"This doesn't look like watching from the sidelines."
"Oh, but it is!" Trixie pointed out smugly. At least, as smug as one could look while a human tightened the straps of their flight vest. Trixie had argued that she was capable of levitating herself with the flight spell, but she would be lying if she said she didn't appreciate having this gear instead. A spell could only work for so long after all. Starlight and that one anger-bottling fiasco were proof of that.
Quill broke in after she began to sink into her own thoughts, patting the horse's back to let her know he was finished. "Yeah, they're not helping us at all. They're just getting close up looks flying alongside us. Nothing more. Ain't that right, Maudie girl?" He snickered at Trixie. "Get it, like 'naughty girl'?"
"You're so childish." The giggling showmare bumped her hoof with his fist all the same. Childish, but enjoyable.
Gamora rolled her eyes and looked around. Derpy flew overhead, carrying strangely rectangular boxes to and fro for Rocket, who seemed to want them in a very specific spot. Drax was holding one of his deadly daggers up in a defensive position and glancing down at an attentive Maud. The sight of the second dagger floating not far above the pony's head made the green woman blink. "Maud! How are you...?"
"Oh. I gave Rocket the glove that Terrax originally had. " Maud explained and sat on her haunches to lift one forehoof. A metallic, tube shaped glove sat perfectly and glinted in the light of their golden surroundings. When she swayed the hoof, the dagger followed it like an obedient pet. "When he re-designed it for me, I found that I could control rocks and metal elements to the point that I can direct their every movement. Or disperse them into their base atoms and recombine them to form a new metal."
"And I am teaching her to how to handle a blade in close combat. " Completely forgetting what she'd said, Drax added his part with a grin. "She insists that she would rather use a staff, though."
"With a staff, I'd have less chance of killing someone."
He nodded. "And there's no fun in that."
"Nope. Scoot it a little more that way." Gamora glanced behind herself at the sound of a certain Racoon, who appeared to be the reason that Derpy was flying around so much. The pegasus had completed the task of carrying three large speakers into the exact spots she'd been told. The dents in the side appeared as evidence that she'd dropped them, but Gamora wasn't sure how she didn't hear that before.
She was just about to turn back around when she noticed something about Drax that made her glower. "Drax. You aren't wearing Rocket's Aero-rig."
"Nope." He stated simply. "It's too painful to wear."
"Too painful?"
"Yes."Drax mumbled at her with a deep reluctance and crossed his arms."...I have sensitive nipples."
"You what?! Ah Ha Ha Ha HAAaaa! Oh man!"
That was probably not the best thing to say around Rocket, who nearly toppled over with roaring laughter and a crude, mocking act of Drax. The buy alien whirled on him with a fierce glare and pointed a sharp looking dagger right at him. "Funny, is it?! Well what are you doing that is so important?!"
"I'm not doing anything--she is!" Rocket pointed at an exasperated, tired Derpy as she all but threw the last speaker down. "Gonna have her set up the speakers so we have some tunes to listen to while we work!"
Maud paused her staff welding practice to stare blankly at Rocket, then at the speakers, and then at Rocket again. "Is that really necessary?
"I dunno! Ask him," The racoon gestured to his human team leader. "He's the one who's got this old...music fetish thingy going on all the time!"
"Actually, I'm just as stumped as Maud about this." Quill rubbed his chin thoughtfully and shook his head. "I mean...It just doesn't seem necessary at all."
Rocket slowly smirked and nodded at him. "Ooooh, yeah. Uh huh. Sure, Quill."
"...No, I'm serious! What you're doing is literally the definition of unnecessary!"
"Yeah, sure! I COMPLETELY understand, that's why I'm being entirely serious right now!" Rocket agreed in an odd tone and winked hard...and multiple times at that. Once the silence and the deadpan stares were thrown his way, he blinked away his grin and cursed aloud. "Riiiight. Use my right eye to wink. Right eye."
A small scuttling sound drew his attention down to the speakers, where a few of the planet's vermin seemed to be running away from something. That thing was apparently Groot, unreasonably swinging at their heads with his tiny fists and giving up when he skirted past Derpy's hoof. He blinked up at the pegasus with a huge pout, and stamped his foot like the little kid he was."I am Grooooot!"
"No they weren't, silly." She stooped down to his level with a small smile and patted his head."Trust me, you'll know if someone's looking at you funny."
Rocket blinked owlishly. "You understand him?!"
"Hmm? No. I was just guessing."
Gamora rolled her eyes a second time, incidentally taking in another view of their surroundings. They were on a giant grey platform made entirely of Z-xglon metal and framed with a golden exoskeleton. It floated in space like it's own sun, with other platforms surrounding it in constant orbit like planets. In the center of this manufactured sun was a single capsule that rose from some mechanical cavern and displayed a dozen smaller capsules of light. Leaving the anulax batteries in plain sight like this was probably the reason they needed protecting. She prepared her AmpRay for combat mode, watching it slide out of it's compartment and click into it's weaponized form. "How far off is it now?"
"Real close. Give or take half a minute. Hey! What happened to your..." Peter gestured to the heavy gun in her hands with a pout. "sword, thing? Does it need more sharpening or...?"
She didn't even try to roll her eyes. He could be so utterly stupid sometimes that it was often painful to he around him. "This thing can hop through dimensions, and you think I'm gonna try to fight it with a sword?"
Trixie stared at her skeptically and then shared that look with the other ponies, their faces the exact same. "Um, sorry but...Hop dimensions? Trixie finds that really impossible. Even for a talking racoon."
Interrupting anyone who would have responded to that comment was a thunderous boom from above, ripping through the cloudy atmosphere by its sound alone. Everyone looked up in time to spot odd lightning streaks of every color imaginable, seemingly tearing through the very fabric of space and opening a giant hole. A pink mass of a blur, writhing with more tentacles than an octopus, fell through the hole with a shrill roar and smashed down onto the metal platform. The impact rattled the very 'ground' they stood on, and for a moment everyone was battling to regain their balance.
"Well...That's intense." Rocket watched as the fifty foot tall creature reared itself up and bared a gaping maw full of teeth about as tall as Drax. He nodded slowly. "So, uh, what's our move, Star-munch?"
Quill glared at him. "You know I hate that name, man." He flicked his mechanical helmet on and soon began to float into the air with the help of his flight gear. "And what do we usually do?! We shoot stuff at it and see if it dies, come on!"
"HA HA HA HAAA!" Drax gave a whooping laugh and flipped his daggers into appropriate positions for combat. Before he rushed forward after Quill to engage in battle, he glanced back at those that remained. "Come, little Ponies! Let us bathe ourselves in the blood and intestine of this hideous beast!"
"Don't follow us. Stay here and watch us work."
After her harshly spoken command, Gamora and ran off alongside Rocket and fired her Ray at the agitated creature. Rocket flew higher to get it's intention higher, leaving more space for his comrades to shoot at. Tentacles lashed out at all of them, swiping and curling in vain attempts to catch them or simply swipe them aside. Quill ave a specific hand signal to Rocket, and the small creature hurled an array of tiny pellets at the right eye of the monster. It bellowed loudly at the explosion around the area, but it caused little more than a pink eye.
It gave Gamora an idea-- blinding it would lead to less worrying over it being able to grab anyone. If she could just shoot out it'seemed eyes, the others could handle the rest. Pripelling herself skyward briefly, she took a few shots at its unharmed eye, precisely hitting the corner at first and then finally it's actual eye. The monster grunted in response to the blasts from Gamora's weapon and managed to focus on slithering it's giant bulk towards her. She flinched at seeing it looming over her while inhaling a deep breath, it's multicolored fires churning in its dark throat...
An asteroid the size of it's head slammed into its fleshy sides and it's roar of pain sent the fires spitting out safely in the opposite direction. Gamora, confused, saw that smaller asteroids were coming from the same direction like bullets from a gun. Growling, she glared daggers at Maud, who's gloved hoof was raised high into the air. "What are doing?!"
"Staying where you told me to." Maud called back, and if Gamora were closer, she would confirm seeing the ghost of a smirk on the pony's face. "And you're welcome."
"Hmmph."
"You think we should do something too, Trixie?" Derpy asked as she held one end of an auxiliary cord in her teeth and watched Groot pick up another end. "Like, maybe I can help fly you up there and you can...cast a spell or something?"
Trixie laughed sarcastically, but nervously as well. "Yeah, no thanks. Trixie is a showmare, not someone like Starlight or that purple princess. I only do illusions and fireworks and...hey!" She perked up, slightly less worried than before. "I'm good at illusions and fireworks! I could help blind it, maybe!"
Maud looked back at her. "I'd be happy to cover you until--...Hey, is that music?"
A voice answered for her above the sound of a drum beating in the middle of a catchy beat.
Sun is shinin' in the sky~!
The three mare's flinched and looked to the source of the vocalized song, where they beheld Groot staring at the speakers with an expression of dawning glee. The tiny being suddenly leaped onto one foot, moving his arms and legs into a crude sort of dance. It moved him on an unpaved path away from the speakers, a bright smile on his face.
There Ain't a cloud in sight~!
Groot hopped over a cord and skidded, arms waving like an ocean. He snapped his tiny fingers and marched along to the drum's loud loud pattern, everything else about the battle apparently erased from his little mind.
It's stopped rainin' everybody's in a play~
Derpy grinned widely at him, her hoof tapping along as well."Aw, isn't he just the most adorable thing you ever saw?"
"Sure, whatever. Derpy, pay attention! This may be an opportunity for you to redeem yourself for getting us here in the first place!" The showmare spoke in her usual commanding tone, like a general about to command her army of one. " Acompany Trixie upwards, and help Maud distract it! I need as much space as possible for this to work!"
And don't you know,
Derpy saluted her with the most serious look she could muster, and took to the sky. Trixie remained on the ground, prodding at different parts of her suit and sighing in irritation. "How does this stupid vest work?"
Derpy pressed into her stomach. "Pat the belly twice!"
It's a beautiful new day, he~ey!
"What an odd way to fly." Trixie mused, but followed the instructions. Sure enough, she began to fly straight up, although at an alarming speed. When she managed to raise her head against the sudden burst of momentum, she zoomed downwards. She frantically found equilibrium in time to avoid hitting the platform, and for a moment she breathed heavily. Then she combed her hair back into place. "Ha! Easy. Let's go!"
Runnin' down the avenue~ See how the sun shines brightly in the city,
They flew into the chaotic mass of color, tentacles and guardians, managing to dodge underneath debris or the occasional body part. The ponies circled each other flying up above the head of the creature, and Trixie pointed at it's left. Derpy saluted her again and shot down towards the left of the beast, when a tentacle moved to swipe at Rocket. The pegasus veered to the right to avoid collision with the tentacle, and instantly gained it's attention. The beast snapped at Derpy, causing the pony to shriek loudly and fly back up towards Trixie. "ACK! Throw the smoke bombs! Throw the smoke bombs!"
On the streets where once was pity, Mister blue sky is living here today, he~ey
"NO! You're supposed to go the other--" Trixie rolled her eyes. "Ugh! Nevermind! This better work!"
She dived down in a straight path and pulled a decent hooful of smoke bombs fromantic her bag, tossing it down at the eyes of the beast as it just focused on her. They exploded on impact, closing both eyes with a giant stream of smoke and causing it to blink hard. The monster roared and voiced it's pain with thrashing tentacles and baring teeth. Trixie grinned widely at her feat. "Huh. That actually worked! Trixie expected to be eaten or something!"
Mister blue sky! Please tell us why!
One of the pained tentacles smashed into her side and slapped her out of the sky. It felt like her entire brain was bouncing around in her skull, uncertain of which way was up and which way was down. It seemed like she should have smashed painfully into the ground, but Trixie heard a metallic whir and someone's arm around her middle section. Then the fall slowed to a gradual halt, evidenced by the sound of a soft landing on metal.
You had to hide away for so long (so long)
Trixie shook head to clear the stars, and was surprised to see Quill setting her down on all fours again. She held a hoof to her muzzle as his mask slid away. "Quill...?" She glanced behind him at the height she'd fallen and her eyes widened. "You saved me!"
"Yep. It's what I do. Plus, you kinda saved us with that smoke trick!" He mused as she stood to his feet. He looked entirely different with his helmet on, somewhat disturbing with his glowing red lenses. It was scratched a little on one side, evidence of how much progress the Guardians had made against the beast. "So, you know. Returning the favor, and stuff. You should probably move now, though. Since it's still--"
Where did we go wrong?
He turned and looked back just in time to see the blinded creature thrashing it's whole body around...in their direction. The other gaurdians dodged the massive beast, but the speed that it moved at was too fast for Trixie or Quill to move. " OH SH--" He stumbled back, whatever he was going to say interrupted by Trixie's glass-shattering scream. Unknown by the two, Trixie's horntip glowed brighter the faster the beast's body approached them.
Mister blue sky! Please tell us why!
Time slowed down. Just when it seemed like they were going to be crushed to a pulp by the sheer weight of the beast, light exploded from the tip of Trixie's horn with a colossal sound. She screamed even louder than before as thick blue bolt of lightning lashed out and struck at the chest of the beast like a cobra strike, tearing a deep gash into it like it was nothing. It stumbled back from the attack, howling with more pain than before and scooting more distance between itself and the two below. Trixie's jaw fell open and when she finally looked towards Quill, his jaw was also limp.
"Hey!" She snapped out of her trance to look at Rocket, who hovered overhead with a wide grin. "That was frickin' awesome! Do it again!"
Quill broke out of his trance around the same time, nudging her with an elbow. "Yeah, that would be pretty helpful! Why didn't you do that earlier?!"
You had to hide away for so long~
The unicorn felt shaky, disoriented with surprise over what she did. Where did that come from? She'd never even been able to make an illusion of lightning that powerful and thick, let alone create the real deal. This was beyond impossible by her standards! "Um, I..." She reluctantly, yet curiously tried again. Nothing happened when she tried, but smoke noticeably trailed from her horn after the lightning bolt. Whatever she just did seemed to be a one time thing. "Uh, I can't! I-I've never really done that before!"
Where did we go wrong?
"Sh!t. We could've used that since this thing's like some kinda...octopus tank." Quill stood to his feet with a groan, popping his spine to relieve the slight discomfort. As he continued, Trixie kept trying her horn to no reward. "We're only making it itch when we try."
Hey you: with the pretty fa--
As if to emphasize his point, a blur was tossed overhead with blinding speed and stopped just as fast by crashing into something fragile and large. They winced as Drax groggily got up from the wreckage of the giant speakers, never noticing Groot's squeak of outrage or his punching and kicking afterwords. With only four others up and ready, the efforts grew somewhat weaker on Rocket and Gamora's part. The most they could by now was circle warily and cause it mild irritation. Maud stilled hurled meteors and asteroids and anything involving even a little stone--her collection of giant masses circled the creature like buzzards. She clapped her hooves together, and all of the rocks jutted their sharpest points into the hide of the thing. It bucked and writhed with fury, tossing the giant stones off it's body and back into space.
"Nothing seems to be working." Maud pointed out.
"Really? Never noticed." Trixie rolled her eyes at her pony compadre, her shock over her newfound power forgotten for now. "Don't you guys have something big and sharp to use?"
Before any other guardians could answer, Drax rose to his full height and grasped his daggers in his familiar combat position. "It won't work, horse of tricks." He spoke in a low, calculating tone while his eyes focused on the roaring jaws of the beast. He grinned dangerously as his last minute, heroic plan completed itself in his mind. "The beast's hide is too thick to be pierced from the outside," Drax prepared to make a run for it at just the right moment, for his timing would determine life and death. "so I must cut through from the inside!"
"What?" Maud turned towards him, a very small look of confusion written on her face. "That's a horrible idea. Don't--"
"Hold it off as best you can!"
Gamora waved to him frantically. "No, you idiot! Don't do it!"
Whooping deliriously above the suddenly frantic protests of his allies, he rushed forward. With a dangerous grin on his face, the burly alien closed the far distance between and his repulsive foe,then used one of the writhing tentacles to leap towards it. Laughs erupted from his chest as the stupid beast fell for his ploy with a lunge towards him, sealing the guardian inside it with a massive--
CHOMP!