[Hive Castle - Chrysalis POV.]
"Uh, they should have already been here by now," I said in an irritated voice. After my elite guards reported their mission successful, I've been waiting "patiently" for their return. And when I say, patient, I mean that I'm currently sitting on my throne with Dende at my heel, massaging my hooves, while I watched some entertainment. Of course, my brand of entertainment was forcing two changelings in a fight to the death to win my favor. I might still be just a tad sore at them for betraying their queen for that usurper Thorax.
"I am sure they'll be here soon, my queen..." Dende droned out.
"They'd better for their sakes. Be a dear and move those healing hand a little higher,"
"Yes, my queen..."
I sighed in contentment as my favorite little Namekian worked his magic. The lovely death match I orchestrated was nearing its end with one of the drones currently straddling the other. His massive hands wrapped around his throat, robbing him of the precious life-giving air, while I cheered. But before the drone on the bottom could fade away, my elite guard entered the throne room.
"Aw, my elites, you have returned. You two, stop killing each other. You're both dismissed. We'll resume at a later date," Both drones seemed relieved at my declaration, but enough about them. "Now show me my hard won prize,"
My Elites all kneeled before - I love it when they do that - and present the Dragonball. "The Dragonball our queen,"
"Magnificent... I trust everything went swimmingly?"
"Yes, it was easy to cause a havoc and pin it on the boy. Once imprisoned, we stormed the castle and confronted Queen Cream Puff. The ponies were there, and they narrowly escaped with the Dragonball thanks to Trunks reappearing. However, we dealt him a mortal wound and used his image to fool the ponies into personally handing us the Dragonball,"
"Hahaha, excellent, I-- Wait, You said you dealt the Saiyan a mortal wound. He is dead, is he not?"
My elites looked confused for a moment which did not inspire confidence. "We are sure the Saiyan fell to our might,"
Very slowly, I rose from my throne and stood before my elites. "In my travels, I have discovered that Saiyans are annoyingly durable. A wound that would kill anything else can just be shrugged off by those monsters. So I shall ask again; Did you see Trunks die?" My elites became nervous under my scrutiny. The longer the silence dragged on, the more my eyes narrowed as I steadily released my power. "Your silence speaks volumes about your blunder. Let me pose a different question; if the plan to frame Trunks succeeded then how was he able to confront you again? Surely the New Equland laws would not allow someone that cause death and destruction to roam around freely,"
"W-we did as you instructed destroyed plenty of establishment. But..."
"But?"
"You never said to kill anyone..."
My breathing hitched as my hand shot out and grab one of my elites by the throat. I tightened my grip as I hosted the drone above my head. The scowl on my face could wither even an Ursa Major. "IT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING WHAT MY WISHES ARE AND HOW THEY SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT!!!" Any changeling under the hive adapts the will of its leader. This link saves time when dealing out orders because they already have a clear understanding of their Queen's intentions. Or at least they should. "I will see what has transpired on your mission through your memories!"
I wasted no time recounting the events that lead up to the acquisition of the Dragonball. For the most part, my elite followed my instructions as I expected. Their efforts did have Trunks removed from the equation, but they did not kill anyone. They dropped their disguises once they were sure Trunks was out of the way. Which was idiotic. Exposing themselves like that only alerted New Equland that I have returned. But the most infuriating part happens when my drones gained the upper hand against Trunks using the deception changelings are known for far and wide. And yet, they neglected to finish him off. One of the strongest adversaries I have to contend within my quest, and my so-called elite allowed him to live!
My anger reached a boiling point. The way my drone operated was erratic and inefficient at best. Had they killed the citizens like I had intended then the Queen would not have let Trunks go so quickly, if at all. Had they stayed in disguise, then they could've covertly stolen the Dragonball instead of showing my hand. What's more is that ponies will no doubt inform Celestia that I have reclaimed my throne from-- Thorax...!
"Wait..." A realization slowly crept into my being. I began a thorough search of the Hive connection. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that traces of Thorax's influence remained intact. No wonder my elites behavior was sporadic. He was the leader for five years while I was away. That, coupled with my drones sickening metamorphosis, limited my connection. He is not strong enough to halt most of my control. But his influence is still sufficient to undermine my will! My warriors might as well be common street thugs thanks to him.
"Thorax, you filthy usurper!!!" I hissed as I broke the link. However, I made sure to fry the drone's brain as a means to vent my frustration and spite the usurper. "We will have words once I return to fix this debacle!!!" I looked to the nine remaining elites and pointed at the brain dead carcass before me. "Get this trash out of my throne room and place the Dragonball with the other one. I want all the drones ready and presentable. No doubt the ponies will come here to investigate my whereabouts. I want nothing out of the ordinary. Be quick about it!"
"At once Queen Chrysalis," My elite dragged the brain dead pile of chitin out of the throne room while Dende secured the Dragonball. I would have to act quickly.
"I must misdirect their attention. And who knows, I might be able to kill Trunks and steal their Dragonballs as well~," With my branded chuckle, I charged horn and teleported to Equestria.
[Ponyville, Third person POV - Capsule Corporation Spacecraft no. 3.]
It was a lovely quiet evening in the friendly town of Ponyville. The inhabitants were going about their daily lives without a care. Nothing was out of place. Nothing expect the uneven humming of a certain Alicorn of love. After Cadence received the letter from her cousin that Flurry was with him in Saddle Arabia, she was understandably miffed. So to calm her down, Celestia suggested that they return to Ponyville and speak with the group that chose to stay in Equestria. This way she can spend more time with baby Trunks. Currently, Cadence and Shining Armor were using their magic to perform a puppet show for Baby Trunks, the Sugar Lumps, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Meanwhile, Celestia and Luna were in a conversation with the blue-haired women while enjoying some tea.
"I see, so that's why you all came back," Bulma said as she watched the puppet show. Although, a part of her was worried about the manic grin on Cadence's face while she struggled the doll Shining Armor was operating. The Ivory stallion gulped as Cadence spun a narrative.
"Misses Fluffy Bottom carefully grasped her husband throat. She smiled sweetly at him while appealing just a teeny amount of pressure," Cadence narrated.
"Uh... Mister Puffy bottom assured his wife that everything would be okay. And the foal-sitter is doing a splendid job in watching their filly," Shining nervously said.
Celestia let out a good-natured laugh. "Yes, I figured Cadence need something to distract her from her worries. I know full well that Spike will not allow any harm to befall my little niece. That confidence is strengthed further by the fact your friends are there as well,"
"Verily sister. Although, I am confused. Where is Sir Goku's master?" Luna asked.
Bulma chuckled sheepishly as a small trickle of sweat dripped from her head. "Master Roshi went out to - Ahem - "Enjoy the scenery," as he put it," Both the Equestrian Diarchy arched a brow at Bulma's peculiar phrasing.
[Ponyville Park - Master Roshi POV.]
'I must say the girls here have excellent potential,' I was sitting down on my lawn chair, catching some rays, while watching the local joggers. It is a common fact that Equines are naturally larger than humans. And these Mares here prove that point. Hehehe...
"Excuse me," A voice called out to me. I tilted my head to see the trio of Mares I met at the flower shop I passed on the way over here. "We got our yoga gear like you said," Goku must have left quite the impression on these ponies because they came up to yours truly and asked what my relationship with him was. Naturally, I responded by stating I was his master and they started jumping in place. They asked me if I could show them a thing or two about martial arts. I, of course, agreed and now here we are.
"Excellent my pupils. Typically, you would be wearing the turtle hermit battle armor, but sadly I didn't bring any spares. So you'll have to make do. Now it's important to warm-up your bodies. Start with touching your hooves and hold that pose for 10 minutes. Then we can get started on Karas," I instructed as I laid back in my lawn chair for a better view.
[Back at the ship.]
"I'm sure he won't cause any problems," Bulma said nervously.
The royal sisters regarded her statement with some suspicion but decided not to press her any further. Their gaze fell on Gohan and Scootaloo who was sitting in the middle of the ship in a meditative posture. They both had their eyes closed as they faced each other. "Now what are Young Gohan and Scootaloo doing?" Luna asked.
"Oh, Gohan said they're doing some fancy training inside their heads," Applebloom replied.
"Training?" Celestia asked.
"Oh, I remember this; Krillin and Gohan did this type of training once before when we were heading to Namek. I think they called it, an image battle," Bulma explained.
"Yeah, it's some fight they have with each other in their heads," Diamond Tara spoke up.
"That sounds interesting," Cadence said, joining the conversation. No one noticed the now severed head of Mister Puffy Bottom resting on the puppet stand.
"I can't say it's fascinating to watch," Shining Armor said, coming in behind Cadence. "Who do you think is winning?"
[Mindscape.]
"So what do you think?" Gohan asked.
"I dunno... This place could use a better color scheme besides black, blue, and purple," Scootaloo retorted as she took in her surroundings. The mindscape appeared to be an endless void floating around in space. There were no bright colors or clear blue skies as far as the eyes could see.
"That's the point of this training exercise. To strengthen your mental fortitude by banishing all other thoughts and sparring with your opponent through the mindscape. All you have to do is focus on me during our fight,"
"That's not hard to do anyway," A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Haha, I heard that~." Scootaloo looked flabbergasted as she stuttered to find a response. "Our minds are linked so I can hear your every thought and vice versa. Now, let's get started," He said as he took his battle stance.
A cocky grin flashed over Scootaloo's muzzle as she took her position. "I hope your mind can register how I whopped your flanks!"
The purple maned pegasus stares down the blonde headed boy for a few moments before she charges up a Ki blast. She then thrusts her arm forward and launched the blast straight at the young Super Saiyan. Gohan held an outstretched arm and fired a Ki blast of his own. The two spheres detonated on impact and drew up a dust cloud. Scootaloo rushes through the smoke and sends a jab at Gohan. Gohan catches her fist as their eyes meet again. Scootaloo breaks away and launches a flurry of punches and kicks. Gohan defends while throwing counters as the two warriors glide across the ground.
Scootaloo throws a punch that Gohan blocks with his forearm. Gohan tries to knee the orange-furred Pegasus in the stomach, but Scootaloo blocks it with a knee of her own. Both of the young fighters slammed their fists into one another as they entered a stalemate.
"You're doing well Scootaloo. I can see why dad made you his pupil,"
"Ha, you ain't seen nothing yet!"
Scootaloo flickered from Gohan's front and tried to land a roundhouse kick from behind. Gohan follows her example, dodges her kick, and throws a right hook. However, Scootaloo dodges his attempt at the damage with another flicker. If anyone from an outside perspective saw the battle, the only thing they'd be able to witness was the constant shockwave from each blow. The exchange of attacks went on for some time until Gohan scores a kick that sends Scootaloo flying back. She barely recovers and braces herself as Gohan launches another kick that sends her skyward. Finally, Gohan appears above Scootaloo's trajectory and lands an overhead strike that sends Scootaloo barreling to the ground.
Scootaloo winces as she opens her eye open to see the ground fast on the approach. She flails her arms and legs about as panic starts to set grip her. "Whoa! Wait! Stop! Stop! STOP!!!" But it was all for naught.
[Outside the mindscape.]
"Wah!!!" Upon impact with the imaginary ground, Scootaloo eyes shot open. She fell out of her meditating position while startling everyone in the ship. But before anyone could check on her, Scootaloo quickly righted herself and sent an indignant glare at Gohan. "No fair! You're way better at the image battle thing than I am!"
Gohan rubs the back of his head as he sends her a guilty smile. "Hehe, I guess you're right. But, for your first time, you did better than I was expecting,"
"So it is safe to say young Gohan won the battle of the minds?" Celestia teased as she gained their attention.
"Only by a little bit..." Scootaloo grumbled.
"It is quite alright Scootaloo. I am sure you did not yield easily," Luna stated. "I hope our departed friends are not finding difficulty with their search,"
"We shouldn't be much longer," Bulma said. "Even with the new terrain and environments, we're highly qualified professionals,"
"Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if--" Shining Armor began before he was cut off by the appearance of seven beings they knew all too well.
"Hey, everyone. We're back," Goku said with his usual cheerfulness.
"GOKU!!!"
"DAD!!!"
The orange-clad warrior from Earth soon found himself submerge under a pile of fillies and his son. Twilight and the others let out a good-natured chuckle at the scene. "It is splendid to see you are well Twilight," Celestia said as she embraced the young alicorn in a hug.
"I happy to see you all again too," Twilight said as Shining and Cadence showed their love as well.
"Hiya squirt, miss me," Rainbow greeted.
"You bet," Scootaloo said as she got off of Goku and offered a fist bump to her older sister. Rainbow bangs her fist into Scootaloo's without missing a beat.
"Hello, Trunks. How are you feeling?" Fluttershy asked while gently cradling the infant. Baby Trunks responded with typical baby babble.
"So how did it go? Did find the Dragonball?" Shining Armor asked.
At that moment, Guru floated in front of the royals and presented the Dragonball. "Guru, guru. Misson complete. Dragonball acquired. Guru, guru,"
"Most excellent news indeed," Luna said with a smile.
"Things are looking up for us. Let's just hope Chrysalis hasn't made any progress," Bulma said.
"We ran into a few complications. However, the day was won with through collaboration," Zecora rhymed.
"I guess this means I can take my leave," Daring Do said, gaining everyone's attention. She walked up to the royals and gave them a polite bow. "Always a pleasure meeting you your highnesses,"
"W-wait... You're Daring Do right?" Silver Spoon asked with a stutter. The adventurer nodded, and silence reigned throughout the ship.
"SWEET HORSEAPPLES! IT IS YOU!!!"
"What!? No way. That can't be her," Diamond Tiara said in disbelief.
Rainbow smirked as she walked over to Daring and placed a hand on her shoulder. "That's right fillies and colts. This super awesome mare is Daring Do. Fresh off the latest adventure with Rainbow Dash and her cohorts!"
Krillin arches a brow at that. "Cohorts? How come she gets top billing?" The Sugar Lumps and Scootaloo quickly swarmed the caramel Pegasus and bombarded her with loads of question. Krillin let out a dejected sigh at the scene. "I guess we're yesterday's news, huh Goku?"
"Don't feel too bad. I'm known pretty well. But, It's somewhat hard to compete with aliens. Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat, but I got to get going. But I would like a chance to see this Shenron character you mentioned when this is all said and done," Daring Do said.
"Not to worry. I'll bring you back for a front row seat," Goku said. Daring gave him a salute and flew out of the ship.
"So when do y'all think mah sister will be back?" Applebloom asked.
"Hmm... Actually. I think they're on their way now. I can feel their Ki approaching Canterlot," Gohan said.
"FLURRY'S COMING BACK!?!?" Cadence exclaimed. Without warning, she grabbed Shining by the arm and ignited her horn.
"Cadence wait--" Was all Shining manages to say before they both disappeared.
Celestia giggled at her niece's antics. "We should congratulate our friends on a job well done and save them from a disgruntled Cadence,"
"Hold on a moment sister. Do you feel that?" Luna asked, her face wore a mask of concern.
"Feel what Luna?"
"A member of our comrade's party. Their Ki seems weaker does it not?"
Goku, Gohan, Krillin, and Scootaloo all closed their eyes in concentration. Their eyes widened in alarm as Scootaloo spoke up. "She's right! I think it's Trunks! Something must've happened!"
"I tell you what happened," A new voice said. Everyone turned to the doorway to find its source and found themselves dumbfounded by the reappearance of the Saiyan Prince. "The boy got careless, disgraceful!"
"Vegeta!" Everyone cried.
"Oh, so are you finally done brooding?" Bulma snidely said.
"Silence woman. Save your barbs,"
"I find it strange you are here. You did not seem eager to aid your friends to save your planet. Why return now?" Luna said.
"Other than then playing the part of a dutiful father, the boy's blunder may provide some insight," Vegeta said with a hint of sarcasm.
"What do you mean?" Celestia asked.
"Are you going to continue asking pointless questions or are you going to do something useful and take us to the others?" Vegeta fired at the sun Goddess. The ponies flinched at the blatant disrespect while a frown formed on the royal sister's muzzle. Bulma stepped in before things could escalate further.
"Look, as pig-headed as Vegeta is right now, we need to go. Let me just secure the Dragonball," Bulma said as she went over to the gravity machine. She places one finger on a button and stares at the screen. A small laser scanned her retinas, and a podium rose from the floor. Inside a glass dome resting on a pillow was the Dragonball Spike and Ember recovered. The dome opened up, and Bulma added the new Dragonball with it.
"So that's two thus far. At least you're making minimal progress," Vegeta commented.
"Yeah, no thanks to you!" Rainbow spat out. The Prince's attitude started grating at her nerves.
"Everypony, please! We're wasting time. Goku, can you take us directly to the others?" Twilight asked.
"No problem. Everyone join hands and then hold on to me," Goku said. Everyone did as Goku instructed and held hands while holding onto him. Placing two fingers on his forehead, our heroes left for Canterlot.
[Canterlot - Royal Infirmary.]
Our heroes appeared in a large medical room inside the castle. Activity in the infirmary was prevalent as doctors and nurse regularly ran in and out of the chamber. They were in a frenzy as medical supplies came in bulk. Several doctors were screaming out orders.
"Bring me more gauze and bandages!
"I need another bottle of plasma pills stat!"
"Where is doctor Heartthrob!?"
Celestia saw Shining Armor cradling Flurry Heart and called him over. "Please explain what is happening?"
"He was in critical condition, and the doctors had to operate immediately," Shining Armor said.
"What about the others? Where are they?" Twilight asked.
"They're inside with the patient along with the other elements and Cadence,"
"We better get in there," Krillin said.
Our heroes followed the nurse to where most of the doctors were working. They found Trunks lying on the bed, two IV pouches in his arms, and a nurse currently replacing the bandages and cleaning his wound. Although, she did look green in the face. The remaining elements and Z warriors were off on the far end of the room as to not get in the way of the doctors. Cadence saw that her aunts have returned and went to talk to them.
"Hello, everyone. Sorry for rushing ahead like that,"
"It is alright Cadence. It would not be wise to get between a mother and her foal," Celestia said with a knowing look causing Cadence to blush.
"Where is young Flurry Heart?" Luna asked.
"Shining took her outside once we saw Trunks condition. I suggest we do the same for Baby Trunks,"
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble Fluttershy?" Bulma asked.
"Oh, it's no problem at all. I bet Baby Trunks would love to see Flurry Heart again," Fluttershy said as she rejoined Shining and Flurry. Baby Trunks took one last look at the scene and held out an arm for his future counterpart. The rest of the elements and Z warriors joined Goku's group.
"Hey, guys. Can you tell us what happen?" Goku asked.
"We ran into Changelings in New Equland. They stormed all through Queen Cream Puff's castle and made a huge mess of things," Applejack said.
"What's worse is that they manage to incapacitate both me and Trunks. Then they took our form and stole the Dragonball right in front of us," Starlight added.
"Suffice to say, darlings, our mission was a total failure. And the Queen will no doubt wish to speak with you two after the assault on herself and her citizens," Rarity concluded.
Pinkie let out a few sniffles as she spoke. "They blew a hole right into him!"
"Hey, for the record, I was hurt too," Discord said. The chaos maker came up to our heroes holding an IV rack and an ice bag tied to his left cheek.
"Uh..." Yamcha said.
Celestia let out an exasperated sigh at the news. "We are in a perilous situation right now. Chrysalis must've somehow asserted control over the changeling. Which means thorax might have fallen to her as well,"
"We must prepare to travel to the Hive castle. But what of your mission to Saddle Arabia?" Luna asked.
"No problems on our end. We managed to stop an uprising of bandits and found the Dragonball," Spike said as the displayed their Dragonball.
"That makes three. Not bad reptile," Vegeta said. Ember took offense to that and was about to storm up to the prince before Scootaloo spoke up.
"Hey, Spike. What happened to the Banshou Fan?"
"I gave to the rulers of Saddle Arabia. I figured they could get more use out than I did. It was always more of a tool than a weapon anyway," Spike said before he noticed Goku's gaze. He instantly felt guilty about parting with something his master left him. "You're not mad are you?"
"Hehe, of course not. You saw a bunch of people who needed help and did what you thought was for the best. I'm proud of you," Goku praises.
"Now back to the matter at hand," Piccolo spoke up. Everyone gave him his full attention. "Our priority is getting Trunks back to full strength then we can deal with Chrysalis. Who has the senzu beans?"
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," Pinkie said as her features perked up. The Z warrior proceeded to pat themselves down only to come up short.
"Are you kidding? None of us have them!?" Tien exclaimed.
"I think we left them back on the ship with the ship," Gohan said.
"Then Bulma and I will head back and retrieve them as well as secure the Dragonball we have now," Vegeta suggested. Everyone was taken aback by the lack of smarm and sarcasm.
"...That's not a bad suggestion, Vegeta..." Twilight said slowly.
"Naturally, now let's go," Vegeta said as the two walked out of the infirmary with the Dragonball in tow.
"Well alright then," Yamcha said.
[Bulma - First Person POV.]
Vegeta and I were making our way back to Ponyville at a moderate pace. I was currently resting in his arms as the little village came into view. The sun was setting beyond the horizon. A fact I found both surprising and a little frightening at the same time. The knowledge that two beings move the celestial object would be jarring to most others on Earth. Then again, the company I tend to associate with is far from the norm. Just look at who I married. Vegeta was quiet during our flight, so I decided to break the silence.
"You know, you surprised me Vegeta,"
"Uhm?" He grunted out.
"I didn't think you would show concern for Trunks and then make to effort to heal him,"
"Dutiful father remember," He said with a little snark.
"Urgh! You could drop the attitude for once in your life instead of being a jerk twenty-four seven,"
"I have no idea what you're talking about,"
"I'm just glad Goku came to this planet and set a better example for all of us,"
"A fact I still marvel at to this day. At least the bumbling fool was good for something,"
"And if it were you instead of that "Bumbling Fool" then the princesses would be far less accommodating to us!"
"If it were me then there would be no Princesses or planet for that matter,"
"ARGH!"
I decided to end the conversation there as we landed in front of the ship. We walked inside, and I headed for our luggage in the living quarters. I found the small brown bag full of the senzu beans tucked away in one of Goku's spare Gi. I made my way back upstairs where Vegeta was lounging near the pilot seat. I walked over to the gravity machine and brought up the other two Dragonballs.
"Do you have the beans?" Vegeta asked me.
"Yep, Just let lock this bad boy up, and we can head back. I'm sure Trunks can tell us what happened in more detail,"
"I'm sure he could, that irritating little whelp, but I'm in no hurry to have him back on his feet,"
"And the Prince of all jerks has returned. What a shocker,"
"Oh, how you wound me Bulma. And here I considered you to be the more useful of the muscle bound meat heads,"
My body tensed up for some reason. What's more was the fact that Vegeta's voice seemed to change into someone's very familiar. A shocking realization struck my core as I whipped around to find that Vegeta was smirking at me with cruel intentions. The next thing I saw was that his eyes glowed a bright green. I wanted to move. I wanted to cry out for help, but I was completely stationary. I couldn't turn away from the green eyes.
"Now, now my dear. Don't fight it. It only makes it worse, and we wouldn't want to damage that beautiful brain of yours now do we~."
"C-C-Chrysalis...!"
"In the flesh. For now anyway. I have a special task for you, my dear. I need you to keep tabs on the others for me,"
Now it made sense! She was forcing her way into my mind to warp me into her puppet. I could feel her grip tightening around my senses. "N-no...!"
"Hmm~ Your resistance is impressive. A testament to that will of yours, but ultimately fruitless," The glow in her eyes intensified, and I felt my will to fight crumbling away. There was nothing I could. I began to hope against hope the Roshi would pop in or even 16. But I knew there was no help coming. "You must be under a lot of stress, dealing with those idiots and the crisis you planet is facing,"
"S-stress...?"
"Yes, in fact, you look exhausted. That's not okay for a young woman like yourself,"
"Tired..." She was right. I am feeling stressed out. And I am feeling weak. What should I do?
"I think you should sleep, my dear and leave everything in my capable hands~,"
"Yes - sleep - Sleeping would be nice right about now..." I don't think anyone would if I closed my eyes for a few minutes.
[Third Person POV.]
"How may I serve you, my queen..." Bulma droned out. A wicked sense of glee filled 'Vegeta's' being.
"As I said my dear, you should rest. But first, give me those senzu beans," Bulma nodded her head obediently and handed 'Vegeta' the magic beans. He held them in his palm before chucking them in the air and zapping them with a Ki blast. The flaming bag hit the ground as it turned to ashes. Satisfied with that, 'Vegeta' moved on to the exposed Dragonballs. A green aura envelopes them and float them up to his eyes. He admired all four golden orbs before they teleported away. 'Vegeta' turns his attention back to Bulma.
"Now I want you to sleep, my dear. When you wake up, you will tell the Earthlings that I was here. I already have everything in place when they visit the Hive,"
"Yes, my queen," 'Vegeta' walks up to Bulma and plants a small peck on her lips. Moments later, Bulma collapsed on the floor, snoring lightly. With a triumphant chortle, 'Vegeta' vanished in an Orb of light.
[Everfree Forest - A few hours earlier.]
Vegeta stood on a cliffside with his arms crossed against his chest. He found this spot after flying around the forest after his departure from the rest of our heroes. The scenery was quiet and soothing to the Saiyan Prince. He noted the air was much clearer and the foliage much lusher than it was on the Earth. The primary factor to this would that pollution was non-existent on this planet. Vegeta thought back to the days where Saiyans sold planets to the highest bidder.
"A planet like this one would've landed us an earlier retirement," Vegeta chuckled.
Down below the cliffside, something caught the Saiyan Princes eye. A family of manticores was by a stream. Two full grown cats, one bulky and the other slender, with two cubs. The larger manticore growled at the Cubs as he went in the stream. It lifted its paw and swiped out a fish. It landed on the ground as it flopped around. The two cubs perked up at the display and tried to mimic their parent's action. However, the two Cubs only succeeded in splashing the water around.
The slender manticore called them back and it into the stream. It stared patiently into the water before it lunged head forward and caught a fish in its mighty maw. It brought the fish back to land and laid next to the larger manticore that was currently eating its quarry. The Cubs seemed more determined now and tried again to catch their meal. Despite their best efforts, the fish just swam around them. This insult made the Cubs upset, and they began lunging and splashing around in the water. The two older manticores watched on in amusement.
Vegeta spectated the scene with a mild indifference. "Teaching the young ones the rules of the hunt, huh?" He said to him. He thought back to the time on Planet Vegeta where he was coming of age. The hours spent studying and the grueling training sessions. The lessons taught that a Saiyan warrior does not seek aid from others in whatever it is that he is doing. He was about to leave when his thoughts took him to his time on the Earth. He remembered his battle with kakarot and his friends. His time with Bulma and how vastly different things were on the Earth.
Vegeta returned to the edge of the cliff and raised his hand. He saw as the cubs stared dejectedly at the water. He proceeds to fire a quick Ki blast that impacted right in front of them. The Cubs tumbled back on land while the older manticores went on alert at the sudden attack. As the two Cubs shook off the cobwebs mountains of fried fish landed before them. The Cubs squealed happily and rushed to eat, completely oblivious to their parents now circling them protectively. The two manticores turned their attention to the cliffside where the blast originated only to find nothing in sight.
Vegeta took to the skies again and flew around aimlessly. However, he suddenly stopped when he felt several Ki signatures, Specifically, that of Trunks who signal was much weaker than when he set out. "Hmmph. The boy manages to get hurt on a soft little planet like this? Pitiful!" He spat as he found his way to a swamp. He stares intently at the bubbling, murky water. He closes his eyes to tune everything out when suddenly, the water began to rise. Vegeta opened his eyes to find eight pairs of eyes staring back at with hunger.
"Well now, what are you?" The creature rose to its full height, easily dwarfing Vegeta. If he had to guess, the beast was about half the size of an Oozaru. Each of its muzzles opened up wide as it began to salivate at its potential meal. "Interesting. I was looking for something to break me out of this humdrum," He said with a smirk.
The head second from the right lunged forward at the Saiyan Prince. It's dripping maw opens up wide as it completely swallowed the patch of Earth where Vegeta was standing. The other three heads smirked deviously as the head came back up and made loud crunching sounds. However, its eyes widened when it only tasted dirt and grim. It spits the contents from its mouth while the other three searched for Vegeta.
"And what was that poor excuse of an attack suppose to be?" The Hydra turned around to see Vegeta floating in the air. It stared at its prey with confusion at how it was flying without wings and how it escaped. Vegeta smile grew as he used his hand in a 'Bring it' gesture. Angered. The last head on the left snapped out its jaw and bit at the Prince. But, Vegeta flickers out of the way as he did so just moments ago. He reappeared above its outstretched neck with his right arm primed in a chopping motion. Vegeta brought his hand down onto the neck and chopped the head clean off.
The hydra shrieks in pain and stumbles back. It looked at Vegeta in shock and then at its severed dead head. Vegeta figured the beast was now demoralized at the loss of one of its head. But, to his surprise, two more heads sported from the open neck wound. "Oh? So you can regenerate much like the Namek? It won't save you!"
The two new heads lunged and tried to swallow Vegeta whole. The Saiyan Prince dodge accordingly. Another skull tried to bite him from his blind spot, but Vegeta fires a Ki blast into his mouth, destroying the head from inside out. Although much like before, the creature healed it's wound and double its number. Vegeta began to see a fatal flaw in this ability. He bobbed and weaved past the heads, all of which were trying to eat him, and countered each time. The hydra grew more heads with every attack. It was also becoming more frustrated at its failed attempts to devour the Saiyan Elite. Finally, Vegeta stopped his actions to see that the hydra now had dozens upon dozens of heads all bearing down on him.
"Well, you have me outnumbered. Try your luck," Vegeta taunted. The hydra took his bait, and every single head lunged at once. But they stop short a couple of feet in front of Vegeta. The crafty Saiyan Prince had maneuvered the all the craniums to form a giant knot. It struggled to get to him and tried to move its lower body but found it un responsive. Vegeta chuckled at his opponents current predicament. "You silly creature. All you have is size and numbers with an ability anyone can exploit. All that extra mass has slowed you down considerably," Vegeta then flew high into the air as he pointed to two fingers at the thick mass of flesh. "Hah!" He grunted out as he thrust his fingers to the hydra. A moment later, the beast imploded, scattering its remains all over the swamp below. "You were a nice distraction,"
Vegeta could hardly bask in his victory as his attention went back to Trunks weakened power level. He frowned as the Manticore pack came to mind and stayed at the forefront of his thoughts. "Tsk!" He sucks at the image of the two larger Manticores and their protective instincts. He flared up his aura and flew toward the hanging castle on the side of a mountain.
[Canterlot - Royal Infirmary.]
"Oh... What is taking them so long?" Starlight asked anxiously.
"Yeah, they should've been back a few minutes ago," Scootaloo said.
"Actually. Did anyone thought Vegeta was acting weird?" Gohan said.
"How so?" Goku asked.
"Well--"
Before Gohan could continue, a solar guard broke through the door. "Your leagues! The short tempered one has returned. He is approaching the castle gates," Everyone flew out of the infirmary to go and meet Vegeta. They found the Saiyan Prince alone, walking up to them.
"Hey, Vegeta. Great to see you back," Goku greeted. Vegeta responded with a typical grunt.
"Enough of the pleasantries. What mess has the boy got himself into now?" Vegeta demanded.
Everyone became confused at this. "What are you talking about, Vegeta? You already know," Cadence said.
"No, I don't. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked,"
"Surely, you can't be that negligent. You went off with your mate to get these senzu beans to heal your son that was injured by the Changelings. The ones now under Chrysalis' control," Ember reminded.
Vegeta bares his teeth in irritation. "Listen up, reptile; I was in the forest the entire time. Now, will one of you start making sense and tell me what that lousy bug has to do with anything!?" Every grew more bewildered with each passing second at Vegeta's odd behavior. That is until Applejack spoke up.
"Everypony, he's telling the truth?" She said as if unsure of her very words,
"B-but, that doesn't make sense. We spoke with you just a few minutes ago," Twilight said. A haunting realization was slowly creeping in on everyone present.
"Gohan... Didn't you say that Vegeta was acting weird?" Spike posed the question.
Gohan caught on quickly. "...Yeah..." Everyone turned to face the Saiyan Prince who in turn gazed back with an arched eyebrow.
Then, that haunting realization hit everyone hard. "...Mother of Me...!" Celestia said with narrowed eyes.