Pinkie Pie's 4th Wall Breaking Show epi 10 Part 3

"Oh, by the way, Pinkie" Gilda said, holding out a letter in her claws. "On my way over earlier, before I got chased away by those three dweebs, this gray pegasus asked me to drop this off. She hadda run ta pick up her foal or something." Pinkie took it, her eyes wide, as Gilda said, "She was saying something about 'cross-dimensional delivery fees', whatever that means."

"Wait, Pinkie," Twilight said as she stared at the envelope. "Is, is that from?..."

"YEEESS!" Pinkie jumped for joy. "I knew I'd get a letter from one of the Shadows again! I just knew it!" She hurriedly tore it open and started to read it. "Aww, it's from the one who first gave us that Rarity suit!" She didn't notice how her friends flinched at that news as she read on. "And the Nightmare illusion by Luna, and who put Applejack and Rarity in the same body, and who had the hordes of Tartarus invade..."

"Does it have a return address, by any chance?" Twilight Sparkle said, her eyes alight with a wicked gleam.

"Oh, it..." Pinkie looked at her friend and hurriedly smudged the envelope. "Whoops, I ruined it! Heh." She hurriedly read on as Twilight seethed. "First of all, 'Sorry I made so much trouble for you ponies, even if it was fun to see how you got out of it all again and again' -- Anyway!" Pinkie cleared her throat as Twilight began to almost growl. "'Now that we know that Sunset Shimmer is real in your world...'"

"Who?" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both said at once, while Cadence's jaw dropped open.

Pinkie said, "'What if Sunset Shimmer didn't get turned into a human but stayed a pony when she went between dimensions? PS Please none of the nasty bad ends.'" Pinkie looked at the What-If machine. "Well, that all depends on this! But here we go..."

She flipped a switch and the screen began to flicker.

Sunset Shimmer fell through the Mirror Gate with a gasp, her coat and mane and tail all muddy and stained. She looked up at Celestia, standing over her. "Teacher? Mother? I'm home?" She threw herself into Celestia's forelegs, sobbing. "I'm so sorry! I never should have left!"

"My little sun," Celestia said, nuzzling Sunset and setting her wings around her like a mare with her own foal. "What happened to you? Where did you go?"

"It was another world," Sunset said. "One with humans in it -- one that knew about Equestria. I, I thought I'd be changed into one, but I stayed a pony there." Celestia started as Sunset added, "She said her name was Megan, asked if Discord was defeated or not, more about some 'Paradise Ponies'?"

"Megan saved you?" Celestia said. "My little sun, you were so lucky."

"LUCKY?" Sunset yelled. "I told her what I planned and wanted, but I had no magic! Next to none, anyway! So she told me she'd give me a place to stay and food to eat until the gate re-opened, and..." She shuddered. "I was hitched to a PLOW! I slept in a stable, and I had to eat hay and grass like some, some HORSE! And she charged me for room and board! Take me back, please!"

Sunset looked up, her face wretched. Only to freeze at the look passing over Celestia's face.

"I see.  Did you pay back everything you owe?"

"No, why?" Sunset's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you can't mean..."

"My dear little sun, I love you like my own daughter, but right now?" Celestia's horn glowed and a necklace on a nearby table floated over to her. She set it around the horrified Sunset's neck. "Here's an amulet that will let me know when you've paid everything off. You have to pay your debts. Besides, this may teach you some much-needed humility." And with those words her horn glowed. Kicking wildly, Sunset rose up into the air and vanished back through the mirror gate.

Her eyes wide, Cadence walked into view (and the Cadence watching gasped).

"Aunt, was that really a good idea?"

"I knew Megan before you were born," Celestia said, smiling. "She won't let anything bad happen to Sunset. And given just how arrogant I unintentionally let her become, I'd say some hard work without her magic should settle her down."

Pinkie switched the machine off. "Well, that's not a bad end, right?"
-
"Hmm, so this machine shows the what if of timelines." Gilda work

"Oh yes some can be different in minor ways, some in major ways and some in major yet minor ways." Twilight said

"I mean it shows double. But in order for there to be a double for every character, that means that every set of parents, grandparents and ancestors since the beginning of time needed to procreate with the same partner they had in the normal universe..."

"Well... yes and no." Twilight said "Yes there can be instances of seeing us but that can change due to circumstance, the event that we evolve differently or even something as minor as one parents not meeting and not being born. in some cases that a good thing, in others it extrememly bad and in some it's neutral. truthfully the multiverse are just one huge what-if."

"But wouldn't we need to be born for that to work."

"Not really, i asked the what-if machine what would happen if none of us were born and set it it to mix (That is showing neutral, good and unfortunately.) and saw rather unique scenario's in that regard, even the neutral side shows that while nothing significant changes occur, just that different people gain the elements, but still show them handling different and even outright not having to experience some mistakes, and sometimes make different and somewhat bigger one. my point is, free will exist, the multiverse just a huge what-if.

"Yeah its basically doesn't need to make sense, who need continuity!" Pinkie said

"Alright if you say so." Gilda said "Hey do you mind if i ask it a question?"

"Sure go ahead."

Gilda walked to the machine and asked  "What would happen if i was born a chimera? And i mean a chimera as in the three headed chimera." Gilda finished with the clarification.
-

"ROAR!" a Chimera screamed as it screamed at the night.

"Gah, did you have to do that, we're not part wolf," a familiar voice said as the snakehead glared at the tiger.

"Maybe but it's to prove were the alpha predator."

"To whom? the only ones up at this hour is owls!" The goat head said.

"Come now sisters, while I realize this is a annoying habit to you, I think it shows a quaint sign of nobility." The tiger head said.

"Whatever." The snakehead sighed.

The screen turned off.

"Well... that was something," Rainbow said.

"I know... WHY AM I THE SNAKEHEAD!! If anything I should be the tiger head!" Gilda said annoyed.

"To be fair you only specified about it being a chimera the species."

"Maybe but still, the snake, it doesn't even have arms!"

"Actually the viper head is arguably is the most important head for the conjoined triplet hunters since they can sense heat of others and therefore would make it easier for them to hunt for there prey," Twilight said.

Shining Armor stared.  "Chimeras are... strange.  I wonder if there's one soul or three in there..."

Gilda peered down her beak at him, flicking her feline tail.  "I know I've seen you someplace before..."  She snapped her talons.  "Whoa!  Now I remember!"

Shining flinched.  "But, there's no way you could..."

"It was in the papers!" cried Gilda, opening her beak in a grin.

"Oh, that...  Whew!"

"You're that guard captain dweeb who married an alicorn princess!  Just before the bugs invaded!"

"Um, excuse me?" said Fluttershy.

"Wait, hold on," said Gilda, only half listening.  She spun to face Cadence.  "You're that princess!"  She looked all around, surprised.  "Where's your staff?  Why don't you have any guards?  You two just walk around like anybody else?"

Twilight Sparkle shrugged.  "Well, if they needed any protection, most of the Elements of Harmony are right here in this studio."

"And a dragon," mumbled Spike, rolling over and pulling his blanket tighter.  The baby dragon was over in a corner, sleeping off his greed growth.

Twilight chuckled.  "And a dragon... but Princess Cadence herself is probably the most powerful person in the room."

Gilda twitched, shedding a few feathers.  "I coulda been in with your little lords of the realm superpowers club, and I threw a tantrum and took off?"  She padded over to a wall and bonked her head on it several times.  "What... was... I... thinking?"

"Excuse me," said Fluttershy more forcefully, backing it up with a mild Stare.  "They're changelings.  Calling them bugs isn't very polite."

"And Cadence here is kind of the changeling queen now," put in Rainbow Dash.

"Eeeyup," said Big Mac.

Gilda twitched.  "I'm... sorry?"  She darted over to Cadence.  "Yes, definitely very sorry!  Should I grovel now?"  She leaned and whispered to Dash.  "What do ponies do when they accidentally insult superiors to their face?  Help me out here!"

Shining trotted over to Cadence's side.  He held back a laugh, while she just smiled.


Meanwhile, Applejack helped herself to another of Coffee Swirl's decafs sitting down next to Maud Pie.  "Background pony, huh?" she said neutrally, though her eyes shone faintly, reflecting the studio lights in a way that pony eyes shouldn't.  "When yer not stabbing mad gods, ya mean?"
-
Coffee Swirl flinched, gritting his teeth as the Truth twinkled in Applejack's eyes.

"I was barely necessary in that battle," he said through a clenched jaw. "Morning Star would have fallen even without me." He felt pain with each word, in his head, heart and soul, but he could not admit what Applejack wanted him to.

He was unimportant, unnecessary and unextraordinary... he had to be.
-
"Applejack, don't RUSH him using your eyes." The Blank Wolf said. "He needs to reach this conclusion in his own pace. I understand you might be annoyed, but there is no need to picked on him as such."

"I apologize, but you must admit it would have been easier with his help."

"There's a old card game saying. Don't play an ace if a two will do." The Blank Wolf said.
-
Applejack didn't even remember reaching for the Truth... it was just there.  Maybe Princess Luna was right to be suspicious.  Then again, Coffee Swirl had lied to her face, and she hadn't flown off the handle.

"Yeah?" said AJ.  "Well Ah don't know if even two Wolves is gonna be enough."  She flashed into her wolf form... it felt natural, powerful... liberating.  "Ah sure am glad you're back.  You feel it too, don't ya?  Monsters crawling out of the woodwork all over the place."  She growled, shaking her head.  "If it's like this here, Ah don't even want to think about what it must be like in the world they're a-coming from."

The Blank Wolf placed a forepaw firmly on her shoulder.  "Other worlds are not our concern, sister.  Focus on the one that is."  He faded into shadow and vanished.

The Opaque Wolf started to follow, then hesitated, looking back at Coffee Swirl.  "You go on telling yourself you don't matter, if that makes ya feel better... but if we learned anything fighting Chrysalis, it's that nopony is unimportant.  All those folks she thought were beneath her notice were the very ones who undid her, in the end."  Then she vanished from the studio as well.

Maud Pie raised an eyebrow fractionally.
 
-
Coffee Swirl scoffed, glad to be free of her gaze finally. "'Happy', yeah, right. I'm 'happy' that my entire existence is likely a clerical error among the gods."

Still, he gathered up the empty cups like he tended to do at his shop. Since the cafe was closed (He still couldn't afford to hire full-time employees), he needed to make sure he got his full paycheck for catering the show.
-
Pinkie said, "Okay, What-If Machine, I'm going to need you to work with me on this one. Think you can help me?"

The What-If Machine displayed a smiley face.

Pinkie said, "Thanks." before turning to the others and clearing her throat to get their attention.

"You know, guys, sometimes it's not a good idea to assume you know everything about something just from one look at it. Because sometimes, your first impressions can be misleading, and you might find yourself in for a nasty surprise."

As she said this, the What-If Machine showed a video.

"Oops, better put in the species filter!"

"The pony what?" Big Mac asked.

"Never mind!"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEzrHr…

Pinkie said, "That's a music video of a Neighponese show that's just ending called Kamen Rider Gaim. Tell me, what's your first impression of it?"

Rainbow Dash said, "It looks pretty lighthearted, if you ask me. I mean, they use fruit to transform."

Pinkie said, "That's exactly the sort of reaction I thought you'd have. But in this case, it's actually easy to tell that it's not all smiles and rainbows, simply because the identity of the head writer is Gen Urobuchi."

This got a gasp from the Flutters.

Twilight said, "The same Urobuchi who turns everything he writes into a deconstruction?

Fluttercruel said, "The same Urobuchi who took an unholy amount of pleasure in the way he treated Sayaka in Penumbra Magical Filly Madoka?"

Pinkie nodded. "That's the one."

"How do you know that?" Cadence asked.

"Mom mistook it for something nice." Fluttercruel said.

Rainbow Dash said, "Well, maybe it's a sign that he's writing something that's not going to give the kids nightmares for a change."

Pinkie said, "I wish. What-If Machine, take it away."

The What-If Machine showed a Diamond Dog who was standing in front of some strange-looking purple plants. As it showed him, Pinkie said, "That's Ryoji Hase. He was known as Kamen Rider Kurokage for a while, but then his belt got destroyed. And those plant are called Lockseed Flowers. If a Rider has one of their Sengoku Driver belts on, those things turn into the Lockseeds they use to transform, but if they're not wearing one..."

The What-If Machine zoomed out to show two Riders, one orange and the other red, facing off against a third Rider as Hase said, "Power...Why don't I have any of their power? With this..." As he said this, he walked towards the flowers, causing the orange Rider to say, "Hase? What are you doing?!"

Hase then pulled one of the Lockseed Flowers off the vine and said, "Give me the power again!" before eating it. The white Rider said, "Hey! Spit that out!" But it was too late. Hase's body gave off a green glow before erupting into a shower of vines. When the vines disappeared, one of the monsters shown in the video had taken his place.

Rainbow Dash picked her jaw up and said, "I stand corrected."

Pinkie said, "Yeah. It hadn't exactly been a cakewalk before this, but this was when things really started to escalate."

Maud Pie asked, her voice changed ever so slightly in tone. "So you really think that your existence is an error? The gods don't make those kinds of mistakes. Shining Armor's cousin understands that." She said lowly so neither Twilight nor Shining Armor would hear her. "An invasive goddess who erased a member of her own family from existence unwittingly, to bring her brother into existence, all to create a timeline where Dissonance never make this planet his playpen a second time. Yet, even though not given a choice, their empty shell still accepts it as their duty. They were robbed of their existence for the greater good. You are not a puddle of coffee on the ground who got sucked up by Dissonance's great-great-etc, niece because of their sacrifice. And all you can do with the life they bought you with their own existence is complain about it."  
-
Over in the playpen (which Cadence had finally set up), little Midnight stretched and yawned adorably, then babbled, waving small hooves.  She started trying to climb out of the playpen and go exploring.

Cadence noticed first, smiling.  "Looks like somepony's hungry!"

Shining Armor lifted a brow.  "How can you tell that?  Is it an alicorn thing?  Bonds of harmony?"

Cadence magically took a bottle out of a saddlebag and started heating it.  "It's a mare thing."

Shining snorted.  "A mare thing.  She might just want attention.  Or playtime, or..."

(Foal's Notes: Hungry!)

Shining Armor nearly fell over.  "How did you do that!?"

Cadence looked over her shoulder.  "Do what?"

Shining Armor leaned over the playpen, watching Midnight babble happily again.  Kifuko yawned and nuzzled against her, still asleep.

(Friend's Notes: You're... hungry?)

(Foal's Notes: Hungry, daddy!)

He reeled again, then backed away so Cadence could give Midnight her bottle.

(Foal's Notes: Yum!  Happy!)

(Friend's Notes: There's crayon scribbles all over the place in here.  Did you do that, sweetie?  ...  Half-Lights, are you here?  Hah, hah, very funny...)

Shining waited, but there was no answer.  "Oh boy..."
-

Coffee Swirl glanced at Maud, wiping down the small counter he'd been working with. "Since when does Entropy care about anything? Let alone some meaningless pegasus."

"Who?" Maud asked emotionlessly and completely honest.
-
Pinkie Pie was looking at a lab top in the corner of the room while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were fixing things with Gilda.

Spike was still huddle in another corner trying to sleep through the after-effects of his greed growth, Twilight sighed and used a special homing teleport and their magic link to teleport him directly to the library where he could finish resting.

The Sparkles and Cadence were looking after the babies.

Big Mac wondered what he was even doing here anymore, with AJ currently her wolf self, her Pony Existence was fuzzy, but Big Mac did notice the shadows of the three fake big brothers were nowhere to be found.  It was times like this he wished he could get more than two words out to others who weren't family. He did notice the costume of Rarity was missing too and wasn't with Spike. He sighed and left the studio, hoping that his bad luck would lead him straight to them wherever they had gotten off to.

Pinkie Pie gasped at the small computer that didn't fit with this reality at all. "Oh my gosh! It's totally confusing, unreal, illogical, totally weird. Why didn't Sunset's awakening as an Element get an Awesome Moment, and Celestia reading about her saving the day didn't get a Heart Warming, and the reveal of FINALLY what the seventh purified element of chaos is (Hope!), didn't get added to the TheReveal entry! . . . Maybe the tropes were just a fad."

A huge neon sign flashing 'shameless plug in' shone behind her. Having finished reading her script, Pinkie Pie tossed it over her shoulder and went back to playing Pie Sweeper.
-
Big Mac returned to the room, shivering, along with Rarity and her 'twin'. Twilight looked up and noticed them entering. "Oh hello, Rarity and, ah, Rarity? Big Mac, what's wrong?"

The stallion looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm afraid it was Sweetcream Scoops again, dear," Rarity said, shaking her head. "That mare! Must she chase every stallion in Ponyville, even the ones who don't want her?" She gently nuzzled Big Mac's shoulder. He shivered but stood still. Curious, Shining Armor wondered over as Rarity comforted the stallion. "It's okay, Big Macintosh. She's not in here, you can get some privacy now."

"Umm, dear?" Cadence said as she lifted Kifuko and Midnight with her magic. "I think I'll need to change these two. Can you hold down the stable until I get back?"

Shining Armor rolled his eyes. "I think I can manage it just fine for a few minutes, darling. Sure you don't need help?"

"I believe I can manage a diaper without any problems," Cadence called back in a dry voice as she left, the two happy foals flying along with her, bouncing up and down gently. Cadence laughed at their giggles. "Whoop! Wee! And we play with the foals so much they laugh and make a mess!"

"Eep!" Pinkie Pie hurried after her offstage. "Not in here!"

Shiny watched them leave before turning to Big Mac. "So, Mac, is it?" The Earth pony stallion nodded. Shiny said, "Look, can I offer some advice? Stallion to stallion? This Sweetcream Scoops mare..." He hesitated as Mac shook. "Look, pal, she's only some lonely mare who thinks you're the most eligible stallion in town. It can get nerve-wracking, but..." Shiny broke off as Rarity spoke.

"Oh, no, that's not it at all! Sweetcream's a terror! Every married mare in town has to hide her stallion and older colts when she's on the prowl. She's more love-hungry than a changeling." Twilight and Mac both nodded solemn agreement.

"Oh, please!" Shiny looked at all three and whickered laughter. "You three? Scared of one poor mare? I've learned a few things being married, and now listen..."

As he spoke, behind him, all unnoticed, the unwatched door of the 4th Wall Breaking Show opened to reveal a yellow unicorn mare with a rose mane and tail with golden and pink-purple streaks. She looked around, an almost predatory look in her eyes, before zeroing in on Shining Armor. She began sashaying her way over.

Big Mac took one look. With a panicked snort, he seized Rarity's 'twin' and hauled them into a back room. The door slammed shut as the haunted suit began to say, "What?"

"Ah need a place ta hide," Mac said, his ears pinned in panic, "An' yore it!"

Rarity and Twilight heard the sounds of someone slipping into a ponysuit as Sweetcream slipped up behind Shining Armor.

"Hey there, handsome," she breathed out, giving him a little love bite along his mane. He jumped and whinnied as she said, "Got any time for a poor, lonely mare?"

"Yipe!" Shiny turned to find himself face to face with the Maneating Mare of Ponyville as she batted her eyes at him. He wondered if Chrysalis had looked this utterly hungry. "Oh, uh, hello, Miss Scoops, is it? I, well, we were just taking about you..."

"You were?" She purred out, giving Rarity and Twilight a glance and a dismissive sniff. "I'm not surprised, I am such a fascinating subject. Maybe now you'd like to talk with a younger mare? One that isn't ready for the glue factory?" Rarity's eyes blazed at her words. She began storming forward, ears down and snorting. Twilight held her back as Sweetcream said, "New in town? I've got somewhere you can sleep at my place."

"Maybe I should wait until we know something about each other first," Shiny said, backing away and not stopping until he hit the wall. Sweetcream followed him, licking her lips like a cat over a bowl of cream.

"I'm a mare," she said with a smirk. "You're a stallion, and alone. What's to know?"

"I'm a married pony!" Shining Armor gulped at the look she gave him then.

"That's okay," she said, leaning in even closer. Behind her Shiny saw Cadence coming back out of the back room. Her eyes widened and then went narrow as Sweetcream said, "I won't tell your wife!"
-
Sweetcream tried to rush Shining Armor and rub against him... and got bounced back by his shield bubble.  

The stallion smirked.  "How's that for playing hard to get?"

"Shining!" growled Cadence, stamping towards them.

Shining Armor winced.  "And, that was totally the wrong thing to say."

Sweetcream scratched her mane with a hoof.  "Ooh, kinky!"  She pressed up against the bubble and winked at him, giving the bubble a slow lick.

"Gyah!" cried Shining.  Panicking, he dropped the shield and galloped past Sweetcream, into the maze of studio backrooms.  She followed with a spring in her step... in one door and out another, over and over.

Gilda munched bacon-flavored popcorn from a bag, grinning.  "And here I thought ponies were total sissies when it came to romance."

Pinkie popped up next to her.  "Hi, Gilda!  Where'd you get the popcorn?"

"Huh?  I thought you brought it."

Rarity joined them.  "I'm probably going to regret this, but I simply must know.  What is griffon romance like?"

Gilda blinked.  "Ooh.  Well, if there was some griff who liked me... I mean really liked me, he'd come up to me and be all 'Hey, dirtbeak!'  And I'd be like 'Hey, snotface!'  Mmm, and then he'd say 'How dare you call me that, birdbrain?  You think you're tougher than me?'  And I'd say 'I know I am!'  And then we'd growl and hiss and..."

Dash stood there with her mouth agape, while Cadence ooohed and took notes.

And then another Rarity trotted out of one of the backrooms.  "Howdy, um... darlings."

The real Rarity face-hoofed.  "I am going to have every one of those suits burned.  The horror...  imagine if I'd made any more of them!"

Unnoticed, the What-If Machine's screen glowed, and then a hatch on the side opened and a clothes trunk quietly slid out, thumping onto the floor.
-
"Seriously, who is Entropy? I have no idea who you're talking about." Maud Pie said to Coffee Swirl again, once again in complete honesty.

The trunk containing MORE magic costumes produced by the what-if machine, was, thankfully, for the moment unnoticed, but it wouldn't stay that way for long knowing the pony's luck.

With the babies on her back, Cadence caught Shining Armor with her telekinesis. "Now what is this all about? Given the LAST TIME nopony talked things out, my sister in law got brainwashed by an evil witch, I'm willing to let there be a shadow of a doubt."

"That mare kept coming onto me, I told her I was married, but she still wanted a piece of me, I kept her back and I just had a witty one-liner! That's all!"

Cadence sighed. Rubbing her temples with her telekinesis. "Fine. I believe you. If only because I'm sick of misunderstanding making my family's lives more difficult."

Sweetcream hopped in, "Oh there you are handsome, so what . . . uh, you're his wife?"

"Yes." Cadence growled.

"Oh . . . didn't know."

Cadence dropped Shining. "Don't know?! Captain of the Royal guard! Princess of Music and Queen of the changelings, and you don't know?! How is that physically possible?"

"I don't read the newspaper all that much?"

"Agh!" Cadence grunted in frustration.

"Oh well, there did that hunk Big Mac go? I bet he'd like to marry me."

A silver streak shattered a window (Pinkie figured she'd have to pay for that repair too), and lo and behold, a blue pegasus with a silver mane and a wonderbolt flight suit hovered in the air.

"IN YOUR DREAMS NAG! I'M BIG MAC'S VERY SPECIAL SOMEPONY!!! HE SAVED MY LIFE! HE GAVE ME GIFTS! I ACTUALLY KNOW THE NAMES OF ALL HIS SISTER'S FRIENDS!"

"WOW!!! FLEET FOOT!" Rainbow Dash flew up to her. "It's great to see you again! How are you doing?! Remember me? Rainbow Dash?! Saved Spitfire and Soarin' life? And Misty Fly's life? All at once?"

"You remember Misty Fly's name?"

"OF COURSE! I know all the wonderbolts!"

"Oh right, you met with her after, HOLD ON! I've got a nag to put in her place!"

Fleetfoot dived at Sweetcream.

"I beat the hay out of that LAST MARE, that blue and green Tealove, who wanted to move in on Big Mac, I kicked her flank back to Canterlot and her 'Tealove's Tea Room' cafe!"

Pinkie Pie realized her had her elbow on the exposition button again (dang thing got stuck easily).

"HA! Everypony knows you're on the team just to take up space-" She got punched in the mouth.

The camera turned to out the window.

Which showed Cheerilee being browbeaten by the stallion with a cutie mark of himself, lecturing the teacher that she should teach her students to treat friendship like a business deal. She suddenly had an odd feeling and let out a growl and looked towards the studio, having the oddest feeling of somepony claiming someone dear to her.

"Darlings," said the 'second' Rarity, "Big Mac . . . . Big Mac is .. . . Big Mac isn't here." She said in a dazed tone and began rubbing her body in  odd places that made the real Rarity blush. "You ladies shouldn't be fighting . . . it's so . . . unfeminine . . . what would little fillies think?"

"Oh, Big Mac, you did remember to let the three reality distorting shadows of our former 'perfect' big brothers out of there before slipping into that costume right?"

The 'second' Rarity placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder and rubbed her check against hers, "Now, Rarity Big Mac . . . Big Mac isn't here right now."

"Oh dear." Rarity whispered.

"This is awesome!" Gilda said watching the cat fight.

Fluttershy stare angst at the violence, then Fluttercruel took over. "KICK HIM LOW!"

Twilight Sparkle couldn't take this anymore, and separated the two mares wit her magic.

"You! Leave! There are plenty of other stallions in Ponyville you can make the day of!" She magically shooved Sweetscoop out the door. "Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! Gilda! Take Miss Fleetfoot out for icecream at Sugar Cube corner! Calm her down!"

She shooved the Wonderbolt at the three fliers and then scooted them out as well, and shut the door, LOCKING IT! "There!"  

"Ow!" Cheerilee said from the other side of the door, having had the door slammed in her nose. She rubbed her face looking annoyed at the door. She grunted and took out home work from her saddle bags and began to grade it on the spot to pass the time outside the studio.
-
Try as she might, Cheerilee kept getting distracted by that strange stallion with the cutie-mark of himself.  He'd gathered quite a crowd, and stood up on an actual non-magical soapbox to give a speech.  The studio's camera whirred, focusing on him through the (smashed open) window.

"Fellow citizens of Ponyville!" he shouted.  "I ask you... is not a pony entitled to the sweat of his brow?  NO, says Loyalty, it belongs to Ponyville and Princess Celestia.  NO, says Generosity, it belongs to your 'friends.'  NO, says Kindness, it belongs to ponies less fortunate, who contribute nothing and then stand there with a hoof out.  I, Andy Ryebread, rejected these answers.  I chose Reason!"

The crowd rumbled, many nodding along.

"What is it, then, this so-called Friendship?  Can you count it?  Can you hold it in your hoof or place it in a saddlebag?  NO.  What good is it, then?  What value does it have?  NONE whatsoever!  It is a lie, a cheat to keep you from what you have rightfully earned for yourself."

Granny Smith shook a hoof, eyes glazed over.  "Zap-Apple Jam will start at 300 bits a jar this year, and Sweet Apple Cider 400 a barrel!  Those folks that want it most can darn well pay the most!  It's only fair."

"Oh yeah!?" shouted a local weatherpony.  "You couldn't grow squat without rain!  Ponies better start paying their water bill if they want water."

Spike marched and waved a small placard.  "Twilight's just been using me as unpaid labor and free dragon-mail for years!  I deserve a salary and back pay!"

Mayor Mare grabbed the placard away from him.  "First, we need to talk about Miss Sparkle living in our town library rent free!"

On his soapbox, the Sue watched the crowd descending into chaos, and grinned smugly.
-

A knock came at the door. Twilight used her magic to open it. Rarity and.. Rarity, and Twilight, looked to see Cheerilee coming in. Terrible foreboding filled her face.

"Oh, hello, Cheerilee," Rarity (the real one) said. Trying to put herself between the mulberry mare and her 'twin', she said, "Ah, just what HAS been happening outside? We thought we heard somepony giving a speech, or more like a rant..."

"That's part of why I came in here," Cheerilee said. "It's some pony named Andy Ryebread with a cutie mark of HIMSELF, telling everypony that they should think of themselves first, last, and always." She looked at Twilight, "He's got the Mayor wondering why they aren't making you pay rent on the library..."

"But I work at the library as the librarian!" Twilight said, shocked. "And it belongs to the town and the principality, Celestia appointed me and Spike to take care of it. The crown pays for its upkeep."

"Spike's with him too," Cheerilee said. She shook her head as she added, "And he's saying that you've been using him as an unpaid flunky for years, and he wants his back pay. Everypony in town is agreeing with him!"

"WHAT!" Twilight stared, shook herself, and headed for the door scowling. "Okay, that's it. First the three Big Brother Sues, then my brother ends up inside of the Rarity-suit, and now this? I am SO putting a stop to this nonsense!" Snorting, she stomped to the door and outside, her hooves clopping over the wooden floor. It slammed shut behind her. A few moments later they faintly heard her voice, joined by those of Spike, the Mayor, and Ryebread, joined in argument.

Cheerilee turned to speak to Rarity and started in shock to see a second Rarity. A bigger, more muscular one.

"Rarity, when did you get a twin sister?" Cheerilee looked around. "And have you seen Big Mac? I heard he'd wandered in here, and then I had the weirdest idea that somepony was harassing him."

"Oh, ah? Big Mac?" Rarity looked at her 'sister', currently preening herself and examining her reflection in a studio window. The unicorn shuddered and turned back to Cheerilee, smiling broadly. "He's, ah, out right now. But he'll be back!... I hope."

"Hmm," Cheerilee said, frowning at her and then looking at 'other-Rarity'. "Just who IS she, anyway? I thought I knew all your relations."

"Now, it's not all that odd for someone to have family they don't talk about much..." Shining Armor said.

"That's right." Maud said as she trotted forward to stand beside him. "It isn't."

Cheerilee just looked at them both skeptically before turning back to Rarity, tilting her head in an obvious, 'Okay, explain this one' look. Before Rarity could say anything, her 'sister' trotted forward. Her heavy hooves made the boards groan beneath them.

"Oh, I'm Red Gala, Rarity's sister! I've just been out of town for a while," 'she' said in a deeply musical voice. She nuzzled Rarity. "I'm going to be in town for a while to help my little sis out with her fashion work! Er, somehow or other." Before more could be said, the sounds from outside rose to a furious clamor. Several of the ponies hurried to the window and stared in shock.

"Twilight's being tied up?" Shiny said. "By SPIKE? Have they all lost their minds? And who's that one pony standing in the back smiling at everything?" He turned and looked at the others, his eyes pleading. "Please, help me save my sister and the other ponies out there before they do something really crazy!"

Before any of the assembled ponies could say something, they saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy come flying up to the crowd. Several other ponies were behind them, ponies strange to the onlookers, dressed in the uniforms of members of Equestria's rather small navy. Among them stood an Earth pony with one leg that seemed oddly short, making him limp; a gray coat that shone like steel; and a thick band of dark hair across his muzzle like a bushy mustache. He looked on, grinning coldly and his eyes filled with a wicked light that looked all too familiar to Shining Armor for some reason. His cutie mark showed a symbol of Equestria being shattered.

"Maybe things are about to calm down?" Pinkie Pie said hopefully.

"Hold it right there!" Dash said outside. She dropped to the ground, looking oddly eager for violence. Beside her, Fluttershy looked even more eager. Gray and brown saddle blankets covered them as far back as their flanks, hiding their cutie marks from view. "Comrades, have you all gone crazy? Trying to hurt Twilight Sparkle because of what Ryebread says?"

The ponies watching from the window heaved a sigh of relief at the injection of sanity. Outside, the bound Twilight looked even more relieved.

"That's right, Fluttershy said, the harsh words even uglier in her soft voice. "You SHOULD be punishing her for being a part of the feudal oppressor class, comrades!" Twilight stared at her in shock as she pointed back at the pony of steel. "Vozhd there explained everything to us at Sugarcube Corner, which is a symbol of the decadent and unhealthy lifestyle foisted on us by the bosses, incidentally. Everything makes so much sense when he speaks. You know that everything you ever believed before was wrong in a moment."

Outside, Twilight groaned, as did the onlookers.

Behind both Ryebread and Vozhd a pair of wolf-like beings slowly crept closer, their eyes blazing as they locked on the two Sues.

Kifuko, Midnight, and Cadence's eyes were all drawn to the pair of wolves only they seemed able to see. This was the only reason she didn't swoop in and save her sister-in-law that very moment.

"Pity both those stallions are out of their minds," Red Gala lamented, "They're both so hot." She said in a slightly whinny voice, which was music compared to Rarity's standards of whining, "Why do all the attractive, sane, intelligent, and polite stallions have to be taken in Ponyville?"

"I know what you mean," Rarity said in spite of herself in a moment of genuine camaraderie with her big sister (she did come out first). What did she just think?! The worst part was when she realized a vague memory of greeting Red Gala at the train station this morning had creeped into her head. 'Uh oh.' Rarity thought.
-
"That ain't good," growled Applejack.  "Those crazy Sues are gonna start a riot."

The Blank Wolf nodded grimly.  "They are powerful, and I am not at my best... but we can take them.  Pull them out... now!"

The world around them turned foggy grey and stopped cold, just when the ponies on opposite sides were starting to charge towards each other.  All except for Ryebread and Vozhd.

Ryebread shook off his disorientation first.  "So it's come to this... the established order has seen us as a threat and moved against us!"  He took up a smug pose, and two ponies completely covered in bulky mechanical armor stepped out of nowhere, flanking him.  Each had a strange visor with tubes, and a gigantic drill.  "You know," he added slyly, "Our best chance is surely to work in common cause, despite our differences."

"Very true, comrade!" said Vozhd.  "Shall we, then?"  A small platoon of *tanks* rolled out of the fog to join him, marked with strange red hammer and sickle symbols.

Wierd, thought Applejack.  What did farmers need with tanks?  Of course, Sues never did make much sense.

The Wolves crouched, snarling... the Sues tensed, ready to strike... and suddenly the two Sues lunged, attacking each other!

"Traitorous capitalist diamond dog pig!" cried Vozhd, calling even more tanks into the suddenly explosive firefight, along with masked soldiers, marching in endless row after row.  "I was right not to trust you!"

"As if there could ever be a place for degenerates like you in my bold new future!" sneered Ryebread.  "I won't let you bring the great and talented of the world down to all be equal in the muck!"  More mechanical warriors rose at his command, joined by freakishly deformed ponies who shot fire and lighting from their bare hooves.

The golden wolf shuddered.  "If they'd thrown down like that in the middle of Ponyville..."

When the brief but vicious battle began to die down, and the smoke started to clear, Vozhd tumbled out and rolled to a stop in front of the Blank Wolf, unconscious.  The Blank Wolf pitilessly raked the Sue with his claws, erasing him.

Then Andy Ryebread stumbled towards them, alone, flanks heaving with exhaustion.  "You... golden wolf!"  He pointed a hoof sharply.  "Kill that other wolf and come serve me, would you kindly?"

Applejack blinked, glancing at the Blank Wolf, then back again, feeling no urge to do any such thing.  "Ah don't get it."

The remaining Sue started laughing madly, then broke into a hacking cough.  "It does not matter.  You're still Fate's little puppet, and Andy Ryebread will never be that.  A puppet obeys... a Pony chooses his fate!"

He charged right at Applejack.  She gasped and raised her forepaws to fend him off, and the crazy Sue kept right on coming, impaling himself on her claws.  He laughed once more, then exploded into swirling black smoke.

Ryebread didn't completely disappear, though.  A pitch black gemstone clattered to the ground... it was riddled with cracks and had a stylized pillar or lighthouse carved on one face.  "What... what is that thing?" said Applejack, not quite believing what the Truth was showing her.  "An Element of Greed?!"

The Blank Wolf growled deeply.  "Elements of Chaos do come into this world from time to time, yes.  Elements that arise from Insertions tend to be unstable, fortunately."  Even as he spoke, the gemstone rose into the air, spun shakily, and exploded, leaving only dust.


Applejack and the Blank Wolf returned to the real world, standing off to one side in pony form to watch.  The ponies (and one small dragon) who'd been moments from starting a small war milled around in confusion, until they started vanishing in bursts of static, reappearing back in their homes, or going about their normal business.  "Red Gala" remained just as she had been inside the studio, though... the Wolves likely would have been concerned, if they'd known.

One particular pony, pouting as she left the studio, saw the Blank Wolf's pony form and her face lit up.  "Well, hello there," purred Sweetcream Scoops, sliding up to him.  "Anything I can help you with, stranger?"

Snow Bound blinked, taken aback, then shook his head curtly.  "No, I don't think so.  Come, Applejack..."

Applejack followed, though she frowned thoughtfully.  "Fate's puppet?  Is that really all Ah am? ..."

"Don't let the sue's words confuse you. They'll say anything to leave a last impression. We are what we're born as. I could chose not to hunt sues, but then, what would become of the world?" Snow Bound asked calmly . . . he also realized he was currently the size of a colt now, which diverted Sweetscoop's attention.

Also, since the sues had never existed, Cheerilee saw no urgency to get inside the studio, so she reappeared outside the locked studio door doing homework. In fact, she had never gone inside.

While Twilight, having had no reason to go outside to try to talk sense into the ponies, reappeared inside the studio, with no memory of having gone outside at all.

This also mean Cheerilee was there to see Sweetscoops leave the studio and see her actions towards Snow Bound. "You!"

"Hey, aren't you that mare who got brainwashed into falling in love with Big Mac?"

"I've been his friend a long time before that! Can't you find somepony else to charm?"

Sweetscoop spotted Caramel to begin to charm him, making her the target of a very upset Sassaflash who was standing right next to her coltfriend!
-
Meanwhile, Applejack gave Snow Bound a quick hoof-bump (with a little explanation beforehoof, the wolf-turned pony not recognizing the gesture). "Yer right...this isn't somethin' we're railroaded intah doin' and don't get a choice, it's somethin' we do 'cause it's the right thing TO do. Sometimes ponies forget that's how Fate really works, Ah guess." A smirk. "Oh, and thanks for helpin' get rid of those jokers....Blanky." 

Snow Bound let out a very un-ponylike growl. "Only the filly may call me that."

Applejack pulled back in exaggerated fear. "Woah, easy there! Just a little dig, okay?" She looked around, briefly catching sight of Sweetcream and Sassaflash tussling outside the studio. "So...ever since Ah erased that kelpie, Ah've been, um, cravin' seafood." She rubbed the back of her head with a foreleg. "So...ya think we could go and find some fishy Sues? As wolves, a'course. Get rid of more of these creeps AND get some lunch. Sound good?"

Snow Bound rose an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "If the need arises, yes. Though I'm not sure how you'll even taste the Sue, since they'll just have never even been in your gullet to begin with..." He shrugged. "But I WOULD enjoy another good hunt...."
-
"Fine," Applejack said. "First though, Ah'm gonna check on ma friends an' see how they're doing." With that she entered the studio and froze at what she saw before her. The ponies inside froze as she stomped forward, her hooves pounding the floor. "Oh no, TWO Rarities? Who's in th' suit this time? Pinkie Pie? Cadence?"

Applejack went to one of the two unicorn mares and tried getting a look in her mouth. "Y'all look to be the fake of the set, so who are ya? OW!" She sat down and rubbed her nose where the mare slugged her.

"Applejack, I AM the real Rarity!" Rarity snorted and pointed at Red Gala. "That's your brother Big Mac in there. Remember? We met at the rail station this morning." AJ gaped at the larger mare, carefully grooming her long crimson mane and tail. Rarity blinked. "No, wait, we didn't do that, did we? Big Mac helped Shining Armor defeat the three fakes from before. Didn't he?"

"I have no idea what you two are talking about," Red Gala sniffed. "I only heard of Big Mac from Rarity's letters as I managed her second shop in Canterlot. I certainly never was a stallion! Hmmph!" She lifted her tail and head proudly before turning and walking over to stand beside the costume trunk.

Applejack and Rarity went to speak with Twilight, who stood close by her own relatives.

"Twi," Applejack said, "Something feels mighty wrong ta me. Ah look at Red Gala, Ah mean Big Mac, an' somehow it's like Ah'm seeing two ponies with the Truth! One that's always been here but is fadin' out, and another that looks young but she's growin' a life backwards in time from where she is! Ah know how that sounds, but that's the only way I can say it an' even try ta make sense."

"I think I know what it is," Cadence said. "Remember the three shadows you put into the suit, Rarity? The big brother ponies?"

"What three shadows -- no, wait, now I remember them. But none of you noticed!"

"I didn't when you, Sweetie, and them left, but I did notice when you all came back with Big Mac."

Rarity shuddered. "You mean, they've possessed Red Gala, I mean Big Macintosh?"

"Something like that," Cadence said, channeling the 'Cadence-But-More-Than-Cadence' she had before, but this time not being afraid of it. They watched as Red Gala poked at the costume trunk, looking curious. She said, "Those three shadows would have developed into a new big sister for you, but when Macintosh put it on to hide from Sweetcream, the suit and them started to merge with him. If this goes on any longer..."

"Oh, no!" Before they could stop her, Applejack galloped over to Red Gala, grabbed the skin of her neck, and started yanking at it furiously. Red Gala's eyes bulged as the palomino yelled, "Big Mac! Ya gotta get outta there unless ya wanna be some prissy pony for the rest o' your life!"

"Thank you ever so for the praise, dear," Rarity acidly said behind her.

Applejack ignored her. "Big Mac, come on! Remember th' orchard, an' Maw and Paw! Remember Applebloom and Granny Smith!"

A moment later she flew across the room to land atop Pinkie Pie, who'd been watching with avid interest. Both Earth ponies eyes' rolled as Red Gala stormed over to them, her three sapphires cutie mark now three rubies instead.

"You remember your manners, you uncouth savage!" Red Gala snorted. Behind her, something seemed to slither out from the now-open costume trunk. Moving like some immense worm, it began hunching its way towards Twi and her relatives. "Why does everypony keep insisting that I'm not who I am? Are you all insane?"

"Red Gala that is not how you address my friends!" Rarity snapped, then realized what she had just said in worry.

"I'm sorry little sister, but they need to learn personal space!"

"Twilight," Cadence said to her, "No offense, but I think we may need some experts on shapeshifting and mind magic here. I'm going to go and get Aunt Luna, right AFTER I drop Kifuko and Midnight off with some sitters I trust. I want them to be far away from here." She vanished in a flash of light.

Twilight stepped forward. Her horn began to glow as a feeling like static electricity began running over everypony's coat. "Okay. I'm settling this. I'll remove the ponysuit magically and send it to the sun." She snorted, and not watching where she set her hooves, walked close to the thing from the trunk. "I just wish that these suits, stop causing us-- AHHH!"

In a second the unnoticed and empty until now suit began slithering its way up along Twilight's form, covering and enveloping it.

Her friends cried out -- and stared at what they saw standing in Twilight's place.
-


Twilight grumbled, now in a Fluttershy suit. "I have no idea what's going on anymore!"

Shining sighed. "This is NORMAL for me, as sad as that is...My life is bucking weird..."

"Hey, while we're waiting for Cadence to get back and for everything to get resolved, let's take another look at what I showed you earlier, okay?" Pinkie asked, feeling that after all the Sue induced chaos, they needed a break. "Try to calm down so we can think rationally instead of everything spinning out of control...again...for about the nineteenth time this episode..."

"The Kamen Rider thing, right?" asked Rainbow Dash, walking back in with the Flutters. "Fleetfoot ended up talking with Mrs. Cake about that flirt and how annoying she can be. I love the Bolts, but there's only so much anger at a flirty pony I can stand."

"Um...did they save...um, Hase?" Fluttershy asked hopefully, but remembered how turning into monsters had went in Madoka...

"Well..."

The What If Machine received a glare from Maud, forcing it to present an image of the Orange rider fighting the monster Hase had turned into, but being unable to bring himself to kill another human being...before a red, cherry themed Rider came in and destroyed the transformed victim.

"Why? Seems fairly obvious to me." the red Rider replied in a smug voice despite having just executed an innocent person, in response to the orange Rider demanding to know why he killed Hase. He undid his transformation and revealed a sleezy looking griffin with a bowler hat on. "I destroyed a monster that was attacking our citizens. I'd say that's pretty heroic."

Rainbow Dash snarled while Fluttershy whimpered. "Oh come on! Did he HAVE to be that smug about it?! Killing someone is NOT something you ENJOY doing! Especially when they're a VICTIM."

Shining Armor nodded with a shudder. "I know that a bit too well..."

"Though he does have a point..." said Fluttercruel. "You might have to put down a mad dog...but still, he didn't have to be such a jerk and ENJOY doing it!"

"That was Sid, he's kinda like the Flim Flam Brothers...except GENUINELY evil and one of the worst, meanest people in the entire series," Pinkie explained. "He's also called Sigurd in his Rider form, but they never say that onscreen...Anyway, he's kinda a sociopath who gets kicks out of hurting people, including the heroes who are a lot younger than him."

"Please tell me he gets what he has coming to him..." Rainbow Dash muttered. "I'm not even in the same UNIVERSE as him, and I still want to punch him in the face."

"...Be careful what you wish for..."


The image changed to Sigurd fighting a mixture between one of the Inves creatures and an Alicorn, his armor chalk white, for what looked like a golden apple composed of brilliant powerful energy...Sigurd wasn't doing well at all, and ended up pinned against a cliff by a powerful telekinetic move.

"Turn around and leave...and I will not have to take your life," the Alicorn warned.

"Shut it!" yelled the armored Griffin, struggling against the god-like power of the being before him. "I'll never take anyone's orders again! I'll never let anyone talk down to me again!" the Griffin's belt and armor were atomized but he still kept trying. "I...I...I will become more than mortal!"

The Alicorn gave a sad chuckle. "You would lay your own life down in service of your foolishness? Very well. If such is your dedication..." The Alicorn used his telekinesis to literally split a mountain in two behind the Griffin and float him into the middle of it. "Then pay the price with your death," the Alicorn said grimly before slamming the mountain shut with him inside. Thankfully, the camera panned up just as it slammed back together, sparing the ponies seeing his grisly demise.

Fluttershy ran to the bathroom to vomit while Rainbow Dash's face turned white. "Wow...can't that guy even kill off his VILLAINS in a way that doesn't make me wonder if they deserved it?"

"And with that, I think we'll let others have a turn now..." Pinkie muttered.

-

Two fifths of the progressively congealed into one pony and one soul (Big Mac and the Rarity costume), didn't care much for the Bug Mask Rider show . . . the other three fifths of three of the big brother ponies however did, and so her opinion formed. "I don't get it. Shouldn't only the heroes get the cool transformation thing? And shouldn't the monsters be turned back to normal if they start out as ponies?"

Maud Pie said, "You should watch out Coffee Swirl, before one of those suits gets you."
-
The barista calmly wiped down the small countertop he served on. "Seeing as how I wasn't even noticed by the psychotic mare a little bit ago, and how they only seem to go for ponies that attract attention to themselves, I think I'm safe."

"Oh I'm sorry!" Pinkie Pie profusely apologized. "Sweetscoop should have totally flirted with you too! That was really inconsiderate towards you! Here, have a piece of cake." Pinkie Pie politely gave Coffee Swirl a slice of cake. Which he poked at for a bit, before finally succumbing to the sweetness of it, and went to munch of the tasty cake.

Maud Pie smiled ever so slightly. "That's Pinkie Pie, she can get a smile out of anypony."

Pinkie Pie then addressed Red Gala about her taste in more straight up good vs evil, everypony survives for next week's episode.

Pinkie Pie, "If the ponies had used some sort of device that caused them to be turned into those monsters, they'd usually go back to normal when they're defeated. But when they eat something that rewrites their DNA and strips them of their minds, they don't have much of a future. And as for the multiple ponies getting to transform, this is hardly the first time we've seen something like that."

"What about the giant robot? Why isn't there giant robots?"

"I think you're thinking of Pony Rangers."

"Don't you mean Power Ponies?"

"No, there was a copyright struggle between Enchanted Comics and Band-Aid Studios and Enchanted Comics won and the name had to be changed."

Applejack's head hurt, Big Mac had NEVER shown deep interest in those kind of shows. And it wasn't the sort of thing Rarity would be into neither.

In the restroom (Pinkie Pie needed to be told it wasn't nice to install cameras in there), Fluttershy finished washing and drying her face, then took deep, steadying breaths before she turned to go... and a shaggy shape jumped right off the floor and swallowed her whole!  Her scream became a yelp in mid-shriek.

Applejack lifted her head, ears flicking.  "Fluttershy?!  You alright back there?"  She trotted to the back of the studio and was amazed to find a red-furred wolf stumbling out of the bathroom, wearing a harness that held two satchels and a short wooden staff close by her side.  "It can't be...  Fluttergale?!"  Without thinking, she became a wolf herself and rushed joyfully towards her old friend.  "Fluttergale, it's me, Firejack!  How'd you survive... how'd you GET here?"

But the other wolf cowered, tail between her legs.  "W... Wolf!  Stay back!" she growled.  The red wolf dashed back into the restroom to hide, and immediately saw her own face in the mirror.  "Another wolf!" she whined.  "Wait... no...  *I'm* the wolf."

The golden wolf squeezed in beside her, looking sheepish.  "Fluttershy?"

"Applejack?  Oh my gosh!  A wolf costume got you too?"

Applejack tried to say yes, or even just nod or keep quiet, but she could feel the Truth's angry glare, like Ma... her real Ma, giving her that "What do you have to say for yourself, young filly?" look.  "No, Ah really am a wolf."

Fluttershy sniffed.  "There's no need to be sarcastic."  Her manner changed subtly.  "Let me drive for a while, mom.  I think this is pretty cool!"  Fluttercruel grinned into the mirror, disappointed to see pony teeth instead of wolf fangs, then peered at AJ curiously.  "Why did you call us Fluttergale?  And who the heck is Firejack?"

Applejack gulped.  "Horseapples...  Um, can we talk about that later?  We really need to round up the rest of those crazy costumes."

"Maybe somepony should have, ya know, CLOSED THE TRUNK!" Fluttercruel snapped. "And why the heck is this fur RED?! SHOULDN'T it be pink, or yellow to go with our pony self?!"

Applejack just politely nodded.  

Applejack noted something was odd, when she became the Opaque Wolf, Applejack's  existence became the Opaque Wolf's existence, that was why nopony noticed or cared that Applejack was gone while the Opaque Wolf was around usually. There was no Applejack at the time. But Fluttershy had RECOGNIZED Applejack as Applejack. Maybe it had to do with the costume she was now wearing. Or maybe Applejack and the Opaque Wolf's existences were blurring, and that sent a chill up Applejack spine. Hopefully it was just all the distortion caused by the recent Mary Sues and Red Gala's own growth.

'Ah swear it. If Fluttershy get recruited by Fate too, Ah don't care if she's an all powerful force of nature who creates what choices ponies can make, Ah am SO givin' her a piece of my mind!!! Then maybe a buck to the kneecap!'

AJ whispered to the Blank Wolf Pup, thankfully still invisible to the Demi-Draconequui and sealed Alicorn. "Why ain't we fixin' up my brother? Isn't Red Gala warping reality? Isn't that EXACTLY the exclusive thing you were made to stop? And didn't you say you hunted TWILIGHT'S big brother for some reason or another like this?"

" . . . When I hunted Twilight Sparkle's brother, what he was born from came from OUTSIDE this reality, he was an insert. Red Gala, all the parts that make her up, Rarity's costume, the three shadows of the Big Brothers ponies, and Big Mac himself, all originally came from THIS universe. She is not an outside presence. I feel no urge to devour her and break her back down into her base components."

"One of those 'base components' is my brother! Big Mac!"

"And the names of the three ponies the shadows came from were 4-Speed Steamer and Tex. You can still say his name, which means he hasn't been replaced in existence by Red Gala yet."

"Hey! She didn't even REALLY 'exist' until today! And she's my brother getting glued together with three ponies' left-over never-were's, and the magic of one of Rarity's costume!"

Not for the first time, the blank wolf pup looked MAD, but not angry at a Mary Sue turning the world upside down, or at being humiliated, but angry the way AJ had been at Flim and Flam for talking about fair business but really willing to use any dirt trick to win.

"YOUR SOUL! Little Pony! Were born from the merger of a mare and a shadow of existence! And that mare was a created from a previous mare who was completely REMADE by the effects of a wish she made and the combined wishes of all those around her! SO were the souls of most of your friends here!!! Do NOT presume NOW to say that YOUR big brother, has a PRIORITY to exist OVER Rarity's."

He was . . . calling her a hypocrite? "What about canon?!"

"We're separated from the heart world, as you've proudly declared many times before, that rule no longer applies."

AJ let out a growl that would have come out if she was in wolf form or not.

"Orange . . . just who are you talking to?" Fluttercruel said using her nickname for the pony.

"Can we focus on the freaky costumes?" What was a costume of Fluttergale even DOING in the same trunk as a costume of FLUTTERSHY?!

The what-if machine flickered on. "Hello? This time workin'?" An orange mare with a pearl necklace and mane cut short knocked the screen.

"You?! Orangejack?" AJ quickly shoved herself in front of the screen so only she could see what was on.

"Nice to see you too AJ. So being a fru-fru pony is a terrible fate huh?"

"How did you-how did you even know I said that to . . "

"OUR what-if machine, I'm talking to you right now through OURS. I wish Pinkie Pie would let me invest some more in this studio. It could really use a make over."

"Look, Ah appreciate the family call 'sister', but Ah'm in the middle of somethin'."

"Some here bucko." Orangejack said in her Manehatten accent. "Fluttershy's shifted into that freaky wolf form of hers and is helping that invisible dog of Sweetie Belle's keep these costumes from causing trouble. It already caught Rainbow Dash in a Twilight Sparkle costume. But the problem is, MY Big Mac is also the group's Element of Honesty! We lose him, we lose one of the Elements! And we don't exactly have a best-bud lined up to fill up his 'slot!' I'm a 'spare' Generosity, not Honesty. You know it's dumb, Big Mac always felt a out of place being the only stallion on an all girl team that saved the world, three or four times, but now he's a mare and he might not be ABLE to help save the world as is."

"There is NOTHING 'spare' about you being Generosity OJ, our Trixie went through the same horseapples with having an Element of Magic like Twili's. So seriously, why ya call?"

"Because Ah was hoping you had a solution."

"Sorry. And Ah don't this gizmo would LET US share solutions. It seems to click itself out whenever we try to use it get answers to our PROBLEMS."

"Yeah." Orangejack rubbed her eyebrows. "Twilight said it had to do with how, if it showed us a solution to our problems, it would then NOT a 'what-if' it was showing, but instead it was showing a certainty, and so it wouldn't be working as a 'what-if' machine. But I figured I'd at least try. I love my brother. And I don't wanna forget about 'em. I don't have truth vision like you."

AJ startled. That was right. Orangejack DIDN'T have any mythical connection to Truth or Fate or anything, if HER Big Mac was replaced in reality, she'd never morn him.

"Ah . . . Ah'm sorry, here's hopin' we can both figure out something, or our Princess Luna can .. . and OJ . . . good luck."

"Same to you AJ," The what-if machine turned off.

Meanwhile, the rest of the ponies were checking out Flutters now in her wolf costume. And Twilight now in the Fluttershy costume. Both having been AMBUSHED by the costumes themselves apparently. Somehow.

"These costumes SHOULD NOT be able to move on their own!!" Rarity stamped her hoof anger. "THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!! AT ALL!!! SERIOUSLY! I'd never put such an enchantment on my works! And from what I understand, the portal between where these . . . THINGS called Shadows came from is SEALED! There is NO WAY WHAT SO EVER for more to come through! And WHY BY CELESTIA'S FLANK would they invade costumes, when being a simple shadow would be much more stealthy if they want to join with other ponies, and WHY be in a costume at all if it'll cost them EVEN MORE of what little of themselves they have left by the costume influencing both them AND the pony they're joining with?! THIS MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE!!!" Rarity screamed to high heaven.

"Could you shout a little louder, I don't think they heard you in Canterlot." Shining Armor rubbed her ears.

"Pretty sure they did." Pinkie Pie said.

"Sorry Darling. But this is madness! And I don't mean as in politics or Roam! And it's not even the short of madness Discord would do because it seems to have RULES!!!"

"These costumes do seem to be a rather big and annoying bother." Red Gala agreed. "I would certainly hate to be turned into another pony that I wasn't. And I wouldn't want such a thing to happen to my little sister. Thank goodness Sweetie Belle isn't here right now. I don't know how many costumes have gotten out of that trunk already, and I profusely apologize darlings for even touching the thing, but let's make sure no more get out that haven't already."

The trunk's top glowed red, and closed itself, and them the lock glowed red, and was locked with unicorn telekinesis.

Everypony's (and wolf's) jaws dropped and hit the floor with a clang, all staring at Red Gala, or to be precise, the red glow around her horn that was the same as the one that had just closed and locked the trunk.

"What?" She asked innocently.

Rarity knew she had NOT made her costumes THAT WELL.

"But . . . but . . . " Twilight in the Fluttershy costume said, "That . . . that . . .that horn isn't real . . ."

"I assure you I've never had horn extensions, my horn is completely natural."

Applejack felt her heart sink so low it could have gone through the floor.