[Gallopocus Seas] The Lost Library - Sinister Sweetness

[SteelEagle]

Bon Bon didn't want to toot her own horn all that often as Lyra did a good enough job of tooting for the both of them, especially whenever Bonnie did even one thing right. When she did two things right then Lyra may as well have acted as if Bonnie had won the lottery. Here though, Bon Bon was willing to blow her horn from the top of every mountain. One cutting line and the poor stallion was willing to divulge the whole kit and kaboodle, and then they could safely ignore him for the rest of the day. They'd save the day and he'd look foolish and everypony who mattered would win. Bon Bon was pretty smart! Nopony ever gave her credit for being as smart as she was, but there was a darn good reason she became the captain of the cheer team. She couldn't dance and wasn't as good looking as the others, but throwing your voice and impersonating your mortal enemy to provoke a cat fight to get two mean fillies off the team certainly helped. He was gonna do it- here it was-

-Nope, denied. Trixie came in like a wrecking ball, ruining her well laid plans so easily it was like she was the mistress of dissapointment. For every good thing she did she quashed all possibilities of friendship by having the tact of a rhino and the intelligence of one too. A simple upturned gaze of superiority and disgust, which judging by her facial structure she could have delivered with expert aplomb, and they would have had everything. His pride was his weakness and exploited by experts he was nothing more than a bundle of exploitable emotions and goop. But, well, Trixie ruined it. He was now ready to tear into her and she was only saved by the Doctor, who continued the chain of interruption by defending him with a plan that Merlot never considered. It worked to calm the fool down, who realized that there was little hope of escaping this plague unless he did his part, as reluctantly as he could.

He wanted a promise, though.

"I promise to kick your flank from here to Tartarus even as a chocolate zombie if you don't stop stalling like a foal, buddy. We'll get you off of this boat safe and sound, just start talking already!" Bon Bon whispered with enough venom to kill ten dragons. Just get on with it!

[brianblackberry]

Trixie was stunned, not by Merlot's cowardly backstabbing behavior, that she could at least understand; not by Bon Bon's unnerving voice changing, which was at least comprehensible. What really confused the azure unicorn was Doctor Whooves shocking defense of the mangy white unicorn's craven behavior as somehow courageous and selfless. Was Whooves crazy?! Well… Yeah, actually, crazy was as good as any adjective that Trixie could think of when describing her cohort in adventure. Brilliant was another, although she never use that in public, at least around him or she never hear the end of it. Now that she thought about it, maybe he was trying reverse psychology? Or was it just trying to scare Merlot into giving up his self-serving plan? Gahhh… It is always impossible to tell what that frustratingly eccentric earth pony was thinking!

At least Merlot was finally willing to reveal his secret for a promise. Trixie wasn't sure if it was Whooves bizarre wooing of Merlot that she and Bon Bon threatened him, but that didn't really matter, as long as this so-called doctor divulged what he knew. Trixie closed her eyes and sighed, mentally counting to ten before she spoke, holding her forehoof to her chest "finnne… I, the Honest and Faithful Trixie promises to assist in getting you off this ship, provided of course that the recipe you give us is real." She didn't trust him, not for a second. After all he could just give some complete horseapple recipe and she would be none the wiser; once they test it, then she'll help him, and only then.

Trixie turned to the Doctor. "You were worried about administering this antigen to this devious thought-control infesting the most wondrous of foods! Fortunately for you, the Quick and Talented Trixie has out-hogtied the most blue-ribbon-winningest rodeo ponies in Equestria! She needs only sufficient rope!"

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves smiled. "Wonderful! Now that this has been handled, you all can prepare the xocoatl, while I shall provide the most important part of the plan!" He grinned impishly, ran a hoof through his short mane. "I'll be the distraction."

​

Up on the deck, the mind-controlled ponies were not sitting idle. Several of them were busy building with whatever materials were conveniently at hand. Beds, chairs, rowboats, and tables had been dismantled for the lumber, and a grand throne was being assembled on deck. Several mind-controlled unicorns were practicing their combined defensive techniques, creating large discs of magical energy floating just outside the ship's hull, blocking beach-balls that mind-controlled pegasi were throwing at the ship.

Some of them were demonstrating engineering feats that they would have been quite surprised to learn they possessed. On many cruise ships like this were pumping devices - a simple blast from a unicorn to charge the powering crystal, and the device would draw water up from the ocean below, purify it in to clean water, and either refill the ship's drinking reserves, or shoot jets of water that were alternately used to clean off the deck swiftly, or by ship's guests to have an afternoon's water fight. One such pump was almost fully dismantled, while another was just being put back together. A unicorn crew member charged the crystal, and the earth pony ship's guest aimed the pump out over the side. There was a building glow of light around the crystal, and then it flashed and discharged, as a huge sphere of water shot out over the ocean with a thundering *crash* into the sea. The two stallions gave a silent high-hoof to each other.

Elsewhere, the cruise-line learned macrame skills had been used to weave big nets - and others had built net launchers. One of these net launchers was being concealed inside an ordinary bulkhead - a trap for unwary boarders. And all this work was being done in absolute silence - the chocolate led hive-mind of all the ponies needing no noise nor even eye contact to communicate, as they silently hoofed tools over to each other, and worked in perfect harmony to convert this cruise ship into a camouflaged ship of war.

Sound broke over the deck in the form of screaming and begging, as one blue-coated stallion was dragged up by a trio of mares from below decks. He looked panicked, and scared, as another mare approached with a small chocolate truffle. One confectionery later, his eyes dulled, and he was led to a small crowd of idly standing ponies who were not yet fully under the entity's control, dull-witted and unable to join in the rest of the crew because the host minds were still fighting.

And a particular eccentric, blue-smoke emitting cart was being dragged up on deck. Several earth ponies were examining the boiler, and one unicorn was just starting to undo the clasps on the manavane perched on the corner of the cart, which was pointing unerringly at the chubby Truffle Shuffle sitting on the throne being built around him, wearing brand new Mareyan robes and crown.

"Excuse me!" called a strident voice. "I believe that's my cart you're playing with. Do please leave the manavane alone, it took me forever to get those crystals aligned just right. Honestly, Cocoatl, one would think that after all these centuries you'd have learned some manners."

​

Truffle Shuffle froze, and turned to look up at the bridge of the ship, where Doctor Whooves stood with one hoof up on the railing, the wind blowing in his short mane. "How... How do you know that name?!" he demanded of Whooves. "Who are you?!" The rest of the ponies continued to work, though one strike team of a half-dozen mares immediately started walking up to where Whooves was standing.

​

"Cocoatl! You don't recognize us? I'm hurt! Though you and I have never personally met, I'd have thought you'd recognize our work by now. Well, I shan't be rude, then. Allow me to introduce myself." He gave a bow. "My name is Doctor Whooves, and I give you one chance, just as we did last time. Release these ponies from your control, and we can work together to find a way to integrate you into pony society peacefully and without needing to steal the will of free ponies."

​

The entire deck of the ship had gone completely still. Truffle Shuffle's face showed a mixture of rage and glee. And perhaps just a bit of nervousness. "Doctor ... WHOOVES?! YOU! YOU! GET HIM! GET HIM! EVERYPONY, GET HIM!"

​

Every pony on the deck, from the newest stallion addition to the Truffle Shuffle and his unicorn bodyguards, swarmed up towards the Doctor in perfect silence, like nothing more than a colony of pony-sized ants. The Doctor let out a delighted laugh, pulled out a little water pistol, and fired jets of chocolate into the mouths of the first wave of ponies to reach him. "I have an old drink for you to enjoy, Cocoatl! How's it taste?"

​

The ponies kept swarming forward, and Doctor Whooves looked down at the water pistol in surprise. Then he was grabbed, born up against the wall, pinned there by the ponies with chocolate stains around their mouth as Truffle Shuffle stepped up to face him. Truffle Shuffle picked up the water pistol, examined it, and then shot a jet of chocolate into the mouth of one of his bodyguards. Despite not having any chocolate in his own mouth, Truffle Shuffle worked his tongue, then licked his lips. "Tastes delicious... but you got the mix just a little bit off. Oh, Doctor, you and your arrogance. I've waited centuries to get revenge upon your little pathetic group ... and here you are, to witness my return! Failing the legacy of your Doctors so spectacularly ... now, you can taste some of MY chocolate."

​

With that, Truffle Shuffle opened his mouth wide, a thick tentacle of chocolate emerging, lifting up between the two stallions, and then shooting into the Doctor's mouth. Doctor Whooves' eyes widened, and he arched and struggled, and the gaze of every mind-controlled pony in the ship were on him, as Cocoatl relished this moment of triumph through as many eyes as possible. The Doctor sagged, his gaze going bank, and Cocoatl laughed gleefully through a hundred mouths.

Then Doctor Whooves straightened up. "Oh, please. Like I wouldn't have tested it first. Could you call up your scouts from below deck please, Cocoatl?"

​

Truffle Shuffle stared disbelievingly at Doctor Whooves. "Wha... who... where are they?! What did you do?!"

​

"Oh, not me," Doctor Whooves crowed. "Now, Miss Bon? Doctor Merlot? If you would?" He looked down at the now-abandoned deck, where BonBon and Merlot, the huge, silent crew member, and the half-dozen ponies they'd already freed from the chocolate menace, stood near the water jets and the one remaining rowboat.

​

[SteelEagle]

Bon Bon smiled as she watched the scene unfold. They had the beastie in their sights and the good Doctor had laid open the trap beautifully. Now to trigger it. She smiled and put on some sunglasses.

"Hope you're parched, pardner!"

---------------------------

It was Bon Bon's time to shine bright in the glow of adventure. Sure, Merlot was a treasure hunter, the doctor was an oddball who seemed to know everything about everything everywhere somehow, and Trixie was a bustling magician who had a few tricks and ropes up her sleeves. But Bonnie? Well, she was nopony special...aside from being the only one who had a reason for being within a nautical mile of the cruise. She was a chocolatier at a convention darnit, not a zombie doctor. In hindsight, it was good that they had come to help out. Otherwise the whole thing was liable to have gone up in flames as her only recouse to stop it and she didn't know if anypony would believe. She didn't look good in a prison uniform. So she was happy that they had arrived and they had all done a rather grand job of contributing to what had turned out to be a pretty gnarly adventure all things told.

But now it was her turn and she didn't dissaoint. The recipe for the cure was outrageously complex, requiring ingredients that weren't in the kitchen. While merlot hunkered down, Bon Bon had been forced to scour the ship bit by bit. Parisian vinegar, concetrate from the root of an elder cocoa, finely sprinkled, hot peppers- while there were plenty of ingredients in the kitchen, she had to get some from outside of it. And so she had placed her superior voice acting skills on the line and played the part of a zombpony whenever he ran into an infected. Piece by piece she had accumulated the ingredients in sufficient quantity to begin the creation of the storied drink. The recipe was precise down to the milligrams, any more or less and it would lose all magical power. From what she learned it needed to be a dark brown, but she was getting anything other than adark brown. A red, a blue, a green, a pink- sweet Celestia, what sorcery created that? Finally though she had got it down. Time for testing.

Perfect tes subjcts would align with their greater goals and as luck would have it she had no shortage of options. She just needed some help to get the job done, and there was where she had some success. During her ventures out to get supplies she had met more than a few chocolatiers under evil control who would otherwise have been perfect allies. Well, now she could do just that! One by one she was able to cure important chocolatiers, who would then join her in the kitchen to help out. They also helped cure some others and they did so silently, explaining to each one precisely what they needed to do if they wanted to keep their free will. It had gone rather well and between all of them and the evil being's arrogance up above, it was all moving towards a smashing conclusion.

Which led them to where they were now.

-------------------------------

They had made gallons of the stuff, a full keg! Then it had been slipped into the water supply of the boat which had then been redirected to the jets. With the push of a button, the jets would shoot out chocolate demon destroying drink. All they needed to do was press a button, hit their target, and let Trixie lasso him in the right spot.

"Hit it, Merlot!"

[Bellosh]

Concocting that ancient chocolate recipe took way too long for Merlot. If only that one girl would have moved faster to find all the ingredients. And then it seemed like Bon Bon took even longer to mix everything up properly, going through an extended process of trial and error. Didn’t the mare realize if she were to be a master chocolatier one day, she couldn’t afford to squander time by not getting everything right the first time, as per Merlot’s precise instructions? Luckily, she had the brains to test the recipe on more accomplished chocolatiers, allowing more of their secret weapon to be made.

And now Merlot was with Bon Bon outside, on a deck below the Doctor and his nemesis of the day. All the hatless gentlecolt had to do was aim the hose at the muzzles of the horde, and the chocolate jets could shoot inside their mouths and cure them. Only thing though; Merlot never operated a hose-like device in his life before. Such a task had always been beneath him, you know. Almost immediately after the chocolate jet activated, his aim proved unsteady for the first few seconds, the spray getting nowhere near the heads of the infected ponies.

Even though Merlot’s aimed improved shortly after as he got more comfortable fumbling with the device, he kept eyeing the life boat behind he and Bon Bon. Should something go horribly wrong, like if an immunity developed, or the ship didn’t turn its course away from that band of mean-looking storm clouds way off in the horizon, the stallion knew where he’d be making a gallop towards... with or without anypony else on board.....

[brianblackberry]

A pair of lavender eyes watched from a dark corner of the rafters the chaotic scene unfold below. Possessed pony after pony was covered in a warm chocolate mix with a hint of peppers as both Bon Bon and Merlot, with the help of increasingly aware passengers used the hoses to free the enslaved from the confectionery bondage of the malevolent Cocoatl. By the time there was a lapse in the continuous stream of the sweet taste of freedom and cocoa, all that remained was the possessed truffle Shuffle and his personal retainer of controlled unicorn guards protecting him with their magical shields to prevent any of the Xocoatl from reaching their cruel chocolatey overfiend.

Of course this is where the heroine of the night, well, the early afternoon, or was it the late afternoom? No matter, she would step in the save the day and end Cocoatl’s sugary reign of terror once and for all no matter the time of day!

It was time for the mare of destiny, The Great and Powerful Trixie, to step forward!

With her purple starry cape and hat, Trixie levitated forward a phonograph and placed it carefully on one of the beams before lowering the needle onto the spinning record, suddenly shattering the relative silence of the ballroom with a thunderous beat, signaling the mare’s triumphant entrance into the foray! The unmistakable pulse of Eye of the Liger roared forward and reverberated throughout the room, confusing friend and foe alike! It was perfect! The azure mare stood on her hind hooves, for forelegs straight up into the air in a pose of triumph as a cornucopia of firepowers spiraled and exploded around her illuminated form; Trixie gave a most triumphant smile, “you thought you faced just the Doctor? Quake in fear, cocoa beast, for now your reign of terror will be ended by the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE!"

For a moment Trixie stood there awaiting accolades and applause as she basked in her imagined glory, but she was meant only with stunned silence, that is save one, Cocoatl himself, who vainly dismissed her, “never heard of you.”

That incredulous fiend! How could he be so ill-informed to not have heard of the Mare of Magic?! No matter, Trixie would not allow anypony, or any magical monstrosity inside a pony for that matter, to dampen her moment of glorious triumph, not this day! This day she would show everypony what Trixie was really all about, “Mock Trixie now nefarious beast of tawny terror, but in a few minutes, you shall remember Trixie's name in all your days!" Step aside Twilight Sparkle, there is about to be a new hero in Equestria!

The azure unicorn leaped onto the rope she had magically secured to the beam before her and swung down towards the blank unicorn guards and their incredulous, smirking master until she was over their heads. As Trixie let go of the rope, she was sure she would have timed her landing just right in order to come down on all fours right next to Whooves. It was a sound theory in practice, in reality though as soon as her unicorn’s forehooves touched the floor, her momentum caused her to tumble uncontrollably forward, head over hooves, and landing upside-down against the back wall behind the earth pony, her flank over her head, her cloak unceremoniously over her face.

Trixie rolled backwards to get back on her hooves, only to realize she was facing the wrong way! She cannot gloat in triumph while looking at the wall! The azure unicorn quickly swung around and gave a self aggrandizing look of haughty triumph, “Trixie meant to do that!” A smile grew immediately as she pointed her forhoof forward, “now Coco-Whatsyourname, prepare for the awe and spectacle that shall be your final demise!”

With a brilliant, almost blinding shine of purple magic emanating from her horn, the show had begun!

Trixie never would remember what happened immediately after that, but by the time the red cleared from her vision, Truffle Shuffle and his two bodyguards were bound up in her rope, with a funnel crammed deep into Truffle Shuffle's muzzle as she stood there laughing devilishly as her horn magically poured chocolate down his throat from the thermos she cleverly hid in her wondrous hat.

Wait until Ponyville hears about this!

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves watched in satisfaction as the plan came together so very nicely. Distracted by her hatred of the name of Whooves, she'd fallen easy prey to his allies. Though the brief blast of chocolate to the face hadn't been exactly expected, as Merlot's aim went all over the place. By the time he chipped himself out of the handsome new chocolate shell, the fight was already over. "You've heard of her now," he sniped drily, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

​

Most of the ponies hit with the chocolate had fallen back, coughing and hacking, then licking their lips at the tasty flavor. Several were already back to their hooves, looking around in confusion. Truffle Shuffle, however, coughed and gagged more and more, then bent over and let out a wretching noise as a great puddle of chocolate spewed from his mouth. Brown tentacles writhed and flailed in the unformed mass on the floor, and a lean, gracful mare's head and hoof emerged, her horn at least a foot long. One wing suddenly flared out of the chocolate, as the chocolate mare screamed silently... and then collapsed back into the chocolate puddle, which shrunk in upon itself until it contracted down to a simple chocolate bar, falling still on the deck.

Doctor Whooves scooped up the chocolate bar and swung around to give Trixie a quick hug and pat on the back. "Oh, excellently done! Nice theatrical senses. I quite approve!" He hopped up onto the railing and slid down the curving stairway to the lower deck, letting out a ridiculous "wooooooo!" as he circled around to come off with several rapid cantering steps to land in front of Bon Bon and Doctor Merlot.

"Ah, Miss Bon! The xocoatl tastes wonderful! A testament to your skill!" He tossed the chocolate bar up into the air, pulled out the lead box, and caught it inside the box, snapping it shut decisively. "I think we're going to have to find a safer place to hide her for the next few centuries ... the royal bloodline of Mareya just isn't what it used to be." He tossed the box casually to her with a twinkle in his eye. "What do you say? Want to hold onto a bit of evil mind-control living chocolate for a few generations?"

Without waiting for an answer - though of course she was free to say 'no' or 'Are you crazy?!' - he slung a foreleg around Doctor Merlot's neck. "And good Doctor! Your reputation is well deserved! Quite an adventurer you make when you put your mind to it! And now we can keep our end of the bargain. Time to get you onto that rowboat!"

​

[SteelEagle]

The whole spectacle was pretty entertaining. Now look at Trixie with the moves to end a big bad hidden in her small little horn. If only she had been introduced that way instead of being an obnoxious one then they would have been the very best of friends. Oh well. The important thing was that they had won as she watched the tentacle mass of the evil fella thingie being transformed into a chocolate bar. It looked mighty good- very mightyily goodily. No wonder it kept on getting stuffed down somepony's maw, she knew it was an evil piece of chocolate with dangerous power and yet she wanted to take a few licks of it! It wasn't long before it was in a safe container and being offered to HER of all ponies! Pssh, what the hay could she do with it? Nopony'd believe her and bless her little heart but Lyra would probably eat it and then Bon Bon would probably have to eat something else to save her from herself...but, maybe there was a certain devious act she could blame on a certain competitor using it? Hehehe, nopony was perfect.

"You're quite welcome for my epic expertise, good Doctor! Next time you need help with chocolate-related evil-doers, call me up. As for Mister Biggoe Bads...hmm, sure I'll take it! I know just the place for it. Under the rock with the key. Nopony ever thinks to look there, especially Lyra!" She said with a grin, opening ot up and staring at the chocolate.

"Who's a mind controllin' evil chocolate bar!? You are! You are!" She rubbed her nose on it in mock affection before closing it all down again and putting it into her saddlebag where it would be safe and sound sans any thievery. Then they discussed payment owed to Merlot- well, true, they had agreed to put him on a boat out of this place. But Bon Bon was pretty sure she'd just push him over a railing instead, so she trotted towards Trixie. She gave the magician a hug.

"Well, look who pulled through! Who would have guessed that you had such pirate skills with a rope!"

[brianblackberry]

Trixie felt quite proud of her heroic defeat of the chocolate monster; the only way this could have been better was if it had happened in Ponyville! At least now she had a true story of courage and magic in the face of overwhelming danger of brobdingnagian proportions! No more exaggerations were needed when told her famous tales of bravery during her traveling show, Trixie was a true hero of mystical prowess! "Take that Twilight Sparkle!!" She proclaimed loudly to no pony in particular; there was now more than one famous unicorn mare of courage in Equestria!

Trixie leaped down the stairs to join the others, her head held high with a huge smile on her muzzle, "please, please, no autographs! All in a day's work for a heroine as talented and brave as the Fearless and Mystical Trixie!" Most of the crew and passengers though were more concerned with inquiring with the captain about what will happen now to get them home safe, ignoring Trixie's self-aggrandizement, much to the unicorn mare's growing annoyance. "Well.. You all could at least praise the Mighty and Heroic Trixie a little bit, or something! Hmmph!" Oh well, she was the hero and no pony would ever get to take that from her.

Seriously though, some accolades couldn't hurt.

What surprised Trixie though was who Whooves was trusting the safe keeping of the now pacified Cocoatl, Bon Bon! As far as Trixie could tell, the candy maker was just some average earth pony of no real knowledge of magic or monsters whatsoever. Still, at least that meant Trixie didn't have to lug around the chocolate bar for the rest of her days, or at least until she could bury it someplace very safe. "Now try to remember not to eat the thing, or get it lost among all your confectioneries back home, Trixie rather not have to come to your quaint little town again just to rescue you innocent plebeians from your own negligence!" Although it wouldn't be half bad; Trixie imagined herself, now armed with her knowledge on how to defeat the cocoa fiend, saving the naive Twilight Sparkle and her little band of Merry Mares just in the nick of time and listening to the unicorn's subsequent groveling praise! Now that she thought it through, giving the chocolate bar to Bon Bon was a brilliant idea!

That just left the cowardly grouch Merlot. Trixie swore she would get him to a lifeboat and that is exactly what she will do! After all if he wants to go rowing off by himself in a little boat, who is she to stop him? She turned tot he white unicorn with a great big sarcastic smile, "well Mr. Merlot, ready to take your trip on the little life boat all alone in the vast blue ocean full of gorgons and sea serpents? Trixie knows she is more than ready to help expedite your departure!"

[Bellosh]

Against all probability, against every fiber in Merlot’s pessimist being, Trixie and the Doctor successfully vanquished the chocolate demon. With the menace finally gone, this cruise could finally proceed as planned, with no more interruptions from zombie hordes or haughty magicians or stowaways who presumed to know Prench better the good gentlecolt himself. And to think that Merlot hadn’t been around to provide Whooves with his historical recipe knowledge, that bizarre fellow and his merry band would never have cooked up that xocoatl in time.

And pray tell; what did the group plan to do with the defeated queen of horrid confectionaries, now imprisoned in a gaudy chocolate bar? To entrust it to a second-rate chocolatier for mere safekeeping? Was the Doctor ABSOLUTELY MAD? In Merlot’s mind, the answer was most certainly yes. “Is that it?” the stallion cruelly voiced his objections; “We let a mere girl look after a demon who only seeks to escape and enslave all of ponykind? HAH; how pathetically absurd! That.. . THING, has never done anypony good, and will never do so in the future. Why not just burn the thing in a pool of lava and be rid of that menace permanently?”

Even worse for Merlot, Doctor Whooves and Trixie seemed intent to “honor” their agreement and escort the archaeologist to a lifeboat! And only now when the peril was no longer a concern, to add further insult to the injury!!! But Merlot kept his lividness at bay, believing that his higher status than either of the two gave the arrogant unicorn more leverage. Smirking, he brushed the two do-gooders off; “Heh heh heh heh heh, now that the danger’s passed, thanks to my superior memory I must add, I believe there is no longer any reason to retreat to a lifeboat.

“Sadly, if I remember correctly, 'Inspector', you and your lady companion sneaked aboard this vessel without paying for passage. And now that your usefulness has come to an end, I’m afraid that our dear Capitaine... is heh heh heh, obligated to chuck the two of you back overboard... unless the two of you have the money to pay up right here, right now.” Stay classy, Merlot.

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves was so shocked by Doctor Merlot's suggestion that Bonbon's distressing proposition for how to keep the entity safe went completely past him. "By the Princess, Doctor! That's not an 'it', that's a 'she'! A living creature! She might be a threat to the world, but she's still the princess that founded one of the earliest pony civilizations, and many of the agricultural methods we use today are thanks to the farming techniques she developed back then! Sure, she went a little bit far to try to keep ponies from making bad choices, but no pony, no matter how annoying, self-important, or dangerous, is beyond the chance for redemption!"

He rubbed as his chin as he thought a moment. "I suppose I could remand her to the Tartarus facility, but I am rather nervous about the idea of incarcerating all of the most wicked creatures who are a threat to Equestria and the whole world in a single institution. So we've been doing it this way for centuries. Seems to work out so far."

He smiled and patted Merlot's cheek. "Now, if you don't want to carry through with your plan, that is, of course, your decision. Thank you for your assistance in this manner. And don't worry, Trixie and I are going to be on our way soon. Ancient lost buildings to find and all that!"

He smiled and patted Bonbon on the back. "Once again, good job, Miss Bon!" He turned to the massive stallion who had followed them around silently the entire time. "And my good sir, you've been a capital assistant! Your Captain's a lucky stallion to have such a devoted and intelligent crewmember!" The massive stallion blushed and rubbed at the back of his head, grinning.

Then he smiled to Trixie. "Job well done, and time to be on our way! Shall we?" He offered her one foreleg like a gentlepony, meaning to escort her down to his magnificent cart once again.

​

[brianblackberry]

Trixie was incredulous with the beige unicorn stallion. Here Trixie had heroically saved the lives of everypony about the ship, including his worthless hide, and this poorly dressed mule wanted the captain of the ship to literally toss them aside out int he ocean!? Why that ungrateful little… Trixie closed her eyes and silently counted to ten in her mind, not an easy task as she was also contemplating the many ways she could magically throw Merlot over the side. However Whooves would no doubt frown upon such a move, even if it was entirely justifiable and she’d probably get a VIP pass from the no doubt grateful crew who no longer would have to deal with his odious presence. Still, she couldn’t just let it go without comment, “the Great and Powerful Trixie could be merciful to our defeated cocoa adversary and not keep her forever interned in this box". The Azure unicorn lifted the container with her lavender magic and leaned the top towards Merlot's face, "we could always give her a suitable host to live in during her imprisonment in Tartarus, or in exile in some far corner of the Badlands. How about Merlot, you want a whole new adventurous life as Cocoatl's other half? Surely it would be an improvement!”

She was kidding of course, well sort of, and returned the lead box to Bon Bon's hooves while smiling all the while nefariously at the beige stallion. Trixie quickly turned her attention to the large chief mate who had been ghosting them silently ever since they first climbed on-board, no doubt still contemplating on what to do about the stowaways. Trixie flashed a playful smile his way and batted her eye lashes, “surely you wouldn’t mind if the Adorable and Heroic Trixie and her little assistant stayed aboard your wonderful ship after we so bravely saved everypony’s life from eternal servitude to a chocolate monstrosity, right? No doubt the captain is eternally thankful for the rescuing of his vessel and would only want to express his gratitude by giving the ponies who saved him a little VIP guest treatment for the remainder of the voyage?” The silent stallion gave a flat expression at Trixie's obvious attempt to weasel herself into luxury accommodations despite their status as stowaways, unsure if he should toss the pair overboard or not, that is until Whooves used his own charm on the crew member to much better effect.

Sure that her and Whooves would be showered with adulation by the appreciative captain Trixie certainly didn't want to leave now she was the heroine of the moment! She grabbed Whooves' face between er forehooves and gave a very serious, determined look, "Trixie is not leaving without her Mai Tais!". Just as quickly, she let go of the brown stallion and wrapped her hoof around Bon Bon’s neck and smiled, eyes half shut in a flirtatious grin, “why don’t you bring that lovely round flank of yours with Trixie out onto the warm deck, we could relax and lounge in the sun sipping the best drinks this place has to offer while grateful crew members fan us with palm leaves, we deserve such pampering, don’t you agree?” It only seemed natural, how else should such beautiful heroines celebrate their victory other than a well earned vacation full of luxurious indulgent! Besides, Trixie could use a little eye candy while she had cabana colts serve her every whim as she warmed herself in a comfortable chair enjoying that tropical breeze!

[Bellosh]

"By the Princess, Doctor! That's not an 'it', that's a 'she'! A living creature! She might be a threat to the world, but she's still the princess that founded one of the earliest pony civilizations, and many of the agricultural methods we use today are thanks to the farming techniques she developed back then! Sure, she went a little bit far to try to keep ponies from making bad choices, but no pony, no matter how annoying, self-important, or dangerous, is beyond the chance for redemption!"

Dr. Merlot chuckled at these factoids, suggesting that Cocoatl supposedly was the one to introduce ponies to agriculture. Oh, what a load of rubbish. The gentlecolt utilized his mental power to taunt Whoove’s belief that the demon could be redeemed, the veiled insult at Merlot’s character slipping right past him. “If you believe no living creature is beyond redemption,” he smirked sarcastically, pointing at the sealed container of chocolate evil; “You have quite an amusing way of expressing it. Maybe one of you should try befriending ‘Princess’ Cocoatl and taking her out to tea parties, hoping that she’ll be convinced to be a model citizen.” Merlot conspiratorially leaned in close to Trixie’s face, giving her a faux-seductive smile purely to antagonize; “But none of you have the guts to attempt that... do you?”

“By the way Whooves,” the gentlecolt smugly turned back to the so-called Doctor before Trixie responded; “It was Princess Maya who helped develop many of our agricultural methods we use today, NOT your demon friend. Wherever school did you learn history from, garçon?” If Whooves was right about Cocoatl, it would have been accepted historical knowledge that Merlot would have known like the back of his hoof. And an archaeologist would have to be pretty dimwitted to mess up his knowledge of the past with erroneous information.

".....How about Merlot, you want a whole new adventurous life as Cocoatl's other half? Surely it would be an improvement!"

Doctor Whooves made no response to Merlot’s threat-making, but Trixie did, by threatening to make Merlot the next host of the chocolate demon. The normally smug stallion recoiled backwards as the container dangled over him. “I-I have powerful friends,” Merlot whimpered; “You wouldn’t dare...” Reduced to a pathetic state, the gentlecolt made no further attempts to advocate for Trixie and Whooves to be evicted from the ship, though he still intended to remain on the cruise ship with every fiber of his honorable being.

".....So we've been doing it this way for centuries. Seems to work out so far."

Centuries? The good gentlecolt laughed even more manically than before, completely convinced the Doctor lacked any sanity. “Centuries?” Merlot contemptuously spat out; “You don’t mean to suggest that you and Trixie have been fighting monsters for hundreds of years, do you? Why, you must be crazy! I’m starting to have a feeling that you must have escaped from an asylum somewhere.”

".....And don't worry, Trixie and I are going to be on our way soon. Ancient lost buildings to find and all that!"

The suspicious archaeologist raised an eye, not prepared to let this slip of the tongue go unacknowledged either. “Which lost buildings... do you and your companion intend to find, Doctor?”

Trixie didn't seem to care for any amateur archaeology at the moment, fully intending to make a vacation out of her stay on the cruise ship along with Bon Bon. Merlot pitied whoever stallion ended up being assigned to tend to their needs. The unicorn imagined tossing himself off the ship if he found himself in that position.....

[SteelEagle]

Trixie had a lot of arrogance floating in and around her adorable head, but it fit at times. Pride cometh before the fall and in Trixie's case, after it, during it, and even when she tried to make amends for the aforementioned fall. It was the curse of her existence. She was doomed to repeat the path of the arrogant heel even when she did good by the ponies around her. As far as Bon Bon was concerned, they all had parts to play in life and today Trixie's part was that of a hero. Tomorrow she may be a villain by personality rather than design and at another time she may be a hero even if she meant to be a villain, but today she was what she set out to be. Bon Bon smirked and winked at the performer as the other ponies around went a little bitey with their attitudes.

Merlot was, of course, a snake. You could tell that by his hat. Only snakes and liars and weirdos wore hats like that. Always villainous and cruel and he fit the description of the typical self-absorbed, self-obsessed pony who wanted everypony else to suffer at his hooves for his own satisfaction. Well, it turned around realtively quickly. Within a few shakes of a hoof, the odd doctor and his showmare lover turned it back around, and what a wonderful scenario played off in Bon Bon's head. He would become the new form of the chocolate diety and would probably have to be held in some underground cave until his body gave out and the spirit had to remaain in his husk of a form for all time. That was a fitting end for his kind.

"The good doctor may have a bit of a loony tuney impression, but I think as the special somepony and body that is being taken over by-" Bon Bon began, but by now the seasickness was coming back. Or maybe nervousness. A combination of nerves. In any case, it didn't matter when the results were tossed all about Merlot's face- just as they had first met one another!

How romantic.

[Bramble Rose]

Doctor Whooves scoffed at Merlot's accusation that he was crazy. "Don't be ridiculous. I've only known Trixie a few months. I didn't mean she and I. I meant 'we' as a whole - everchanging fellowship that has taken on this responsibility. There is, after all, a reason that Cocoatl, having been locked away for centuries, recognized my name and has such a vendetta. We've had to fight her several times over the last thousand years. As for Princess Maya ... would you say that Nightmare Moon had never done anything to help Equestria, because it was Princess Luna that found the Elements of Harmony and sealed Discord away?" He sighed deeply. "And sadly, Cocoatl isn't fond of tea." He rubbed his chin. "I wonder if she'd like coffee, though... it would suit her. And we didn't have coffee in Equestria till after she was sealed away the first time ... heh. She would have fit right in at Starswirl's coffee parties... Stallion knew how to throw a bash."

He tsks and shook his head, clearing away the musings and chuckling softly. "Me and Trixie for hundreds of years. That's just crazy." He patted Merlot's cheek as the others teased him with other threads, but scarpered backwards from the BonBon's effluence. "Oh, my. Um... nurse! Yes, please, a bit of ginger, I think. And ... oh dear." He left BonBon in very skilled hooves, and made his way over to Trixie as she started to address him.

​

The huge and powerful stallion rolled his eyes at Trixie's manner, but smiled to her and finally spoke his first words this entire time. "I'm thure that can be comped, Mith Trixie!" he said in a cheerful little lisping and nasally voice.

Whooves stammered in confusion, though, at Trixie's demands ... "But ... adventure ... " he said, gesturing towards the stairway down. "We finished up here, think of all that awaits us out th-" His eyes lit up. "Oooo, I wonder if their banana daquiris are any good ..."

​

[brianblackberry]

Trixie was determined to make sure the opportunity to relax and be pampered would not pass her by. She earned it and she deserved it, and by Celestia no pony was going to take it from her, especially not the back-stabbing undignified joke of a professor, Merlot. That all being said, Trixie never actually intended to make him a slave of Cocatl; as amusing as that may be, she would never be so cruel, but he certainly didn't know that! So when he cowered before her and her empty threat, Trixie decided to take advantage of the stallion's suddenly sniveling disposition. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not without mercy my frightened little colt! Trixie shall spare you a lifetime of servitude that you so richly deserve in exchange for mere few hours of your time… As Trixie's personal Cabana Colt!" Trixie hovered the small box between the two of them, precariously close to Merlot's muzzle as she smiled devilishly, "certainly you wouldn't mind agreeing to such an honor?"

Just as quickly she pulled the box away, assured she had made her point. There was a twinge of guilt in the azure unicorn's conscious over her admittedly hypocritical blackmail, but it was subsumed by her disdain for his treachery and craven attitude; it would serve him well to learn some humility at Trixie's back and call for one afternoon. "Now, just be sure to dress-" before she could finish her sentence, Bon Bon nauseousness caught up with her and cleared her pipes all over Merlot's suit, "ewwwwwwwwww…. *Ehem* As Trixie was saying, after uh, you clean yourself up, meet me up at the deck with Mai Tais in tow, that's plural now."

Whooves though appeared impatient to leave, and although mysterious magic was indeed out there awaiting Trixie's studious wisdom, some things could wait, at least for a day. She gave a cute smile Whooves way and whispered, "free drinks first, adventure later." It wasn't going to matter how much he protested, she wasn't leaving and she knew he wasn't either, not without her. Just as suddenly though, Whooves changed his mind when the dreams of a certain banana flavored drink danced in his head.

Trixie knew that look and just shook her head, the banana daiquiris, it was always the banana daiquiris…

[Bellosh]

"Don't be ridiculous..... I meant 'we' as a whole - everchanging fellowship that has taken on this responsibility..... We've had to fight her several times over the last thousand years. As for Princess Maya ... would you say that Nightmare Moon had never done anything to help Equestria, because it was Princess Luna that found the Elements of Harmony and sealed Discord away?"

Bah, a secret order of guardians? One held unaccountable to the public? No wonder why Doctor Whooves claimed to have fought this apparently-corrupted Princess Maya several times already; they were so startlingly incompetent at keeping the demon contained. At least Princess Celestia’s magical imprisonments tended to last for a millennium. But maybe that institutional idiocy represented by the Doctor could be eradicated from history if only Merlot exposed him to the public.....

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is not without mercy my frightened little colt! Trixie shall spare you a lifetime of servitude that you so richly deserve in exchange for mere few hours of your time… As Trixie's personal Cabana Colt! Certainly you wouldn't mind agreeing to such an honor? Now, just be sure to dress-"

*BLAGH*

"Ewwwwwwwwww…. *Ehem* As Trixie was saying, after uh, you clean yourself up, meet me up at the deck with Mai Tais in tow, that's plural now."

Merlot’s clothes... were ruined again. And he was being blackmailed now by Trixie to become her personal servant. Out of all possible indignities, the gentlecolt would NEVER tolerate stooping so low as to perform degrading unskilled work for somepony else; those were vile plebeian responsibilities! Flabberghasted and enraged, Merlot absolutely could not tolerate sticking around with these three other ponies for the rest of this voyage. He hate-filled stare drilled into that haughty Trixie.....

----------------

“Lousy, no good savages!” Ultimately, the one place Dr. Merlot decided would provide him respite from further indignity was a lifeboat trailing the cruise ship from a good distance, using his magic to row the oars. Naturally, the gentlecolt brought all of his luggage onto the small vessel, and most of it had already been lost to the swells of a turbulent ocean. But the drenched, clean-of-vomit Merlot did gain something from this horrible affair; one wave that rocked the boat brought in a gift of the sea. It was a white fedora, custom-made to the specifications of one rotten-hearted archaeologist, and one believed to have been lost during the prior infestation. And now, it flopped right into Merlot’s demented face.

“Guhuhuhuhuhuhuhhu.....”

*EXIT MERLOT*

[Bramble Rose]

(( I think that's scene! Good scene, everypony. I hope everypone enjoyed themselves! ))