lap. “That answers that, I guess. Hmm…. I wonder what will happen once he hits full size?” I frowned as the thought came into my head, gently petting my odd pet.

Nightmare snorted. “What do you mean ‘full size?’ Surely it can't get that big.”

“Nighty….. It can, and will, grow to be as big as a house. The same goes for the Lagombi over there. And, if it grows to be a Snowbaron, it can throw snowballs bigger than itself.” I shrugged, another stray thought coming to me. “And, god forbid, if she can breed with normal rabbits….”

“Nighty?”

“That's the only thing ya caught? Fine, it's a mouthful to keep saying your full name, and I think we're buddies now. So I've given you a nickname, do ya hate it or somethin’?”

“Not at all……” Nightmare said, her presence in my head briefly growing a little warmer in response. “It might be pretty amusing to see how equestria would react to giant rabbits suddenly popping up. What about your…. Nargacuga, am I saying it right?”

“Yeah, you're saying it right. Well, about the Nargacuga thing. I'm not too sure. It could be able to breed with a dragon. And since it's pretty young, it's too early to tell if it could be a rarer subspecies of its kind.” I scratched my chin. “It’s definitely not the green one, though. It could even grow into that moon one, given time.”

“Moon one?” Nightmare asked, the word gaining her attention.

“Ugh, I can't remember. I do know that moon is in its name though.” I grumbled a little to myself, knowing that it's gonna bug me all night. “I wonder if my appearance made more than these two to show up….. If there's a Zinogre out there, and it’s friendly, imma pet it.”

“Whatever that thing is, I don't like the sound of it.”

“Heh, you don't know how to have fun. I'd probably try to ride a Gammoth if I had the chance, screaming ‘Bring me closer, Grumpy! I wish to hit them with my sword!’ while it stomped around town.”

“.....You're insane.” She deadpanned with a laugh.

“Hey, life tends to be more interesting if you allow some insanity into it.” I sagely nodded at my little piece of wisdom. “Even a few geniuses back home were called insane.”

Nightmare snorted. “And would you call riding a massive carnivorous lizard genius?”

“.......Yes.” I said after a moment of silence.

“Well, good luck with that.” She giggled at me.

Next thing I knew, the movie has been over for a few minutes. Blinking a little as I became a little more aware of my surroundings, just now realizing that everyone was playing truth or dare just in front of me. Each of them taking a seat around my coffee table.

Trixie smirked triumphantly once her turn came around. “Alright, Alice, truth or dare?”

Alice tapped her chin, faking indecisiveness. “Dare, bring it on.”

The magician pointed her hoof in the direction of the kitchen. “Trixie, er, I dare you to grab a handful of ice and hold it till it melts.” She said with an evil smirk. “How's that for my worst?”

“It isn't all that bad, all things considered.” Alice shrugged nonchalantly, headed towards the kitchen to grab the ice.

Shaking my head, I smiled, sneezing once before gaining their attention. “Hey, what about me? I want to join.” I spoke up in Equish, coughing a little. “I no do dare, jush trush. I no think I can get up wishout getting sick on fIoor.” I grimaced at the sudden wave of nausea, placing a hand on my belly.

“I suppose that's fine. Just let Alice translate for you, okay? Looks like Equish doesn't help your throat any.” Ash hesitantly allowed, her wings shifting a little. “You were completely out of it for that movie… So, if you get any worse, I'm flying you over to the hospital, storm or no storm.”

I weakly giggled at the serious look she gave me. “I be fine. Jush a cold, shoul’ be better in mornin’.” I shook my head, noticing that Alice returned with the ice. “You're gonna be translating for me.” I informed her, shuffling in my chair a bit to wrap myself a little tighter in the blanket.

“Oh, I've heard.” Alice smiled evilly, then pointed at me. “Dakota, what is your greatest weakness?”

“Kingdom Hearts.” I said without hesitation, giggling a little at everyone's blank looks. “Yeah, yeah, I know that you girls don't know what that is. But it is my greatest weakness, even though the plot of the whole thing is complicated as all get out.”

“What is Kingdom Hearts?” Applejack asked once I finished my little explanation.

“It is a story for another time. Now, since it's my turn, Applejack, truth or dare.” I smirked evilly, Nightmare laughing uncontrollably at my plan if she chose dare.

“Awww, ah guess ya will have to tell me later. Dare.”

“I dare you to kiss Rarity…… On the lips.” I stuck my tongue out at her, Alice barely managing to translate over her own laughter. That stunned everypony into silence, Alice and I's giggles being the only noises in the room.

Applejack’s eye twitched, her mouth still hanging open in shock. “Nope, ah’m not doing that.”

Ash snickered, hiding her grin behind a wing. “You have to do it, it's the rules.”

“Not helping.” Applejack grumbled, leveling an unamused glare at the offending pony.

“Not trying to.”

Rarity chose this moment to snap out of her stupor. “What!? I'm not agreeing to this! I'd rather kiss a diamond dog!”

“Not your dare, besides it's just a kiss.” Ash happily pointed out. “Back home, my friends and I used to do much worse.”

“Still not helping.”

“Still not trying to.”

Applejack turned her glare towards me, then deflated with a small smile at my giggles, deciding to make a joke. “Ah guess this takes a whole new meanin’ to kiss an’ make up, huh?”

Almost everyone started to laugh like crazy, the almost meaning that Rarity was stunned back into silence at how lightly everyone was taking this, her face turning a bright pink despite her thick fur. “Uh, uh, uh…..” She tried to speak, only for her to be unable to form words.

After a few moments of laughter, Applejack then turned back to Rarity and leaned across the table and gave her a hard look. “Now, don't tell anypony about this.” Was all she said before mashing her mouth against the fashionista’s, the act making Rarity practically melt at the intensity of it.

After about a minute, Applejack detached from her and sat back down, breathing heavily and giving me a satisfied smile. “That good enough fer all y'all?” She asked after a moment, heartily laughing at my surprised look.

Rarity’s seemed to glow red at this point, her eyes glazed over and her mouth still open. Then she fell over, her head safely landing on a pillow that Trixie quickly placed down. Ash openly gaped at the scene, a deep blush on her cheeks. “I don't suppose you'll want to get a drink sometime?” She curiously, her wings flared out and stiff.

“Ah’ll think about it.” Applejack giggled, sending a wink her way.

Meanwhile……

A dark figure shimmered into existence outside Dakota’s home, staring at the human through the window. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it flickered, reappearing many miles away and into the cultist chamber in the caverns below Canterlot. Like a spider stalking its prey, it snuck up on the famed Solaire, the pony going over a few things on his special podium.

“Boo!” The shadow growled out from behind the pony, earning a few golden spears through its body in retaliation.

Solaire calmly turned around and examined the thing that dared to intrude upon the sanctity of his chamber. “Nice try, servant of the darkness, you'll need to try better than that.” He sneered, the spears flaring a bright gold.

“Hehehe….. That would've hurt, if there was anything to harm.” The shadow laughed, confusing the pony. “Nevertheless, I come with an offer that might appeal to you.” It said as the spears fell through it's constantly shifting body.

Solaire frowned and attempted to throw more spears at his target, being interrupted by the shadow grabbing him by his throat and lifting him up. “Wh-what?” He choked out, uselessly flailing his hooves at the thing.

“Listen!” It commanded, squeezing harder. “Would you rather I just hollow you out and use you as my meat suit?” It threatened.

Solaire quickly stopped struggling, the shadow dropping him once he did so. “A-Alright, what do you want?”

The shadow would've smiled, if it could've. “I want Dakota, alive, and the items that Luna has on lockdown. If you do all that for me…. Well, let's just say that I will grant your greatest desire.” It informed sinisterly, a black sun forming in its clawed hands. “Being an equal to your precious princess.”

Solaire looked greedily at the sun, then raised a skeptical brow. “How will you do that?”

“Once I have her back under my control, making you a king is well within my power.” It assured.

Against every feeling he had about this being, Solaire held out a hoof. “I suppose I'll agree. I'm Solare, head of the royal guards. What should I call you?”

The shadow shook the hoof. “Dust. Just call me Dust.”

Here's a little short, because I feel like it.

With a wide smile, I delicately helped my tentacles shape some clouds in the shape of reindeer, cloud reigns attached to the sleigh behind them. Humming a little Christmas song, I didn't notice Alice come up behind me, dressed as an elf.

“Hey, what are you doing?” She curiously asked. “Making Santa's sleigh?”

“Yup. This world doesn't have Christmas, though it does have this thing called Hearths Warming, which I think is pretty cool with its history and all.” I shrugged and continued with my work.

Alice nodded. “Yeah, I knew that. But why are you doing this?” She then noticed that one of the finished reindeer moved. “You aren't…..”

“Yup.”

“No. You are not.” Alice denied me, crossing her arms. “You aren't even all that sneaky, you're just gonna make everyone freak out over you breaking into their homes!”

“I totally am.”

“....you've been planning this for a while, haven't you?”

“Yup. Now go and let me have my Nightmare Before Christmas moment.”

“You know what? Fine, just let me join in.” Alice sighed.

The next day, everyone in ponyville woke up to a decorated pine tree in their home, about three presents per pony sitting just underneath the tree. There was mass confusion for a bit, but eventually they all accepted that particular brand of weirdness as harmless, seeing as they all magically got what was on the top of their wishlist.