=============================== IC - Cutscenes ===============================
Message: 24/14 Posted Author
One Fateful Fieldtrip Tue Jun 12 Discord
The statue waited.
While waiting was all that statues of the sort could do, the statue was becoming impatient. It felt the bindings weakening, but it wasn't happening soon enough. Thousands of years waiting, and all it needed was a shove. It needed…
A mare's voice interrupted the statue's contemplation.
"Now this is a very interesting statue," A purple earth pony was telling the foals that had gathered in front of the statue. They were on a field trip to celebrate the nearing end of the school year. "What do you notice about it?"
"It's got an eagle claw!" A yellow filly with red hair shouted. "And a lion's paw!" Said an orange pegasus with a purple mane. "And a snake's tail!" Cried a white, curly maned unicorn, bouncing so eagerly that she earned annoyed glares from the others.
If the statue could grin, it would. Unnoticed, what little aura of energy it could manage flared.
Cheerilee smiled patiently at Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "This creature is called a Draconiquis. He has the head of a pony and a body made up of all sorts of things. What do you suppose that represents?"
Applebloom spoke up first again, "Confusion!"
"It's evil!" Sweetie Belle said, bouncing again to try and get attention.
"It's chaos!" Scootaloo shouted, nearly knocking Sweetie Belle over.
"It's not chaos you dodo!" "Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of! And it is too chaos!" "Is not!"
Apple Bloom pushed her way inbetween the two of them, forcing them apart. "Yer both wrong!"
For a moment it looked like the fight would break up. But then Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both leaped on top of Applebloom, and all three of them disappeared in a cloud of dust kicked up from their brawl.
In the middle of the statue, unnoticed by anyone, purple light pulsed. The chaos caused by the girls fight wasn't very much. But it was enough. The seal was failing faster.
Cheerilee shook her head, and approached the fighting fillies. "Ahem! My little ponies!" She called out to get the trio to stop fighting. "Actually, in a way you are all right. This statue represents discord, which means a lack of harmony between ponies." She fixed a bright, sweet smile on her face, "In fact! You three have displayed discord so well that I want each of you to write a paper explaining it!"
"Awwww!"
"Now come along everypony," Cheerilee said as she turned to walk away from the statue, her class following behind her. "And I don't want anymore fighting," She said, briefly fixing a steely glare on the three fillies.
The fillies followed, but they could still be heard arguing about whether the statue was about confusion, evil or chaos all the way out of the garden.
No one noticed the pulse of purple in the 'heart' of the statue. A crack split right up the front, and slowly began to make its way across the stone.
Several pigeons near the statue had begun to inflate like beach balls, bodies growing so large that their wings were too small for them to fly.
Hehehehehe…
Cue theme song: http://youtu.be/4By8YHOnILo
Scene: Not all is Right…
BGM: Michael A. & Whitetail - Prominence (http://youtu.be/VF5hctaMwHQ)
Central Ponyville - <Equestria> (Location #1)
In the direct crossroad of the three major roads this side of Equestria
is the village of Ponyville. The three roads, all gravel, meet in the
center of the villiage, forming the villiage square around a large
fountain. stores, houses and other buildings all spread out from there in a
haphazard circle. Most of the stores and homes in the village are of a more
rustic, older design, built with thatched roofs and function over design.
Businesses are mostly found near the center of the town, spread out
from there. Despite being a more rustic and relatively small villiage, it
has all of the comforts of a regular city, with all sorts of shops,
restaraunts and services, even a public bath house.
Houses are found a bit further out, most of them bearing a similar
cottage-like design to the businesses in the center of town. Not too far
from the center town is a large, hollowed out tree with the sign saying
'Library' on it. A central pavilion On the other side of the town square is
home to the mayor, and where most of the town meetings are held. Other
notiable businesses is the confectionary parlor Sugarcube corner,
Ponyville's most popular fashion boutique, and a number of cafes here and
there.
Far off to the west somepony can see the glimpses of a large apple
orchard, and on the edge of the villiage, there's a strange house that
almost seems to be made of clouds.
It is currently spring. Trees are just beginning to bloom, grasses are
bright and green, and the weather is cool, but not too chilly nor too warm.
Rain is pretty common, and there are an awful lot of mud puddles around.
Contents (2 players not shown) Exits
Applejack <BL> Books and Branches Library
Barrage Raptor <Standard> <DJ> DJ PON-3 Danceclub
Captain Marvelous <Civilian> <EF> Equestria Fields
Charr <WarPony> <RP> Residential Ponyville
Fluttershy <Knight> <SR> Sugarcube Corner
Jinx
Morg McGee <Livin'>
Noh <Normal>
Rainbow Dash <Pegasus>
Rarity <Unicorn>
Risa Kirian <Casual>
Staren
Tesseract <Unicorn>
Twilight Sparkle
Yuna Kagurazaka <Pony>
<X-Union-Chatter> Rainbow Dash says, "HEY, hey uh, orange jello guy! Loki! You aren't doing anything weird in Ponyville, are you?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "I don't think Loki can be in two places at once when they're *that* far apart, Equestria's a long way from Titanium Valley … what's going on, Rainbow Dash?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Loki says, "I could send an astral projection if I wasn't being hit so much."
<X-Union-Chatter> Mid-Alantic accented, Rarity murmurs, "Oh my…" as she peaks out a window.
<X-Union-Chatter> Rainbow Dash says, "Ugh, someone thought it'd be a cool prank to make cotton candy clouds. And-HEY! IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO RAIN UNTIL TOMORROW!"
<X-Union-Chatter> Fluttershy transmits a soft 'eep…'
<X-Union-Chatter> Risa Kirian says, "Eh wha? Where?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Fluttershy says, "W-would this be a b-bad time to hide under the bed…?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "…. What kind of rain are you getting from cotton candy clouds?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Morg McGee sniffs. "Trouble."
<X-Union-Chatter> Yunomi says, "I'm not there either!"
<X-Union-Chatter> Staren chuckles.
<X-Union-Chatter> Staren says, "Yes I imagine we'd have our hands full if it rained Yunomis."
<X-Union-Chatter> Tesseract says, "… Okay, now I wanna see this. No offense, but it sounds interesting."
<X-Union-Chatter> Rainbow Dash pause. Lip smacking sound. "Uh. Chocolate milk."
<X-Union-Chatter> Fluttershy says, "… chocolate rain?"
<X-Union-Chatter> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "…. that's weird. Those two don't even go together all that well."
<X-Union-Chatter> Risa Kirian says, "… Oh I have got to see this."
<X-Union-Chatter> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "I'm on my way, with Elner."
Several minutes ago…
The weather ponies had gone all out today for a clear weather day.
It was a clear blue sky above, with just the hint of clouds. Just enough clouds to provide shade from the warm sun above, but not enough to suggest that the weather was going to be anything but pleasant.
A blur of colors blazed across the sky as Rainbow Dash sped straight up and angled around to perform a loop. She arced down and sped into a defenseless white cloud, making it disipate into nothingness. "Hah! Take that! Now that is one perfect partly cloudy-HEY!"
Abruptly, something pink zoomed right past the cerulean pony, grazing her and making her spin out in mid air. She stops for a moment, eyes swirling dizzily. "Hey! Come back here you!" She didn't even consider that it was pink. A cloud was a cloud. In a burst of speed, Rainbow sped right at it, "Hah, gotchya!"
*SPLUT*
Rainbow hit the cloud at full speed, toppling over head over hooves. Instead of disipating the cloud like usual, she instead got caught up in it, like a fly getting caught in a bug trap. It stuck to her and made it impossible for her to fly away. "Eewwww! What is this?" Shaking off made bits of pink cloud fly everywhere, but some stuck to her. Cautious of a possible prank, she licked at some of the cloud stuff on a hoof. "… Cotton… candy?"
All around her, pink clouds zipped and zoomed, materializing out of thin air. After a quick conversation on the radio bud in her ear, she looks even more confused.
Thunder caught her attention, and she looked up. Just in time for a droplet of liquid to fall on her nose. "Wait a second! It's not supposed to rain until tomorrow! You can't just-"
The cloud opens up in a downpour, drenching Rainbow Dash in a second.
"You did…"
Annoyed, sticky, and now drenched, Rainbow Dash sped after the nearest pink cloud. "THAT'S IT! No more miss nice pony!"
Now…
Rainbow Dash's efforts to get rid of the pink clouds hasn't been going so well. Not only are they so sticky that she /can't/ just kick them out, they move all on their own, zipping and zooming. So while she's managed to corral some of the pink clouds - Sort of - they are more like corraling her, leading her over Sweet Apple Acres orchards.
But even though she's managed to keep some of them busy, there are many more pink clouds forming literally out of thin air. And they aren't just raining water. Which, really, would have been a mess in of itself. These clouds rain milk chocolate rain. The clouds are spotty, but prevailent over Ponyville in clumps, leaving moving areas of a downpour of chocolate milk rain all over the place.
Rose is walking through Equestria having arrived earlier and generally looking very confused at the state of things. Looking up, she notices Rainbow Dash trying to corral the clouds as they move about on their own and breaks into a gallop over towards Sweet Apple Acres, trying to figure out what's going on. .oO (They aren't supposed to move on their own around here, even normal clouds don't move that fast!) she thinks to herself before she reaches the gate of the main yard and says, "Hello? Is anyo-Anypony here? I'm from the Union, I'd like to offer help if I can. I know I'm not a pegasus but there has to be something I can do."
It's just another day in the life of a certain Bad Luck Pony as Jinx harvests some plants for her friend Bramble in the forest not too far from Ponyville proper. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find NORMAL plants in the Everfree after all, and some alchemy recipes requires plants that aren't hideously mutated by dark magic. Besides, it gives Jinx an excuse to get out of those gloomy old woods and spend some time someplace warm and inviting.
As she comes out of the woods with her saddlebags full of ingredients, she looks up at the bright, sunny day… and notices that it's not as bright and sunny as she thought.
Now normally this wouldn't be a big deal, since she would just assume that Rainbow Dash was just being lazy again and leaving the cloudbucking until the last minute. Except she sees Rainbow Dash in the skies over Sweet Apple Acres.
Locked in combat with a bunch of pink clouds zipping across the sky like mosquitoes.
Which are pouring chocolate milk in the form of rain.
"… What the hay?"
Curious about this inexplicable weather pattern, the Bad Luck pony sets aside her usual reluctants to approach Ponyville and hurries over to investigate.
Fluttershy had been camped out in her cottage attending to the bumps and bruises of a pair of adorable bouncing baby bears…. but at the sound of rain had alerted her to something amiss. She had originally planned on hiding under her bed — but with the encouragement of her bunny, she had flitted out of her cottage (after returning the baby bears to their rather off-put mother, who had been waiting outside), and donned a rainjacket.
"Oh dear… oh dear… chocolate coming from the skies?!" she mutters to herself, teal eyes turned upwards. "… this is /highly/ irregular… and ver…very… scary…" she gives a slight meep.
"… be brave Fluttershy… be brave Fluttershy…" she mumers to herself.
"Rrrmph.. Rrrf?" Falstaff paced back and forth around the house. Sniffing at the ground, ears twitching furiously. "Aowwwoooo…" Howling lowly every so often. "Mnuh?" Charr's head poked out from under a newspaper as he lazily swung in a hammock. "What's wrong, Falstaff?" "Rrrrmmph.. Aowrrooo.." "..You alright, ol' boy?" Pawing at the floor, Falstaff whined and hopped and darted his head all around. "Switchbait!" <Sah?> The butlerfree appearing as though from nowhere. "Th' hell is wrong with Falstaff?" <..I.. Don't know? Oh I say, Falstaff, don't drag your arse on the floor, you'll get piles!> "..Never seen him do /this/ before."
Something was off. ..But what? Falstaff didn't know. And since he didn't know he couldn't communicate it to the others. All he could do was fret and whine and let out little howls. "Dammit, boy, y'gotta give us somethin' t'work with here." *whine* "…He couldn't have gotten like, worms or somethin', could he?" <I should think not, I'd half expect madam Fluttershy to appear in a puff of kindness and-> Switchbait paused, and stared out the window.
<Sah.. The clouds here aren't usually bright pink, are they?> "..No. No they are not."
And once upon a time, a certain young lady had heard about a land that had dragons, magic controlled weather, and was populated by ponies. Interesting so far, right? Of course! Especially because of the dragon factor, but a deluge of paperwork and mass-amount of beginner's work had kept the lady from actually having a chance to visit Equestria. Today, reports of cotton-candy clouds and chocolate rain emplored Risa to ditch all the paperwork and boring stuff the Union seemed to have to take a quick jaunt through the nearest warp gate out of Njorun station and into Equestria proper.
Unlike most others, the apprentice dracomancer isn't phased by the transformation affect. Her teacher's link, despite his missint status, worked as a sort of shield against such effects, but she probably wouldn't realize how odd this was until a bit later. Spotting pink clouds and brown downpours Risa quickly takes off toward Ponvyille proper with a lot of curiousity and a bit of wonder forming in her mind. "What kind of magic would even do this?"
While Yuna had been thinking of heading out to visit Equestria, she was sufficiently preoccupied with other things this evening - at least until the 'weather report' came in from Rainbow Dash.
And Yuna has no idea what she can possibly do about it … but she heads for Ponyville anyway, changing into her (human configuration) raincoat before stepping through the last warpgate that leads to Equestria. It might not handle the transition as well as she's expecting, but it'll be better than nothing until she can get a proper pony-use raincoat from Rarity - and if it *does* change over properly, one less thing to worry about.
Shortly thereafter, pony-form Yuna is headed into Ponyville, angling her now-equine head under the raincoat's hood (and careful not to poke a hole in it with her horn) to try and take in the situation in the air. "Elner, fly on up and see what you can find," she asks her little robo-faerie companion; shielded from inclement weather by a small force-field bubble, Elner acknowledges the request and zips skywards to take a closer look at some of the clouds - preferably from *above* them, or to the side, rather than straight underneath.
Noh had checked the forcast for the week several days before when leaving. Which was why, as she stepped out of the vortex portal and dropped to the ground, she had NOT been expecting to splash when she did so. Which is what leaves the curious little girl sitting there a moment, licking her hands as she figures out she is, in fact, sitting in a puddle of chocolate milk. Eventually, though, she stands. It's not like she hasn't been hips deep in sludge and slime before, chocolate milk at least TASTES GOOD!
sucking on her hand, she finds her way toward the middle of Ponyvill proper, already summoning her spoon from her strife speccubus as she goes. NOT for battle mind you.. but because a /four foot tall spoon/ is useful for /catching chocolate milk in/ to /drink/.
Having been born in a spaceship carrying a city, crusing between one star and another, Tesseract is familiar with the idea of managed environments. She's also familiar with the idea of that management failing. But her original function was about exploring the unfamiliar, seeking out new worlds and seeing what kinds of interesting stuff could be found there. So when she heard about something as outlandish as chocolate rain, she hopped on her hovercycle, and sped on over.
Tesseract arrives on hoof, in the guise of a normal looking unicorn. (Her cycle is stashed behind a convenint tree) For all some may seem worried, she's just curious, trying to see everything that's going on, letting the chocolate milk pour over her. She takes a few samples as she walks through the town center. How is she sampling it? Drinking it is the most convient way.
What a day yesterday! Staren faced off against an evil alicorn, discovered she was a surprisingly competant fighter _without_ her dragon army, and… continued to gather anecdotal evidence that the village from Applebloom's ghost story might be _real_ and a terrible hazard to anyone who goes into everfree.
That's not why Staren has invited Morg over, though. Equestria's problems… well, he'd kind of like to take a crack at them himself before he runs off to Morg, because while he is a reliable source of answers to impossible problems, Staren worries this is making him lazy when it comes to solving problems himself.
No, he's invited Morg over because he thinks his best friends should meet! Morg and Twilight are two of the few people he can speak plainly to without much fear of miscommunication. He hopes they can get along.
Staren's teleporter deposits the two of them at the outskirts of Ponyville. Staren gives Morg a curious look… but he's still human. He was curious if gods turned into alicorns, and also what a QT mark for mad science would look like. A gatling pistol, perhaps? But that is a mystery that will have to wait for another day, as… chocolate… candy… rainclouds are moving in. Staren pulls a tarp-with-holes-in-it from his saddlebag (his bag of holding) and puts it on before the rain arrives, watching the clouds move… unnaturally. They seem to be gathering over sweet apple acres. "Well… I guess we should go investigate that. Twilight will probably go look too, and you can meet her then."
Applejack was just bringing a cart full of apples into the barn when it suddenly starts raining. Poking her head out of the large double doors, she peers up at the sky, bewildered by the appearance of pink clouds and…brown rain. Sticking out her tongue, she lets a few drops land on it.
"Chocolate milk? What the hayseeds is goin' on out there?" she mutters to herself, and then notices a streak of rainbow shooting through the sky and starts waving to Rainbow Dash, shouting to try and get her attention. "Hey! Hey, Rainbow! What's goin' on, Ah thought we weren't scheduled fer rain until tomorrah! An' what in tarnation is it doin' rainin' /chocolate/?"
The Gokai Galleon is once again parked just outside of Ponyville, as the Gokaigers are once again stopping by Equestria, hoping to get a break from foiling evil plots, schemes, and/or plans. They should have learned their lesson from last time…
The crew's split up at the moment, so Marvelous is on his own, browsing the shops. However, he soon gets a call on the Mobirates. Somehow… these pony bodies are weird with stuff like this… he answers it. It's Don Dogoier. "Captain, um… Are you getting chocolate rain over there?"
Marvelous looks up. "Not that I can tell… And are you sure that's not *supposed* to be happening? This is a land of colorful talking ponies, you know," he answers.
"Yes, but… last I checked the climate wasn't exactly conducive to raining chocolate… but over here, we're soaking in it…" Don says.
"Well, isn't that…" Marvelous was about to say it was "interesting", but just then a little pink cloud zipped over his head, and soon he himself was drenched in chocolate. "…right…" This is going to be quite a day.
"I had a dream like this once." As usual, Pinkie Pie has just popped onto the scene at random, and not far from Applejack either. "Except it was raining yummilicious strawberry sherbert, and I ate so much I inflated so big and round that I went *POP*. And then I woke up." The pink pony pauses for a moment, then shrugs. "Oh well, chocolate works too!" She promptly sticks out her tongue (farther than an equine really should be able to) to catch chocolate rain like one would snowflakes.
Morg probably deserves a curious look. As soon as they 'landed' from the teleport, his expression changed from fairly neutral to something more immediately concerned. It's the kind of look he gets when he thinks something hostile is coming, or when someone is trying something funky. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and his left hand immediately yanks something off his belt, looping a short necklace made of turquoise and silver around his hand. It looks like there's a vague heat shimmer coming off of it.
His right, predictably, is on his gun.
Morg sniffs the air, glancing up at the odd inclement weather and surveying his definitely odd surroundings. He already feels out of place, and he /likes/ horses. "Should'a said if there'd be crazy magic 'round here immediately," he grumbles. The charm in his left hand is one against magic, though it is more designed for things like soul blasts and black magic curses and such. He can feel the weird magic floating around him. Something transformative…?
"Anyway, assumin' this ain't the usual… well, two birds, right? Lead the way." He's a little more at home as a problem solver. However, Morg suspects his brand of solution won't be taken too kindly around here…
When Twilight Sparkle learned, and witnessed, the strange things starting to happen, she started searching through her books for a solution. As she makes her way to Sweet Apple Acres, she is still reading, but as she nears the center of the chocolate rain storm, she uses her magic to teleport the book back to the safety of the library. Spike, the little purple dragon with green spines, is riding on her back as usual.
"Are you sure we have to get rid of them so soon? I mean, chocolate rain? That's pretty awesome." Spike is saying. Twilight giggles. "I'm sorry, Spike, but yes. There is no telling what what negative effects cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain could have on the plants and critters in Ponyville." Spike sighs. "Alright, but…just hang on a sec." Spike hops down and slurps at a chocolate puddle. "Mmmm…"
Locked in combat is about the right way to describe it. Though at one point she stops, only because another pegasus had zipped up to her, gesturing urgently. Rainbow shakes her head, pointing at the pink clouds, and zips off after them, leaving the other pegasus to fly off - Aparently towards Cloudsdale.
Rainbow Dash gets a few of the clouds corraled together over Sweet Apple Acres by zipping and zooming around them so quickly that even the pink cotton candy clouds can't keep up "Hah! Not so tough now, are you!?" She stops to glare at the clouds, grinning proudly. And that's when one of the clouds zips off, zooming over the farm's corn fields. "HEY!" Immediately, Rainbow gives chase. And the rest of the clouds follow after her like they're trying to corral /her/. "I didn't say you could go anywhere!"
When Applejack's shout hits her ears, Rainbow Dash breaks off from her persuit and loops down towards her. "There's crazy weather all over Equestria!" She says, wiping chocolate milk off of her brow. "I just got word that Cloudsdale is getting hammered by a major cola storm right now!" She bumps her chest with a forehoof, "But don't worry, I'm not leaving till I get control of Ponyville!"
Something pops near the barn. Then another. And another. The corn field that the cotton candy clouds just rained over has begun to pop. Like popcorn. Yellow, popped kernals of popcorn have begun popping right out of the husks, already buttered and salted. They're going off so quickly that popcorn is quickly starting to cover the ground around the husks.
Meanwhile, things are getting a little… Odd in the city itself.
Roses in one of the flower shops have abruptly started to move. They pluck themselves out of the ground, their roots becoming like little feet for them to walk around on. One or two even latch on to a passing pony - Which while not deadly, would really hurt with those sharp thorns.
Over near Brooms, mops and Bookends, a few mops have broken out of the front window, and are now rampaging in the street - By assaulting ponies, trying to clean their faces with their mop ends.
The sound of a shotgun blast rips through the streets, and a possessed mop falls to the ground, shattered, "Ha ha! Clean me, will you!" Comes the triumphant voice of Barrage (Raptor) Pony, a shotgun mounted over her shoulder, the barrel still smoking as she glares at the now-dead mop, "Nobody cleans me without my say so!" She looks up into the sky, to the pink clouds, and considers, "So this is normal here, right? I mean in a place with magical talking ponies, cotton candy clouds and chocolate milk rain should be par for the course."
Staren's pony form, by the way, is a white-coated unicorn stallion with a slightly shaggy brown mane and tail (a bit reminiscent of his usual hairstyle complete with spiky bangs, but it extends further down the back of his neck). His QT mark is a robot head, identifiable by its sensor visor and antenna ears.
"Oh, I thought you knew about the pony field… but you seem to have resisted it. It's harmless, though." He briefly transforms to catboy form and back again. "See? The clouds, though…" He looks up at them. "You sense magic is behind this? But the whole world is magical…"
At least Morg isn't alone with his problem solving methods. Charr and Staren tend towards the same.
But Staren's worries momentarily are set aside when he sees a familiar purple figure. He waves a hoof, "Hey, Twilight!" Once she's closer, he adds: "I have somebody I wanted you to meet. This is my friend Morg McGee. Morg, Twilight Sparkle."
And then his ears perk up and he looks towards the town. "Was that a gunshot?"
The shotgun rapport is followed by a feminine screech of fright! Fluttershy's eyes open wide and her wings go fast enough to suprisingly leave her slicker behind, floating down in the rain as she makes it to Apple Acres!
"Ohhorsefeathersthisreallycan'tbegood!" she squeals quietly to herself, heading to meet up with Twilight, Dash, Spike, and everyone. "Is this the work of Nigh— Night—… oh horsefeathers!"
"This is really… /really/ weird. I hope everypony is okay…" Jinx murmurs to herself as she slows down upon getting near Sweet Apple Acres itself. After being ambushed by the CMC a few weeks ago, she doesn't want to risk blundering into another trap, so she approaches carefulloy and watches everything around her as she weaves her way through the apple orchards towards AJ and Dash.
"Applejaaaaaack! Daaaaaash! What's going ooooooooon??"
Wow. This. All of this. Just. /All of it/. Noh is staring at everything around her in what could most certainly pass for amusement. Disbelief? Not entirely. "… I did not know it was another prank day," She says, as she finds herself walking up on Fluttershy, Twilight, Dash, Spike, et-al, "I would have brought the wiggling fruit jell to throw at people!" She grins! .. but seeing Fluttershy's fear turns her smile upside down, and she offers, "It is okay, Fluttershy. I will not let you get hurt. I promise." .. "Besides, Angel scares me and if you got hurt no one would be around to make him behave."
Now just arriving in the town center, Risa moves up beside the mecha-pony that's Barrage Raptor, hoping to help out. "Yeah well we have walking roses to deal with too!" she hollars, pointing out a dozen or so of the things, still wrapped in some really nice paper, marching toward the pair. With a mere thought, something happens to Risa, Down her neck, front, and along her arms dragonscale just fades in and fixes to her form, easily visible where skin is and outlined where clothes are instead. "I say we start practicing some agressive horticulture, you in?" Smirk.
Risa Kirian - done.
Charr and his pokemon assembled outside, staring up at the skies. Roll was of course sipping at the chocolate rain puddles. Nettle warily shuppeted, <I do not like this, Master. There is a strange magic at work here..> Switchbait concurred, <Indeed. But does it bode ill? I sense no immediate malice in the air..> Reder: <Hmph. Some local spellcaster no doubt miscast a spell or cast the wrong spell and now we're seeing wonky weather.> "P'raps.. Falstaff, don't lick at that. Roll, get up on Falstaff's back." Roll: <But but but IT'S CHOKLIT!> (9v9) "It might make you sick. And if it did, you couldn't have anymore chocolate, or even fish, could you?" Roll: <….Okay.. That's true…> Dejected, Roll climbed up onto Falstaff's back. <Can I catch chocolate raindrops in my mouth???> "…Alright, just not too much. Don't want a tummyache." <Bwee!!> <(^v^)> Flailing her flippers happily, Roll tried to catch the chocolaty rain in her beak. Difficult but she'd still get some.
Reder: <So whaddya wanna do, Sarge.> "I.. Don't know yet. Let's go see Twilight Sparkle. She knows more 'bout th' local magiophysics'a this place'n we do." Nettle: <I agree, Master. A wise idea.> "Let us go for a.. …walk.. ..Then.."
The whole damn town is going mad. Brooms and mops coming to life, bookends flying all over the place. "…Well. /This/ is new. Gah!" FWOOSH. A mop went up in flames as it began trying to wash Charr's face with chocolate and mud. "Ptfah! Pfttthbbttbleh! Yech. Mud an' chocolate sucks." Reder: <I suggest we go find the girls before we start getting accosted by enraged taxi cabs or new age retro hippies or some shit like that.> "An excellent idea."
Applejack isn't even startled by Pinkie's sudden appearance. She's pretty much /used/ to it by now. However, she does give the candypony a look of slight disbelief. Can /nothing/ faze that crazy mare?
"What in the hay are you-" she starts, but then Rainbow Dash comes down to tell her about the situation. The cowpony listens intently, placing a forehoof on her chin as she tries to figure out what might be the cause of all this madness. Her thoughts are soon interrupted, however, by all of the corn in the fields popping. And not long after, the apples in the orchard start growing to enormous size, their weight dragging the treetops to the ground. "/What in sam hill/-"
And then a small contingent of buffalos dressed like ballerinas prances by. Well, that's odd. Oh thank Celestia, there's Jinx. Maybe she'll have some clues. "Jinx! We ain't sure, things are goin' crazy all over Equestria! Is Nightmare Moon causin' all o' this?"
Tesseract does what she does best, which is to observe what is going on. Should the flowers walk over to her, she will simply observe and record. Should the mops try to clean her, she will move move to grab it mid-legnth in her mouth, testing if and how it struggles to get free. No, none of this makes sense. Yet. Part of the point of scientific observation is simply to collect data, with as little bias as possible.
The buffalo are suddenly stricken from reality by the power of Retcon.
A few moments later a purple umbrella appears over Twilight and Spike's heads, courtesy of Rarity having caught up with her friend on her own way to investigate. She herself is sporting a matching purple raincoat and hat. "No Spike dear," she replies first to the young dragon, "As cool as this may be to some, it is highly unnatural. Not to mention chocolate stains horribly! Here, hold this." The fashionista passes the umbrella to Spike, then turns to open her bags and pull out several more articles of rainy weather attire out of them with her magic. "Fear not everypony, I have enough rainslickers and bumbershoots for everyone! Courtesy of my newest line of summer troublesome weather fashions."
"What in the world?.." Rose says as she looks at the corn plants starting to pop before she looks over at Fluttershy and Applejack saying, "Well, looks like there's some kind of cleanup to do." before she says, "If someone is directing this, they've got food on the brain." then looks around saying, "I would offer to help clean this up, but it seems like it's appearing faster than we can do anything about it." then looks over at Rarity saying, "Well, that's helpful. It would be annoying to have to wash this chocolate out later. That would be sticky." she then pauses before saying, "When did this start? Maybe we can figure out who did this if we can understand when it started."
Barrage Raptor turns her head to look at Risa, and considers, "I'm down for it if you are." Barrage replies, as she turns her shotgun and hides it away in subspace, instead opting for something with a bit more kick. A flamethrower seems like the right kind of tool to take down walking ropes, "Let's get 'em!" She yells, as she charges headfirst towards the rope.
One of the first benefits of Elner going on high-altitude recon is determining that Sweet Apple Acres seems to be the main nexus of activity (at least friendly activity), so Yuna diverts course out to Applejack's family farm to rendezvous with her friends - but not without joining up with Rarity, Twilight, and the others with them. "So we don't have any idea who or what could be responsible for this? I have to admit, even I don't think this is really Nightmare Moon's style - she strikes me as the sort to go straight for damage, not wackiness …"
She pauses to borrow a proper rainslicker from Rarity, then waves to the others, somewhat belatedly - even Barrage, although Yuna blanches a little at seeing the gun-happy Replipony go for the artilery. "I … dunno if firepower is gonna help much, at least not until or unless we find out who's behind this," she calls out to Barrage, albeit a little weakly.
"Nope. Never came up. 'Pony field' — is that the technical term for it?" He looks at the sky again, squinting at something beyond the clouds. Or maybe something he imagines beyond the clouds. It's sometimes hard to tell with him. He eyes Staren for a moment, and shakes his head. "Think I'll stick with 'me.' I ain't leavin' anythin' like that to some random arcane phenomenon to decide for me." He sounds a little bitter for just a second, but it disappears.
Morg shrugs, walking along with Staren. "Got a nose for it. Somethin' 'bout my circumstances o' birth. It's one thing to sort of feel all of it all around ya, but another to just… pick it out, and what it wants." He peers around for a second, and then eyes Staren's friend with a little skepticism — which is to say, nothing unusual at all. He tips his hat with his right hand. "Howdy." He starts to add something else —
Morg hears the shotgun blast and almost draws. It's easy to tell that he's on a hair trigger, and someone setting off firearms in his immediate vicinity is one way to set him off. "Definitely. What the hell is going on?"
Marvelous fights off a few of the animated brooms with some well-placed pony kicks, making his way to Barrage Raptor and Risa. "Sounds like a plan. Why don't I help make a show of it… Gokai Change!" <GOOOOOKAIGER!> With a twist of the Ranger Key in the Mobirates, Marvelous becomes Gokai Red, slicing through the mops with the Gokai Saber held in his teeth.
With a flick of her wings, Rainbow Dash is about to dart off again. She stops when she hears Jinx's voice calling out to them. She opens her mouth to say something, brows pulled together, but Applejack says it for her. For a moment, Rainbow looks a little silly with her mouth open like that - But she gets some chocolate milk in there at least. "Yeah! What she said!" Rainbow points a hoof affirmatively at Applejack, nodding her head, "Is your /boss/ behind all this weird weather!?"
Weird is a good way to describe it.
The mop didn't really like being held by Tessarect. It wriggles and squirms, and tries to break free. A couple of its brethren decide to try and help it, trying to mop Tessarects face while she's busy with the one.
As for the others… Well, they're just mops really in the end. Slicing through them and shooting at them causes them to shatter apart into pieces of wood that lie still on the chocolate milk drenched ground.
… Did one shard of wood just twitch?
… Nah.
As if like an attempt to try and slow those people trying to stop the chaos, clumps of chocolate milk raining clouds gather over Barrage, Risa and Captain Marvelous and his crew, creating an absolute downpour of chocolate milk.
Of course, those little animals that Applejack is always trying to chase off just can't help but go after the ultra large fruit that causes the apple trees to bend over. Rabbits, squirrels and other critters all rush in, trying to grab a bite.
At this point there's so much rain coming down that the flamethrower proves useless, the pilot light going out before Barrage can even fire off her first blast. Of course she doesn't realize this until it's too late, and she slams headlong into a group of ropes.
There's a flurry of activity, but when the others get through the thick chocolate rain they'll find Barrage suspended upside down from a street sign by the very ropes she was trying to kill.
"Oh, this can't be good." Rose says before she runs off towards the brooms and says, "Get away!" and charges into them, trying to knock them back away from Tesseract saying, "Honestly. Only a few months here, and I've fallen into absolute pandemonium." then looks around before jumping away from the downpour and saying, "Aaah! That was close. There's got to be -something- that can be done." as a thoughtful look appears on her face as she tries to figure out some what to take care of this but not to very much success.
Twilight is about to reprimand Spike when she hears Staren. She blinks, then waves to him. "Hello Staren, and hello Morg. It is nice to meet you." she says to the pair before blinking as a bumbershoot covers her. Spike immediately takes the umbrella when Rarity says to, trying to hold it over both ponies, but mostly over Rarity. Leaving Twilight getting a bit drenched by chocolate rain. "Alright, everypony, I think I have a spell that should set everything right." Twilight calls out, then her horn starts to glow. The glow of purple magic increases more and more before a circular shockwave of purple pushes outward, then forms into a rainbow of colors as the wave flows over Ponyville, engulfing everyone and everything. It flows for miles in every direction before slowing, then dispersing. And…
Nothing happens. The clouds are still pink and cotton candy, and the rain is still chocolate milk. "Wha-…?" Twilight seems supremely baffled. "My…my Failsafe spell…failed?!?!" As she says this, a pink cloud files over, right above her, and starts pouring chocolate rain over her. Spike, more proocupied with protecting Rarity, has pulled the umbrella away from Twilight, leaving her to get soaked in chocolate milk.
Noh looks between them all, and finally moves to drape an arm comfortingly around Jinx' shoulders and neck, saying, thoughtfully, leaning against her spoon with the other side of her body, "I do not think this is.. ah. I do not think this tastes of the one called Nightmare Moon, yes? She is more up to.. uhm. To make people scared. Not give people great joy," she says, and as if in example of this 'great joy' she gestures in the direction she last saw Pinkie Pie heading. With a lopsided smug grin, of course. Before she leans in to whisper to Jinx, "I will protect you, too. You are my friend!" with a smile.
Mops, walking roses, and now chocolate rain. The utter downpour coming in from the pink clouds just makes the dracomancer grump, "Well," she muses, wiping her face off, "At least it tastes good!" she calls toward Barrage before darting forward. She doesn't actually try to grab the roses by their stems but instead by the gift paper they were wrapped in before trying to just throw them, snap them, break them, whatever she needs to do. "These clouds are really annoying! If they make chocolate rain do they spit vanillia lightning or something?!" She looks back toward the mech-pony to spot her hanging from a "Is that a sentient rope? Where did that come from?!" And without missing a beat Risa tries to find a way to cut down the trapped reploid-pony-raptor-pony.
Tesseract releases the mop after the others attack her. She doesn't seem to have taken much, if any, damage or annoyance from the attacks, she's just curious about all of this. "Thank you, but I'm fine," she ways to Rose. She looks around, at the way the pink clouds are acting towards those trying to control the chaos, and nods to herself.
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Busy! Roses and Ropes and mops and *SPLASH* *BLEEP*"
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "This goes a bit beyond 'bad luck,' yeah. - Wait, ropes? Now what?"
<1X-Supplemental> Jinx says, "I was just harvesting some herbs and I saw all the pink clouds buzzing around!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "You tell me. I already asked, and it sounds like the Wyld can't leak into Equestria. All I know about the Wyld is that it's a place moderately crazier than what we have going on right now."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Its got the pony I was helping!"
Fluttershy arrives on the farm, and greatfully accepts rain gear, shivvering from the gunfire. Poor thing's a bit shell-shocked, but she looks around to her friends. She digs a hoof into the ground, and bows her head a little bit and asks, in a very quiet and demure voice "… is… is it too late to hide under the table?", with a weak smile… but quickly loses it. This really isn't a time to sit out. Summon the inner badass!
… however, she takes up an umbrella, holding it in her teeth, and covers Twilight. It's the least she could do.
Applejack takes notice of all those little animals running in to grab a bite to eat. She starts to run over to chase them off, but stops herself mid-stride. There are more important things to tend to here. "Rainbow Dash, knock off that tone. Jinx obviously ain't here fer a fight, jes' let the girl speak." she scolds the cyan pony, then notices the rest of her friends approaching. She waves to them too. "Hey, y'all! Hurry on over here, let's get inside the barn where it's nice an' dry!"
<1X-Supplemental> Captain Marvelous says, "I don't get it either. I'm trying to get my crew together…"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "..Strange.. …Strange indeed.."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Observation: this phenomenon, while seemingly purposless, does seem directed to stop efforts to stop it. This suggests two hypothisis."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "Well it's not /my/ fault. I've got ponies telling me it's going on all over the place!"
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, ".. I would say this almost seems like the work of The Fae. But I have met less confusing Fae since coming to the multiverse, so it may not be."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "First, that there is some hidden end to these actions, or they are a distraction from something else. Second, that some living agency is behind them."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Its bloody chaotic is what it is!"
Rarity lets out a squeal of shock as corn starts exploding into popcorn at random, ducking back under the umbrella Spike is holding for her as puffed kernals fly like delicious strapnel. Which naturally Pinkie Pie hops up next to her with mouth wide open to catch the strays. Rarity frowns as Twilight attempts to correct the madness… and it fails. The spell of one of the strongest in magic unicorns she knows -failed-?! "My stars and bridles, this is getting downright preposterious."
"Oh oh oh!" Pinkie Pie continues to hop up and down next to Rarity. "Rarity! I totally need one of your bumbershoots!"
Rarity peers back at her. "Don't you have your own umbrella hat?"
"Yes, but it's way too small. Trust me on this."
Rarity lets out a sigh as she rolls her eyes and magically passes an umbrella to Pinkie Pie. "Fiiiine."
Pinkie Pie yays and opens it. Then snaps it hard enough to make it reverse and bow outward. Then bounces merrily after the nearest cluster of raining clouds to use it like a bowl and catch as much chocolate rain as possible.
Rarity is about to scold her for misuse of a parasol, but is interrupted by a giant apple hitting the ground behind her. "AAACK!", wails the fashionista as she leaps and lands in the graps of the nearest possible person… Which just happens to be Spike. Which is going to look rediculous, considering Spike is like half her size, if that.
"I… I don't think so! She didn't say anything about any plans…" replies Jinx as both AJ and Dash question her about the chaos, "Besides… this isn't really Nightmare Moon's style, you know that. She's about fear, not… pranks. It's like someone is having a good laugh at our expense or something…"
Jinx looks around a bit nervously, but manages a smile when Noh sticks up for her. It's good to have friends.
Staren suddenly realizes just _how big of a risk_ the pony field could be. He has _no_ idea how it works. But, it's been safe so far… and as a shapeshifter he can just change back anytime. It's a worrying thought, though. What if whatever's going on starts to warp even _that_ universal effect? Oh, it _couldn't_ be that big…
The gunshot is soon drowned out by SOOO MUCH POPCORN. Staren backs away from the nearest corn, only to get plinked by popcorn from the other way, as it begins to rapidly accumulate on the ground. "Uhh… I don't think Nightmare Moon would attack us with chocolate rain and popcorn… would she?" He finds himself standing there as the popcorn level rises. Twilight's announcement of a spell to 'fix everything' gets his attention. "Wow, really? You have a spell for this situation? What are the odds of that?" He watches her cast, slightly taken aback and surprised by the raw power being displayed here… and then the _huge_ magical shockwave! He wonders what an _attack_ spell of hers would look like…
But nothing happened. "Uhh… what exactly was that spell supposed to do, Twilight?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity starts to say something but it's cut off into an "EEEEEK!" as she's started by giant falling fruit.
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Rarity?! What happened?!"
<1X-Supplemental> Barrage Raptor says, "So not cool."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Having a good laugh? This is so far beyond having a good laugh."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "I'm getting you down! just hold on!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity says, "That apple is huge! And it almost fell on my precious adorable head!"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "..How huge is huge."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "About as big as her."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "Clouds _and_ corn popping _and_ …giant fruit?"
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "There's a possible motivation, but that suggests that something intelligent is behind all of this."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "I do not know. This is all very amusing to me! … But I am a Child of Spider."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Humor, that is."
<1X-Supplemental> Captain Marvelous says, "It certainly doesn't seem like any enemy we've faced before…"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "….Right then. I'm gonna g'head on an' initiate evac procedures t'Sweet Apple Acres afore somepony gets flattened."
Barrage Raptor is not one to be able to just sit back and relax when she's being held upside down by sapient rope, "Dumb rope! When I get down from here I'm gonna.." She doesn't know what she's gonna do. They don't want her to level the town just to blow up some rope…So she'll have to find alternative means to fight it.
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "True, whomever it is might find someone getting seriously injured even more funny."
At this point, too much is going on for Yuna to keep track of everything at once - animated mops and ropes, plus crops apparently going crazy elsewhere if not closer at hand. The giant apple slamming to the ground near Rarity, though, gives her something to focus on - and for all that she'd rather keep a raincoat or something on, she finally has Elner trigger her transformation. replacing the raincoat with her pony-form Light Suit.
Only then does she look up to try and see where the apple that nearly planted Rarity fell from, her horn glowing faintly as if in preparation for her to attack. If there's anything *to* attack up there, anyway.
Yuna Kagurazaka changed her armor mode to Light Suit.
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Hm… I would sooner say this is just random chaos. It would take a fairly erratic mind to come up with this."
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "Yeah, 'chaotic' seems to sum it all up at the moment … Who's where right now, anyway?"
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "But what's causing it then?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "I'm near sweet apple acres, heading to the barn."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Isn't that the million dollar question?"
At first there doesn't seem to be any harm to the little animals eating the strange fruits on the trees.
Then after a few bites, things get… Weirder.
The animals legs abruptly grow loooong and thin, and end in hooves. But they're still able to run around on all fours! Which they do, scurrying to the next tree.
Annoyed as she might be, Rainbow Dash does have to admit that this isn't really Nightmare's style. She huffs, blowing some damp bangs up from her forehead. They slick back down immediately. "Okay, so Nightmare didn't do it. So who is?" She says, shrugging wildly. Her expression softens at least - She's just more worried about her city is all.
When Twilight calls out that she's got everything handled, Rainbow cheers up a bit, grinning at the unicorn. "Alright Twilight! Knew you'd come through!" But when the explosion of light goes off and things are still the same… Rainbow's ears lay back against her head. "Well that was a bust." She looks around quickly, "Now what the hay are we supposed to do?"
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "It's not random. There are too many patterns to call it random."
<1X-Supplemental> Jinx says, "Y-yeah, I don't think this is Nightmare Moon's doing. She didn't say anything about it and she's usually more direct and… well… mean."
Looking around, Risa manages to find something that a rope should fear. A KNIFE! When she comes back to help Barrage, "Brace yourself!" And then leaps up and slices the rope, hoping to set the reploid-raptor-pony free, "I think everyone's gathering at some farm, we probably should try to head in that direction!" she hollars, mostly over the chocolate downpour still going on, "And we can get out of this STUPID CHOCOLATE RAIN." Thunder, no lightning though, her question still hasn't been answered. "I think its out this way!" she calls, taking off, and in the direction of sweet apple acres. When she sees the rolling fields of popped pop-corn, "Yep this way!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity | Pinkie Pie, at the mention of erratic mind, "I totally did not do this…unless somepony found a way to make dreams come true… though then it would be clouds made of marshmellows and when I wake up my pillow would be gone. Again. Who keeps taking my pillow when I'm dreaming about marshmellows I don't know…."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "I'm heading for the farm to all of you! Heads up, we have some of those pink clouds drenching us!"
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "Doesn't have to be dreams. Could be you from an alternate dimension…"
<1X-Supplemental> Noh muses, "This is not the work of Spider or Coyote, I can tell that." She pauses, then asks, completely innocent, "Is your mouth ever dry when you wake up from the marshmallow dream?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity says, "Let's not give her any ideas."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "I dunno what this is besides just totally /weird/."
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity | Pinkie Pie pfffs, "Don't be silly, Staren. The me that's got wings and is white is totally a dream too. Maybe."
<1X-Supplemental> Captain Marvelous says, "Right… We should get to that farm too!"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "My crew'll provide AA support in case'a more fallin' huge things. I'll see if'n we can't herd ponies that'a way."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Twilight Sparkle, do you know of anything local that might be causing this?"
"Lead the way. I have no idea where the farm is." Barrage says, after picking herself up off the floor, "I wish Blitz was here. He'd have a much better idea of what to do than I do, but he hates being a pony."
<1X-Supplemental> Twilight Sparkle says, "I don't even know of anything in the multiverse that would be causing this!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "I do, but it can't reach here."
<1X-Supplemental> Applejack says, "Y'all can take shelter in the barn. It's plenty roomy."
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity says, "Barn it is then."
<1X-Supplemental> Applejack says, "We can plan our next move in there."
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "Be there shortly!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Better than getting soaked by chocolate."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "…The multiverse… a raksha could, if we were in its realm, right? How much can a raksha do _outside_ its realm?"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "That won't fit everypony in town, but I've got that covered."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Raksha? You mean dream and soul eating, looks pretty with pointed ears?"
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "And thanks, Applejack, Charr."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "Right, let's hit the barn!"
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "Those are the ones!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Well, Hunter said that the Wyld can't reach this far."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Supposedly, a bunch. This don't fit the usual modus operandi of the things from my neck o' the woods, though."
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity says, "Rainbow Dash, don't you dare crash into it with everypony going there!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Believe me, that's the first thing I thought when I saw this kind of chaos."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "Ugh, I didn't mean /literally/!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity says, "Never know with you."
So Nightmare Moon doesn't know either. "Alright, then. Ah trust ya, Jinx, an' it's true. This doesn't seem like her at all. Anyway, let's jes' get out o' this rain afore mah hat's soaked through completely." Applejack says, retreating into the cover of the large red building. It's warm, it's dry, there's plenty of hay to go around. Good for a pinch, and this is certainly a pinch.
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Not enough missin' folks, too obvious to be frightenin'. Hrm…"
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "… the… the animals!"
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "It's also … well, not entirely benign, but I think Nightmare M— what's up, Fluttershy?"
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "…Could it be a raksha that's gone nuts?"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Ain't that redundant?"
Noh is likely to follow anywhere Jinx goes; she's enjoying all the chaos, but is keeping mostly quiet about her enjoyment because no one needs to turn their accusations to her. She's just the one enjoying it, not creating it. Although.
<1X-Supplemental> Applejack says, "Ignore 'em, Fluttershy! We can figger out how ta save 'em later!"
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "… I think I would like to shake the hand… or hoof? Of the one causing this. It is … magnificent! A marvelous sort of pranking."
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy gives a pitiful squeak.
"Falstaff, Switchbait, Nettle. You jus' became anti-air support. If anythin' huge starts fallin' outta th' sky what ain't a pony, zap it or cut it up or catch it so's it don't crush folks. Reder, yer with me, we're gonna evac everypony t'Sweet Apple Acres. Roll, if you see anypony gettin' real scared-like, you coax'em into followin' us, got it?" <Right!> <Gotcha.> <Kay!> <As you wish, Master.> <Of course, sah!> "Rrrrmph."
Sucking in air, Charr broke into a canter and began shouting. "ALRIGHT EVERYPONY! Head fer Sweet Apple Acres, fast as yah can go! Don't bring nothin' y'don't need- no toys, no games, flash cards, DJ equipment, clothes, nothin' like that! Only food, medicine, blankets, an' cleanin' supplies! I REPEAT! Everypony GET GOIN' to SWEET APPLE ACRES, NOW!" This was gonna take a while.. But Charr is a /very loud pony/. So they will, if nothing else, hear him. "Get yer FRIENDS, FAMILY, AN' ANYONE IN TH' IMMEDIATE VICINITY! Get movin'! No time fer dawdlin', m'little ponies! Move NOW!"
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "This is /not/ magificent. This is /scary/."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "Pranking? APplejack's corn crop is completely ruined! And possibly the apples too."
"Twilight!" Jinx calls out, always happy to see the purple unicorn, even amidst all this chaos, "Oh thank Celestia you're here! Everything's going crazy!"
Understatement of the year.
"Please tell me you— YEEP!" Jinx jumps at Charr's commanding voice, then bolts into the barn, fearing his wrath more than everything else happening, "Oh dear oh dear!"
Okay, MORE weird stuff going on. But so far nothing has posed a serious threat to Tesseract; she's not near enough the trees for an apple to land on her… But she's got a model about the behavior that she'd like to test, see if it is of any use in predicting what is going on. So she heads on over to the Sweet Apple Acres barn, to take shelter there and see what happens next.
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "But now she can sell chocolate popped corn to people. Do you know how delicious that is? And chocolate covered apples, the size of a pony? She could feed starving countries!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity | Pinkie Pie giggles at the thought.
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "If the starving countries don't mind turning into… whatever those animals are now…"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <Hey Flutterflank. Don't worry about yer little animal friends. They'll run for safety on instinct.>
Morg relaxes fractionally. "Uh, likewise." He steps back, tipping his hat and letting chocolate milk and… popcorn? roll off the rim. He sighs inwardly. If he knew this little trek was going to be /this/ crazy, he would've packed something with a little more stopping power. Whenever something goes this sideways and wonky (technical term, wonky), it is always something big and crazy that is behind it.
The spell goes off. Morg inhales, wincing against the light and color and the buzzing sensation of a significant amount of magic being released right near him. His poncho — now chocolate-colored — flutters in a sudden breeze. And then… nothing happens. "In my experience, the only thing foolproof 'bout magic is that you should expect it to go wrong when you need it most." He sounds almost wise. Almost.
Morg looks towards the shouting, and then to Twilight and Staren. "Should we head thataway, or skip out and round up a posse? It ain't my house, so to speak, so it ain't my call." He shrugs. He's released the grip on his pistol, at least.
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "Oh, I do not think the apples are what caused that."
The other four Gokaigers run into the square, also having transformed to shield themselves from the chocolate rain, before the whole team heads in the direction of the farm. On the way, Marvelous calls up to the Galleon…
"Hey bird, how's everything holding up?" he asks Navi.
"It's big trouble here! Some of those pink clouds keep trying to sneak in! I keep having to turn on the sprinkler systems… Everything's soaked in either chocolate or water… What'll you do? What'll you do?!"
"Just… keep taking care of things okay?" Marvelous says. "Cleaning up the Galleon can wait, we have to get to the bottom of this! We're heading for that farm."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "However! As one who follows a God of Stories and Tricks.. I can say this is… very good! No one has been fatally harmed yet, no?"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Yet."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <Yeah.. Yet.>
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity yowls "That apple came pretty close!"
As if ponies want to go out into the weird chocolate milk rain! Most of them are ducking into their houses. A few will probably come. But most are resorting to their own shelters where it's… Mostly safe. At least safer than it is out there.
Luckily, Rainbow Dash CAN miss running into the broad side of a barn. She zips right into the open doors of the barn, completely missing the doors on either side.
"Bleeegh, I'm totally drenched in this stuff!" She complains as she comes down for a landing on all four hooves. One wing is stretched out, and she gives it a bit of a shake. Feathers are sticking a little together, but at least her wings still function. "First jello, now chocolate milk and cotton candy. This is seriously one weird week."
And it's only going to get weirder.
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "'Yet' applies. This could be a cruel joker."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "If this was of malicious intent.. why start with small tricks? Why start with harmless things like rain or clouds..? Why not, I do not know… set forth a plague of locusts, or the death of the first born?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity is likely overexaggerating like usual.
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <Better safe'n sorry, Noh.>
Twilight cannot believe it herself as her spell has no effect at all. She just stands there, staring, her mane and tail drooping from being soaked with chocolate milk, and her ears drooping from…well…shock. "Wh..what do we do now…?" she asks softly, still just standing there.
Spike, meanwhile, has turned very red as he is being hugged by Rarity. Rarity! "Haaaah…" He almost drops the umbrella, but remembers that he is holding it for Rarity, and flinches before making sure to hold it up. "Don't worry, Rarity, I won't let anything happen to you." he says in his best brave voice.
Twilight's eyes widen even more as the animals' legs suddenly lengthen to deer-like. "Wh-what…but…that…that simply can't happen at random!" Twilight's eye begins to twitch as she watches the deer-legged bunnies and things run around. She hears Charr, but even that doesn't snap her out of it.
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "To put us off our guard. Convince us that it's harmless."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <The Sarge an' us would rather be thought of as paranoid delusional fools than risk something bad /actually/ happening, you know?>
<1X-Supplemental> Twilight Sparkle says, "N-….not…this…shouldn't…*twitch*"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "What just-?.. Mutations?"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Well, that's why I'm sure it ain't somethin' I'm used to dealin' with. If it was somethin' we'd've heard of, like locusts and plagues for first-borns an' such, we could connect it to a certain legend and then to whatever might be out of it that's causin' it."
Fluttershy is distraught. Her animal friends are being invoulentarily changed. The crop is destroyed, and it's /still/ raining chocolate milk down on everything! The fruit has turned downright dangerous, and with a whimper, the yellow pony follows her friends into the barn, shaking off a bit as she looks to Rainbow Dash, adn she pins her ears back, taking a few steps back. "This can't be good… what if… what if things are… " she fidgits, digs her hoof into the ground again and just looks forlorn.
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "This is insane. It's like reality is collapsing."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Then, if you know /that/, you can kill it. But this…"
<1X-Supplemental> Jinx says, "Twilight…?"
<1X-Supplemental> Noh, amused: "Since when does anyone or thing do that in the Multiverse?" to Staren. "Most of the things in the Multiverse that are dangerous… they are not so subtle."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "HEY, pull yourself together, Twilight!"
Yuna joins the rush from Ponyville to Applejack's barn, letting out a sigh of relief once she's got a relatively solid roof over her head, and carefully trying to shake some of the chocolate milk out of her mane and tail before moving further inside from the door. "Twilight? Are you okay there?" she asks, noting that the purple unicorn seems perilously close to going into conniptions or something. "Slow down, breathe, and if you think you know something that'd help, tell us calmly."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "… Besides. … The chocolate milk. it is delicious!"
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "Slow down and breathe, Twilight. If you think you know something that'd help explain this, tell us calmly."
Rose trots up beside Fluttershy and says, "Hey… It's alright. Come on, we'll figure out what to do in time. We just need to get somewhere dry and plan for now alright?" smiling as best she can amongst the general chaos, then motions towards the barn with a hoof and says, "Let's head to the barn, alright?"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <Yeah. We got evac and public safety under control- oop, hang on, giant delicious fruit incoming.>
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "It's not a breakdown of order, it's… a breakdown of logic. It's… it's…"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Chaos."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "But not quite."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Raw, complete chaos."
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "The laws of nature are kinda out to lunch, is all I've really got so far."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Nah. We still got cause and effect."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee pauses a moment, and then audibly knocks on wood.
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "True. Plus, time is still moving in a straight line."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "No distortions, no gravity problems."
A few more minutes later and a drenched 'brown' haired lady would wander into the bar. Believe it or not her hair isn't normally that color, "That … is at the same time the best and worst kind of rain I have ever been in," she muses out loud to everyone there as she -tries- to wring some of the rain out of her hair, brushing her clothes off, and so on. "Does ANYONE know what could possibly be going on?" In all the chaos she and Barrage were going through in the city, she probably missed Twilight trying to correct everything.
Tesseract joins the others inside the barn, looking up at the roof, waiting, waiting…
Nothing happens.
"Huh. So much for that predictive system," Tess muses.
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Can't say whether that'll stay around forever though."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Is anythin' man-made goin' nuts, or is it just natural things?"
This is just getting seriously out of hoof. "You can put me down now, Spike, thanks." Once she's on her own hooves once more, she turns and solves this matter with her friend the best way possible at the time like this.
She slaps Twilight (lightly) across the face with her tail.
"Snap out of it, Twilight Sparkle! Just because your first course of action didn't work as planned does not mean it is a lost cause." The unicorn turns, and if need be, will grab her friend to drag her towards the barn. "You are Celestia's best and formost student, I am certain you will eventually come up with something, but for now it is best if we conviene with everypony else in the barn where we're not going to drowned in chocolate. Come along, Pinkie."
Pinkie Pie looks down from her chocolate catching. "But.. chocolate rain!"
"Now."
"Oh okay." She dips the umbrella back enough to gulp down the chocolate she caught, then collapses it and poings after the others. "Maybe later we can get enough chocolate and use Charr's flaming mcflamypants-ness to make fondue!"
The wood Morg knocks on makes a cowbell sound.
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Some mops went mildly agressive with their business ends."
Staren just raises an eyebrow at the animals. Seeing the effect of eating the apples makes him reconsider drinking the milk and eating the popcorn. He kind of wanted to try it. Then again, the milk hasn't hurt anyone else…
Staren tilts his head slightly at Twilight's distress. He walks over to pat her on the back, then put a foreleg around her. "Hey. Don't worry, we'll think of something. We've got some pretty smart folk here, right?" He nods at her and Morg, and then gestures at the animals. "Right. It can't happen randomly. We'll _figure it out_! That's what scientists do!" He steps back. "Besides, even if we can't figure it out, we've got a god of madness on our side!" he cheerfully gestures a hoof at Morg. "He should be in his element right now!"
Staren frowns as he stands on all fours again, looking at Morg. "Although… you don't _look_ like someone in their element. …I guess divinity doesn't quite work that way?"
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "But not with the hard ends."
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "Thank the gods for small favors on that one, Tesseract."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "I had to deal with walking roses. That was really weird."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "…"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <..This rain isn't letting up. That's bad.>
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, ".. The wood, it is a cow bell."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "I'm gonna see if I can do somethin' 'bout this."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Staren's right — I should be in my element here."
And upon noticing that Morg's wood knock made a cowbell sound, Noh, suddenly grinning, is poking at anything that is nearby and wooden with her spoon. Well. It appears they've found some way to keep her distracted!
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <Then get to work before the chocolate completely ruins every patch of farmable terrain here, Slowbro.>
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy sounds bewildered "Your element is is chocolate rain?"
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "… or cowbell wood?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "It sounds like chaos and madness more than anything."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Yeah, yeah. Nah — I'm, uh, I'm a god. Madness is one o' the things I'm a god of. So it stands to reason…"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee might be making a vague hand gesture.
<1X-Supplemental> Barrage Raptor says, "You're a god? Really?".
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "… are you in charge of the Union?"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Haven't gone /that/ mad."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr |Reder tortles, <Less yammering, more working!>
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy squeaks, extremely softly "Sorry!"
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "..Did that wood just ring?"
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "If so, that's going to mess up musical instruments, too."
Applejack is having trouble keeping track of everything in all the chaos, but she thinks she's mostly got things settled. Kind of. Everypony nearby is heading into the barn, at least, and that will keep them out of the rain and away from the worst of the danger from falling giant fruit and strange animal mutations. She indicates a bucket of water with a forehoof. "Rainbow Dash, ya can wash yerself off with that."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh answers Staren by jabbing a large box. "Yes! Is it not fantastic?"
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Wait, I know that voice.."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Noh?"
<1X-Supplemental> Staren opens his mouth, but can't think of anything to say, so eventually shuts it again.
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "Hello, my friend! It is a good thing to see you - or is that hear you? - Again! I come to Equestria… many time!"
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "Is like.. second home to me."
<1X-Supplemental> Barrage Raptor says, "So how do we stop this?"
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Its …unique, I'll admit to that."
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity | Pinkie Pie aaws. "Noh gets two homes? No fair! I only have one… granted, it's over the bestest bakery ever, so I guess that counts more."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "Oh, it is okay, Pinkie! I have earned a second home, because I used to have no home, for very long time! You see?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity | Pinkie Pie squees, "The hominess has been doubled!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash audibly facehoofs.
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "Hello! Chocolate rain! Cotton candy clouds!"
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy squeaks.
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "Exactly why Equestria is an awesome home, yes, Rainbow Dash!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity exasperated sigh, "Pinkie Pie would you focu — actually, no. Just keep doing whatever it is you do, it'll keep you comparitively out of trouble." "Okie Dokie Lok—eeey wait a minute, he's not here. Shoot, I need to think of a new saying."
The Gokaigers finally arrive at Sweet Apple Acres. "This situation is looking… well, I'd say 'serious' but it's really not," Marvelous says.
"Perhaps 'intensely strange' would be a better description for these events," Ahim suggests.
"That sounds about right," Marvelous agrees.
"And right now… we still don't even know why it's happening," Joe notes. "So we can't exactly come up with a plan for what to do about it…"
Twilight yelps softly as she is slapped, then whimpers softly and rubs her cheek as Staren offers reassurances. "N-no…it wasn't the spell failing…the…the animals…that simply shouldn't be able to happen…actually…none of this should be able to happen!" Twilight says as she recovers and starts toward the barn.
Spike blushes as Rarity says he can release her, which he does, but he keeps the umbrella over Rarity as they head toward the barn. As they head toward the barn, Twilight finally notices Jinx, and blinks. "Jinx? What are you doing here?" she asks, surprised. "Nightmare Moon isn't having you defend her castle from strange phenomena?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity | Pinkie Pie regardless joins Noh in poking random things to see if they make strange sounds.
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "Except that these aren't normal even for Equestria …. and for all that the weather seems to be relatively harmless, it's somewhat inconvenient."
Rarity sighs and sits down once they're inside the barn, using her magic to try and wring some chocolate out of her mane. The wet hair look isn't nearly as sexy when it's due to being wet and sticky splotchs of brown. "Good heavens, I haven't had this much chocolate in my mane since the last time Sweetie Belle attempted to make hot cocoa."
Tesseract manuivers for a place near the barn door. She wants to see what is going on outside, as she attempts to gather more data about what might be behind it.
<1X-Supplemental> Noh starts trying to help Pinkie bonk/clang/bikehorn/dogbark out 'the ABC song'.
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Twilight… Calm down. If it can be done, it can be undone… I hope."
Well this wasn't good. A lot of ponies were fleeing, but just as many if not more were just holing up in their homes. Not good. "Ugh.. ..Guess that's all we're gonna get outta here.. Reder!" <Yeah Sarge, whaddya need?> "Still got a bunch of ponies in town. Go to Town Hall. Falstaff! Go to th' Elementary School. Roll, getcherself to th' train station! Nettle, I want you watchin' th' edge'a town from our house! Switchbait, head fer th' Hospital! I'll head fer Sweet Apple Acres, then to th' town square!" A chorus of 'aye aye's and whatnot followed, and the group began splitting up to head for their appointed areas. "Maintain radio contact at all times! If you see anythin' stranger'n what's goin' on right now, report it! I want check-ins every five minutes!" And off Charr went, galloping for Sweet Apple Acres.
Charr - done.
"I just gotta clean off my feathers," Rainbow says, as she picks up the bucket and dribbles some water on her wings, "Before they get all sticky and it gets a /pain/ to fly." She starts working the water - Which is thankfully just water - into her feathers with her forehooves. It'll probably take a while to get all the cotton candy and chocolate milk out of them, that's for sure.
Rainbow looks back over to Twilight as she's dragged in. "Ugh, come /on/ Twilight, don't have a mental break down /now/." She rolls her eyes, "Seriously, you're like the smartest pony I know. We gotta figure out what to do with all this stuff!"
Morg pauses to rap his knuckles against a tree branch. It makes a sound not unlike a cowbell being rung. He makes a face that is oddly what he might make if he were kind of freaked out by it. It's never the /big/ things that get to him — just the little ones. He hastily withdraws his right hand, and affixes his Navajo charm in his left to a spot beneath his poncho. And he thought talking ponies were weird.
"Y'know, Staren's right. I should be in my element. I'm gonna see what I can do 'bout this." He strides away from Staren and the still-freaked Twilight Sparkle, out into the rain, one hand on his hat and the other shielded under his poncho. He licks his lips, briefly deciding that he dislikes the taste of chocolate when it isn't in a mug and plenty hot.
Stopping just off of the gravel roads, Morg looks up and around, squinting into the rain. He pulls a pair of goggles out from somewhere on his person and puts them on, once again deciding that the milk rain is no good. He cracks his knuckles and shakes out his hands and arms like someone preparing to do something impressive, or maybe just put on a good show. He takes a breath and tries to focus, reaching down into that reserve he feels in his chest, the thing he feels like the heat of the sun coming from inside rather than out.
It's all rather unusual to him. It feels like he's flexing a muscle he hasn't used in a while, or doesn't use enough. His divine power, when put into use, is a thing that is like breathing. It just comes naturally, but he is keenly aware of how unnatural it is. Maybe that's one of the reasons one of his purviews is madness, he thinks. "Alright you weather-gone-loco," he says to himself, that godly 'muscle' tensing, "let's make this a little /less/."
With an exhalation, he lets his power out. A weird shimmer of not-quite-white light comes from him, highlighting his body within the torrential downpour. Chocolate milk turns to water where it intersects the weird field around him, keeping him the normal kind of damp at the very least. Shadows lengthen, seemingly cast by invisible things with too many eyes and too many gangly limbs. He feels the rain, the churned mud of the earth and the weirdly-sounding wood, and looks for the connection… and the source.
Morg's mind is awhirl with something like an internal echo. His thoughts go in six directions at once, making it difficult to focus on any one thing but terribly easy to focus on /this/ one thing. "What are you?" he asks aloud, the strange echo coming on his voice. "Where are you?" He lets his influence spread, tying himself into the chaos and insanity that surrounds him. If he can connect to whatever sorcery is doing this, maybe he can just… tweak it.
"I am so not happy about any of this right now." Barrage Pony grumbles as she sits in a corner, still dripping wet with chocolate, "I thought cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain would be a normal occurance here in a magical talking pastel colored pony world, but this is…Malevolent."
Yuna looks around as more familiar (and unfamiliar) faces arrive in the barn. Seeing Morg go to work gets the bulk of her attention; while she's watching him from inside the barn, though, she divides her attention a little.
"Rainbow Dash, you were on weather duty when all this started, right?" the magical paladin-girl pony asks. "Did you happen to see where the clouds were coming from in the first place? Any consistent direction? Maybe a point of origin for what's going on? Or did the bizarreness get reported in a particular order from different towns or cities, like the effect took time to spread?"
For now, Risa is at a loss on what to do. Her abilities were mostly fiery and scale involved. Countering, altering, or stopping chaos was not on her resume in any way. She's STILL wringing out her hair when she pipes up, "Well its not normal, but, I mean, does ANYONE know who could be doing something like this? At times like this I would ask my teacher, so.." she glances over at Twilight Sparkle, "Twilight is it? Can you ask your teacher about all of this?"
A-WHOOO-ga! "Ooo, this one sounds like a car horn!" Another whomp and an air raid siren wails.
The smile fades instantly and suddenly there is a chocolate milk drimping Dhampir glued to Risa's side.
… Fun time is now over, apparently, for the moment.
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Madness… Dreams… No, this isn't chaotic."
Rarity's expression brightens somewhat at the suggestion. "That's a good idea… whoever you are." She gives a vage wave of a hoof in Risa's direction, though it's less of a dismissal and more of 'we'll worry about introductions when there's not a crisis'. Considering she was busy freaking her pretty head off she probably didn't notice Risa at the med-ward during the jello incident, so forgive her for not reconizing someone at a trying time.
She turns her attention back to Twilight. "You should send a message to Celestia. I'm sure they're getting reports from all over Equestria if this is truely that widespread, but you are one of the few ponies we know who could possibly garner a direct response from their royal highnesses."
"What the hay is he doing?" Rainbow Dash looks out of the barn at the strange human. Then again, most humans are strange. Seriously, standing on two legs and with their unwieldy finger things. They're just weird. She shakes her head a little, looking back at the others. "Okay, so, while he's gone all freaky, what are we going to do?"
When Yuna asks, Rainbow Dash shrugs her shoulders, causing her half cleaned wings to flutter a little bit. "Nope, I was just doing some routine cloud kicking before the next change was up." Her feathers ruffle, wings half flaring in her annoyance. "A Cloudsdale weather pony tried to get me to come help with the cola rain Cloudsdale was having, but there was no /way/ I'd leave you guys hanging till Ponyville was under control. I dunno about anywhere else."
For a second or two, Morg would be able to feel the chaos in the area - And it is chaos, being spread all across the harmony that is usually throughout Equestria. But this chaos? It's everywhere. Right now, it's spread thin, to the point where only 'minor' occurances of chaos crop up in the otherwise harmonious world. But it's spread everywhere equally to the point where it would be almost impossible to tell just where it's coming from. Just that it's there.
But you know the saying 'When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you?' Morg would get the distinct impression that the chaos was looking at him, from all around, investigating him as much as he tries to investigate the chaos. Whether or not it's an entity would be hard to tell. The chaos is just spread too thin and spread so far out everywhere to tell if there is a sapience behind it. But whatever it is, he has gotten the attention of the chaos.
And it laughs at him.
The chaos around the area does start to clear up though. Puffy pink clouds return to the normal white Equestrian clouds. Apples return to their original sizes. Animals become cute and cuddly again instead of hooved oddities.
But while the chaos clears elsewhere, it begins to condense at a spot above Morg. A large clump of rumbling, pink, cotton candy clouds begin to form. A bolt of violet lightning arcs from the cloud, a bolt of pure chaos, seeking the mad god below with an almighty *CRACK* of thunder.
"I'm sure your rulers are already working hard to discover the course of this disturbance," Ahim says. "Getting in touch with them would definitely be advisable." The Gokaigers watch as Morg is targeted. "I… don't like the looks of that," Don says.
Applejack, as usual, goes right for the most sensible solution. Which, incidentally, is the same one that several other ponies are suggesting. "Ah'm secondin' that idea. The Queens prob'ly know what's goin' on. But jes' in case they don't, what do we know right now? Maybe we can piece tagether some kind o' clue."
"KYAA!!" yelps Yuna at the sudden bolt of purple lightning, leaping about half again her height in shock.
It's a good thing that didn't happen until after Rainbow Dash had the chance to answer her question, though - any earlier and she would have missed it. There's a not-insignificant chance that she'll land latching on to Rarity (no matter how far apart they were initially).
Savior of Light, heroine of her universe, bold Union Elite … and she's still terrified of lightning, at least when it catches her by surprise to THAT extent.
Yuna Kagurazaka - done.
Staren starts to follow Twilight back to the barn… but then as Morg takes action, he stops to watch. "_Now_ he looks like he's in his element." He comments.
He is completely lacking in the sense to see that what Morg is doing may be a _terrible idea_.
It's actually fascinating to watch, he's never seen Morg actually _use_ his divine power before. He sees the chocolate wash off, and then… words echo…
And the chaos goes away! "Wow, good job, Morg!" He tries to clap hooves together, not having picked up the pony habit of stomping instead.
And then a cloud forms over Morg, and his just tilts his head a little and looks at it. What's it gonna do, dump chocolate on him?
Staren never expected _purple lightning_. "Aah! Morg, are you okay?!"
Pinkie Pie stops in trying to make things make funny sounds when her mane abruptly stands up on end, making the normally curly mess look more like a frizzy afro. "Oooh, my Pinkie Sense is tingling. And tingling mane means somepony is about to have a shocking revelation."
Cue the thunder and purple lightning. "See?"
Rarity eeps as she suddenly has Yuna latching onto her, tumbling over into the hay naturally stewn about such places as a barn as she's caught equally off guard.
Tesseract watches Morg get shocked. "I halfway expected something like that to happen when we entered the barn," she admits. "But I think he may have proven at least one of my ideas about this."
Its a moment or two after Risa asks her question to Twilight that she realizes she has a Noh suddenly latched to her side. "Er, hey, what's wrong?" that's about as far as she gets before she nearly leaps out of her skin at the thunderclap that comes from just a few yards away. She had pat Noh on the shoulder a moment ago, and suddenly she had been hanging on for dear life, "G-gah, what in fires was all that about?!" Her glance would turn toward Morg, rapidly, wondering if he's alright.
As the pokemon get to their assigned posts and begin watching for signs of trouble and signs of ponies that might be in trouble, Charr arrives at Sweet Apple Acres.. Just in time to dash past some folks and see /violet/ lightning blitz across the sky at Morg. "….That's.. Not normal. ..Not normal t'all.." Narrowing his eyes a bit, Charr sets out for the barn. Morg looks to be alright, relatively speaking, so Charr won't worry about him. He'll instead worry about the ponies who ran out this way. If they're safe, he can go back into town to coordinate patrol efforts. ..And maybe act as a lightning rod in case anymore crap like that happens.
Charr - done.
Noh is surprised to have the far larger Risa now clinging to /her/ for dear life; but … is somehow /unsurprised/ by Morg getting shocked by purple lightening. Instead she's looking up at the clouds thoughtfully… and then asks, "… Maybe it is a… god of some sort? There are… other Gods of Mischeif I have not met," she admits, "… Like uhm. Oh, I have not met Raven, or the Greek Gods.. I /have/ met a few Malkavian elders, but none of them could ever use lightening.."
… And then Noh adds, mumbled, "And it couldn't have been the sheep, that was /red/ lightening.."
"I agree with everyone — the Queens will know what's going on." Fluttershy squeaks, her head held low, wings clamped to her side, still dripping chocolate milk… until the lightning strikes. Then she squeals in fright! Bleats! And falls over!
Her legs stick up in the air, twitching slightly, wings splayed on the ground as she squeaks something indecipherable.
Twilight blinks again. "Contacting Queen Celestia would be a good idea, but…usually when it is something serious, she contacts us first…." Twilight says, seeming confused all the more by the thought that it could be serious and Celestia has not sent a letter through Spike. "Alright, Just a moment." Twilight's horn glows, and a quill and parchment materialize before her. "Spike, take a letter."
Spike nods, taking the magcially conjured writing materials. "Ready." "Dear Queen Celestia, Within the last few hours, Ponyville, and apparently all of Equestria, has experienced random, very unusual events. We are currently sheltered in Applejack's barn, but with what all is happening, I don't know how long we will be safe here. Please, Queen Celestia, advise us of your status, and of if there is anything you could tell us about these events. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight nods to Spike, who stops writing. "Alright, send it." Spike nods, then takes a deep breath, holding up the letter before blowing his green fire over the letter, which burns to ash and floats away through the nearest window.
Barrage Raptor peers at Fluttershy as she bleats and falls over, "What in the blue hell was that?" She asks, confused.
Rarity sighs as Fluttershy does her bleating goat impersonation. "She… does that when startled." She's still a little surprised to have someone like Yuna who's normally very resolute clinging to her.
"… eh … eheheheh …" Yuna laughs weakly as she untangles herself from Rarity. "Sorry, the lightning kinda caught me by surprise … you okay there? I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?" she asks as she gets back up and offers Rarity a hoof to her feet as well.
Once Rarity's back up, Yuna goes to look out at Morg …
Rose jumps back as she notices the lightning bolt and says, "Aah! What was that?" then looks around before saying, "Morg, are you alright? That didn't look good…"
You paged Rarity with 'And 3) Take IBprophen before the scene starts.'
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "… Perhaps it is, ah, what is his name? The one with the mask that turns people into cartoon characters? I saw a movie on the teliovision with him in it! Exuro said it was just a sequel though, and was not as good as the first one."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh , yes, said tel-i-o-vision. She's not perfect at this English thing yet!
"Oh is that what that was?" Barrage reaches up and taps the side of her head with one of her hooves, "Sorry. I had my audial recievers set to filter out sudden loud noises." She shrugs, "I usually do that when I go out somewhere to shoot stuff, helps keep me from getting distracted by my own gunfire."
A moment passes, Risa loosens her grip on Noh, "Er, sorry. Caught me off guard," she admits sheepishly as she peers out the barn's entrance, wondering what Morg's state of being was. With everything that had happened she really wondered if the violet lightning may have turned him into some …thing. With everything that had happened so far she doubted her ability to predict what said lightning would turn someone into.
"Whoever it is…" Marvelous says, not seeming particularly fazed by the sound of the lightning. Maybe it's that helmet. "It seems like they might be watching us. So why don't they just come on out and show themselves?!" He looks around as if expecting something to appear. "The worst kind of enemies are the ones that just hide away in their lairs and don't come out and fight." Like Warz Gill, for instance.
It's only a matter of minutes before Spike would feel that familiar rumble in his stomach of 'return mail' then belch out a puff of flames that somehow become a scroll. This one bearing the royal seal of Canterlot, and upon being opened would read as follows:
"To My Faithful Student:
I am relieved to here you and your friends are okay in this upcropping of chaotic occurances. While I am aware of them, I have not yet fully confirmed their source other than… a very strong hunch. When I know more for certain I shall send for you and your Union allies to investigate the matter. In the meantime, do your best to help Ponyville and the surrounding area deal with the fluxations; we have already dispatched Royal Guards and the Wonderbolts to case other areas of Equestria. Be careful and stay safe.
Yours Regally,
Queen Celestia
The fact that there is this much chaos-stuff spread around a place that is usually one of the most orderly he could think of — a sense he only gets from trying to ferret out the chaos in the first place — is worrying in and of itself. "But where is it /coming/ from," he hisses under his breath, his voice multiplicitous. He closes his eyes. He's searching, searching, always searching —
It isn't actually a spell or a curse or anything like that, he thinks. It's directed, unnatural, but only in the sense that it is so unusual that it had to be caused by an external force. He can't find the force. Maybe he has to look further, or deeper. He feels /something/. It's familiar, somehow. What is it? Morg shifts his stance, widening it, boots digging into the chocolate-soaked mud. He stands there for a second or two longer, the glow diffusing outward a little further as he keeps looking… and that's when he realizes what it is.
It's the same feeling he gets when he's hunting something and it finds him first. The same feeling as when a creature has it's eyes on his back, just before it strikes. He always responds by trying to be quicker on the draw than whatever it is, but this time, he can't even /find/ it. He grunts in frustration, spooling out more of the wound-up energy, the god of madness' unearthly light shining ever brighter.
He feels the thin layer of chaotic energy retract, gathering up. It does it too fast for him to track where it's coming from — there isn't a connection, just a will, or something like one, directing it. Maybe? He doesn't really know. Chaos is never so easily read. And then… he feels it all come together, right above him.
Morg opens his eyes. They're odd, multicolored and somewhat luminous with an appearance like cracked glass. He stares at the sky, his eyes wild.
"Well I prob'ly should'a seen that one comin'."
The CRACK!! as the lightning strikes echoes far and wide. Morg's silhouette is briefly superimposed on the vision of those who look too closely when it strikes, an outline not unlike a blast shadow after a sufficiently powerful explosion. With it comes a flood of energy and a second flash of weirdly-colored light, his gathered power rushing outward as his will is shaken by the strike. The light isn't quite right, and it brings on a weird sensation for those nearest — something abruptly jumps into their heads, unique for everyone. A sudden idea, a leap in logic, a case of writer's block cured. Inspiration, sometimes good and sometimes unwelcome, the other side of his godly coin, comes in equal measure.
Morg is left lying on the ground in a heap, a pile of hat, poncho, duster with the wearer tangled up beneath it. Tendrils of smoke roll off of him, and the portruding metal bits from his armor and his weapons sizzle as they contact the mud. It is perhaps divine providence that the ammunition he's carrying doesn't cook off and pepper him and everyone around him… or maybe it was the anti-magic charm, now melted into slag, that lies next to him. He twitches intermittently, and exhales a wheeze and a groan. He tries to say 'my everything hurts,' but doesn't quite manage it.
He is a little worried, however, as to why he can't feel his hands, and why he /can/ feel his… horn?
The (temporarily) felled god of madness and inspiration wheezes again something vaguely understandable. It sounds something like, "God damn pony field."
Twilight smiles happily as Spike coughs up a letter. Her magic surrounds it almost immediately before she unseals it and floats it over to herself. She reads over it, then blinkblinks. "Queen Celestia doesn't know for sure, but she says she has a hunch which she is exploring. In the meantime, we…" Twilight trails off as she is hit by the wave of inspiration.
"Guys! I have an idea! Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! You two gather those clouds! Applejack! Rarity! Once they have the clouds gathered, you two have to rope them and pull them down to earth!" The purple unicorn levitates ropes to AJ and Rarity, then magically urges RD and Fluttershy out into the storm. "Come on! We can do this!"
"Sadly I'm going to be of no help to this plan." Barrage says, "Because this plan doesn't involve flak cannons to shoot down the evil fluffy pink clouds. So I'll just wait in here."
Applejack listens to Twilight Sparkle as she reads the letter, nodding. "Okay, it sounds like Celestia at least has an /idea/ o' what it could be. That's a start. An' now we 'ave official orders, so the best we can do fer now is jes' try ta keep everythin'…orderly." she says, and then a sudden flash of violet lightning strikes Morg outside, and her head is filled with ideas, too many to sort through them in the middle of all the other mess. It's enough to give her a headache, and she starts rubbing the side of her head with a hoof.
She takes the rope offered by Twilight and, with years of practice behind her hooves, turns it into a functional lasso. At least now that she has a definite goal in mind, she can suppress all those other ideas and maybe lessen that headache a bit. "On it!" she says as she runs out side, getting to work on lassoing those clouds.
Seeing everypony safe, Charr's not anywhere near the group at Sweet Apple Acres anymore. He and his crew are inside of Ponyville.. Watching the skies, watching for anymore signs of weirdness or potential danger. All they're gonna do is sit on rooftops and watch stuff. Charr will fish out and light up a cigarette, but as he tries to smoke it it will turn into a cobra- *HSSS, HSSSSS!* At which point he'll hiss back even louder and scare it away. "This is gonna be a Monday.."
After being coaxed back to life from her place on the floor, looks bewildered at the suggestion that she go out with Dash and help… but… rather than argue the point (or at least what she would consider arguing the point), she gives a nod, and with a look of determination she goes to take to the sky, following the speedier Rainbow Dash.
Fluttershy - done.
Lightning strikes Morg, and Staren is struck by inspiration… but ideas aren't his first concern. "Morg?" When he sees the body dropped and smoking, he runs to it, shifting back to human-ish form on instinct. He's already kneeling down and pulling a potion from his bag as Morg wheezes, indicating he's still alive and conscious. Good. Staren sighs relief. He unstoppers the vial and holds it to Morg's lips. "Healing potion. Drink. And welcome to four legged-ness, I guess. It's probably not permanent. …How are you feeling?"
While Morg's trick had cleared some of the chaos, there was still the matters of the clouds that had zapped him. A few more are still darting about Ponyville, generally causing mayhem. Less than there were, but there are still some there.
And yet, there seems to be less chaos in the air than there was. Sort of like it's beginning to recede to wherever it came from… Those clouds are still a problem though.
While Rainbow Dash is usually used to having thunder and lightning being oh so very frightening, she's not used to being taken by /surprise/ by thunder and lightning. She knickers, and launches herself nearly ten feet into the air - Without actually flying. She drops back down after a second, but her feathers are all frizzled and standing out at every which end. "Whoa! What the hay!?" She stares at where the singed and downed god lays. And looks a little embarassed after a second for being actually startled by thunder.
Thankfully, there's a distraction. Both in the form of Twilight's letter, and the form of the ridiculous amounts of new flying stunts that pops into her mind that threatens to distract the easily distracted pegasus. But those have got to wait.
"Wait, so even Celestia doesn't even know what it is?" Rainbow Dash says impulsively. She does that. But then she pauses, "I mean, er. At least she's got an idea! Yeah!" She then grins, stomping her hoof when Twilight gets back to herself. "Now THAT is the Twilight we know! Come on gang! Fluttershy, run interference!" Wings flare out, and Rainbow Dash launches herself out of the doors and into the chocolate rain in a blur of rainbow colors.
In a short few beats of her wings, Rainbow is up into the sky, zipping around. Wherever she spies one of those wayward pink clouds, she zips around to it, and starts looping circles around them, leading them towards Fluttershy - Only because the clouds would be too confused to do anything more but stop. In a hurry, she starts to get them coralled together, working the remaining clumps into a bigger clump.
And so asking the teacher was a good idea! Woot. Risa seems pleased by it, and then more things start up. It would seem these ponies have a plan. Go teamwork! For now, she's watching, and decides to dismiss the scaled layer she had put down her front and arms. Nothing seems to need fighting anymore. Instead she decides that its been an interesting, but rough, day and has a seat beside Noh. "Ugh, all this chocolate milk. I'm gonna have to get some more clothes I think… and wash my hear. Three times."
Rarity just sort of pauses… blinking a few times. As she views herself as an artist the random stroke of inspiration isn't an unfamiliar occurance to her. But the sheer timing was a bit odd. Why now, in middle of total bizarreness would… not that she doesn't tuck it away for later all the same.
Then -stares- for a moment when Twilight offers her rope. "But I just got dry finally! And you want me to go back out tromping through -chocolate soaked- mud to wrangle candy clouds?" But a moment or two of looking back at her friend seems to get the point post the initial reaction of primadonna pouting that Rarity typically comes up with. "… Right. Lets hem this unraveled seam back up."
Which turns out to not be just her using some sort of sewing metaphore. Instead of bothering with lassos like the hillfilly, Rarity propels the length of rope like she would needle and thread, exploting the cotton candy clouds' own clinginess against the rope to practically stitch them together so Applejack can pull.
"Wait…" Don says, the first of the Gokaigers to share his sudden inspiration. "…A Gokai Gun with *two* cylinders? Why didn't I think of that before?"
"Save it for later," Marvelous says. "I don't think firepower is what we need right now."
"Anything I can usefully do?" Yuna asks Twilight Sparkle, although she does so while trying to mentally corral the song that just came to mind, lock it into her memory long enough to get it down on paper somewhere.
However, this is probably also going to mean that she's humming throughout the remainder of the scene, whenever she's not talking.
Tesseract watches… And considers… Wordlessly she leaves. She'll be exploring Equestria again, looking for data that might confirm or deny her new theroy as to WTF is going on. FOR SCIENCE!
Twilight looks towards the others gathered, then grins. "Alright! The rest of you! Get out there and start rounding up the critters! You just have to get them to gather up here in Sweet Apple Acres!" She smiles proudly as her friends get to work, even Rarity. But, out of concern for her friend, she floats an umbrella to Spike and has him follow after Rarity, to keep as much chocolate rain off of her as possible.
Twilight herself runs outside the barn to help gather critters, and waits for her friends to corral the candy clouds for collective consumption by cute critters.
Morg downs the potion when it's proffered, coughing a few more times. He sits up, notably lower to the ground. He's… fairly tan, and mostly covered by the strewn-about garments. Kind of a boring color for a unicorn, considering. "Drastically underevolved," he grumbles under his breath. He shakes his head. "God dammit. At least it got… most of it away." He looks up at the sky and collapses onto the ground again, this time in a more forward direction.
"Oog. I just… I gotta sit down for a bit." He sounds dazed. "That took it outta me. But, uh… least somethin' happened, right?" The rain is mostly gone, and the critters are normal critters again. He calls it a shocking success.
Morg groans inwardly at his own stupid pun.
Of course, when no pony is looking Pinkie Pie grabs a hoof-full of cotton candy cloud and stuffs it in her mouth. Followed by totally failing at not looking suspicious even as she helps herd assorted critters as directly. "I still like the chocolate rain better."
Rounding up the local small animals? That, Yuna can help with - in fact, she was helping with something of the sort at the last Winter Wrap-Up. And this time, the chaos has already happened, so the task won't be interrupted by sudden ice monster or out-of-nowhere flying kicks to her flank or side. And in the event that something violent DOES try to happen to Yuna, she's already in her battlesuit now, so she's better-protected than she was That Other Time in the first place.
Ooh, orders! Once issued, Risa quickly hops to her feet, gives a salute to Twilight and heads out of the barn to see if she can find some of the local fauna to bring back to the Barn. If Twilight has an idea, Risa's thinking she's the pony here to listen to. As she darts out of the barn though something occurs to her, she feels like she's forgotten about something. Eh, its nothing. Its not like there was a dragon in the barn, right? She would have saw it!
"Right then, time to do some herding I suppose." Rose says as she runs out towards the outside, attempting to herd the various creatures into a manageable position and seems to have an oddly easy time doing it saying, "Hey, this is kind of weird. It… I'm not too sure how to explain it, but I think I understand what they're going to do a bit more easily than I do when I'm in my human form."
Anyone who gets within fairly easy earshot of Yuna while she's attempting to help herd the animals will hear her either humming, or singing softly. It's a quiet but catchy tune, definitely the sort of thing you might hear at one of Yuna's concerts.
The chocolate rain seems to have trickled off in the process of dragging the clouds closer to the ground for the critters to dispose of, but Rarity certainly appreciates the sentiment of shielding her all the same. Especially since it's Spike doing so.
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Uh… Do you think that cotton candy would mutate someone if they ate it?"
Staren pats Morg's back, mostly ignoring the chaos-coralling efforts as he's got a friend to focus on. Still, Morg seems to be feeling better. That's good. Cat ears twitch at the 'underevolved' comment. "The hooves are a bit more dextrous than you'd think, somehow. But I reccomend telekinesis if you've got it. You can borrow my amulet if it works with your power."
Curiousity killed the cat, but hopefully a curious look at Morg's QT mark won't kill the catboy. _He simply must know!_
And then he sits, too, returning to pony form and using telekinesis (his aura is electric blue-white, the color of leylines) to grab small woodland creatures (60 lbs or less) and help corral them.
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash dryly, "Hasn't done anything to Pinkie Pie."
Applejack appreciates the help Rarity's giving her, but with her mouth full of rope, she can't exactly say as much. She does nod toward the seamstress, though, so that she at least knows that the cowpony is acknowledging her efforts. The thought of bringing up Rarity's initial reluctance to get out and do things because of the mud never even crosses her mind.
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "I… Hm. Somehow, that's not too reassuring."
<1X-Supplemental> Applejack mumbles something that might be "Ah wouldn't get those clouds anywhere /near/ mah mouth."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Th' answer's simple, then: somepony keep an eye on Pinkie Pie, make sure she don't get sick or nothin'."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "So, um… WHat just _happened_. Morg?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Fair enough. A quick snack isn't worth risking mutation or sickness."
<1X-Supplemental> Twilight Sparkle says, "Tell that to Pinkie Pie."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Uh… lemme put my head on straight."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "I've been analyzing the chocolate milk, so far it hasn't shown signs of toxins or radiation. Want me to try the same for a cotton candy cloud?"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Yes."
With the Gokaigers' teamwork, it's relatively easy for them to work together to round up some animals. To give themselves a bit more of a connection to nature, though, it's time to bring out the Ranger Keys again. <GAAAAAORANGER!> With a flash of a symbol that looks sort of like a lion's face, the Gokaigers change into Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger. Maybe looking more like animals will help them gain the trust of the animals here.
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "I've never actually seen you use divine power before. That was pretty impressive, though I take it you didn't mean to get zapped."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "…"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity achems. "Dahlings, I'm rather confident the mutation was due to whatever else was causing the strange effects and not specifically eating the cotton candy or giant fruit. For one, there are more woodland creatures present that there were eating various effects earlier." She of disconcerning eyes (when not distracted) would notice.
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "… Pinkie, are the clouds as good as the cupcakes you make?"
With the combined efforts of the two fliers, they at least manage to get all of the pink clouds into a big clump. Mostly by Dash fooling the clouds out into thinking that Fluttershy would chase them. Who knew clouds could be smart? Once they're all together, Rainbow begins to zip around the clouds at super high speeds, zipping around and around and around, leaving a rainbow blur of colors in her wake. And clump them all into one big ball.
"Heads up!" Rainbow Dash shouts, "Your turn cowponies!" Abruptly Dash pulls away, leaving room for the two wranglers to do their job.
<1X-Supplemental> Twilight Sparkle says, "Rarity is right. Only some of the critters changed, and many more were eating the altered apples and candy clouds."
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity | Pinkie Pie pffffts. "How can you even think anything would be as good as my cupcakes? For one, there's no hot sauce… hmm, hot sauce flavored cotton candy… but it is good, yup."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Might be right there. But I'd rather be called a paranoid old fool than be caught with my shower curtain drawn."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "This whole thing gives me a headache."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Hot sauce cotton candy? I… Well, if you like it and aren't throwing up I guess it's alright."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "It's, uh… it feels kinda personal, lettin' out that kinda juice, so I don't do it much."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren nods. "I see."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Starting analysis… But I'm not too worried about slow acting poisons… Here I'm guessing, but it doesn't seem like it'd be the right kind of funny."
<1X-Supplemental> Noh says, "… I am reminded! I need your recipe! I promised I would learn to make cupcakes next!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Hm, well I see your point."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "An' I agree there, Dashers. Somethin's /off/.. Makes my nape hairs rise, an' it's drivin' Falstaff up a wall."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "So… What happened?"
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Whomever this is… I don't know. Likes quick laughs, maybe?"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Why ain't I chucklin' then."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "I tried to sniff out whatever it was, but it was…"
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "They want to laugh at you, not laugh with you."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Too… diffuse? Yeah, that sounds right. Too diffuse to really get much. This place is pretty orderly most o' the time, right?"
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "I'm guessing here, without evidense or experience to back me up, but I don't think they care about anyone else enjoying their jokes."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "I dunno. I've never been far outside Ponyville."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Not countin' minor issues.. Aye, t'is."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "You'd think that if someone could do this, they would have done it earlier."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "I didn't think there was anything… especially orderly about it, although if there _is_ some force of order here… hmm…"
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Force of order? Are the Queens anything like that?"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Well, I'm hearin' y'all talk about how it wasn't s'posed to rain till tomorrow, and I'm guessin' it ain't 'cause you asked the weather-person."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Not saying they're causing it, it just sounded like you said that there was something counteracting this."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "Managed weather, managed fauna, yes, Equestria is very orderly."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "It's not order so much as… Pegasi actually push clouds around."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "…I guess it is, though. Huh."
<1X-Supplemental> Tesseract says, "If not orderly, maybe predictable?"
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "Speaking of weather, I better check in with Cloudsdale now that everything is under control here."
And now this becomes a prime example of, despite how much they contrast each other and honestly get on the other's nerves rather easily due to coming from two entirely different points of view, when things are serious Rarity and Applejack can work almost perfectly together.
It's also a good reminder that Rarity is a lot stronger than her lithe build and flamboyant, often snooty demeanor would suggest, as she has little trouble helping with pulling the clouds in to be devoured.
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Right, what Tesseract said." To Rose, "You must not know a terrible amount about magic. It's hard to change somethin' if it's really that set in stone. Folks actively make it a certain way all the time for as long as I bet any o' you can remember."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Watch yer flank, Dashers. Somethin' odd in th' air.. …Y'want an escort?"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "That's order. Point is, this was minor."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "So you're saying we're dealing with something beyond magic?"
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "… I'll go with her."
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "… I want to check on things at home."
<1X-Supplemental> Yuna Kagurazaka says, "Let us know what you hear back, Dash. Should I stick around Equestria for the next day or so, see if anything further happens right away?"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "More like somethin' with a lot'a mystical muscle, but not an infinite amount."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash blandly, "Just who'd be escorting who?"
Once the clouds are all gathered up, and roped, as per Twilight's instructions, she calls out, "Alright! Now, Applejack, Rarity, pull those clouds down to earth!" Twilight moves to where the clouds should touch down, and calls out loudly. "OH MY! LOOK AT ALL THESE CHOCOLATE-FILLED COTTON CANDY CLOUDS! IT WOULD BE ASHAME TO HAVE TO SHARE THEM! THEY LOOK SO FLUFFY AND DELICIOUS!" She then waits, using her magic to help guide the clouds downward.
Spike doesn't seem to care that the clouds are no longer threatening Rarity. He keeps holding the umbrella over Rarity, protecting her from too much sun exposure now.
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Phew. Well that was a day."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Like I said: this was minor. The lightning bolt, /that/ was focused."
<1X-Supplemental> Rainbow Dash says, "Alright, come on Fluttershy. Let's go check it out."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "I bet whenever whoever it is that's doin' this shows up, it'll get worse before it gets better. Felt like I tipped my hand, there, though…"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Switchbait's got some nasty tricks up his mandibles, but then, y'/are/ lot faster.. How long d'yah think you fillies'll be?"
<1X-Supplemental> Captain Marvelous says, "This sounds like something I'll have to hang around and look at. Something that powerful, is probably a threat to more than just this place."
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity lets out a sigh, though it's mostly just to keep up images at this point. "Seeing as I'm already sweaty and dirty by this point I'll help Applejack get the farm back in order."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "There're a couple places I wouldn't want to see a force o' chaos spread to."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "If you an' Dashers ain't back in a days time, I'll ask 'bout a couple volunteers goin' t'make sure yer little house is in order, Fluttershy."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "Nah, you're lookin' at it all wrong."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "I don't wanna wander to far in case something else happens."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "…But I guess right now all we can do is wait to hear from Celestia or any other news…"
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "This is the perfect place for it to be. Chaos has a hard time seepin' into the cracks when there ain't no cracks."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "There's an inn. S'comfy an' th' rent's reasonable."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Good, good."
<1X-Supplemental> Morg McGee says, "This is the best place we can keep somethin' like this till we figure out how to put it down."
Applejack and Rarity make a /very/ good team when things get serious, this is true. The two of them together manage to wrangle the clouds down to ground level, a process made all the quicker by Twilight Sparkle's help. With that done, the cowpony finally lets go of the rope, sighs, and turns to Rarity with a smile.
"Thanks fer yer help, Rares. Ah'd offer ya some pie fer yer trouble, but Ah don't think we're quite done yet." she says, tipping her hat. "Now let's see jes' what we can do with this mess mah farm's been left in."
<1X-Supplemental> Twilight Sparkle says, "My library also has space available if you need a place to stay tonight. There are also inns available."
<1X-Supplemental> Staren says, "Twilight! Maybe check history books to see if this has ever happened before?"
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "I can stay wherever."
<1X-Supplemental> Rose Parker says, "Well, if you need some extra help cleaning up I'll stay."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "I've slept on bare stone before, a bed is always nice."
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "… if… if you wouldn't mind… I could use someone to keep an eye on — my goodness, Angelbunny!"
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "Guess I better go draw up some new patrol routes real quick…"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity says, "I believe I saw Angel with the other rabbits, Fluttershy."
Morg rises to his feet. He grunts in annoyance at his lack of fingers and the stuff that fell off. Well, nothing doing. "Nah, I got it. Hold on." He furrows his brow in concentration for a moment. Morg glances up when his horn apparently starts glowing, shedding the off-white light that he had before, though without the unpleasant(?) side effects. Oddly, a fan of cards appears in front of him — a good one, too, as far as people who know poker can tell. A full house will do.
The duster, poncho and hat lift off of him and adjust themselves accordingly. He's mostly clothed as a result of telekinesis, though not a normal sort. He sighs inwardly. "Let's make sure this is all handled, /then/ take a breather. C'mon."
(Staren does not get a look at Morg's QT mark as a result of the telekinesis. His quest continues next episode.)
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy sounds panicked "Does he still have the giant legs?!"
<1X-Supplemental> Rarity says, "No, they've all turned back to normal by the look of it."
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy sounds releived.
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "Anyway, yeah. Wherever. I can pay if I need to, its not a bother."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "If anyone needs a hand I'll give it."
<1X-Supplemental> Fluttershy says, "I wouldn't /dream/ of charging you anything… you helped."
<1X-Supplemental> Risa Kirian says, "I'm glad to finally be able to do something for my allies."
<1X-Supplemental> Charr says, "If everythin's okay when y'get back from Cloudsdale, Fluttershy, I'd like yah t'have a look at Falstaff. ..He's still jittery an' jumpy, like he stepped in an anthill or somethin'."
"It sure would!" Pinkie Pie exclaims, already munching on the clouds even as they are lowered to the ground. Then, the animals perk before rushing the collection of clouds. Pinkie Pie is forced out as Equestrian critters gather around the clouds, munching on them happily. Twilight Sparkle smiles happily, feeling like things are under control now.
Twilight looks around at the chocolate covered popcorn, which Spike is idly munching on as he keeps holding the umbrella over Rarity. "I wonder what caused all this?" he asks aloud as he munches, following Rarity around like a faithful puppy. Twilight headshakes. "I'm not sure, but I do know that both Queen Celestia, Queen Luna, and I will not stop investigating until we know the source of the trouble. This time it was just clouds and food, and a little alteration to the animals, but next…houses could change….PONIES could change!"
============================== Union - General ===============================
Message: 26/18 Posted Author
AAR: Equestria weirdness (pt 1/2) Wed Jun 13 Yuna Kagurazaka
<Voice report, with images>
The first image to come up is a basic map of the area around Ponyville, including the primary warpgate, Sweet Apple Acres, and part of Everfree Forest. Yuna begins narrating her report: "Rainbow Dash was finishing her 'shift' on weather duty when she reported clouds made of cotton candy showing up around Ponyville. The appearance of these clouds was accompanied by reports of a chocolatey rain - chocolate milk, I think, rather than cocoa. It was out of the ordinary even for Equestria, but nothing too dangerous; still, the Harmony Knights started moving to investigate, and a number of Union and unaffiliated Elites went to help however we could."
The next image is a collection of photos, showing each of the Elites named as Yuna goes down the list. "Besides the Harmony Knights - all six of them - the Union was represented by myself, Risa Karian, Morg McGee, Rose Parker, Barrage Raptor, Staren, and Tesseract; the unaffiliated Elites present were the Gokaigers, Charr and his squad, and Noh Body. Jinx was there too, probably having been caught by the weather when it went weird; she pitched in as she could to try and help with things."
Back to the map, this time showing the Elites and where they initially gathered. "There were effectively two rendezvous points for everyone who came to investigate - Sweet Apple Acres, the farm owned and run by Applejack and her family, and Ponyville proper. The farm team quickly discovered that the bizarre weather was having its own effects on the crops: fruit grew *much* bigger than usual, corn started popping while still on the cob, stuff like that. The Ponyville team also observed some of the colossa1l-sized fruit, and besides that, there were a few cases of inanimate objects 'coming to life' - mops and brooms in one case, ropes in another, and I'm not sure what else. Nobody seemed to be getting hurt, though - embarassed or inconvenienced in most cases, and there was only one instance of near-injury, when a giant apple nearly landed on top of Rarity. Twilight Sparkle tried casting a 'Failsafe' spell in an effort to dispel whatever was going on, but it didn't work - much to her astonishment and dismay - and we all reconvened in the barn at Sweet Apple Acres to put together what we knew."
<more>
============================== Union - General ===============================
Message: 26/19 Posted Author
AAR: Equestria weirdness (pt 2/2) Wed Jun 13 Yuna Kagurazaka
<cont. from previous>
The second part of Yuna's report starts with a photo of Morg McGee (in human form) standing outside the barn, glowing with a not-quite-white light. Yuna continues, "By this point, we had confirmation that the weird weather and other oddness was happening all over Equestria, not just in the greater Ponyville area. Morg decided to see what he could do with his powers to try and lock onto the source of the chaos - and it didn't really work out as planned; things seemed to subside a little, then focused on him and he got zapped with some sort of purple lightning, winding up as a pony himself."
This is followed by a photo of Morg in his pony form (specifically a unicorn). Yuna continues, "At Rarity's suggestion, Twilight Sparkle sent a letter to Queen Celestia to see if she knew anything about what was happening. It didn't take long for a response to come back - but unfortunately, Queen Celestia didn't have anything concrete to tell us; she did have a hunch but nothing definite. After that, though, Twilight came up with an approach to work on cleaning up after the weirdness - which, I should note, had kind of 'stopped' after Morg got hit by the lightning bolt. It was like all the chaos had focused into that, and after the bolt struck, whatever was *causing* the chaos faded. The cotton-candy clouds and stuff were still around, but we pooled our efforts under Twilight Sparkle's coordination, and the clouds were dealt with, we were able to get the animals rounded up (they're all back to normal now, far as I know) … things are generally cleaned up by now, at least around Ponyville."
"We still don't have any idea what set all of this off in the first place, but the investigation is still ongoing, so - more when we know it."
<end report>
