Having recovered from your vomit-fest, you meet with the others at a van simply labeled the HUB. Though puzzled as to why this reminds you of a closed TV block, you decide to accept it. Like a runt pig, you try getting a good view; jump up and down, move between your older classmates, but to no avail. Flustered, you lower your head, rush at the crowd, and manage to poke between Chelsey and Tex. Your head fiddles around before focusing on Dinky cranking a handle.
“Wait, I got something.” You see fuzz streak across footage displaying a shattered glass case. A trophy room perhaps? The footage goes back in time, appearing like it’s capturing a red gem. Then there was the culprit: another Changeling, but this one appeared more human, feminine, and was purple. Just as she swipes at the glass case, the footage stops. “There!”
“Blackarachnia?” You turn to Sweetie Belle, her face as surprised as her classmates. “Why would she steal the gem after all we’ve done?”
“I don’t know,” - You turn to Cosgrove turn his head to the left - “but it’s something we're not finding out the hard way.”
"What's so important about some stupid gem?" You ask, getting a look from everyone else.
"That stupid gem is an ancient relic called The Eye of Fashoom." Diver answers in a stern voice. "Before you came here, it was used by a gang we fought. And now the have it again."
"Who's they?"
"Predacons." Answers Cosgrove, getting your attention with a raised brow.
Hopping into the sidecar, Scootaloo takes you to the depths of Estes Park, stopping next to an old, bricklayer building. With her sprouted wings, the Crusader lowers fire escape ladder. Trying to match her tall jumps with your climbing speed, you reach the ceiling. You see the smug look on your supervisor’s face before she runs away and jumps across to another rooftop. You walk to the ledge and look down at the very floor you ascended from.
“It’s not that far.” She says, crossing her arms.
“Maybe with you and those wings!” You yell loud enough that your voice echoes the streets. You step away before seeing Scootaloo stretch her arms forward.
“C’mon, I’ll catch you.” She notices you look down again and your grimace.
“How will I know you won’t let me fall?” You see Scootaloo facepalm herself; her lips are moving, but you can’t hear what’s coming out.
“Just. Trust me.” She asks again before stretching her arms.
If your supervisor says so, then you have no other choice. You take a few giant steps, then run as fast as you can. Your shoes touch the edge before you make the leap of faith. The floor starts to rise when your chest slams against the ledge. Gravity pulling you down like a dog, you start clawing the ledge for dear life as Scootaloo grabs your shirt.
“Use your legs!” She groans.
You feel a gust on your shoulder while you scrape your shoes like mad. Feeling the stone roof scraping your skin and clothing, you go into a crouching position, breathing like mad. You can’t believe you risked death, and it’s not the only time you will. After catching your breath, you make another leap, this time slamming your crotch against the ledge. You stagger to the ledge and rest on your knees. As your tenders heal, you look forward to another school surrounded by a thick wall by the name Crystal Prep. A Fitting name as the series of blues in the architecture gave it a crystalline appearance. In your exploration before the Fall Formal, you found that Canterlot High is a rival school to Crystal Prep; in fact, they just had one of their so-called “Friendship Games.” Maybe you’ll have yours when you’re a Senior, or maybe not.
You see Zipper soar around the building on leather wings, landing on the water tower in a manner that reminds you of Batman. He presses the earpiece.
“It’sahellhouseinthere.” He mutters in a grave tone. “Idon’tseemuch, butIdoseeseveralShadowboltsseverelyinjuredbyPredaconsIdon’tevenrecognize.”
“What did he say?” You ask, turning to Scootaloo.
“It’s war.” She says, scratching the concrete before tapping into the earpiece. “Should we help, or go elsewhere?”
After a long silence, you hear your earpiece buzz.
“Even if we pound them, it’ll be a war of attrition. We just need to hold the battle off until we get answers.” Another long silence, then you hear the buzzing again. “Scootaloo, you and Anon will scout out the school, once you find everything, give us the signal. And Scootaloo. Watch his tail.”
Without warning, you feel Scootaloo grab you and get you off the building; a brief burst of wind at your face, followed by a soft descent. The process is the same when you reach the wall surrounding the school. You clutch the fire escape ladder and climb to the air duct. You grunt while you pull through the metallic tunnel. Sometimes you stop to the sound of people screaming and roaring, animalistic roaring.
“Move it!” You hear from Scootaloo, feeling a little push on your shoe.
“So, what are we fighting now?” You ask, pulling yourself forward.
“Well, since Cinch… Stepped down, the school’s been divided in two groups: Shadowbolts and Predacons. And let me tell you, you’re better off as a Predacon.”
“Okay,” - You stop and flip to your back - “are you guys actually trying?”
“What do you mean?” You see Scootaloo’s brow raised.
“Crusaders, Maximals, Shadowbolts, Predacons?” You raised your hands in a questionable gesture. “I mean, do you guys have any original names for your groups? It just gets old after-”
You hear the air duct creak before the bolts start to bend.
“Oh, shi-!” Without warning your section of the air duct separates from the rest, hitting the floor with a loud clang. Lousy way to start a mission. Before you even get up, three blades puncture the metal above you and pulling away. Another triad of blades puncture your metal cage and tear it half like a tuna can. The culprit is a robotic beast you can only best describe as a bear with the head and wings of an eagle. It’s soon joined by another that you can clearly identify as a dragon.
“Uh, hello…” Your attempt at making friends this time got them to open their glowing mouths of red and blue. You chuckle nervously. “Anytime now!”
You see Scootaloo drop kick the robot dragon and narrowly pulls you away from the bird bear's dragon fire. She gets you on your feet; the situation is grim than you thought. Students bearing a wasp head for an insignia pounded students bearing a shield with a black thunderbolt against the lockers. You are surrounded by others in the form of a cat, a pig, a squid, and a chameleon. Their faces meant business, as are their claws.
“You have no business here.” Said the cat with a small purr.
“Hey,” - You see Scootaloo stretch her wings - “we're here to find Blackarachnia. We don't want trouble.”
You see the bird-bear screech at you. In a miracle of science, the beasts body parts twist and shift until it becomes humanoid. He chuckles while the robotic dragon does the same.
“Blackarachnia. Never heard anything about Blackarachnia. But Cogsworth does have an order.” The snide jokester strokes his “beard.” “He wants no outside help. Outside help should be eliminated.”
Your face turns grim as the techno-organic person brandishes his claws. His partner, keeping his stoic expression, looked at you.
“Your visit is most illogical.”
You are suddenly pulled to Scootaloo’s side. What good would that help you against the seven beasts? You close your eyes and wait for your doom.
“We're not asking.”
Hearing the retaliated screams, you open your eyes. Cosgrove and Dapplewood take on the bird-bear, delivering a series of blows to his stomach. You then see Chelsey swipe her large claws at the robot dragon before Scootaloo joins the fight with a karate kick, followed by Apple Bloom against the pig, Sweetie Belle against the cat woman, Zipper against the chameleon, and Diver against the squid. You feel something hold your shoulder, turning around and seeing Tex with Snips and Snails.
“C'mon! We need to find Cadance!”
Better go with them than risk injury again. You run as your legs can take you. Some of the mooks bearing the purple wasp head are pushed aside by Tex and Snips, while you have to jump over them. It’s fortunate that there are no Predacons or Shadowbolts at the staircase; there’s nothing worse than fighting enemies on the high ground. You reach a large, circular hall when a swarm of the opposing students surrounds you and your older acquaintances.
“Anon, go to the office!” You turn to Tex just as Snips and Snails transform into their beastly forms. “We’ll handle them.”
“But what about you guys?” You are grabbed by the collar and pulled to Tex’ face.
“I ain’t asking.”
With great force, you are sent flying to the next set of stairs. Your hands hit the fourth step; cushions your fall while spraining your wrists. With pain, you snap them into shape before looking back. Tex delivered several fast ones while Snips and Snails fought in a manner like a bear. You do as you’re told and run the staircase to the large wooden doors.
“Mrs. Cadance?” In the dimly lit forest green room, there isn’t a Mrs. Cadance anywhere if you know her. Sitting in the tall desk chair is another bug, a mechanical one with the head of an anteater. He, or at least that’s what you assume is a he, taps a sharp claw on the desk, supporting his head with a clenched fist.
“No, not Cadance.” The bug changes his position and holds his hands. “She has a scheduled appointment at the hospital.”
When he stands up, you find him to be much taller. He approaches you, swinging his curled tail. You walk away, intimidated by his appearance.
“You're new, allow me to introduce myself.” You see him reach behind his head, retracting the insect head reveals a red flesh head with green hair. His violet eyes still have a fierce glare. “I'm Cogsworth, and I am the leader of the Predacons. So, who are you? And what are you doing here?”
Back against the wall, you stammer while Cogsworth comes closer.
“Nothing,” - You answer in a squeaky voice - “just little old A-a-a-Anon here doing nothing.”
“Well, A-a-a-Anon.” Cogsworth leans to you. “You don’t look like you’re doing nothing. Looks more like a ploy from the Shadowbolts to take my place!”
“What? No!” You exclaim. “We’re looking for someone who-!”
You are grasped by your throat, feeling your back slam at the wall. You aim a punch at your interrogator’s face. Cogsworth catches your fist and twists it the other way. You howl, mustering a teary eye to see your upturned palm facing left. You see the next terrible thing: a stinger at the end of the mechanical tail aimed at your skull.
“Now, I’m asking you one last time: what are you doing here?”
You see the stinger inch towards your cranium. It’s life or death for you if you don’t suck up your pain. You try to talk, but at best could only stutter before the pain reaches you.
“That’s enough!”
You turn your head right and find Cosgrove at the door looking furious. You fall to the floor, feeling more pain on the impact. You hold your hand, crying a little as you turn to the two.
“I see you have a new student.” You see Cogsworth close his fist.
“He isn’t a student. He’s a Freshman.” Cosgrove growls a little. “We’re just here for Blackarachnia.”
“Blacharachnia’s no longer a Predacon.” You see a long blade draw out above his hand then raised. “If she would show her purple face, I’m certain you’d love her jowls.”
“Then,” - You stand up, keeping your arm level. It’s still painful, even by twitching a finger - “where’d did she go?”
“Predictably, you’d come to us to find a person gone rogue.” You look at the door, finding the dragon-turned-human with his arms crossed. “But I can say the most likely place for her to go is Camp Friendship.”
“You talk too much.” You look at Cogsworth as he grabs you by the shirt and throws you at Cosgrove. “You really shouldn’t bring inexperienced kids to these fights. Now get out.”
Shielded by the others, you are escorted to the front gate of the school. You can tell by the looks on their faces that this isn’t their first waste of time. You notice Dapplewood’s face especially grim. Something must’ve happened before you arrived.
“So,” - you look at your twisted limb - “anyone going to explain to Mom.”
You notice Scootaloo look at you, inspecting your unfortunate wound before looking forward.
“We have something just for that. But it will be a bit… Painful.”