My Little Pony: A Race Against Time
Chapter 29 - The Rage of a Human
Author's Note: "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" belongs to DHX Media and Hasbro, while Stardust Balance belongs to the Warrior of Twilight, author of "A Journey Beyond Sanity".
The next world that the five ponies ended up at was the one where Rarity was Stardust's love interest... since they had all landed in front of her home.
"I am going to deliver some hell to that damn pony," growled an upset Stardust, seeing that the new world they were in looked just as horrible as the previous one.
Twilight stepped a few feet away from the furious pony, and looked at her problem-solving book. "Alright, um... we fixed the first world, and this is the second one, so let's do-"
"Why did you let Fluttershy kiss you like that?" Princess Twilight asked, who was not exactly happy with Stardust. "Twice?"
"There's no need for you to be jealous or anything, love," assured Stardust, who could already tell where this was heading. "And I'm sorry for doing that, but I also couldn't help it... it's like part of me was feeling the same way as the other version of myself felt."
Princess Twilight continued to frown as she said, "Well, do not make this a habit, okay? I'm not exactly fond of seeing my best friends kiss my special somepony."
"Er, technically, they are alternate versions of your friends, Princess Twilight, so..." replied Casey, but he paused after the parallel alicorn glared at him. "Never mind."
"So, does that mean you're going to be mad at me, Other Twilight, if the other me kisses Stardust?" Pinkie Pie asked, which made the gold-colored pony roll his eyes.
"No need to worry, Pinkie..." He then turned to look at Princess Twilight. "And just know that I, myself, am not exactly enjoying these kisses... that's all coming from the other versions of me..."
Princess Twilight still wasn't completely accepting of his answer, so Stardust came over to put his hoofs on her small shoulders. "There is only one true and original Stardust Balance... and that is me, and you have always been the one pony meant to be my special somepony."
Twilight, Casey, and Pinkie all smiled warmly as they watched the two other ponies make peace, with Casey also making mental notes in his head to remember what Stardust was saying, in case he ever needed to tell Twilight the same thing one day in the future.
And Twilight was quickly writing this moment down in her Adventures of Stardust book, which also vanished once the two of them had finished.
"Well, you're right about one thing," said Princess Twilight, smiling at Stardust.
"And what would that be, love?"
"That it really doesn't make sense for there to be more of you," replied Princess Twilight, which made Stardust laugh.
"Alrighty, then... let's just fix this world so that I can get my hooves on that cold-hearted monster," said Stardust, who walked over to Rarity's door, and knocked on it a few times.
"GO AWAY!"
The loudness of the unicorn's voice made Stardust move away a little bit from the door, but he shook his head.
Do this for your friends, Star, come on, thought the young pony. And be in control of yourself.
"Rarity? It's me, Sta- oof!" However, before he could finish, the door opened very quickly, and he found himself getting pinned to the ground by the alternate Rarity.
"Thank Celestia you're here," she cried, as well as kissing him on his cheek several times. "I thought that cloaked pony took you away from me forever."
Stardust cleared his throat, and replied, "Well, actually, Rarity, I-"
"Oh, for ponies sake," muttered Princess Twilight, bringing her hoof to her forehead as Rarity began kissing Stardust romantically.
I wonder if this is how Spike feels, thought Stardust, who was feeling the way that the alternate version of himself on this world felt.
And just like before, their kiss was helping restore some of the world's color-less areas, much to everypony else's satisfaction.
"Um... are you feeling well, Stardust?" The white unicorn asked, tilting her head in confusion, once she had finished kissing him. "Did I kiss you wrong?"
"Nuh-uh," said a love-struck Stardust, but then, he snapped out of it. "I mean, uh, sorry to say this to you, my dear, but... I'm not the actual Stardust you fell in love with."
Before Rarity could reply, Princess Twilight came over to stand by Jack's side, explaining, "That's also the reason why we're all here, Rarity, to repair the damage that the cloaked pony did, and bring back the Stardust you fell in love with."
As the three of them continued to talk, Pinkie Pie (who was a few feet away, standing next to Casey and Twilight) said, "Huh, I'm starting to wonder if that whole pair-ugh-docks thing is even real."
"What do you mean, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie opened her muzzle to explain, but then, they heard Rarity cry out, "Oh, heavens... my sincere apologies, Twilight-from-another-dimension, for kissing your special somepony like that."
"It's fine," replied Princess Twilight, not wanting to spend much time talking (or even thinking) about it.
Twilight then took a moment to clear her throat, and say, "Okay, then, Stardust, you have to show or express generosity in some way to Rarity."
"Uhhh..." Stardust said, trying to wonder what he could possibly do in order to-
"Ooh, ooh, me, me, me!" Pinkie Pie yelled, bouncing up and down while raising her left arm, like a student would do when he or she had a solution.
Stardust smirked, and replied, "Yes, Pinkie Pie?"
"Why don't you give her the cloak you're wearing so that she can give it to the other you when he comes back?"
"My... what?" Stardust looked at the piece of clothing that he'd gotten from the Rarity of his world, and had kept it ever since then.
Rarity started to smile as she nodded, agreeing with the pink pony. "Now that you mention it, Pinkie... I'm sure my Stardust would just love to wear that, um, unique cloak."
"But..." Stardust continued to look at his cloak. It had been through so much, and was part of so many memories.
"Jack, I know this looks bad," said Princess Twilight, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "But it's probably the only way that we'll be able to save this world."
While Stardust looked at the young alicorn, Pinkie added, "Plus, the sooner we fix the other seven worlds, the closer you get to Miles' world, find that super power thingy, and beat the frosting out of him."
The young Earth Pony couldn't help but chuckle at Pinkie's last sentence, and also realised that his friends were right.
"Well... just..." Stardust said, as he began to remove the cloak off of his body. "Make sure that your version of me puts this to good use."
A grateful-looking Rarity smiled at Stardust, as she accepted the cloak from him. "I give you my word, Other Stardust... thank you for your generosity."
Once the cloak had left from Stardust's hooves, the world around them began to return to its original state, and Twilight happily checked RariDust off of her checklist.
"You're welcome," replied Stardust, but before he could say more, the wristwatch started beeping again. "Well, on to the next one."
"Aw, but I wanted to see the other Stardust appear," Pinkie cried, as she walked over to join her friends, and after the golden pony pressed the blinking button, they were quickly taken to the next world.
Miles' World
While everything appeared to be going in the right direction for Stardust and the others, it was definitely not turning out so well for Miles.
"How in the hell is he doing this?" The cloaked pony shouted, enraged at the fact that Stardust already restored two worlds. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"
Perhaps this is a sign to stop your madness, Miles, suggested his inner voice that also represented his goodness. If not for anypony else, do it for Twilight.
"Enough!" Miles exclaimed, whose body was now being controlled by the dark spirit inside of him... although his eyes still remained their original color.
As the portal in front of him showed what was happening to the group of ponies, Miles began to let out an evil laugh. "I think it's time for me to pay a visit to Stardust's world."
"Pinkie Dust" World
Casey walked over to Stardust, and asked, "Are you going to be okay, man?"
"Yeah, uh... I'll be good," replied Stardust, even though he still looked sad. "It's just that I've worn that cloak for a very long time, and... believe it or not, it's helped me out in the past."
He then turned to look at Pinkie after noticing that she looked a little guilty.
"Wow, Stardust, I didn't know it meant that much to you," said the saddened pony. "I wouldn't have suggested you giving it up if I'd have known that."
Stardust chuckled, and shook his head. "It'll be fine, Pinkie... it was really just a piece of fabric... my friends and family mean more to me than that."
Pinkie Pie nodded her head, understanding what he was saying to her. "So, then... you don't want the exact same one I found in the Other Rarity's place?"
She then held up the exact same cloak that belonged to Stardust, except it wasn't so worn out and "battle aged", and the human-turned-pony couldn't believe it. "W-what... how did..."
"Um, I think we've all learned at this point to not question Pinkie Pie," replied Casey, with both of the Twilights nodding in agreement.
As for Pinkie, she explained that while Other Rarity had been told about what was going on by Princess Twilight and Stardust, Pinkie had entered the white unicorn's home (since the door had been left open), and found the cloak underneath a coffee table.
"So, you want it or do I have to take it back?"
Stardust quickly shook his head, politely taking it from Pinkie, and started to put it back on. "Thanks, Pinkie... and now it's going to make me feel bad when I ask you if you don't mind staying out here."
Pinkie's smile disappeared, and she now looked shocked. "What?"
"I'm afraid he's right, someone has to stay here with you, Pinkie," said Princess Twilight, as the five of them all stood in front of Sugarcube Corner.
And, of course, certain parts of the world around them were literally being erased.
"What?" Pinkie cried, surprised. "How come I can't go in there with you?"
Princess Twilight sighed, and replied, "We just don't want the other Pinkie to think you're a clone or anything... besides, at the rate we're going, we won't even take long."
"Oh, Twilight, ever the optimist..."
The group of ponies turned around, and saw a portal that showed Miles, in a location that looked like Sweet Apple Acres. "You're supposed to be on your deathbed, Stardust."
"Well, you can't somepony like me down for long," smirked Stardust, as he faced his new nemesis. "And, by the way, I want a rematch."
"Ha! You can't be serious," laughed Miles. "I nearly ended your pathetic life, and you want to face me again? What will the difference be?"
Stardust frowned, and he said, "It'll be the fact that you pissed me the hell off, Miles, and once I get my hooves on you, I swear to God that I'm going to knock each and every single one of your teeth down your throat."
And, now he's back to his old self, thought Princess Twilight.
"Wow, I can feel a chill tingling down my spine," said Miles, with an unamused facial expression.
"You'll be lucky if I decide not to break your spine," growled Stardust.
Miles rolled his eyes, and said, "You should've just stayed in limbo, Jackie... and now, you're going to regret messing up my plan."
He then moved out of sight, and the group of ponies saw [the AJBS versions of] Applejack and Applebloom, who were both tied to an apple tree.
"Don't you worry 'bout us, Star," cried Applejack. "We ain't scared of this bully!"
Applebloom, however, took a small gulp, and said, "I'm actually a lil' bit scared right now, Big Sis."
Princess Twilight was speechless, while Stardust exclaimed, "I swear, Miles, if you even lay one of your damn hooves on them..."
"Then, stop your pathetic attempt at being a hero, and leave my handiwork alone."
"Handiwork?!" Princess Twilight yelled, also starting to become angry. "You should be ashamed for causing all of this unnecessary damage to these worlds!"
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, you filthy little mule."
When Miles said that, Princess Twilight became speechless, while Stardust was nearing his boiling point. "You are so [BEEP], Miles... and I'm not going to stop what we're doing... because once everything is fixed, and you decide to be brave enough to face me, I'm sending you back to whatever Hell you came from."
After that, nopony spoke a word... for a moment or two... until...
"Do your worst, you pathetic excuse for a character."
Then, the group of ponies watched as Miles came back into view, and used his staff to send multiple red-colored energy blasts at Applejack and Applebloom, causing a small explosion of red smoke to appear...
"You turned them into apples?" Pinkie said, referring to the fact that there were now two apples where the two Earth ponies were supposed to be.
Stardust was about ready to explode in a furious rage, but then, as he watched Miles step closer to the pair of apples, he realized what the sinister pony was about to do.
"Miles! Don't you even think about-"
"Too late, Jackie... now you'll have this on your conscience."
The cloaked pony then transformed the staff into a big mallet.
"God [BEEP-BEEP-BEEP], Miles, stop this now!" Stardust yelled, giving him one last chance.
Miles turned to look at them, and Princess Twilight noticed that only his eyes did not appear to be consumed by darkness.
"This is what happens when you choose to be a hero."
Then, right before the portal disappeared, the last thing they saw was Miles bringing the mallet down on the pair of helpless apples.
Casey, Twilight, and Pinkie were all speechless, while Princess Twilight was shocked and horrified.
As for Stardust, there were no words to explain what was going on inside his mind... only that he was gritting his teeth in frustration, and looked like he was about to explode in anger any second now.
His body was shaking with rage, and-
Whoosh!
"Pinkie, stop!" yelled Princess Twilight, and the pink pony quickly shut off the firefighter water hose that she was currently holding in her hooves... while Stardust was now soaking wet.
Everypony looked at her, and Pinkie Pie simply shrugged. "He looked like he was burning up."
