Sickeningly Sweet
By: AtomicKokoro
Storyline
When things go wrong with a magic remote, Mikado and Masaomi are stuck with whole new bodies in the Children's show My Little Pony.
…
Before You Read
Now, for the adventures to start. Oh, don't worry! Story progression will continue, but with adventures along the way. I'm trying to be My Little Pony esque (or a word meaning similar to, well, similar) as much as possible.
Anyways, on with the story!
…
Chapter 7
Legend Of All Time
"Wow," Rainbow Dash muttered as she and Masaomi stood outside Sugar Cube Corner. "I'm impressed. I think you just broke Ponyville's all-time record for most times turned down for a date in less than two hours."
Masaomi huffed and folded his ears back. "Some ladies just don't know a handsome colt when they see one."
"And you do?" she muttered to herself under her breath before making herself heard. "I think you've asked out every filly and mare in Ponyville on a date."
"Nope!" Masaomi chirped. "There are a few I chose to avoid, and one last Pony I need to try before I quit for the day."
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Oh? Who?"
If she was trying to get at something, Masaomi didn't notice. "Applejack," he said. "She's been with Mikado all day, picking apples at Sweet Apple Acres. Mikado's gonna have a country accent before we go home. Ha ha! And Anri's gonna love it!"
"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked again, but for a different reason.
Before Masaomi could reply, there was a shriek from what might have been the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. "What the hay?" Rainbow Dash gasped. "That sounded like Fluttershy. C'mon!" The rainbow Pegasus took to the sky while Masaomi stuck to the ground and galloped under Rainbow Dash (as he could gallop faster than he could fly and, in such an emergency, speed was needed). It wasn't long before they arrived at the cottage.
Rainbow Dash didn't even bother to knock on the door and, instead, flew in through the window into her house. Masaomi decided to take the door, a little nervous of just walking in, but it was an emergency and such motions were needed. "Fluttershy?" he called as he walked into the house.
Rainbow Dash came down the stairs and exchanged glances with Masaomi. There seemed to be no one in the house, when Masaomi was tackled to the floor behind the couch. Rainbow Dash flinched, but relaxed when she realized it was only Fluttershy.
"Sh!" she demanded as much as she could (which wasn't exactly a lot). "It'll hear us..."
Rainbow Dash trotted up to the two Pegasi behind the couch and tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "What'll hear us?"
"The Headless Horse!" she cried, pulling the standing female down to her side behind the couch.
There was a sigh and a roll of the eyes. "Fluttershy, I think Applejack's story has finally gotten to your head."
"No, no, no," Fluttershy whispered. "I saw it. With my own eyes!" Her blue eyes got bigger as she spoke, then shrunk with her fear. "It looked at me, so I screamed and ran inside the house."
"That's a little rude," Masaomi muttered.
Fluttershy opened her mouth, then blushed and looked away shamefully. "Well, yes, but I was scared..."
"She's skittish," Rainbow Dash whispered.
Masaomi sighed. "I noticed."
"So, where was this...Headless Horse?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to keep her voice low for Fluttershy's sake.
Fluttershy lowered behind Masaomi and peered out the window. "In the Everfree forest," she whispered, careful of where she looked. "It looked out while I was feeding the animals, when it...when it...trotted to the edge of the forest...and looked at me...and...and..."
A blue hoof placed itself on her shoulder and she looked back. "Fluttershy, there is no need to be afraid. It was probably just your imagination or tricks of light."
Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, when the door swung open, fast and wide. Fluttershy screamed and suddenly disappeared. Masaomi was baffled and dazed and Rainbow Dash was startled a bit. They glanced at the door. It was Twilight, followed by Rarity. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "What happened?"
Rarity walked in and looked around before spotting the cowardly Pony under a table, trembling, covered ears and closed eyes. "Aw, the dear," she sighed, gently patting Fluttershy on the back.
She opened one eye, then sighed in relief when she realized it was only Twilight Sparkle and Rarity. "Oh, you scared me..." she whispered shyly.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and Masaomi got to a stand. "She claims she saw the Headless Horse," she explained. "and she screamed and ran inside."
Twilight appeared confused, then she turned to Fluttershy. "Has Applejack's ghost stories been getting to you again?"
Fluttershy jumped to her feet, appearing determined. "No!" she snapped, trying to make herself heard (but she was still barely audible). "I swear I saw it! It looked right at me!" Then she paused and shied away. "I'm sorry for yelling..."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Suddenly, the gears in Masaomi's head started to turn. "Weird," he said. "We had a similar legend back where I came from."
"See, Fluttershy," Twilight chuckled. "There's no need to be afraid."
"Actually," Masaomi continued, calmly. "It was real. And it turned out to be a she, and-" Then he gasped. "I know someone who can help!"
When he turned back, Fluttershy was under the table again, trembling, ears covered and eyes closed. He sighed, defeated.
…
"C'mon, cowboy. More muscle."
Mikado was far too tired. He had no amount of physical strength needed for this job, and he was exhausted. He panted and collapsed, the harness clinking as he fell.
"You have got to be kidding me. You're kidding me, right?"
Mikado had been trying to pull a whole cart of apples from the orchard to the farm, and he couldn't do it. Applejack wasn't breaking a sweat pulling three. "You know," he panted. "that my family didn't own a farm, right?"
Applejack sighed. "You don't want to work with Applebloom in the kitchen, do you?"
Mikado's eyes went wide, recalling how much he did not want to be around that little filly until he got his cutie mark. He jumped to his feet and pulled the cart ten times faster than he had before.
Applejack smiled pridefully to herself and pulled the carts after the colt.
Finally, they arrived at the farm and Applejack removed the harness from the now officially collapsed Mikado on the ground. "Work ain't over," she said. "Not while there is still daylight out."
"Can we just...lie here for a moment...?"
Applejack chuckled.
Suddenly, five Ponies burst onto the farm. "Ryū! Applejack!" Each Pony turned at the sound of their name, Mikado refusing to stand for any reason. When they finally got there, they began to explain everything.
The first reaction Applejack was a laugh, while Mikado's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Headless Horse?" he beamed. Masaomi face-hoofed himself. "This is unbelievable. I can't believe this is really happening..."
Everyone exchanged unsure glances.
"I used to know a Headless Horsema-...Horse," Mikado explained. "She was really nice and she even had a boyfriend! Her name was Celty. Maybe this Headless Horse is just as nice!"
Fluttershy, who had been looking around, paranoid, was looking a lot less stressed before fear took over again. "B-But, she- … it is in the...the...the Everfree Forest," she whispered, her voice higher than before. "I don't want to go in there."
"It's alright, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "We'll go see Zecora. Maybe she knows a thing or two about the Headless Horse in the Forest."
Mikado and Masaomi looked at each other. "Who?"
…
"Hello, Ponies, it's been a while since I've seen you well. Why would you possibly be in this forest that you dwell?"
Masaomi's eyes widened. "She speaks in rhyme," he said, with an undertone of shock and monotone.
Zecora, who stepped forward, was a Zebra in a spooky house in the Everfree Forest. Mikado and Masaomi's first trip into the Everfree was uneventful, but, needless to say, Mikado was awed by the possibility of adventures and Masaomi was careful where he stepped. "What is this? Two Ponies I fear I missed."
"No, Zecora," Twilight said, stepping in. "These are our new friends. They were travelers and accidentally got lost and don't know how to get home. Since we don't know where they say they are from, they are staying with us until they get home."
Zecora tilted her head and looked the new Ponies over. "It's not what I missed, but they have no cutie marks. Don't tell me they have been left in the dark."
"Um, Zecora," Fluttershy whispered, stepping forward. "I don't want to interrupt anything, but we have a slight problem."
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared out of the cauldron Zecora was standing beside. "There is a Headless Horse in Everfree Forest!" she gasped.
All the Ponies exchanged glances, before turning back. "Uh, Pinkie, ah, dear?" Rarity hesitated. "How did you know about that and how did you get here?"
Pinkie Pie thought for a very long time before shrugging. "I don't know!" She jumped out of the cauldron.
Zecora appeared thoughtful as well. "A Headless Horse residing in the forests of Everfree. Maybe there is something more that we do not see."
"That's what I thought," Masaomi said. "So I brought Mikado here to see if he could talk to them."
Zecora lifted an eyebrow when Rainbow Dash stepped in. "We just call them Kida and Ryū since we can't pronounce their names." Zecora nodded.
"You haven't seen the Headless Horse, have you?" Fluttershy asked, sound afraid.
Zecora thought back for a moment, then shook her head. "But, if you really must know something, I know something your story a bell did ring." She turned and opened a map of the Everfree Forest. "There is a crater near the center of Everfree, where I think the Headless Horse might be. But take much care; these creatures are dangerous and rare. Try not to be lost or lose your way, because there are more twists and turns than one can say."
There was an uncomfortable silence. "It's like a prophecy..." Masaomi muttered.
Every Pony sighed.
…
"Can we take a break? Please?"
When Mikado looked back up from his exhaustion, he immediately took back his words. Even girl Ponies were scary (Masaomi wasn't as scary. He was never scary to Mikado). Mikado sighed and hurried to Applejack's pace.
Masaomi took to the air and hurried forward a bit (it was meant to be practice, but he decided to scout out ahead as well). "Anything?" Rainbow Dash asked from behind.
The blond moved ahead a little farther before sighed. "Nothi-"
When the report was cut short, every Pony stopped and looked forward, waiting for Masaomi to return. After a few moments, worry began to pile up until Fluttershy screamed and hid behind Rarity. "A monster got Kida! Oh, my Gosh! Oh, my Gosh, oh, my Gosh, oh, my Gosh!"
"Fluttershy," Rarity whispered, trying to pry Fluttershy off of her.
Rainbow Dash sighed and took off after him, Mikado unhesitating to follow behind. The other Ponies looked at each other before hurrying after them. Finally, a yell emerged from further up and the Ponies drew into a full gallop into the woods.
Rainbow Dash had gone too fast for Mikado to keep up with and each made a different turn at a crossroad. The Ponies farther behind approached the crossroad and stopped when they had no idea where to go. "We'll have to split up," Twilight said, looking either way.
"I'll round up with you later, Twi," Applejack said. "Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy can come with me."
Rarity scoffed. "Do you have something against me?" she accused.
Applejack chuckled. "No, but you can't be afraid to get your hooves dirty when yer with me." With that, she turned and whipped down the path, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy galloping after her.
Twilight turned to Rarity. "C'mon, Rarity," she said. "Let's go."
Rarity nodded and they headed their way.
…
Three Timberwolves surrounded the small-in-comparison Pony, who stepped back and crouched, ready for attack. "C'mon at me, bro," he snapped, arching his back, ready to jump.
The Timberwolves growled and one of them rushed forward to attack. Masaomi jumped into the air and flapped his wings wildly to fly. The Timberwolf who attacked fell face first into the tree and the other two looked up at the Pegasus in the air. "Love to stay and chat," he panted. "but I have some friends to get back to."
He turned and tried to run, but he was tackled to the ground by one of the last Timberwolves. It dragged him to the ground and bared it's teeth. "Whoa!" Masaomi gulped. "That's some big teeth you got there, Grandma!"
"Hey, Granny!" a voice yelled from just down the path. The Timberwolf looked up. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to pick on someone your own size?" The Timberwolf's eyes went big as a rainbow slammed into it and knocked it into a tree. The rainbow Pegasus made a smooth landing and smirked confidently. "Oh, right! A mother couldn't even love your face."
Masaomi got to his hooves and rubbed his head. "Rainbow Dash?" he questioned. "What? How did you find me?"
Rainbow Dash smirked at Masaomi, then turned back when the two fallen Timberwolves got to their feet and the third one was as ready to attack. "Hey, remember that lesson on speed?"
"Well," Masaomi gulped, ears back. "we haven't started those lessons yet..."
Rainbow Dash backed up as the Timberwolves stepped closer. "Well, here's Lesson One: Run!" The two Pegasi turned and dashed the other way, the Timberwolves hot on their tail. "To the sky!" Masaomi took no hesitation in obeying the order and jumped into the sky after Rainbow Dash. They flew over the forest and, just when Rainbow Dash checked to see their progress, she saw Twilight and Rarity. "Twilight! Rarity! Run! Timberwolves!"
At the four spoken words, the two Unicorns looked up at the fleeing Pegasi, then glanced down to see three Timberwolves before them. Instead of running, Twilight crouched a bit and stomped her hoof aggressively. "Back off," she warned. "or you'll face a very serious magic do-over."
Rarity jumped beside her, copying her movements. "Or a very serious make-over? These dogs could certainly use a touch-up."
"Whatever," Twilight muttered under her breath as her horn began to sparkle. "Let's just get this over with."
"Right."
Both Unicorn's horns began to flash as the three Timberwolves backed up in uncertainty. Finally, one rushed forward, seeing how long the spell was taking to cast. Suddenly, the sparkle grew into a flash and it scared the Timberwolves away.
Twilight turned to Rarity and winked. "An illusion-light spell never hurt anyone." Rarity giggled.
It wasn't long before Rainbow Dash and Masaomi landed beside them. "Nice job," Masaomi complimented. Then, he leaned into Rarity and gave a suggestive wink. "and still look beautiful as always." Rarity leaned away, disgusted.
"Please," she sighed. "get a hold of yourself."
Masaomi frowned and glanced around. "Where is Mikado and the others?"
"There was a two way road back there," Twilight said. "We split up to find you after Rainbow Dash and Ryū set off before we could catch up to them."
"Ryū must have gone the other way," Rarity suggested.
Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof. "We have to go after them!"
The Ponies nodded and galloped towards back the crossroads.
…
Mikado had been running for a while and he was running out of breath (considering he was already tuckered out before). He was slowly beginning to doubt he went the right way. Defeated, he sat down and sighed. "This is hopeless," he groaned. "I won't find the Headless Horse today. And I was so excited..."
There was a rustle in the bushes and Mikado looked up. A mix of excitement and fear washed him over. He got to a stand and slowly made his way over to the bushes. He reached one hoof into the branches and pulled them down to get a better look.
He leaned forward and looked around. Then, he sighed. "Nothing," he murmured and stepped back, only to bump into something. He whipped around and gasped. "Oh, my Gosh..."
Before Mikado was an entirely black horse, missing only one thing; it's head. Smoke billowed out from it's severed neck and it backed up, afraid. Mikado was too shocked at first to realize he was scaring it, then he blinked and smiled. "No, it's alright. I won't hurt you. I just want to see..."
The Headless Horse stomped it's hooves nervously as Mikado leaned forward to get a better look. At that moment, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie galloped up the path and stopped when they saw the Headless Horse and Mikado. "Well, I'll be..." Applejack whispered, pulling her hat from her head and pressing it against her chest.
Fluttershy was frozen in terror while Pinkie Pie giggled and snorted. "Look!" she laughed. "It has no head! Isn't that so cool?"
The Headless Horse reared in terror and backed up. Mikado dropped to the ground, surprised, and Applejack threw her hat back on. "Ryū!" she gasped. "Hang on!"
"Hold it!" Mikado yelled, then turned back to the Headless Horse. "No one means harm. None of us do. So, just relax and...and let's...sit down." Pinkie Pie dropped her butt where she was, and Fluttershy was still too frozen in terror to do anything. Applejack, deciding that it was best, slowly, cautiously sat down as well. Mikado followed his own order and the Headless Horse hesitated before also sitting. He smiled. "See? No harm."
There was a sudden cry and something fell from the trees above onto the Headless Horse. Mikado flinched and fell on his back. Applejack again rose to her hooves but did nothing. Pinkie Pie just simply laughed.
The something that fell onto the Headless Horse, once Mikado found his vision, was really only another horse; light brown in a lab coat with a scalpel as it's cutie mark. "Hey!" he cheered. "I found you! You can't hide from me. My love for you is so strong, I can find you anywhere!" There was a long pause, when the brown Pony looked up and smiled. "Hey! We have visitors!"
"Wait, wait, wait," Mikado muttered, shaking his head. "Correct me if I'm wrong but...Kishitani-san?"
Applejack's jaw dropped. "What in tarnation?" she gasped. "Ryū, do you...know these Ponies?"
Mikado laughed. "Yup!" he chirped. "It's Celty-san, the legend I was telling you about back before we came here!"
There was a shocked silence...and then Fluttershy fell onto her side.
…
"So, you're telling me," Masaomi sighed, rubbing his temples as everyone sat around Twilight's table back in Ponyville. "that the Black Rider, the legend from Ikebukuro, and her boyfriend are also here? Are you kidding me?"
Mikado shook his head. "Nope, not at all," he said. "I'm dead serious. This is Shinra, and the Headless Horse's real name is Celty."
Applejack shook her head. "So the legends were true," she gasped. "There really is a headless horse out there, and it's you."
Twilight took a sip of some tea she had. "Well, I must say, this is a total turn around."
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Who knew some old Ponytale from long ago was real?"
"I did," Fluttershy interjected, a little more calm knowing Celty was friendly and not going to hurt her in anyway. "I did. I did. I told you. I did."
"Calm down, Fluttershy," Rarity suggested, patting her shoulder. "You'll be fine."
"Celty says it's nice to meet you all," Shinra said, sipping his tea. "And I say the same thing."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "It's nice to meet you, too..."
"How did you do that?" Pinkie Pie asked, leaning across the table. "How can you tell what she's saying?"
"Not what she's saying," Shinra corrected. "What she's thinking." The other Ponies were awed. Shinra smiled. "Twenty years of experience."
There was a bit of a silence. "I'd hate to break it to you," Masaomi said. "but you might not fit in so well here, Celty."
"Celty says she knows," Shinra replied. "She said she has no problem returning to the forest."
Twilight thought for a moment, when it dawned on her. "Actually, I think I know someone who can help," she said.
Every Pony glanced at Twilight. "Who?"
…
"Just one favor," Twilight begged.
Zecora's eyes were still wide as a living legend stood before her. Suddenly, she shook herself from her shock and smiled kindly at her guests. "A problem it is not," she said. "A new friend is always sought. You may stay in my home with me, until you find a better place to be."
"Thank you so much, Zecora," Fluttershy smiled, stepping forward. "Really, thank you. It means a lot to us."
Shinra turned to Celty, then turned back. "She says thanks."
Zecora smiled.
Then, Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "And I think you have a letter to write to Princess Celestia," she chuckled. Fluttershy blushed and nodded.
…
Dear Princess Celestia,
Hi. I really hope you don't mind my letter, but I learned something today about Friendship. I learned that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Even if the Pony is really scary, or really odd, it only means that they are special in some way and that, once you get to know them, they are pretty great Ponies to know. Sometimes, the courage and the strength to get the courage is worth it in the end.
Sincerely, Fluttershy.
…
After Notes
Pretty good, I have to say. And super long! I hope I got everything right... And Zecora was a hard batch herself. Good thing I'm a poet, or I wouldn't have her in good character.
Was the letter alright? Did I have everyone in character? Did this seem realistic? Tell me!
Love it? Hate it? Wanna read it again? Let me know! Yeah!