Fusions of Harmonyby daOtterGuyChaptersAfter the WeddingCharityCastle ShenanigansA Beginner's Guide to DungeoneeringList of FusionsAfter the WeddingIt was the night of the Canterlot Wedding. After blasting Chrysalis to a place far far away, Shining Armor and Princess mi Amore Cadenza were wed. It was a lovely affair and the reception soon followed. A pony would wonder how the reception had even been put together with all of the Changelings mucking about, but thanks to a certain bouncy pink mare, the wedding reception was everything it was intended to be and more. Between the copious amount of streamers and surprisingly elegant display of food this would be a reception talked about for a long time yet to come. Ponies danced and laughed as they ate the pastries set up along the tables. DJ P0N3, Vinyl Scratch, had created a fantastic music line up for the evening that had everypony on the dance. Everypony was enjoying the night. That is all except for one. If one cared to look in an unassuming corner of the garden, they would happen upon a yellow Pegasus huddled meekly in the corner. Said Pegasus was Fluttershy. Throughout the night, ponies had congratulated her, as well as her friends in their part in repelling the Changeling invasion. Ponies would shake her hoof or hug her tightly thanking profusely for having saved them. She hated it. Or rather disliked it as Fluttershy tried to avoid using such a strong word. As less ponies began to thank her, she started to quietly slip away from the crowds until eventually she found herself literally backed into a corner. After the last few ponies who had noticed her said their words, she finally found herself thankfully alone. It had occurred to her that maybe she had a problem. A rather large problem. It wasn’t a big deal though. She could function normally. As long as there weren’t many ponies. Looking at her. She shook her head to dislodge any wayward thoughts and decided to partake in one of her favourite pastimes: observation. She saw Twilight next to Princess Celestia. The two were enjoying a moment alone without throngs of ponies clamouring for their attention. Applejack was speaking with one of her cousins who come from Trottingham. They both held a mug of cider and taking gulps of the hard liquor every few moments. Rainbow Dash was showing off to the Wonderbolts, probably trying to get them to ask her to join them. Or trying to get them to make her their leader. Fluttershy was never sure which role Rainbow wanted. Rarity was talking with the some of the nobility off to the side. Fluttershy presumed that she was attempting to sell her latest work or at the very least acquire a few more connections to expand her business. It a while, but Fluttershy also stumbled upon Pinkie who was running rapidly between guests making sure everypony was enjoying themselves. Fluttershy felt a twinge of envy for her friends. They could talk to other ponies without fear. They could have normal conversations without hiding behind something. She was jealous for their ability to ignore their eyes. Their judging eyes… Too many eyes. Fluttershy felt herself begin to hyperventilate and feared that she was about to have a panic attack. She remembered a technique Rarity had taught her a few weeks back to calm down. Close your eyes Fluttershy. Okay, good! Take deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out … With every breath she took, Fluttershy began to feel herself getting back to normal. When the final panicked breath dissipated she opened her eyes once more. She thought now was the time to leave. She trotted as quickly and quietly as possible towards the nearest gate leaving the gardens. She kept her head low to avoid being spotted. Just keep moving, just keep moving, just keep mov- “Fluttershy, darling, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy spun around in a panic. Her eyes were wide in fear until she saw a surprised Rarity. She took a deep breath and meekly replied. “I’m sorry Rarity, you startled me. I was just about to leave.” “Startled you? How could I have startled you? And what do you mean you were about to leave? I realize that it is getting rather late, but I assumed we would all leave together.” Fluttershy retreated into her mane, “Well the thing is, um, that it is getting quite late, and it really has been quite a long day with the Changelings and the wedding.” “I understand darling, but you simply must come with me to say goodbye to everypony. At least say goodbye to your friends.” “Oh no, that’s fine. I wouldn’t want to disturb anypony while they were having fun.” “Fluttershy I hardly feel saying goodbye is going to disrupt them.” “But well, um, I just want to go back to the castle if you don’t mind.” “But, darling, I DO mind. I would never want you to leave here alone.” “Well, um, it’s just I want to be alone.” Rarity blinked and finally comprehension dawned on her face, “Oh, Fluttershy are you having one of-“ Rarity leaned in closer and whispered “-‘those’, again?” Fluttershy bit her lip nervously and nodded. “Oh, Fluttershy, I thought we were making progress?” Fluttershy slid further into her mane. “We are. It’s just, um, I, well, still can’t handle everything.” Rarity sighed, “Fluttershy, after talking with you about this for so long I do understand it’s just-” Rarity stroked her mane with a hoof “-you can’t just keep running away like this.” Fluttershy stood silent trying to keep her fear in control. Rarity looked helplessly around hoping to find an answer. She noticed a small part of the dance floor forgotten to the ponies clamouring around the bride and groom. A light bulb went off in her mind. “Oh Fluttershy,” Rarity said with as much silk in her voice as she could muster. “How about we dance?” Fluttershy shot right up, her fears momentarily forgotten. “I-i-i-i-i can’t. I can’t dance, and I can’t be around that many ponies, and I-i-i, I just can’t Rarity.” “Oh nonsense, darling,” Rarity grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof. “It will be delightful.” Fluttershy tried to escape from Rarity’s, surprisingly, iron-tight grip only to find herself on the dance floor. Admittedly it was fairly deserted and most ponies weren’t around with the exception of one exceptionally pink pony who was very happy to see her there. At least somepony besides me is. Despite this she started to feel panic take hold of her. She felt herself begin to shiver and her eyes to dart around looking for an escape. “Now Fluttershy, I know you- Fluttershy! Fluttershy. Look at me.” Fluttershy looked at Rarity. There she found an anchor; Something to hold onto. “Now Fluttershy, darling, just forget about other ponies. Just focus on me.” Fluttershy focused. She drowned everything around. She ignored the approach of her friends. She tuned out the revelry around her. She forgot about the hardships and triumphs of the day. Her she felt the world ebb away until there was nothing, but her, Rarity, the music, and a small part of the garden that seemed made only for them. Rarity smiled. “Now just follow my lead.” Rarity began to sway her hips back and forth. Though nervous and more than hesitant, Fluttershy followed the movement. Rarity stepped towards Fluttershy and walked or rather glided to the side of her. Fluttershy copied the movement in the opposite direction. One step. Two step. A foreleg forward, then a foreleg back. Rarity’s grin widened and she started to maneuver Fluttershy into spins and sashays. As they continued the movements became more complicated, more free. Soon the nervousness that Fluttershy felt slipped away. She even began to enjoy herself. As the music neared its end, Rarity pulled her in for the final dip. As she fell, Fluttershy felt light. And saw light. Literally, because for some reason everything was really bright. For some reason though, Fluttershy didn’t feel anxious about it. She actually seemed to find peace with it. It was like being enveloped in a soft motherly embrace. Soon the light receded. She felt everything come back into place. They felt an indescribable feeling of happiness. They felt the presence of each other. They felt confusion over why they referred to themselves as ‘they’. Finally they took in their surroundings. Firstly they were confused by the new view they seemingly saw. Then they saw themselves in a mirror. The expected reflection of Fluttershy/Rarity was not what it was supposed to be. Where they should be was now taken up by a rather tall Pegasus with very bright blue eyes. . She had a bright yellow coat and long flowing pink hair with bold purple streaks. Vines covered her in latticework, but did not impede the large fluffy wings the mare possessed. The most interesting thing was her Cutie Mark. It was a bouquet of pink butterflies with diamond hearts. “What? Why are- How are-” They were bewildered by their current predicament. Then they noticed everypony else. They saw their friends blinking frequently trying to process what they were seeing. They saw the Princesses trying to keep their ever present poker faces. They saw the guests looking at them. Staring at them. Judging them. Too many eyes… “No!” A bright flash of light and Fluttershy and Rarity tumbled apart. They looked at each other. Rarity shot a question with her eyes to Fluttershy, What happened? Fluttershy blinked. She didn’t know, but… She kind of liked it. CharityThere was dead silence in the garden. Everypony was staring at Fluttershy and Rarity, the former of which was trying very hard to make herself as small as possible. Thankfully Celestia had ruled for hundreds of years, so she knew exactly what to do to diffuse the situation: she stomped her hooves. “Oh splendid my little ponies!” - Celestia laughed happily - “I had heard from my faithful student that you had been working on magic trick, but I never knew you would perform it here at the wedding.” Everypony stared blankly at Celestia including Fluttershy and Rarity. The silence was deafening. “Oh, why yes Princess!” -Rarity chimed in, cluing in- “Fluttershy and I have been toiling away to perfect this trick just to entertain the crowd for tonight. Right, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy was silent. Rarity coughed, “Right, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy meeped and started shaking nervously. Rarity’s right eye began to twitch. Celestia laughed, “Well it was simply marvelous, wasn’t it everypony?” A few in the crowd began to laugh awkwardly hoping to diffuse the situation. “Now I know most ponies would probably wish to see the trick again, but after such an exciting day I am sure they are tired.” Celestia turned to Twilight, “My most Faithful student, would you and the other Bearers care to guide Fluttershy and Rarity back to their rooms?” Twilight was staring blankly at her two friends. “I said, could you and the other Bearers guide Rarity and Fluttershy back to their rooms?” Twilight blinked. Celestia coughed loudly, “Twilight.” No response. Finally Celestia had had enough and smacked her in the back of the head with an outstretched wing. “42!” -Celestia repressed the urge to facehoof- “I mean, yes, of course Princess!” Twilight looked back and forth confused then up at Celestia, “What did you ask me to do again Princess?” Celestia’s smile tightened just a fraction, “You and the Bearers taking Rarity and Fluttershy back to the castle.” “Oh, of course Princess!” Twilight said enthusiastically, “Bye BBBFF and Cadance.” The two aforementioned ponies waved back. “Come on girls let’s head back.” Twilight trotted quickly over to Fluttershy and grabbed her. Fluttershy for her part put up little resistance. Rarity followed shortly afterwards smiling to the other wedding guests and giving her goodbyes. Rainbow Dash grudgingly flew after them even though she would miss out on more time with the Wonderbolts. Pinkie Pie bounced happily after them, grinning from ear to ear. Applejack looked at her drink and hawked it over to the nearest pony deciding that she had had enough cider for one day. As the Bearers left, Celestia exclaimed, “Now everypony let’s continue the party!” Twilight Sparkle woke up in her bedroom in the guest quarters of the castle. Coffee was definitely a priority this morning. She rolled out of her rather large bed and grabbed the curtains to her bay window with her magic. She yanked them open and gazed out at her view of the gardens. She could see the entire layout including the maze from her vantage point. Her smile was drowned out by a huge yawn. She turned around looking for someone in particular. At the foot of her bed, she found her number one assistant Spike sleeping soundly in his basket. “Spike,” -Twilight nudged him with a hoof- “Time to wake up.” Spike grumbled and turned over. Twilight rolled her eyes and grabbed a nearby hairbrush in her magic. She trotted over to the en suite bathroom and started to brush out her mane. She noticed a note on the counter. Dear Twilight, As I know that you will be tired after such a long day yesterday and you will most likely wish to study what had happened last night with the Elements of Kindness and Generosity, I ask that you tell me your findings after today’s Day Court. Do not worry about those ponies that had witnessed the event last night. I have handled them accordingly. Also, Cadance and Shining have left for their Honeymoon and wished me to tell you to fare well. Have a good morning my most faithful student. -Princess Celestia Twilight blinked. Last night? she thought. She went over everything that happened. Talking to her brother and Cadance, speaking with Princess Celestia, Rarity and Fluttershy becoming one pony… Twilight’s eyes threatened to leave their sockets as they became impossibly wide. She galloped out of the bathroom yelling “SPIKE!” Spike jumped from his basket, “Twilight! Is something wrong? Are we being attacked by the Changelings again?” “No, Spike. I need you to gather up writing supplies and meet me in the library down the hall.” Spike groaned, “You woke me up this early to go to the library?” “Yes!” Twilight exclaimed. “We have so much to do and very little time to do it.” Spike let out another groan, but Twilight wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes had gotten a sparkle in them and that could only mean one thing. She was ready to experiment. Surprisingly nopony had put up a fuss as she woke them up and hussled them to the library with a quick pit stop for some muffins and coffee. She had thought at least Rainbow Dash would put up a fuss, but apparently she was just as excited as Twilight was. The library was untouched by the Changeling invasion. The walls were lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves all laden with heavy tomes. There were several tables and chairs around the ground floor, but Twilight opted to go to an area with a large amount of space to replicate the event from last night. Twilight excitedly yanked a large blackboard on wheels over to the group in case they needed it. She had Spike ready take down notes as well. “So is everypony” - Twilight nodded her head towards her assistant - “and Spike accounted for.” There were various affirmations from everyone. “Okay, excellent,” -Twilight grabbed a piece of chalk with her magic- “Now first off-” “Can somepony please explain what’s going on?” Everypony turned towards Spike. Twilight was confused and then remembered that Spike had turned in early because of the events of the day. “Oh right! Sorry Spike I forgot that you hadn’t been there. Well you see Rarity and Fluttershy fused into one pony while they were dancing last night.” “Oh okay. Well then- WAIT WHAT?!” Spike yelled. “Did you say Rarity and Fluttershy fused into one pony?” Rarity replied, “Why yes Spike, I had convinced Fluttershy to go out onto the dance floor with me and at the end we somehow became one pony.” Spike’s jaw threatened to hit the floor. He then closed his mouth and groaned, “I can’t believe I missed that.” “Aw, its alright Spike,” Twilight said, “We’ll probably have them do the same thing later.” “Really?” Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy said, though the latter two phrased it more in disbelief. “Well of course. You can’t get results without conducting tests. Now, could you-” “HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!” Pinkie Pie interrupted excitedly. Everypony was startled at Pinkie Pie’s sudden response. Her smile was so wide it looked like it would tear her face in two. Twilight coughed, “Yes, that is what I was going to ask.” Rarity and Fluttershy glanced at each other. Fluttershy spoke hesitantly, “Well, um, we don’t really know.” Rarity continued, “Well, I had just convinced” - Fluttershy glared slightly - “well truth be told, dragged Fluttershy out to dance. We started to move in sync with each other and then eventually we just” -Rarity waved a hoof as she trailed off- “became one I suppose.” Twilight thought a moment. She had never heard of this happening before and she wasn’t entirely sure what had caused it. The obvious conclusion was that dancing caused it, but something else was involved or this would surely have happened before. Twilight had some suspicions as to what that other thing ,or rather things, could be, but she was hesitant to draw any conclusions at this stage. “I suppose at this point Rarity and Fluttershy should just do whatever they did last night, so we can see if it can be replicated.” “Okay,” Fluttershy said. Everypony was startled by Fluttershy’s willingness as she was usually the most hesitant of their group. Rarity was the first to speak, “Really?” “Yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “Now, sugarcube,” Applejack started, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but ya tend to not want to try stuff like this.” “Yeah Shy. This is kind of weird coming from you,” Applejack glared at Rainbow, “What? It’s true.” “Yeah Fluttershy. I’m super duper happy to see you want to do the ah, um, what do you call it?” Pinkie Pie asked. Everypony turned to Twilight. She thought for a moment, “Fusion.” “Yeah fusion! But you don’t usually go first to try stuff like this.” “Well, um, I actually like it.” Fluttershy said. Everypony was shocked by this. Twilight was the first to speak again, “Well as long as Rarity is okay with it.” “It’s perfectly fine, darling.” “Okay then. Try to replicate what you did last night.” Rarity and Fluttershy nodded and trotted to different sides of the room. Rarity started by prancing towards the center with a flip of her mane. Fluttershy followed suite more sedately. When they met both ponies turned in opposite directions and circled each other. As they walked around each other, they came closer together. When they could get no closer, Rarity grabbed Fluttershy and twirled her around on one hoof. She then drew Fluttershy close to her. There was a bright flash of light, Twilight noted that the light was actually made up of individual glowing butterflies, and the Pegasus from last night stood where Fluttershy and Rarity had been before. Everypony stared wide eyed. Rainbow Dash and Spike were the first to break the silence, “That. Was. AWESOME!” “I wanna try”, Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Well, at least ah know it wasn’t the cider,” Applejack mumbled. “This is so amazing,” Twilight exclaimed gleefully, “This has never happened to any other pony before. I wasn’t sure if what had happened last night had actually happened, but now we know for sure” “Well Twilight as you can see we are right here.” Everypony went silent and stared at the smiling Pegasus who had just spoken. “‘We?’” Applejack asked skeptically. The strange Pegasus nodded her head. “We do refer to oneself as such.” “But aren’t you just Rarity and Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash questioned. “That is a part of us, yes.” Something clicked in Twilight’s brain, “You’re an entirely different pony.” “Yes” -Pinkie Pie gasped loudly- “But we are also not quite just ‘myself’.” “What do ya mean?” Applejack questioned. “Well, we are the sum parts of both Fluttershy and Rarity, and their elements.” “So this does have something to do with the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked The Pegasus nodded and everypony gasped. “So are y’all like a weird combination of Fluttershy and Rares?” “That is correct.” “That’s so cool!” Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly. “Wait. What did you mean when you said ‘the sum parts’?,” Twilight interjected. “Are you only partly our friends?” “Yes, as it is almost impossible to truly be everything that is both ponies. I am primarily Fluttershy’s gentle nature and Rarity’s giving nature.” “So does that mean you’re like both Kindness and Generosity and you make like some sort of super Element?” Pinkie asked. The Pegasus smiled warmly, “Yes, we are the sum total of both Kindness and Generosity or as you may call me Charity, but we are not a ‘super Element’ as you so put.” “So are you a different Element of Harmony all together or just the fusion of them?” twilight asked. “We are not sure.” “How can y’all not be sure?” “We are not entirely our own being. We are made up of both Fluttershy and Rarity, therefore we cannot know more then what they already know.” “So you’re a new pony, but not really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We suppose you could say that, yes.” “Well that does make some sense,” Twilight agreed,”Is there anything else that makes you different other than your personality?” “Using our magic, we can increase the natural abilities of anypony.” Dead silence. “WHAT?!” “That. Is. So. AWESOME!” Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all said together “Okay, wait one darn single minute,” Applejack moved towards Charity. “Y’all mean to tell me that ya can just zap somepony and make them do better than they could on their own?” “Yes.” “Horsefeathers.” Pinkie, Rainbow, and Spike looked aghast. Charity simply smiled, “Would you like us to prove this to you?” Applejack glared at Charity and asked, “If y’all used your magic on me, what would it do?” “We presume, as your natural ability is applebucking, that your strength would become tremendous.” Applejack nodded and walked over to a bare wall nearby. She bucked it with her hind legs. Nothing happened. “If after y’all use your crazy magic thingy and I can dent this wall, then I’ll believe ya.” The Pegasus nodded, closed her eyes and raised her wings. She mumbled something under her breath and a turbulence of air swirled underneath her wings. After a moment had passed, she hurled her wings forward and blew the winds towards Applejack. Immediately Applejack’s Cutie Mark began to glow softly. Undaunted, Applejack looked to Charity. The Pegasus nodded. Applejack nodded back and then raised her hindlegs. She kicked the wall. CRACK. A hole appeared where Applejack had kicked it. Applejack was stunned. “Buh, wuh-what? It actually worked?!” The others became very excited. “It’s like an ability right out of my comic books!” “OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh,” Pinkie Pie practically vibrated with excitement. “Does this mean I can be like super strong like Applejack and buck through walls because that would be so cool!” “Does that mean I can be even more awesome then I am now? Because then I would be like even MORE AWESOME!” Twilight had just retreated into her own mind as she thought of the possibilities and benefits of this discovery. “Well, we are glad that you all seem to so excited for our abilities.” Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Yes, thank you, um,” Twilight stopped. “What should we call you?” “Simply Charity will suffice.” Pinkie Pie gasped, “You can’t do that! Charity is what you are. You’re a pony, which means you have to have a name.” “Yeah, and you’re like a superpony so you have to have a cool name,” Spike added enthusiastically. “We suppose that we must then choose a name,” -the Pegasus glanced at her Cutie Mark- “How about... Bouquet?” Twilight smiled. “Alright Bouquet, thank you. Now can we have Fluttershy and Rarity back?” “Of course.” With a smile and a flash of light, Fluttershy and Rarity appeared once more. Both mares were a little flushed as if they had just went for a long run. “Well that was exhilarating if I do say so myself,” Rarity said. “Oh, yes that was very nice,” Fluttershy added. “Well girls I think that’s enough for today, I need to let Celestia know what we’ve learned.” She then took on a more serious tone, “Alright, now I think we can presume that we can all fuse with each other, but we have no idea what pony will appear, so I don’t want anypony to fuse until we can do so in a more controlled environment.” The group gave various confirmations. “Okay girls, we’ll meet up tomorrow again after Breakfast. For now let’s go enjoy Canterlot.” There was a general cheer among the ponies as they left the Library and headed towards Canterlot proper. Pinkie Pie opened the door as quietly as possible and slipped in, closing the door behind her. She was in one of the bedrooms located in the guest wing of the Castle. The only source of light was from the moon shining through the window. A large bed wa situated in the center of the room with a dresser across from it. There was a built in bench underneath the window and a door in a corner of the room led into an en suite bathroom. Everything was identical to Pinkie’s, and presumably the others’, bedrooms. Pinkie Pie crawled slowly forward towards the bed, keeping her body low to the ground. When she was in range she wiggled her rump a little and then jumped onto the sleeping form of the pony laying sprawled on top. A startled Rainbow Dash bolted upright in bed and screamed. “Hiya Dashie!” “Buh-wuh, Pinkie?!” Rainbow spluttered, “What are you doing here?” “Weeeeeeeeeeeell, I was thinking we could do the thing!” Rainbow Dash blinked, “What thing?” “Fusion!” “Didn’t Twilight say not to?” Pinkie waved a hoof, “Oh come on Dashie. I know you really want to. Besides fusion is so cool! I want to know what super crazy powers we would get if we fused and I figured you would be the best first fusion partner I could have.” Rainbow Dash grinned cockily, “Well, you did pick the most awesome pony to fuse with.” Pinkie grinned, “So are you going to fuse with me?” Rainbow shrugged, “sure why not, but only if we don’t do any of that really girly dancing Fluttershy and Rarity did.” “Deal.” Both Pinkie and Dash got off of the bed and stood at opposite ends of the room. Rainbow stood up on her hind legs and made a thrusting motion up, while wiggling her eyebrows. Pinkie laughed and then began to trot back and forth. Both mares moved towards each other in sync. Dash would jerk her arms and lock them into positions, while Pinkie would enthusiastically bounce up and down, while tapping her hooves on the floor. When they met each other Pinkie went in front and Dash behind. Pinkie did a quick trot forward and back, while Dash jerked left then right. Pinkie turned and Dash grabbed her. Rainbow then swung her around in a half turn and dipped. A red mist enveloped them. The mist swirled around them until it formed a perfect sphere and then burst. Left behind with mist clinging to him was a Pegasus Stallion. His wings were sharp and powerful, built for high speeds. His coat was a dusty violet and eyes a dark blue. His mane was spiked haphazardly around his face and was red with pink tips. His Cutie Mark were were two rainbow coloured arrows turning into each other in a circle. There was also a strange, red cloud roughly half the size of the stallion bouncing excitedly around him. Stallion grinned and a sparkle of mischief glinted in his eyes. “Come on Dusty let’s see what trouble we can cause.” The Pegasus brushed a wing against the floor and a hole appeared. The stallion grinned wildly and cannonballed into it yelling, “Geronimo!” The cloud known as “Dusty” bounced happily up and down and followed after the Pegasus as the hole closed behind him. Author's Note Hey guys here's chapter 2! Thanks to those who like the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it. I have a friend working on editing the chapters, but rather slowly, so I'll post the chapters as I finish them and do personal edits until my bud catches up. When my friend finished editing I'll do one more personal edit then repost the chapter. I did take people's suggestions and hopefully the writing in this chapter will be improved from the last. I should keep improving though so bare with my rather amateurish writing. Welp its 3: 30 am and I'm tired so I hope you guys enjoy the story. ~night ... ~morning Castle ShenanigansApplejack worked on a farm. Anypony who knew her for more than a minute could have drawn that conclusion. Whether it was the cowpony hat, the country drawl, or the Cutie Mark, it was fairly obvious. This would of course explain why, in her circle of friends, she was the first to wake up and get out of bed. As she was usually the first one up, she was also the pony who usually made breakfast for the rest. Applejack left her bedroom and made her way to the kitchen near the bedrooms. The kitchen was surprisingly rustic with a simple stove, fridge, and countertop. Cupboards lined one side of the room and hung overtop the appliances. Sunlight lit up the kitchen and bathed it in a golden glow. It was also, surprisingly, devoid of chefs. This was most in part to Twilight who had insisted that between Spike, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, there was no need for personal chefs during their stay. So as Applejack entered the kitchen, she decided that she would make apple pancakes for everypony. One could make a joke about how Applejack could only make apple based food, but the pancakes were too good to be making such distasteful comments. Apple pancakes of course require ingredients that are refrigerated, so Applejack opened the fridge door to grab the necessities. She was then assaulted by a cream pie to the face and an explosion of confetti. Applejack blinked underneath her cream pie facial. “Buh wuh, what in tarnation?” Applejack heard the faint sound of giggles nearby. Applejack drew her eyebrows together, or the best she could covered in cream pie and yelled, “PINKIE! RAINBOW!” Shortly after Applejack, Fluttershy awoke. Fluttershy worked as an animal caretaker/veterinarian, and was used to waking up early to feed various early risers that she kept in her cottage. If she was too be honest, despite being up early, Fluttershy had had the best sleep inside the castle then she had in a while, mostly thanks to not having to wake up and feed the nocturnals in her care. Fluttershy stretched and got of bed, sighing contentedly all the while. She had this feeling that this morning was going to be wonderful and she would start it off great with a nice, long brushing of her mane. She opened the door to be greeted by a grinning Wolverine. Fluttershy slammed the door and screamed, or as loud as she could. Laughter reverberated in the room as the Wolverine pushed open the door, which had not been slammed close as this was Fluttershy, and chased after her. Rarity was startled awake. She tore off her sleeping mask and looked around trying to find the source of the scream she thought she had heard. She caught the sound of thumping coming from the wall behind her. This confused Rarity as she knew that the room beyond belonged to Fluttershy, and Fluttershy wasn’t known for being loud. Rarity shook her head and decided that it was probably nothing. Knowing that she couldn’t go back to sleep after waking up, Rarity got out of bed and trotted over to her en suite bathroom. Inside was a small, but cozy bathroom with a toilet, vanity and large tub with a shower head above the taps. She immediately turned the taps and pulled the tab in the faucet to start a shower. She got into the tub and enjoyed the steady warmth that seeped into her from the hot water. She grabbed her personal shampoo bottle, not noticing that it was, in fact, not her shampoo bottle or even shampoo. She lathered her mane with the not shampoo, washed it out, and wrapped a towel around herself before stepping out of the tub. After stepping out of the shower and ensuring the water was turned off, Rarity levitated a nearby hairbrush and began to groom her luxurious mane. As she came in front of the mirror, she noticed something was off. It took her a few seconds, but she realized what was wrong. Her mane. It was Pink. Riotous laughter followed the ear splitting scream. This coincidentally, woke up both Spike and Twilight from their sleep. Both looked bewildered as they looked around their room. Finding nothing, they turned to each other and shrugged. Spike yawned loudly and asked, “Hey Twilight, can I just head over to the kitchen and start on breakfast?” Twilight waved a hoof absently, “Yeah, go ahead Spike.” Spike nodded and hopped out of his basket. As he opened the door to leave their shared bedroom, he was drenched in a waterfall of ice cold water. Both residents blinked. Twilight hid her laugh behind her right hoof. “It seems you’re all washed up, Spike.” Spike started shivering but still managed to add the right amount of snark to, “yeah, yeah, hardy har har, what a laugh.” “Well, I’ll go grab a towel from the bathroom, so I can dry you off.” As Twilight opened the door to the ensuite bathroom, she was also drenched in much the same way as Spike. Twilight started shivering. Spike started laughing along with another. Needless to say when the the group finally arrived and sat down to eat less than stellar apple pancakes, nopony was happy. Applejack looked around at her group of friends. Twilight was dripping water onto her pancakes and her mane was drooped around her. Rarity was smiling unnervingly with a pink mane for some reason, and attacking her pancakes with a fork and knife rather vehemently. Fluttershy was all too calm as she ate her pancakes and fed pieces to a Wolverine that was wagging its tail happily at being fed the tiny morsels. Deciding that she wasn’t ready to ask Rarity and Fluttershy who were acting far too calm, she instead turned to Twilight. “So, why are ya dripping all over the place, Twi?” Twilight narrowed her eyes and glared at her pancakes seemingly willing them to burst into flames. “Somepony dumped water on Spike and I, and for some reason there were no towels anywhere in the vicinity. I had Spike go and fetch some towels from elsewhere.” Applejack nodded and then turned to Rarity. “Why is your mane pink?” Rarity’s smile grew strained, “whatever do you mean, darling? My mane is purple.” “No, it’s pink.” “Purple.” “Rarity, Ah might not be some fancy dress maker, but Ah can tell your mane is-” Rarity stabbed her knife into the table. “PURPLE. My mane is purple, and it will always be purple, and it has never not been PURPLE.” Everypony stopped what they were doing for a moment to stare at Rarity. “Well, uh, yeah. Ya know, you’re right it’s definitely purple. Must ‘ave been the light.” Rarity nodded, “Well, of course, darling. No harm done.” Applejack reminded herself never to mess with Rarity’s hair and then turned to Fluttershy, why is there a Wolverine at the table?” “He was in my bathroom.” Rarity and Twilight stopped to stare at Fluttershy with Applejack. Fluttershy looked slightly flustered at the attention. Rarity spoke next, “Fluttershy, darling? Why was there a Wolverine in your bathroom.” “Well, um, I don’t really know. He was really hungry, though, so after calming him down, I brought him down here so he could eat something.” “The Wolverine-” Twilight began. “Barney.” Fluttershy interrupted. “Ya named the Wolverine?” “No, he named himself.” “And he chose ‘Barney’?” “Yes.” “That’s one of the dumbest things Ah’ve ever heard.” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. Twilight sighed. “Well, regardless, how does a Wolverine just appear in somepony’s bathroom?” “Well, Ah don’t know how, but Ah’m sure it was Pinkie and Rainbow.” Rarity sighed. “Well, pranks are something those two are rather fond of.” “Considering they haven’t shown up for breakfast yet, I think we can safely assume that’s the case and that this isn’t over.” Twilight said. Right on a cue a single-tiered cake seemingly fell from nowhere and landed directly in the centre of the table. It was coated in pink frosting, and had several candles arranged around it in a circle. There was a letter on top of the cake. Twilight grabbed the message from the cake in her magic and flicked the stray icing off. She opened the message and read aloud: “‘Meet us in the dungeons.’” The cake promptly exploded. Everypony was covered in pink icing and cake batter. Barney proceeded to first lick all the cake off of his face and then Fluttershy’s. Nopony was amused. At that time Spike arrived carrying several towels and surveyed the damage. He groaned, “How come I always miss out on the fun.” “Ah’m going to kill’em.” “I agree, darling.” “Well, um, only if we don’t kill them too badly.” Twilight just narrowed her eyes. Still dripping with cake, all four mares plus one Wolverine got up and started heading towards the dungeons, while grabbing a towel from Spike’s hands. Spike waited a moment and yelled, “Hey, wait up!” In the Castle, the dungeons were, if ever, rarely used especially in the current era of peace that Equestria was known for. Princess Celestia believed in diplomacy and friendship over prisoners and torture. There was a time long ago when such things were necessary, but no longer. The entrance to the dungeons were never guarded and thus easy for the group to enter. The entrance was difficult to spot if somepony didn’t know exactly where it was as nothing distinguished it from the other wooden doors in the corridor. Thankfully, Twilight knew her way around and with no hesitation opened the simple wooden door and started down the staircase to the dungeons with her friends. The stairway was made of simple stone and lined with magically lit torches that turned on as the group passed them. No sound penetrated the walls and an eery and angry silence filled the stairway as the group proceeded onwards. First, Fluttershy became unnerved by the dimly lit area followed shortly by Spike, Barney, whom Fluttershy brought along so he wouldn’t be lonely, and then Rarity. “Is this really such a good idea?” Fluttershy inquired. Applejack and Twilight, still caught up in their anger from earlier, replied in unison, “Yes.” “Oh, um, okay.” After a few more flights of stairs the group arrived at the landing and were surprised at what awaited them. It was not the unused cells that lined the dimly lit corridor, nor was it the eerie silence that permitted the area and would chill any lesser pony. It wasn’t even the smell of dust, mold, and rats that promised at least two nights of continuous scrubbing to rid themselves of the smell. No, what surprised the ponies was the blinking neon sign overtop the door on the far side saying in bold lettering: “Welcome to Ponies and Drakes!” “What in tarnation is that?” “Um, can we just go back now?” “Well, this is certainly unexpected.” “I’m really confused.” Barney howled in agreement to Spike. Twilight for the second time that morning had nothing to say. “Hey guys, welcome to the fun for today!” The ponies were startled as a red mist exploded from the ground in front of them to reveal a faded purple Pegasus with a red mane. . “What in tarnation?!”, Applejack exclaimed, “Who are you?” The Pegasus laughed as a red cloud came up from behind his back and started swirling around his head. “Glad you asked! I’m Defiance, or rather Topsy-Turvy, and I will be your literal dungeon keeper for today.” “I’m sorry, darling, but did you say ‘dungeon keeper’?” “Yep and you’ll be the adventuring party for today’s Ponies and Drakes.” “‘Ponies and Drakes’?” Applejack said. “Yeah, I saw Spike reading about it the other day and thought it would be fun.” Everypony turned to Spike who shrugged helplessly. “In my defense, it was played on table not in actual dungeons.” “I’m sorry to interrupt, but, um, where are Pinkie and Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy inquired. “Oh, we’re fine.” The stallion replied. Twilight clued in, “Wait a second. Did you two fuse?!” In response the stallion grinned, while the cloud overhead bounced happily. “Are kidding me?!” Twilight yelled. “I told you not too because we don’t know what these fusions can do, and you went and fused anyways?!” The stallion or rather Topsy-Turvy laughed, “Of course! Fusion is awesome and we feel great. We even got to pull those pranks this morning as we got this place set up.” While Twilight fumed, Fluttershy asked, “But why?” “Well, the fusion was just because it looked awesome and we wanted to do it, buuuut…” - Topsy grinned widely “After what happened yesterday and finding out what I can do (or is it we? Or I? Is you possible? Nah, let’s go with I) , I decided that we could all use some fun.” “And the pranks?” Applejack inquired. Topsy-Turvy grinned mischievously and shrugged, “Because why not?” Applejack scowled and started to say something before Rarity butted in, “Now I can certainly appreciate some entertainment just as much as the next pony, but must we go through some huge” -Rarity gestured at the door- “whatever this is? Surely we could just go to the spa or something? I’d settle for Scrabble at this point.” Topsy-Turvy shook his head. “Nope.” Rarity sighed. “Well, what happens if we don’t play?” Topsy-Turvy stopped smiling and the cloud above his head started turning a darker shade of red. “I won’t un-fuse. Ever.” “But you can’t just not be Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. That’s ridiculous!” Spike exclaimed. Topsy-Turvy glared and the small sparks started coming off of the red cloud. “Well I, and I also mean we, really like being Topsy-Turvy and you guys need to have fun, so whether you want to or not, you will play.” “Now, wait a minute fella, you can’t just stay this way forever just because we won’t do your stupid-” “IT’S NOT STUPID!” Topsy-Turvy yelled as he cut Applejack off. The group was startled by his outburst and lightning that crackled around the red cloud over top his head. Topsy Turvy continued. “Look, all you have to do is take the weapons found in the room right after this door and make your way to the end of the dungeon where you’ll find me.” “It’ll be fun, promise!” Topsy-Turvy pleaded as the cloud above his head started raining. The group looked at each other warily, but nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Immediately the cloud and the Pegasus's mood lightened up. “Okay, now like I said you’ll find a bunch of weapons in the next room. Make your way through the obstacles and meet me in the final room. Have fun.” Topsy-Turvy brushed one of his wings along the floor and created a hole startling the other ponies. Topsy grabbed his cloud thing and jumped in, disappearing. The group looked nervously at each other before Applejack said, “Well, I reckon we might as well go in.” The group braced themselves then opened the doors towards the mayhem that awaited them. When all six of them, Wolverine included, walked through the door, it closed behind them with a resounding thud. . Author's Note Hey guys! So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I feel I should explain what this is about. The first thing is that I don't want to do a "fusion of the chapter" story because that would kind of be boring. Secondly, I want to slow down the pacing a little as I find it's going a touch too fast right now. I also want to spend some time developing Topsy-Turvy's personality and giving more insight into the Mane 6 and what they're going through in the story right now. Also if you feel Bouquet wasn't really developed it's fine, she'll show up later and be much more developed as a character. So I thinks that's all. Again, hope you enjoyed it and I'll be starting chapter 4 and then the interlude chapter, which will conclude the first part of this story. Have a good morning/night ~! A Beginner's Guide to DungeoneeringTwilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, and Barney the Wolverine looked around the room. It was fairly small and made from simple, grey stone. Across from them was another door like the one before them with a sign overhead reading ‘Dungeon’. To the left of was a simple, wooden table with a variety of items on it. The group walked over to the table and began to examine the items. There were five in total, presumably one for each of them excluding Barney. From left to right: a bundle of cloth wrappings that they knew were used by boxers to stabilize their hooves, a long, wooden stick with a small crystal embedded in the top, a pink butterfly clip that glowed softly, a long sword with a diamond hilt, and a long, wooden rod with several holes along the length and on the top and bottom. “What in tarnation are these supposed to be?” Applejack exclaimed. “Your weapons!” Topsy-Turvy shouted. Everypony, Spike and Barney included, jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. “However are you doing that, darling?” Rarity said. “Eh, it’s just one of the perks of being me.” Topsy-Turvy responded. “Um, did you say that they were W-weapons?” Fluttershy said nervously. “Oh no, Fluttershy. You won’t be using them to kill or hurt anything just to interact with the dungeon.” “Interact? Like a simulation?” Twilight asked surprised. “Yeah,” -Rarity, Spike, and Twilight gasped- “I made it while you guys were sleeping last night.” “You made a magical simulation?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Well, yeah. It wasn’t that hard.” “W-wasn’t that hard?!” Twilight spluttered, “This is ridiculous! How could you even create a simulation, you're a Pegasus.” “Well, I am a Pegasus forged through the bond between two Elements of Harmony, soooooooooo…” Topsy-Turvy drawled. “Okay, wait a minute. What exactly is a ‘magical simulation’?” Applejack interrupted. “It’s a fabrication of reality used primarily for training the Royal Guard in combat situations,” Rarity explained, “I also am very confused as to how a pony, not to mention a Pegasus, could have created something like this. Only a groupof highly trained unicorns can even come close to a simulation of this caliber.” “Which does the beg the question of how you can do it,” Twilight said, “What kind of abilities do you even have?” “Not telling,” Topsy-Turvy said jovially, “it’s much more fun to keep you guessing.” Twilight could practically feel the mischievous grin behind the words. She could feel her eye beginning to twitch, reserved solely for things Pinkie says, and Ponies disorganizing the library. The others look decidedly worried over this new information. Topsy-Turvy felt the apprehension of the group, “Well, look. It’s not dangerous. I checked everything earlier today and made sure it’s fine. I just want you to trust me, or rather Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, that we would never put you through something dangerous.” Most the group did relax upon hearing that except for Rarity and Fluttershy who shared a meaningful look between the two of them. “Well, okay,” Applejack relented, “What do ya need us to do?” “Excellent question!” Topsy-Turvy started enthusiastically, “Excluding Barney, sorry for not including you by the way” -Barney whined piteously- “Each of you need to choose one of the items in front of you. That will determine your class and abilities you can use.” “Our class?” Rarity inquired. “It’s just another word for what role you’ll play in the group for the upcoming dungeon.” The ponies, and one dragon, looked at each other nervously trying to decide who should choose first, but surprisingly Fluttershy was the first to walk closer to the table. She scanned the various items and settled on the pink butterfly clip. “Cleric Chosen.” Fluttershy yelped and hid behind Applejack. Applejack gave her a blank look then walked over to the table and said, “What exactly was that, Tops?” Topsy-Turvy, or rather ‘Tops’, laughed. “Ah, yeah. I love that new nickname.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Come on. Answer the question.” “It was just notifying you all of what class Fluttershy picked.” Applejack nodded and turned to Twilight. “I don’t suppose ya can break out of this simulation, could ya, Twi?” Topsy-Turvy laughed uproariously as Twilight glared at Applejack. “Really, Applejack? You’re asking about that now?” “Well, yeah. I reckon Tops won’t hurt us, but this is starting to give me the creeps.” Twilight sighed and then bit her lower lip pensively. “No,” - Twilight shook her head- “Without knowing exactly what abilities Topsy-Turvy has, or how he even made this place, I can’t risk tampering with it, especially with all of us being in the simulation itself. Sorry Applejack, my hooves are crossed.” Applejack sighed, “‘Fraid ya would say that.” Applejack left the much calmer Fluttershy behind and trotted over to the table. She looked over the various items and settled on the cloth wrappings. “Monk Chosen.” Applejack narrowed her eyes slightly, but tied the cloth wrappings around her hooves. They were fairly comfortable, but also durable. She stepped back. Rarity rushed over to the table and grabbed the sword in her magic. “Knight Chosen.” Everypony stared at her. Rarity looked back quizzically and said, “What? I have some stress I need to sort out, and cutting through swathes of enemies with a sharpened blade feels like just the way to do it.” “I don’t suppose it’s because your mane is-” Spike began. “Purple.” Rarity automatically replied. Twilight blinked a few times, “Well, alright then.” Twilight trotted over and looked at the two items before her. It didn’t take long to settle on the stick with a crystal set in it that was presumably a wand. “Magician Chosen.” Twilight grinned and stepped back as Spike came to the front. With no other choice, Spike grabbed the long rod with the holes in it, which Spike had a sinking suspicion was a flute. “Bard Chosen”. “Aw, seriously? I don’t wanna be no spoony bard,” Spike grumbled. “Okay is everypony, and Spike, ready?” -several nods of agreement- “Well, then let’s get started!” The door across from them swung open revealing a rocky corridor filled with hanging stalactites. The tunnel was lit by evenly spaced glowing crystals embedded in the wall. “Huh, neat.” Twilight turned towards Spike incredulously, “Neat? We’re going into an unknown area on the whims of a fused Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie who, while being Pegasus, can create apparently the most detailed and powerful simulations in all of Equestria’s history and your response is ‘neat’?” “Uh, yes?” Twilight groaned. “Whatever, let’s just do this.” Twilight walked on with Spike trying to keep up with her. The rest of the group soon followed. After what seemed like a few minutes, the corridor opened up into a large cavernous area. Here the cavern was brightly lit by a network of large crystals overhead. In the center of the room were three bipedal, furry creatures with canine features. They wore well worn clothes and carried makeshift knives. “What are those, Topsy-Turvy?” Rarity inquired. “They’re called Kobolds.” “Well, um, what do we do?” Fluttershy tentatively spoke. “Well, Ah can’t say for certain, but Ah reckon we smash’em.” Applejack bumped her hooves together for emphasis. “T-That’s horrible.” “Well, she is technically correct,” Topsy-Turvy broke in, “But it isn’t really killing or smashing if the creatures as they are just illusions.” “Oh, um, then I suppose it’s okay?” “Yeah! And besides it’s just for fun,” Topsy-Turvy coughed to clear his throat, “Anyways, time to start the tutorial. Applejack could you step towards one of the Kobolds?” Applejack nodded and moved towards the Kobold nearest her. She waved a hoof in front of one of them, but there was no reaction. “Are they suppose to not do anything?” “Yeah, I’m trying to teach you how to play, so the Kobolds have been told to follow only direct orders from me. Now, could you kick that Kobold?” Applejack shrugged and turned around. She quickly kicked the monster in the gut with her hind legs. Though the Kobold didn’t react, a red bar appeared over top of its head. The bar then shrunk in on itself until it was only a fraction of what it once was. Twilight tilted her head questioningly. “What’s that?” “Glad you asked! This is the enemy’s health bar. Every time it is damaged, the bar will shrink until it disappears. Rarity, could you finish it off with your sword?” “With pleasure, darling.” Levitating the sword within her magic, Rarity trotted up to the weakened Kobold and deftly sliced it with the sword. As the sword made contact with the Kobold, the monster’s health bar disappeared. The creature’s eyes went wide and then it disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. “Excellent! That is the basics of physical combat with an enemy. Now, Rarity, I will have one of the Kobolds attack you. Don’t fight back. I need to demonstrate Fluttershy’s ability.” “Alright, Darling.” Rarity peered nervously at the creature in question. The Kobold closest to Rarity turned towards her and lunged forwards. Rarity flinched as the Kobold stabbed at her throat with its knife. The rest of the group yelled her name. When the knife collided, Rarity felt a sharp jolt, and a red bar appeared over her head. It decreased slightly. “Rarity, are you okay?” Spike yelled. “If that caused ya any harm, so help me-” Applejack started. “Oh no, I’m fine.” -Rarity waved a hoof dismissively- “It was irritating at best.” Everyone was skeptical, but didn’t voice any more concern over the attack. “Yeah, she’s fine,” Topsy-Turvy stated, “Even if she had been hurt, I can stop the simulation immediately. Alright, Fluttershy. Now, your job is a Cleric. You can’t attack, but you can heal your allies within a certain range.” “Oh, really? That’s nice.” Fluttershy smiled. “Hehe, yep. So, if you want to heal somepony, or drake, simply look in their direction and say the words ‘Heal’.” Fluttershy nodded and stared intently at Rarity. “Heal.” Rarity was bathed in a soft pink glow and her red bar returned to full. Rarity sighed contentedly. “Thank you, darling. That was simply divine.” “Your welcome, Rarity.” “Now, Fluttershy, keep in mind that you can heal only one pony at a time, but you can still be attacked by monsters.” Fluttershy gulped, but nodded in understanding. “Okay, good. Now, Twilight, you’re up.” Twilight stepped closer towards the Kobold. “Let me guess? I point the wand at an enemy and yell a spell at it?” “Yep, that’s the way to do it. The spells you can use are Fireball, Frost, and Lightning Bolt. Try using Fireball on the Kobold.” Twilight nodded and pointed her wand at the creature that had attacked Rarity. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and yelled, “Fireball.” A ball of flame formed in front of the wand held in Twilight’s magic. It got steadily bigger and then launched at the Kobold. The Kobold’s health bar appeared with a message above it that read: “Super Effective!” It quickly drained to zero and the monster poofed in a cloud of purple smoke. “Woo Whee, that was mighty impressive, Twi.” “Outstanding, darling.” “That was awesome, Twilight.” “Yeah, um, great job, Twilight.” Twilight grinned sheepishly at the praise being given by her friends. “Great job, Twilight! Keep in mind that certain monsters are weak to different spells, so make sure you experiment,” Topsy-Turvy explained, “Alright, Spike, you’re up next.” Spike walked towards the Kobold keeping close to the group. “Alright, Spike. You’re a bard, which means you can buff allies, and debuff enemies. That’s just a fancier way of saying that you can make your allies stronger, and enemies weaker. Try playing your flute, while focusing on Applejack.” Spike gulped nervously and looked at Applejack. He brought the flute to his lips and played a few notes. The sound echoed briefly, and then Applejack was encircled by a green glow. A green arrow pointing up appeared above her head. “Now, kick the last Kobold, Applejack.” Without preamble, Applejack back kicked the last monster. The creature’s health bar drained instantly and poofed in the now familiar purple smoke. “Yeehaw! Well that sure did the trick. Thanks, Spike.” “Uh, yeah no problem, Applejack.” Topsy-Turvy laughed, “Yeah, good job, Spike. Keep in mind that buffs and debuffs fade away after a time” - as if on cue, the glow around Applejack disappeared- “Well, now you know combat basics, and are ready to take on the dungeon.” A small cheer was let up from the group as they started to get into the game. Though they would never admit it, most of them had started to see the dungeon as something that could be fun. “Alright, the goal of the game is to reach the end of the dungeon and defeat the final boss, so you can grab the super-duper awesome treasure. If at anytime you lose all of your health, you will be unable to interact with the simulation, but will can stay with the group. I’ll be with you every step of the way to make sure nothing bad happens, so have fun!” “You know, we just might do that Topsy-Turvy.” Twilight said. Topsy-Turvy was silent for a moment, but muttered his thanks. The ground shook for a moment, and a door appeared on the far side of the cavern, which swung open. The group nodded and made their way through. Red mist that had been unnoticed during the teaching session, drifted down from the ceiling and condensed into the familiar form of the violet Pegasus. Dust quickly formed nearby and started bouncing around happily. Topsy-Turvy grinned widely. Everything was going great and his new friends would probably love the game he had set up. However, his good mood didn’t last as he thought about what he knew about fusions from Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’s memories. He recalled how Twilight had thought maybe they, the fusions, could be dangerous, but as he was now a fusion, he couldn’t see how that was a problem. He even made a big dungeon for the group to explore and have fun in. How was that bad? Sure, maybe his pranking from this morning went a little too far. He was fairly certain Rarity was still very conscious of the fact that her mane had remained pink. Also, Fluttershy would probably still be peeved that he left her a Wolverine in her bathroom, if only because he had mistreated the poor creature. In his defense, though, it was Fluttershy. The pegasus had tamed dragons before, Topsy-Turvy didn’t feel that a Wolverine was much of a challenge. Besides, he couldn’t help it. He was primarily, by nature, Rainbow Dash’s mischievous side. He practically had to prank his friends. It was only the right thing to do.Of course it also helped that he had Pinkie Pie’s awareness of others. It helped having part of a mare that knew her friends better than they knew themselves. This, of course, brought up the question of where his thoughts came from. He knew he was a fusion of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash as well as the Elements of Laughter and Loyalty, but he didn’t feel like he was two different ponies. Rather, he felt that he was his own pony. That was a little scary to think about because that meant that Twilight was wrong. The fusions weren’t just a combination of two ponies, but a new personality altogether. Admittedly, he didn’t really care, but at the same time he did because he was curious about what made him different from his parts. Topsy-Turvy decided that maybe this was a little over his head. Possibly literally as Dust had taken that moment to jump over his head. Does that make Dust a personification of his problem? Actually for that matter, what the heck is Dust? Topsy-Turvy turned and looked at the energetic cloud. Dust took that moment to start circling around itself like a dog trying to grab its tail. Topsy-Turvy blinked and then mentally flushed all of his extensional problems down a proverbial toilet. Then for good measure, he called forth his abilities and created a toilet. He then flushed said toilet which sank into the ground with a WHOOSH. It was so nice being able to manipulate space. Topsy-Turvy grinned and prepared to follow after his friends and then stopped. He didn’t want to think about it, but were they really his friends? The only reason they were doing this because they thought Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were in control, but that wasn’t really true. The only time either of them had interfered as a separate being was if a prank was about to go too far. Immediately, Pinkie Pie had voiced her objection. He was really, really, really confused about how this fusion thing worked. He felt amazing, one might even say awesome, but to his friends, or rather Pinkie’s and Rainbow’s friends, he wasn’t them. Even though he was them, sort of. Fusion was weird. It went against the very nature of things and seemed to not follow the normal rules of logic at all. Good thing he was the aspect of Defiance. Dust was looking at him piteously. Topsy-Turvy realized he had been frowning. He put on a smile for Dust’s sake and promptly filed his thoughts away for another time, “Come on Dust, let’s go after them.” Dust bounced happily as Topsy-Turvy brushed a wing on the ground and opened another hole, this time overtop of the group. Topsy-Turvy willed himself into red mist and sifted through the hole with Dust following behind. . Author's Note Hey Guys, Here is the next chapter. I decided to have the dungeon exploration separated so I could explain how the mechanics work. I decided that I won't go into a ton of detail in how their adventures went as I have an entire story still to go and I feel that's unnecessary. There will still be a battle with the big boss and then some fun for the two uninitiated to fusion. Also Bouquet because sure why not. Anyways until next time~ List of FusionsThis a list of currently known fusions that will be updated as more of them are introduced. Seriously though, if you can't already guess this has all of the spoilers in it, so read at your own risk. The list is arranged alphabetically. Bouquet Fusion: Rarity + Fluttershy Aspect: Charity Personality: Rarity's giving nature and Fluttershy's gentleness. Magic: Hyper Talent, increases the natural born talents of a pony. ex. Applejack receives enormous strength and can grow things better Topsy-Turvy Fusion: Rainbow Dash + Pinkie Pie Aspect: Defiance Personality: Rainbow Dash's mischievous nature and Pinkie Pie's awareness of others Magic: Unknown, can create very powerful simulations
After the WeddingIt was the night of the Canterlot Wedding. After blasting Chrysalis to a place far far away, Shining Armor and Princess mi Amore Cadenza were wed. It was a lovely affair and the reception soon followed. A pony would wonder how the reception had even been put together with all of the Changelings mucking about, but thanks to a certain bouncy pink mare, the wedding reception was everything it was intended to be and more. Between the copious amount of streamers and surprisingly elegant display of food this would be a reception talked about for a long time yet to come. Ponies danced and laughed as they ate the pastries set up along the tables. DJ P0N3, Vinyl Scratch, had created a fantastic music line up for the evening that had everypony on the dance. Everypony was enjoying the night. That is all except for one. If one cared to look in an unassuming corner of the garden, they would happen upon a yellow Pegasus huddled meekly in the corner. Said Pegasus was Fluttershy. Throughout the night, ponies had congratulated her, as well as her friends in their part in repelling the Changeling invasion. Ponies would shake her hoof or hug her tightly thanking profusely for having saved them. She hated it. Or rather disliked it as Fluttershy tried to avoid using such a strong word. As less ponies began to thank her, she started to quietly slip away from the crowds until eventually she found herself literally backed into a corner. After the last few ponies who had noticed her said their words, she finally found herself thankfully alone. It had occurred to her that maybe she had a problem. A rather large problem. It wasn’t a big deal though. She could function normally. As long as there weren’t many ponies. Looking at her. She shook her head to dislodge any wayward thoughts and decided to partake in one of her favourite pastimes: observation. She saw Twilight next to Princess Celestia. The two were enjoying a moment alone without throngs of ponies clamouring for their attention. Applejack was speaking with one of her cousins who come from Trottingham. They both held a mug of cider and taking gulps of the hard liquor every few moments. Rainbow Dash was showing off to the Wonderbolts, probably trying to get them to ask her to join them. Or trying to get them to make her their leader. Fluttershy was never sure which role Rainbow wanted. Rarity was talking with the some of the nobility off to the side. Fluttershy presumed that she was attempting to sell her latest work or at the very least acquire a few more connections to expand her business. It a while, but Fluttershy also stumbled upon Pinkie who was running rapidly between guests making sure everypony was enjoying themselves. Fluttershy felt a twinge of envy for her friends. They could talk to other ponies without fear. They could have normal conversations without hiding behind something. She was jealous for their ability to ignore their eyes. Their judging eyes… Too many eyes. Fluttershy felt herself begin to hyperventilate and feared that she was about to have a panic attack. She remembered a technique Rarity had taught her a few weeks back to calm down. Close your eyes Fluttershy. Okay, good! Take deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out … With every breath she took, Fluttershy began to feel herself getting back to normal. When the final panicked breath dissipated she opened her eyes once more. She thought now was the time to leave. She trotted as quickly and quietly as possible towards the nearest gate leaving the gardens. She kept her head low to avoid being spotted. Just keep moving, just keep moving, just keep mov- “Fluttershy, darling, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy spun around in a panic. Her eyes were wide in fear until she saw a surprised Rarity. She took a deep breath and meekly replied. “I’m sorry Rarity, you startled me. I was just about to leave.” “Startled you? How could I have startled you? And what do you mean you were about to leave? I realize that it is getting rather late, but I assumed we would all leave together.” Fluttershy retreated into her mane, “Well the thing is, um, that it is getting quite late, and it really has been quite a long day with the Changelings and the wedding.” “I understand darling, but you simply must come with me to say goodbye to everypony. At least say goodbye to your friends.” “Oh no, that’s fine. I wouldn’t want to disturb anypony while they were having fun.” “Fluttershy I hardly feel saying goodbye is going to disrupt them.” “But well, um, I just want to go back to the castle if you don’t mind.” “But, darling, I DO mind. I would never want you to leave here alone.” “Well, um, it’s just I want to be alone.” Rarity blinked and finally comprehension dawned on her face, “Oh, Fluttershy are you having one of-“ Rarity leaned in closer and whispered “-‘those’, again?” Fluttershy bit her lip nervously and nodded. “Oh, Fluttershy, I thought we were making progress?” Fluttershy slid further into her mane. “We are. It’s just, um, I, well, still can’t handle everything.” Rarity sighed, “Fluttershy, after talking with you about this for so long I do understand it’s just-” Rarity stroked her mane with a hoof “-you can’t just keep running away like this.” Fluttershy stood silent trying to keep her fear in control. Rarity looked helplessly around hoping to find an answer. She noticed a small part of the dance floor forgotten to the ponies clamouring around the bride and groom. A light bulb went off in her mind. “Oh Fluttershy,” Rarity said with as much silk in her voice as she could muster. “How about we dance?” Fluttershy shot right up, her fears momentarily forgotten. “I-i-i-i-i can’t. I can’t dance, and I can’t be around that many ponies, and I-i-i, I just can’t Rarity.” “Oh nonsense, darling,” Rarity grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof. “It will be delightful.” Fluttershy tried to escape from Rarity’s, surprisingly, iron-tight grip only to find herself on the dance floor. Admittedly it was fairly deserted and most ponies weren’t around with the exception of one exceptionally pink pony who was very happy to see her there. At least somepony besides me is. Despite this she started to feel panic take hold of her. She felt herself begin to shiver and her eyes to dart around looking for an escape. “Now Fluttershy, I know you- Fluttershy! Fluttershy. Look at me.” Fluttershy looked at Rarity. There she found an anchor; Something to hold onto. “Now Fluttershy, darling, just forget about other ponies. Just focus on me.” Fluttershy focused. She drowned everything around. She ignored the approach of her friends. She tuned out the revelry around her. She forgot about the hardships and triumphs of the day. Her she felt the world ebb away until there was nothing, but her, Rarity, the music, and a small part of the garden that seemed made only for them. Rarity smiled. “Now just follow my lead.” Rarity began to sway her hips back and forth. Though nervous and more than hesitant, Fluttershy followed the movement. Rarity stepped towards Fluttershy and walked or rather glided to the side of her. Fluttershy copied the movement in the opposite direction. One step. Two step. A foreleg forward, then a foreleg back. Rarity’s grin widened and she started to maneuver Fluttershy into spins and sashays. As they continued the movements became more complicated, more free. Soon the nervousness that Fluttershy felt slipped away. She even began to enjoy herself. As the music neared its end, Rarity pulled her in for the final dip. As she fell, Fluttershy felt light. And saw light. Literally, because for some reason everything was really bright. For some reason though, Fluttershy didn’t feel anxious about it. She actually seemed to find peace with it. It was like being enveloped in a soft motherly embrace. Soon the light receded. She felt everything come back into place. They felt an indescribable feeling of happiness. They felt the presence of each other. They felt confusion over why they referred to themselves as ‘they’. Finally they took in their surroundings. Firstly they were confused by the new view they seemingly saw. Then they saw themselves in a mirror. The expected reflection of Fluttershy/Rarity was not what it was supposed to be. Where they should be was now taken up by a rather tall Pegasus with very bright blue eyes. . She had a bright yellow coat and long flowing pink hair with bold purple streaks. Vines covered her in latticework, but did not impede the large fluffy wings the mare possessed. The most interesting thing was her Cutie Mark. It was a bouquet of pink butterflies with diamond hearts. “What? Why are- How are-” They were bewildered by their current predicament. Then they noticed everypony else. They saw their friends blinking frequently trying to process what they were seeing. They saw the Princesses trying to keep their ever present poker faces. They saw the guests looking at them. Staring at them. Judging them. Too many eyes… “No!” A bright flash of light and Fluttershy and Rarity tumbled apart. They looked at each other. Rarity shot a question with her eyes to Fluttershy, What happened? Fluttershy blinked. She didn’t know, but… She kind of liked it.
CharityThere was dead silence in the garden. Everypony was staring at Fluttershy and Rarity, the former of which was trying very hard to make herself as small as possible. Thankfully Celestia had ruled for hundreds of years, so she knew exactly what to do to diffuse the situation: she stomped her hooves. “Oh splendid my little ponies!” - Celestia laughed happily - “I had heard from my faithful student that you had been working on magic trick, but I never knew you would perform it here at the wedding.” Everypony stared blankly at Celestia including Fluttershy and Rarity. The silence was deafening. “Oh, why yes Princess!” -Rarity chimed in, cluing in- “Fluttershy and I have been toiling away to perfect this trick just to entertain the crowd for tonight. Right, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy was silent. Rarity coughed, “Right, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy meeped and started shaking nervously. Rarity’s right eye began to twitch. Celestia laughed, “Well it was simply marvelous, wasn’t it everypony?” A few in the crowd began to laugh awkwardly hoping to diffuse the situation. “Now I know most ponies would probably wish to see the trick again, but after such an exciting day I am sure they are tired.” Celestia turned to Twilight, “My most Faithful student, would you and the other Bearers care to guide Fluttershy and Rarity back to their rooms?” Twilight was staring blankly at her two friends. “I said, could you and the other Bearers guide Rarity and Fluttershy back to their rooms?” Twilight blinked. Celestia coughed loudly, “Twilight.” No response. Finally Celestia had had enough and smacked her in the back of the head with an outstretched wing. “42!” -Celestia repressed the urge to facehoof- “I mean, yes, of course Princess!” Twilight looked back and forth confused then up at Celestia, “What did you ask me to do again Princess?” Celestia’s smile tightened just a fraction, “You and the Bearers taking Rarity and Fluttershy back to the castle.” “Oh, of course Princess!” Twilight said enthusiastically, “Bye BBBFF and Cadance.” The two aforementioned ponies waved back. “Come on girls let’s head back.” Twilight trotted quickly over to Fluttershy and grabbed her. Fluttershy for her part put up little resistance. Rarity followed shortly afterwards smiling to the other wedding guests and giving her goodbyes. Rainbow Dash grudgingly flew after them even though she would miss out on more time with the Wonderbolts. Pinkie Pie bounced happily after them, grinning from ear to ear. Applejack looked at her drink and hawked it over to the nearest pony deciding that she had had enough cider for one day. As the Bearers left, Celestia exclaimed, “Now everypony let’s continue the party!” Twilight Sparkle woke up in her bedroom in the guest quarters of the castle. Coffee was definitely a priority this morning. She rolled out of her rather large bed and grabbed the curtains to her bay window with her magic. She yanked them open and gazed out at her view of the gardens. She could see the entire layout including the maze from her vantage point. Her smile was drowned out by a huge yawn. She turned around looking for someone in particular. At the foot of her bed, she found her number one assistant Spike sleeping soundly in his basket. “Spike,” -Twilight nudged him with a hoof- “Time to wake up.” Spike grumbled and turned over. Twilight rolled her eyes and grabbed a nearby hairbrush in her magic. She trotted over to the en suite bathroom and started to brush out her mane. She noticed a note on the counter. Dear Twilight, As I know that you will be tired after such a long day yesterday and you will most likely wish to study what had happened last night with the Elements of Kindness and Generosity, I ask that you tell me your findings after today’s Day Court. Do not worry about those ponies that had witnessed the event last night. I have handled them accordingly. Also, Cadance and Shining have left for their Honeymoon and wished me to tell you to fare well. Have a good morning my most faithful student. -Princess Celestia Twilight blinked. Last night? she thought. She went over everything that happened. Talking to her brother and Cadance, speaking with Princess Celestia, Rarity and Fluttershy becoming one pony… Twilight’s eyes threatened to leave their sockets as they became impossibly wide. She galloped out of the bathroom yelling “SPIKE!” Spike jumped from his basket, “Twilight! Is something wrong? Are we being attacked by the Changelings again?” “No, Spike. I need you to gather up writing supplies and meet me in the library down the hall.” Spike groaned, “You woke me up this early to go to the library?” “Yes!” Twilight exclaimed. “We have so much to do and very little time to do it.” Spike let out another groan, but Twilight wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes had gotten a sparkle in them and that could only mean one thing. She was ready to experiment. Surprisingly nopony had put up a fuss as she woke them up and hussled them to the library with a quick pit stop for some muffins and coffee. She had thought at least Rainbow Dash would put up a fuss, but apparently she was just as excited as Twilight was. The library was untouched by the Changeling invasion. The walls were lined floor to ceiling with bookshelves all laden with heavy tomes. There were several tables and chairs around the ground floor, but Twilight opted to go to an area with a large amount of space to replicate the event from last night. Twilight excitedly yanked a large blackboard on wheels over to the group in case they needed it. She had Spike ready take down notes as well. “So is everypony” - Twilight nodded her head towards her assistant - “and Spike accounted for.” There were various affirmations from everyone. “Okay, excellent,” -Twilight grabbed a piece of chalk with her magic- “Now first off-” “Can somepony please explain what’s going on?” Everypony turned towards Spike. Twilight was confused and then remembered that Spike had turned in early because of the events of the day. “Oh right! Sorry Spike I forgot that you hadn’t been there. Well you see Rarity and Fluttershy fused into one pony while they were dancing last night.” “Oh okay. Well then- WAIT WHAT?!” Spike yelled. “Did you say Rarity and Fluttershy fused into one pony?” Rarity replied, “Why yes Spike, I had convinced Fluttershy to go out onto the dance floor with me and at the end we somehow became one pony.” Spike’s jaw threatened to hit the floor. He then closed his mouth and groaned, “I can’t believe I missed that.” “Aw, its alright Spike,” Twilight said, “We’ll probably have them do the same thing later.” “Really?” Spike, Rarity, and Fluttershy said, though the latter two phrased it more in disbelief. “Well of course. You can’t get results without conducting tests. Now, could you-” “HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!” Pinkie Pie interrupted excitedly. Everypony was startled at Pinkie Pie’s sudden response. Her smile was so wide it looked like it would tear her face in two. Twilight coughed, “Yes, that is what I was going to ask.” Rarity and Fluttershy glanced at each other. Fluttershy spoke hesitantly, “Well, um, we don’t really know.” Rarity continued, “Well, I had just convinced” - Fluttershy glared slightly - “well truth be told, dragged Fluttershy out to dance. We started to move in sync with each other and then eventually we just” -Rarity waved a hoof as she trailed off- “became one I suppose.” Twilight thought a moment. She had never heard of this happening before and she wasn’t entirely sure what had caused it. The obvious conclusion was that dancing caused it, but something else was involved or this would surely have happened before. Twilight had some suspicions as to what that other thing ,or rather things, could be, but she was hesitant to draw any conclusions at this stage. “I suppose at this point Rarity and Fluttershy should just do whatever they did last night, so we can see if it can be replicated.” “Okay,” Fluttershy said. Everypony was startled by Fluttershy’s willingness as she was usually the most hesitant of their group. Rarity was the first to speak, “Really?” “Yes,” Fluttershy nodded. “Now, sugarcube,” Applejack started, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but ya tend to not want to try stuff like this.” “Yeah Shy. This is kind of weird coming from you,” Applejack glared at Rainbow, “What? It’s true.” “Yeah Fluttershy. I’m super duper happy to see you want to do the ah, um, what do you call it?” Pinkie Pie asked. Everypony turned to Twilight. She thought for a moment, “Fusion.” “Yeah fusion! But you don’t usually go first to try stuff like this.” “Well, um, I actually like it.” Fluttershy said. Everypony was shocked by this. Twilight was the first to speak again, “Well as long as Rarity is okay with it.” “It’s perfectly fine, darling.” “Okay then. Try to replicate what you did last night.” Rarity and Fluttershy nodded and trotted to different sides of the room. Rarity started by prancing towards the center with a flip of her mane. Fluttershy followed suite more sedately. When they met both ponies turned in opposite directions and circled each other. As they walked around each other, they came closer together. When they could get no closer, Rarity grabbed Fluttershy and twirled her around on one hoof. She then drew Fluttershy close to her. There was a bright flash of light, Twilight noted that the light was actually made up of individual glowing butterflies, and the Pegasus from last night stood where Fluttershy and Rarity had been before. Everypony stared wide eyed. Rainbow Dash and Spike were the first to break the silence, “That. Was. AWESOME!” “I wanna try”, Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Well, at least ah know it wasn’t the cider,” Applejack mumbled. “This is so amazing,” Twilight exclaimed gleefully, “This has never happened to any other pony before. I wasn’t sure if what had happened last night had actually happened, but now we know for sure” “Well Twilight as you can see we are right here.” Everypony went silent and stared at the smiling Pegasus who had just spoken. “‘We?’” Applejack asked skeptically. The strange Pegasus nodded her head. “We do refer to oneself as such.” “But aren’t you just Rarity and Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash questioned. “That is a part of us, yes.” Something clicked in Twilight’s brain, “You’re an entirely different pony.” “Yes” -Pinkie Pie gasped loudly- “But we are also not quite just ‘myself’.” “What do ya mean?” Applejack questioned. “Well, we are the sum parts of both Fluttershy and Rarity, and their elements.” “So this does have something to do with the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked The Pegasus nodded and everypony gasped. “So are y’all like a weird combination of Fluttershy and Rares?” “That is correct.” “That’s so cool!” Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly. “Wait. What did you mean when you said ‘the sum parts’?,” Twilight interjected. “Are you only partly our friends?” “Yes, as it is almost impossible to truly be everything that is both ponies. I am primarily Fluttershy’s gentle nature and Rarity’s giving nature.” “So does that mean you’re like both Kindness and Generosity and you make like some sort of super Element?” Pinkie asked. The Pegasus smiled warmly, “Yes, we are the sum total of both Kindness and Generosity or as you may call me Charity, but we are not a ‘super Element’ as you so put.” “So are you a different Element of Harmony all together or just the fusion of them?” twilight asked. “We are not sure.” “How can y’all not be sure?” “We are not entirely our own being. We are made up of both Fluttershy and Rarity, therefore we cannot know more then what they already know.” “So you’re a new pony, but not really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We suppose you could say that, yes.” “Well that does make some sense,” Twilight agreed,”Is there anything else that makes you different other than your personality?” “Using our magic, we can increase the natural abilities of anypony.” Dead silence. “WHAT?!” “That. Is. So. AWESOME!” Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all said together “Okay, wait one darn single minute,” Applejack moved towards Charity. “Y’all mean to tell me that ya can just zap somepony and make them do better than they could on their own?” “Yes.” “Horsefeathers.” Pinkie, Rainbow, and Spike looked aghast. Charity simply smiled, “Would you like us to prove this to you?” Applejack glared at Charity and asked, “If y’all used your magic on me, what would it do?” “We presume, as your natural ability is applebucking, that your strength would become tremendous.” Applejack nodded and walked over to a bare wall nearby. She bucked it with her hind legs. Nothing happened. “If after y’all use your crazy magic thingy and I can dent this wall, then I’ll believe ya.” The Pegasus nodded, closed her eyes and raised her wings. She mumbled something under her breath and a turbulence of air swirled underneath her wings. After a moment had passed, she hurled her wings forward and blew the winds towards Applejack. Immediately Applejack’s Cutie Mark began to glow softly. Undaunted, Applejack looked to Charity. The Pegasus nodded. Applejack nodded back and then raised her hindlegs. She kicked the wall. CRACK. A hole appeared where Applejack had kicked it. Applejack was stunned. “Buh, wuh-what? It actually worked?!” The others became very excited. “It’s like an ability right out of my comic books!” “OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh,” Pinkie Pie practically vibrated with excitement. “Does this mean I can be like super strong like Applejack and buck through walls because that would be so cool!” “Does that mean I can be even more awesome then I am now? Because then I would be like even MORE AWESOME!” Twilight had just retreated into her own mind as she thought of the possibilities and benefits of this discovery. “Well, we are glad that you all seem to so excited for our abilities.” Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts. “Yes, thank you, um,” Twilight stopped. “What should we call you?” “Simply Charity will suffice.” Pinkie Pie gasped, “You can’t do that! Charity is what you are. You’re a pony, which means you have to have a name.” “Yeah, and you’re like a superpony so you have to have a cool name,” Spike added enthusiastically. “We suppose that we must then choose a name,” -the Pegasus glanced at her Cutie Mark- “How about... Bouquet?” Twilight smiled. “Alright Bouquet, thank you. Now can we have Fluttershy and Rarity back?” “Of course.” With a smile and a flash of light, Fluttershy and Rarity appeared once more. Both mares were a little flushed as if they had just went for a long run. “Well that was exhilarating if I do say so myself,” Rarity said. “Oh, yes that was very nice,” Fluttershy added. “Well girls I think that’s enough for today, I need to let Celestia know what we’ve learned.” She then took on a more serious tone, “Alright, now I think we can presume that we can all fuse with each other, but we have no idea what pony will appear, so I don’t want anypony to fuse until we can do so in a more controlled environment.” The group gave various confirmations. “Okay girls, we’ll meet up tomorrow again after Breakfast. For now let’s go enjoy Canterlot.” There was a general cheer among the ponies as they left the Library and headed towards Canterlot proper. Pinkie Pie opened the door as quietly as possible and slipped in, closing the door behind her. She was in one of the bedrooms located in the guest wing of the Castle. The only source of light was from the moon shining through the window. A large bed wa situated in the center of the room with a dresser across from it. There was a built in bench underneath the window and a door in a corner of the room led into an en suite bathroom. Everything was identical to Pinkie’s, and presumably the others’, bedrooms. Pinkie Pie crawled slowly forward towards the bed, keeping her body low to the ground. When she was in range she wiggled her rump a little and then jumped onto the sleeping form of the pony laying sprawled on top. A startled Rainbow Dash bolted upright in bed and screamed. “Hiya Dashie!” “Buh-wuh, Pinkie?!” Rainbow spluttered, “What are you doing here?” “Weeeeeeeeeeeell, I was thinking we could do the thing!” Rainbow Dash blinked, “What thing?” “Fusion!” “Didn’t Twilight say not to?” Pinkie waved a hoof, “Oh come on Dashie. I know you really want to. Besides fusion is so cool! I want to know what super crazy powers we would get if we fused and I figured you would be the best first fusion partner I could have.” Rainbow Dash grinned cockily, “Well, you did pick the most awesome pony to fuse with.” Pinkie grinned, “So are you going to fuse with me?” Rainbow shrugged, “sure why not, but only if we don’t do any of that really girly dancing Fluttershy and Rarity did.” “Deal.” Both Pinkie and Dash got off of the bed and stood at opposite ends of the room. Rainbow stood up on her hind legs and made a thrusting motion up, while wiggling her eyebrows. Pinkie laughed and then began to trot back and forth. Both mares moved towards each other in sync. Dash would jerk her arms and lock them into positions, while Pinkie would enthusiastically bounce up and down, while tapping her hooves on the floor. When they met each other Pinkie went in front and Dash behind. Pinkie did a quick trot forward and back, while Dash jerked left then right. Pinkie turned and Dash grabbed her. Rainbow then swung her around in a half turn and dipped. A red mist enveloped them. The mist swirled around them until it formed a perfect sphere and then burst. Left behind with mist clinging to him was a Pegasus Stallion. His wings were sharp and powerful, built for high speeds. His coat was a dusty violet and eyes a dark blue. His mane was spiked haphazardly around his face and was red with pink tips. His Cutie Mark were were two rainbow coloured arrows turning into each other in a circle. There was also a strange, red cloud roughly half the size of the stallion bouncing excitedly around him. Stallion grinned and a sparkle of mischief glinted in his eyes. “Come on Dusty let’s see what trouble we can cause.” The Pegasus brushed a wing against the floor and a hole appeared. The stallion grinned wildly and cannonballed into it yelling, “Geronimo!” The cloud known as “Dusty” bounced happily up and down and followed after the Pegasus as the hole closed behind him. Author's Note Hey guys here's chapter 2! Thanks to those who like the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it. I have a friend working on editing the chapters, but rather slowly, so I'll post the chapters as I finish them and do personal edits until my bud catches up. When my friend finished editing I'll do one more personal edit then repost the chapter. I did take people's suggestions and hopefully the writing in this chapter will be improved from the last. I should keep improving though so bare with my rather amateurish writing. Welp its 3: 30 am and I'm tired so I hope you guys enjoy the story. ~night ... ~morning
Castle ShenanigansApplejack worked on a farm. Anypony who knew her for more than a minute could have drawn that conclusion. Whether it was the cowpony hat, the country drawl, or the Cutie Mark, it was fairly obvious. This would of course explain why, in her circle of friends, she was the first to wake up and get out of bed. As she was usually the first one up, she was also the pony who usually made breakfast for the rest. Applejack left her bedroom and made her way to the kitchen near the bedrooms. The kitchen was surprisingly rustic with a simple stove, fridge, and countertop. Cupboards lined one side of the room and hung overtop the appliances. Sunlight lit up the kitchen and bathed it in a golden glow. It was also, surprisingly, devoid of chefs. This was most in part to Twilight who had insisted that between Spike, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, there was no need for personal chefs during their stay. So as Applejack entered the kitchen, she decided that she would make apple pancakes for everypony. One could make a joke about how Applejack could only make apple based food, but the pancakes were too good to be making such distasteful comments. Apple pancakes of course require ingredients that are refrigerated, so Applejack opened the fridge door to grab the necessities. She was then assaulted by a cream pie to the face and an explosion of confetti. Applejack blinked underneath her cream pie facial. “Buh wuh, what in tarnation?” Applejack heard the faint sound of giggles nearby. Applejack drew her eyebrows together, or the best she could covered in cream pie and yelled, “PINKIE! RAINBOW!” Shortly after Applejack, Fluttershy awoke. Fluttershy worked as an animal caretaker/veterinarian, and was used to waking up early to feed various early risers that she kept in her cottage. If she was too be honest, despite being up early, Fluttershy had had the best sleep inside the castle then she had in a while, mostly thanks to not having to wake up and feed the nocturnals in her care. Fluttershy stretched and got of bed, sighing contentedly all the while. She had this feeling that this morning was going to be wonderful and she would start it off great with a nice, long brushing of her mane. She opened the door to be greeted by a grinning Wolverine. Fluttershy slammed the door and screamed, or as loud as she could. Laughter reverberated in the room as the Wolverine pushed open the door, which had not been slammed close as this was Fluttershy, and chased after her. Rarity was startled awake. She tore off her sleeping mask and looked around trying to find the source of the scream she thought she had heard. She caught the sound of thumping coming from the wall behind her. This confused Rarity as she knew that the room beyond belonged to Fluttershy, and Fluttershy wasn’t known for being loud. Rarity shook her head and decided that it was probably nothing. Knowing that she couldn’t go back to sleep after waking up, Rarity got out of bed and trotted over to her en suite bathroom. Inside was a small, but cozy bathroom with a toilet, vanity and large tub with a shower head above the taps. She immediately turned the taps and pulled the tab in the faucet to start a shower. She got into the tub and enjoyed the steady warmth that seeped into her from the hot water. She grabbed her personal shampoo bottle, not noticing that it was, in fact, not her shampoo bottle or even shampoo. She lathered her mane with the not shampoo, washed it out, and wrapped a towel around herself before stepping out of the tub. After stepping out of the shower and ensuring the water was turned off, Rarity levitated a nearby hairbrush and began to groom her luxurious mane. As she came in front of the mirror, she noticed something was off. It took her a few seconds, but she realized what was wrong. Her mane. It was Pink. Riotous laughter followed the ear splitting scream. This coincidentally, woke up both Spike and Twilight from their sleep. Both looked bewildered as they looked around their room. Finding nothing, they turned to each other and shrugged. Spike yawned loudly and asked, “Hey Twilight, can I just head over to the kitchen and start on breakfast?” Twilight waved a hoof absently, “Yeah, go ahead Spike.” Spike nodded and hopped out of his basket. As he opened the door to leave their shared bedroom, he was drenched in a waterfall of ice cold water. Both residents blinked. Twilight hid her laugh behind her right hoof. “It seems you’re all washed up, Spike.” Spike started shivering but still managed to add the right amount of snark to, “yeah, yeah, hardy har har, what a laugh.” “Well, I’ll go grab a towel from the bathroom, so I can dry you off.” As Twilight opened the door to the ensuite bathroom, she was also drenched in much the same way as Spike. Twilight started shivering. Spike started laughing along with another. Needless to say when the the group finally arrived and sat down to eat less than stellar apple pancakes, nopony was happy. Applejack looked around at her group of friends. Twilight was dripping water onto her pancakes and her mane was drooped around her. Rarity was smiling unnervingly with a pink mane for some reason, and attacking her pancakes with a fork and knife rather vehemently. Fluttershy was all too calm as she ate her pancakes and fed pieces to a Wolverine that was wagging its tail happily at being fed the tiny morsels. Deciding that she wasn’t ready to ask Rarity and Fluttershy who were acting far too calm, she instead turned to Twilight. “So, why are ya dripping all over the place, Twi?” Twilight narrowed her eyes and glared at her pancakes seemingly willing them to burst into flames. “Somepony dumped water on Spike and I, and for some reason there were no towels anywhere in the vicinity. I had Spike go and fetch some towels from elsewhere.” Applejack nodded and then turned to Rarity. “Why is your mane pink?” Rarity’s smile grew strained, “whatever do you mean, darling? My mane is purple.” “No, it’s pink.” “Purple.” “Rarity, Ah might not be some fancy dress maker, but Ah can tell your mane is-” Rarity stabbed her knife into the table. “PURPLE. My mane is purple, and it will always be purple, and it has never not been PURPLE.” Everypony stopped what they were doing for a moment to stare at Rarity. “Well, uh, yeah. Ya know, you’re right it’s definitely purple. Must ‘ave been the light.” Rarity nodded, “Well, of course, darling. No harm done.” Applejack reminded herself never to mess with Rarity’s hair and then turned to Fluttershy, why is there a Wolverine at the table?” “He was in my bathroom.” Rarity and Twilight stopped to stare at Fluttershy with Applejack. Fluttershy looked slightly flustered at the attention. Rarity spoke next, “Fluttershy, darling? Why was there a Wolverine in your bathroom.” “Well, um, I don’t really know. He was really hungry, though, so after calming him down, I brought him down here so he could eat something.” “The Wolverine-” Twilight began. “Barney.” Fluttershy interrupted. “Ya named the Wolverine?” “No, he named himself.” “And he chose ‘Barney’?” “Yes.” “That’s one of the dumbest things Ah’ve ever heard.” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. Twilight sighed. “Well, regardless, how does a Wolverine just appear in somepony’s bathroom?” “Well, Ah don’t know how, but Ah’m sure it was Pinkie and Rainbow.” Rarity sighed. “Well, pranks are something those two are rather fond of.” “Considering they haven’t shown up for breakfast yet, I think we can safely assume that’s the case and that this isn’t over.” Twilight said. Right on a cue a single-tiered cake seemingly fell from nowhere and landed directly in the centre of the table. It was coated in pink frosting, and had several candles arranged around it in a circle. There was a letter on top of the cake. Twilight grabbed the message from the cake in her magic and flicked the stray icing off. She opened the message and read aloud: “‘Meet us in the dungeons.’” The cake promptly exploded. Everypony was covered in pink icing and cake batter. Barney proceeded to first lick all the cake off of his face and then Fluttershy’s. Nopony was amused. At that time Spike arrived carrying several towels and surveyed the damage. He groaned, “How come I always miss out on the fun.” “Ah’m going to kill’em.” “I agree, darling.” “Well, um, only if we don’t kill them too badly.” Twilight just narrowed her eyes. Still dripping with cake, all four mares plus one Wolverine got up and started heading towards the dungeons, while grabbing a towel from Spike’s hands. Spike waited a moment and yelled, “Hey, wait up!” In the Castle, the dungeons were, if ever, rarely used especially in the current era of peace that Equestria was known for. Princess Celestia believed in diplomacy and friendship over prisoners and torture. There was a time long ago when such things were necessary, but no longer. The entrance to the dungeons were never guarded and thus easy for the group to enter. The entrance was difficult to spot if somepony didn’t know exactly where it was as nothing distinguished it from the other wooden doors in the corridor. Thankfully, Twilight knew her way around and with no hesitation opened the simple wooden door and started down the staircase to the dungeons with her friends. The stairway was made of simple stone and lined with magically lit torches that turned on as the group passed them. No sound penetrated the walls and an eery and angry silence filled the stairway as the group proceeded onwards. First, Fluttershy became unnerved by the dimly lit area followed shortly by Spike, Barney, whom Fluttershy brought along so he wouldn’t be lonely, and then Rarity. “Is this really such a good idea?” Fluttershy inquired. Applejack and Twilight, still caught up in their anger from earlier, replied in unison, “Yes.” “Oh, um, okay.” After a few more flights of stairs the group arrived at the landing and were surprised at what awaited them. It was not the unused cells that lined the dimly lit corridor, nor was it the eerie silence that permitted the area and would chill any lesser pony. It wasn’t even the smell of dust, mold, and rats that promised at least two nights of continuous scrubbing to rid themselves of the smell. No, what surprised the ponies was the blinking neon sign overtop the door on the far side saying in bold lettering: “Welcome to Ponies and Drakes!” “What in tarnation is that?” “Um, can we just go back now?” “Well, this is certainly unexpected.” “I’m really confused.” Barney howled in agreement to Spike. Twilight for the second time that morning had nothing to say. “Hey guys, welcome to the fun for today!” The ponies were startled as a red mist exploded from the ground in front of them to reveal a faded purple Pegasus with a red mane. . “What in tarnation?!”, Applejack exclaimed, “Who are you?” The Pegasus laughed as a red cloud came up from behind his back and started swirling around his head. “Glad you asked! I’m Defiance, or rather Topsy-Turvy, and I will be your literal dungeon keeper for today.” “I’m sorry, darling, but did you say ‘dungeon keeper’?” “Yep and you’ll be the adventuring party for today’s Ponies and Drakes.” “‘Ponies and Drakes’?” Applejack said. “Yeah, I saw Spike reading about it the other day and thought it would be fun.” Everypony turned to Spike who shrugged helplessly. “In my defense, it was played on table not in actual dungeons.” “I’m sorry to interrupt, but, um, where are Pinkie and Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy inquired. “Oh, we’re fine.” The stallion replied. Twilight clued in, “Wait a second. Did you two fuse?!” In response the stallion grinned, while the cloud overhead bounced happily. “Are kidding me?!” Twilight yelled. “I told you not too because we don’t know what these fusions can do, and you went and fused anyways?!” The stallion or rather Topsy-Turvy laughed, “Of course! Fusion is awesome and we feel great. We even got to pull those pranks this morning as we got this place set up.” While Twilight fumed, Fluttershy asked, “But why?” “Well, the fusion was just because it looked awesome and we wanted to do it, buuuut…” - Topsy grinned widely “After what happened yesterday and finding out what I can do (or is it we? Or I? Is you possible? Nah, let’s go with I) , I decided that we could all use some fun.” “And the pranks?” Applejack inquired. Topsy-Turvy grinned mischievously and shrugged, “Because why not?” Applejack scowled and started to say something before Rarity butted in, “Now I can certainly appreciate some entertainment just as much as the next pony, but must we go through some huge” -Rarity gestured at the door- “whatever this is? Surely we could just go to the spa or something? I’d settle for Scrabble at this point.” Topsy-Turvy shook his head. “Nope.” Rarity sighed. “Well, what happens if we don’t play?” Topsy-Turvy stopped smiling and the cloud above his head started turning a darker shade of red. “I won’t un-fuse. Ever.” “But you can’t just not be Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. That’s ridiculous!” Spike exclaimed. Topsy-Turvy glared and the small sparks started coming off of the red cloud. “Well I, and I also mean we, really like being Topsy-Turvy and you guys need to have fun, so whether you want to or not, you will play.” “Now, wait a minute fella, you can’t just stay this way forever just because we won’t do your stupid-” “IT’S NOT STUPID!” Topsy-Turvy yelled as he cut Applejack off. The group was startled by his outburst and lightning that crackled around the red cloud over top his head. Topsy Turvy continued. “Look, all you have to do is take the weapons found in the room right after this door and make your way to the end of the dungeon where you’ll find me.” “It’ll be fun, promise!” Topsy-Turvy pleaded as the cloud above his head started raining. The group looked at each other warily, but nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Immediately the cloud and the Pegasus's mood lightened up. “Okay, now like I said you’ll find a bunch of weapons in the next room. Make your way through the obstacles and meet me in the final room. Have fun.” Topsy-Turvy brushed one of his wings along the floor and created a hole startling the other ponies. Topsy grabbed his cloud thing and jumped in, disappearing. The group looked nervously at each other before Applejack said, “Well, I reckon we might as well go in.” The group braced themselves then opened the doors towards the mayhem that awaited them. When all six of them, Wolverine included, walked through the door, it closed behind them with a resounding thud. . Author's Note Hey guys! So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I feel I should explain what this is about. The first thing is that I don't want to do a "fusion of the chapter" story because that would kind of be boring. Secondly, I want to slow down the pacing a little as I find it's going a touch too fast right now. I also want to spend some time developing Topsy-Turvy's personality and giving more insight into the Mane 6 and what they're going through in the story right now. Also if you feel Bouquet wasn't really developed it's fine, she'll show up later and be much more developed as a character. So I thinks that's all. Again, hope you enjoyed it and I'll be starting chapter 4 and then the interlude chapter, which will conclude the first part of this story. Have a good morning/night ~!
A Beginner's Guide to DungeoneeringTwilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, and Barney the Wolverine looked around the room. It was fairly small and made from simple, grey stone. Across from them was another door like the one before them with a sign overhead reading ‘Dungeon’. To the left of was a simple, wooden table with a variety of items on it. The group walked over to the table and began to examine the items. There were five in total, presumably one for each of them excluding Barney. From left to right: a bundle of cloth wrappings that they knew were used by boxers to stabilize their hooves, a long, wooden stick with a small crystal embedded in the top, a pink butterfly clip that glowed softly, a long sword with a diamond hilt, and a long, wooden rod with several holes along the length and on the top and bottom. “What in tarnation are these supposed to be?” Applejack exclaimed. “Your weapons!” Topsy-Turvy shouted. Everypony, Spike and Barney included, jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. “However are you doing that, darling?” Rarity said. “Eh, it’s just one of the perks of being me.” Topsy-Turvy responded. “Um, did you say that they were W-weapons?” Fluttershy said nervously. “Oh no, Fluttershy. You won’t be using them to kill or hurt anything just to interact with the dungeon.” “Interact? Like a simulation?” Twilight asked surprised. “Yeah,” -Rarity, Spike, and Twilight gasped- “I made it while you guys were sleeping last night.” “You made a magical simulation?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Well, yeah. It wasn’t that hard.” “W-wasn’t that hard?!” Twilight spluttered, “This is ridiculous! How could you even create a simulation, you're a Pegasus.” “Well, I am a Pegasus forged through the bond between two Elements of Harmony, soooooooooo…” Topsy-Turvy drawled. “Okay, wait a minute. What exactly is a ‘magical simulation’?” Applejack interrupted. “It’s a fabrication of reality used primarily for training the Royal Guard in combat situations,” Rarity explained, “I also am very confused as to how a pony, not to mention a Pegasus, could have created something like this. Only a groupof highly trained unicorns can even come close to a simulation of this caliber.” “Which does the beg the question of how you can do it,” Twilight said, “What kind of abilities do you even have?” “Not telling,” Topsy-Turvy said jovially, “it’s much more fun to keep you guessing.” Twilight could practically feel the mischievous grin behind the words. She could feel her eye beginning to twitch, reserved solely for things Pinkie says, and Ponies disorganizing the library. The others look decidedly worried over this new information. Topsy-Turvy felt the apprehension of the group, “Well, look. It’s not dangerous. I checked everything earlier today and made sure it’s fine. I just want you to trust me, or rather Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, that we would never put you through something dangerous.” Most the group did relax upon hearing that except for Rarity and Fluttershy who shared a meaningful look between the two of them. “Well, okay,” Applejack relented, “What do ya need us to do?” “Excellent question!” Topsy-Turvy started enthusiastically, “Excluding Barney, sorry for not including you by the way” -Barney whined piteously- “Each of you need to choose one of the items in front of you. That will determine your class and abilities you can use.” “Our class?” Rarity inquired. “It’s just another word for what role you’ll play in the group for the upcoming dungeon.” The ponies, and one dragon, looked at each other nervously trying to decide who should choose first, but surprisingly Fluttershy was the first to walk closer to the table. She scanned the various items and settled on the pink butterfly clip. “Cleric Chosen.” Fluttershy yelped and hid behind Applejack. Applejack gave her a blank look then walked over to the table and said, “What exactly was that, Tops?” Topsy-Turvy, or rather ‘Tops’, laughed. “Ah, yeah. I love that new nickname.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Come on. Answer the question.” “It was just notifying you all of what class Fluttershy picked.” Applejack nodded and turned to Twilight. “I don’t suppose ya can break out of this simulation, could ya, Twi?” Topsy-Turvy laughed uproariously as Twilight glared at Applejack. “Really, Applejack? You’re asking about that now?” “Well, yeah. I reckon Tops won’t hurt us, but this is starting to give me the creeps.” Twilight sighed and then bit her lower lip pensively. “No,” - Twilight shook her head- “Without knowing exactly what abilities Topsy-Turvy has, or how he even made this place, I can’t risk tampering with it, especially with all of us being in the simulation itself. Sorry Applejack, my hooves are crossed.” Applejack sighed, “‘Fraid ya would say that.” Applejack left the much calmer Fluttershy behind and trotted over to the table. She looked over the various items and settled on the cloth wrappings. “Monk Chosen.” Applejack narrowed her eyes slightly, but tied the cloth wrappings around her hooves. They were fairly comfortable, but also durable. She stepped back. Rarity rushed over to the table and grabbed the sword in her magic. “Knight Chosen.” Everypony stared at her. Rarity looked back quizzically and said, “What? I have some stress I need to sort out, and cutting through swathes of enemies with a sharpened blade feels like just the way to do it.” “I don’t suppose it’s because your mane is-” Spike began. “Purple.” Rarity automatically replied. Twilight blinked a few times, “Well, alright then.” Twilight trotted over and looked at the two items before her. It didn’t take long to settle on the stick with a crystal set in it that was presumably a wand. “Magician Chosen.” Twilight grinned and stepped back as Spike came to the front. With no other choice, Spike grabbed the long rod with the holes in it, which Spike had a sinking suspicion was a flute. “Bard Chosen”. “Aw, seriously? I don’t wanna be no spoony bard,” Spike grumbled. “Okay is everypony, and Spike, ready?” -several nods of agreement- “Well, then let’s get started!” The door across from them swung open revealing a rocky corridor filled with hanging stalactites. The tunnel was lit by evenly spaced glowing crystals embedded in the wall. “Huh, neat.” Twilight turned towards Spike incredulously, “Neat? We’re going into an unknown area on the whims of a fused Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie who, while being Pegasus, can create apparently the most detailed and powerful simulations in all of Equestria’s history and your response is ‘neat’?” “Uh, yes?” Twilight groaned. “Whatever, let’s just do this.” Twilight walked on with Spike trying to keep up with her. The rest of the group soon followed. After what seemed like a few minutes, the corridor opened up into a large cavernous area. Here the cavern was brightly lit by a network of large crystals overhead. In the center of the room were three bipedal, furry creatures with canine features. They wore well worn clothes and carried makeshift knives. “What are those, Topsy-Turvy?” Rarity inquired. “They’re called Kobolds.” “Well, um, what do we do?” Fluttershy tentatively spoke. “Well, Ah can’t say for certain, but Ah reckon we smash’em.” Applejack bumped her hooves together for emphasis. “T-That’s horrible.” “Well, she is technically correct,” Topsy-Turvy broke in, “But it isn’t really killing or smashing if the creatures as they are just illusions.” “Oh, um, then I suppose it’s okay?” “Yeah! And besides it’s just for fun,” Topsy-Turvy coughed to clear his throat, “Anyways, time to start the tutorial. Applejack could you step towards one of the Kobolds?” Applejack nodded and moved towards the Kobold nearest her. She waved a hoof in front of one of them, but there was no reaction. “Are they suppose to not do anything?” “Yeah, I’m trying to teach you how to play, so the Kobolds have been told to follow only direct orders from me. Now, could you kick that Kobold?” Applejack shrugged and turned around. She quickly kicked the monster in the gut with her hind legs. Though the Kobold didn’t react, a red bar appeared over top of its head. The bar then shrunk in on itself until it was only a fraction of what it once was. Twilight tilted her head questioningly. “What’s that?” “Glad you asked! This is the enemy’s health bar. Every time it is damaged, the bar will shrink until it disappears. Rarity, could you finish it off with your sword?” “With pleasure, darling.” Levitating the sword within her magic, Rarity trotted up to the weakened Kobold and deftly sliced it with the sword. As the sword made contact with the Kobold, the monster’s health bar disappeared. The creature’s eyes went wide and then it disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. “Excellent! That is the basics of physical combat with an enemy. Now, Rarity, I will have one of the Kobolds attack you. Don’t fight back. I need to demonstrate Fluttershy’s ability.” “Alright, Darling.” Rarity peered nervously at the creature in question. The Kobold closest to Rarity turned towards her and lunged forwards. Rarity flinched as the Kobold stabbed at her throat with its knife. The rest of the group yelled her name. When the knife collided, Rarity felt a sharp jolt, and a red bar appeared over her head. It decreased slightly. “Rarity, are you okay?” Spike yelled. “If that caused ya any harm, so help me-” Applejack started. “Oh no, I’m fine.” -Rarity waved a hoof dismissively- “It was irritating at best.” Everyone was skeptical, but didn’t voice any more concern over the attack. “Yeah, she’s fine,” Topsy-Turvy stated, “Even if she had been hurt, I can stop the simulation immediately. Alright, Fluttershy. Now, your job is a Cleric. You can’t attack, but you can heal your allies within a certain range.” “Oh, really? That’s nice.” Fluttershy smiled. “Hehe, yep. So, if you want to heal somepony, or drake, simply look in their direction and say the words ‘Heal’.” Fluttershy nodded and stared intently at Rarity. “Heal.” Rarity was bathed in a soft pink glow and her red bar returned to full. Rarity sighed contentedly. “Thank you, darling. That was simply divine.” “Your welcome, Rarity.” “Now, Fluttershy, keep in mind that you can heal only one pony at a time, but you can still be attacked by monsters.” Fluttershy gulped, but nodded in understanding. “Okay, good. Now, Twilight, you’re up.” Twilight stepped closer towards the Kobold. “Let me guess? I point the wand at an enemy and yell a spell at it?” “Yep, that’s the way to do it. The spells you can use are Fireball, Frost, and Lightning Bolt. Try using Fireball on the Kobold.” Twilight nodded and pointed her wand at the creature that had attacked Rarity. She narrowed her eyes in concentration and yelled, “Fireball.” A ball of flame formed in front of the wand held in Twilight’s magic. It got steadily bigger and then launched at the Kobold. The Kobold’s health bar appeared with a message above it that read: “Super Effective!” It quickly drained to zero and the monster poofed in a cloud of purple smoke. “Woo Whee, that was mighty impressive, Twi.” “Outstanding, darling.” “That was awesome, Twilight.” “Yeah, um, great job, Twilight.” Twilight grinned sheepishly at the praise being given by her friends. “Great job, Twilight! Keep in mind that certain monsters are weak to different spells, so make sure you experiment,” Topsy-Turvy explained, “Alright, Spike, you’re up next.” Spike walked towards the Kobold keeping close to the group. “Alright, Spike. You’re a bard, which means you can buff allies, and debuff enemies. That’s just a fancier way of saying that you can make your allies stronger, and enemies weaker. Try playing your flute, while focusing on Applejack.” Spike gulped nervously and looked at Applejack. He brought the flute to his lips and played a few notes. The sound echoed briefly, and then Applejack was encircled by a green glow. A green arrow pointing up appeared above her head. “Now, kick the last Kobold, Applejack.” Without preamble, Applejack back kicked the last monster. The creature’s health bar drained instantly and poofed in the now familiar purple smoke. “Yeehaw! Well that sure did the trick. Thanks, Spike.” “Uh, yeah no problem, Applejack.” Topsy-Turvy laughed, “Yeah, good job, Spike. Keep in mind that buffs and debuffs fade away after a time” - as if on cue, the glow around Applejack disappeared- “Well, now you know combat basics, and are ready to take on the dungeon.” A small cheer was let up from the group as they started to get into the game. Though they would never admit it, most of them had started to see the dungeon as something that could be fun. “Alright, the goal of the game is to reach the end of the dungeon and defeat the final boss, so you can grab the super-duper awesome treasure. If at anytime you lose all of your health, you will be unable to interact with the simulation, but will can stay with the group. I’ll be with you every step of the way to make sure nothing bad happens, so have fun!” “You know, we just might do that Topsy-Turvy.” Twilight said. Topsy-Turvy was silent for a moment, but muttered his thanks. The ground shook for a moment, and a door appeared on the far side of the cavern, which swung open. The group nodded and made their way through. Red mist that had been unnoticed during the teaching session, drifted down from the ceiling and condensed into the familiar form of the violet Pegasus. Dust quickly formed nearby and started bouncing around happily. Topsy-Turvy grinned widely. Everything was going great and his new friends would probably love the game he had set up. However, his good mood didn’t last as he thought about what he knew about fusions from Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’s memories. He recalled how Twilight had thought maybe they, the fusions, could be dangerous, but as he was now a fusion, he couldn’t see how that was a problem. He even made a big dungeon for the group to explore and have fun in. How was that bad? Sure, maybe his pranking from this morning went a little too far. He was fairly certain Rarity was still very conscious of the fact that her mane had remained pink. Also, Fluttershy would probably still be peeved that he left her a Wolverine in her bathroom, if only because he had mistreated the poor creature. In his defense, though, it was Fluttershy. The pegasus had tamed dragons before, Topsy-Turvy didn’t feel that a Wolverine was much of a challenge. Besides, he couldn’t help it. He was primarily, by nature, Rainbow Dash’s mischievous side. He practically had to prank his friends. It was only the right thing to do.Of course it also helped that he had Pinkie Pie’s awareness of others. It helped having part of a mare that knew her friends better than they knew themselves. This, of course, brought up the question of where his thoughts came from. He knew he was a fusion of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash as well as the Elements of Laughter and Loyalty, but he didn’t feel like he was two different ponies. Rather, he felt that he was his own pony. That was a little scary to think about because that meant that Twilight was wrong. The fusions weren’t just a combination of two ponies, but a new personality altogether. Admittedly, he didn’t really care, but at the same time he did because he was curious about what made him different from his parts. Topsy-Turvy decided that maybe this was a little over his head. Possibly literally as Dust had taken that moment to jump over his head. Does that make Dust a personification of his problem? Actually for that matter, what the heck is Dust? Topsy-Turvy turned and looked at the energetic cloud. Dust took that moment to start circling around itself like a dog trying to grab its tail. Topsy-Turvy blinked and then mentally flushed all of his extensional problems down a proverbial toilet. Then for good measure, he called forth his abilities and created a toilet. He then flushed said toilet which sank into the ground with a WHOOSH. It was so nice being able to manipulate space. Topsy-Turvy grinned and prepared to follow after his friends and then stopped. He didn’t want to think about it, but were they really his friends? The only reason they were doing this because they thought Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were in control, but that wasn’t really true. The only time either of them had interfered as a separate being was if a prank was about to go too far. Immediately, Pinkie Pie had voiced her objection. He was really, really, really confused about how this fusion thing worked. He felt amazing, one might even say awesome, but to his friends, or rather Pinkie’s and Rainbow’s friends, he wasn’t them. Even though he was them, sort of. Fusion was weird. It went against the very nature of things and seemed to not follow the normal rules of logic at all. Good thing he was the aspect of Defiance. Dust was looking at him piteously. Topsy-Turvy realized he had been frowning. He put on a smile for Dust’s sake and promptly filed his thoughts away for another time, “Come on Dust, let’s go after them.” Dust bounced happily as Topsy-Turvy brushed a wing on the ground and opened another hole, this time overtop of the group. Topsy-Turvy willed himself into red mist and sifted through the hole with Dust following behind. . Author's Note Hey Guys, Here is the next chapter. I decided to have the dungeon exploration separated so I could explain how the mechanics work. I decided that I won't go into a ton of detail in how their adventures went as I have an entire story still to go and I feel that's unnecessary. There will still be a battle with the big boss and then some fun for the two uninitiated to fusion. Also Bouquet because sure why not. Anyways until next time~
List of FusionsThis a list of currently known fusions that will be updated as more of them are introduced. Seriously though, if you can't already guess this has all of the spoilers in it, so read at your own risk. The list is arranged alphabetically. Bouquet Fusion: Rarity + Fluttershy Aspect: Charity Personality: Rarity's giving nature and Fluttershy's gentleness. Magic: Hyper Talent, increases the natural born talents of a pony. ex. Applejack receives enormous strength and can grow things better Topsy-Turvy Fusion: Rainbow Dash + Pinkie Pie Aspect: Defiance Personality: Rainbow Dash's mischievous nature and Pinkie Pie's awareness of others Magic: Unknown, can create very powerful simulations
