//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Mother of all Mysteries 
// Story: To Build the Winning Formula 
// by Snow Fire 
//------------------------------//

Two days after the ChangeMaker facility incident, Twilight sat at a booth in Sugarcube corner. She had been anxious ever since what took place the other day. As soon as she arrived home after Shining took her to the hospital for a checkup, she contacted her friends. 

She told them how she had been present at the actual fight and learned more about Faust and its origins. She couldn’t explain everything over the phone, so she told them all to meet at Sugarcube Corner on Monday after school. 

She would’ve scheduled a meeting on Sunday, but her parents kept her at home. They believed Shining’s claim that she hit her head and wanted her to take it easy after the incident. 

She kept telling them that she was fine, coherent, and lucid, but they still kept her at home. 

“We’re here!” Pinkie Pie announced as she, Sunset, and Rarity joined Twilight at the booth. 

“Good. Where are the others?”

“They said they were on their way.” Sunset told her.

“Sorry we’re late.” Rainbow apologized as she, Fluttershy, and Applejack entered. “I had to get my cast off at the doctor’s. I’m one hundred percent good to go now!”

After the girls got seated, their meeting began. “Well, now that we’re all here, would you please tell us everything that happened Saturday, Twilight?” Rarity asked. 

The bespectacled girl nodded as she explained everything that happened on Saturday after her ChangeMaker tour. How she found a hidden hallway in the building and followed where it led. Then she explained that she walked in on a conversation Build and Cross-Z were having with a red, cobra-themed, armored man named Stalk. 

The information she learned was unsettling, a sentiment that her friends shared upon being told. 

“Hold up!” Rainbow Dash stopped her story. “You’re telling me ChangeMaker’s somehow mining this Nebula Gas stuff for Faust?!”

“Shh!” Twilight shushed her. “Not so loud! The walls could have ears!”

“Oh, sorry…” The athlete calmed down. “But still, that’s just crazy! Like, you just walked in on a complete conspiracy!”

“What I find more troubling is what the Nebula Gas is used for.” Sunset added. “If Faust does have a weapon that uses it to make people into Smash….then virtually no one is safe anymore.”

“And it gets even worse…” Twilight grimaced. 

“Well, don’t leave us hanging, Sci-Twi.” Pinkie urged. “What happened next?”

She then explained how after turning the scientist that worked for him into a Smash, Stalk fired a rocket at them. Build deflected it to the ceiling, and grabbed her and Cross-Z to change locations to minimize collateral damage. 

Afterwards, she reiterated the battle the two fighters had against Stalk and the Ice Smash, granted she paid more attention to Build’s fight. She told them of how she plundered the Fullbottle item Stalk had after he blasted Build twice. He then saved her from getting shot, and saved her again from a hostage situation. 

“Goodness!” Rarity gasped. “He had a blade to your neck and held you hostage? Why, you must’ve been terrified darling!”

“Yeah, it was pretty scary.”

“How did you escape?” Fluttershy questioned. 

“Well…” She then explained how Build relayed a message to her using subtle motions. She didn’t get it at first. But the way he tilted his head up caused her to follow suit with her eyes. She then saw the load of steel I-beams above them and figured out his message. After that, he performed a Voltech Finish attack using his new set of bottles that defeated Stalk. 

But upon his defeat….he revealed a critical piece of information about Faust. 

“So…let me get this straight.” Sunset interrupted. “The reason why Faust has the ability to turn people into these Smash monsters…is all because of Gizmo Poindexter? The scientist that went missing?”

“That’s what he said.” Twilight nodded. “I also tried to get more info from Build and Cross-Z after Stalk vanished. But…it was weird…” She glanced down at her geode. 

“Whaddaya mean?” Applejack asked. 

“I mean….I used my magic to keep them in place…or tried to. I was able to keep a hold of Cross-Z rather easily. But when I tried to grab Build…it was as if my magic didn’t work on him.”

This revelation caused the girls to stare at her with wide eyes. “….Can you please elaborate?”

“Whenever I tried to grab him using my magic…it was almost as if the magic would dissipate when it comes in contact with his armor.”

“So…it’s pretty much like how our magic didn’t work on the Smash we fought weeks ago?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“That’s exactly it.” Twilight nodded. “I kept trying to get a hold of him, but their little mechanical dragon distracted me. Before I knew it, Build grabbed his partner and fled. I tried getting answers from the scientist that Stalk transformed, but he had a form of memory loss, likely from the trauma of the transformation. He didn’t even remember that his family had been held hostage…”

“How horrible…” Fluttershy trembled. 

“So…what now?” Rainbow Dash asked. “At least we know that Build and Cross-Z aren’t total monsters like Chrysalis said. They’re the good guys! They saved people!”

“But we still don’t know if we can trust them.” Sunset added. “They obviously know more than they let on, and refuse to disclose it to anyone else.”

“So whaddaya suppose we do now?” Applejack questioned. 

“Well, we at least know a name.” The bespectacled girl said. “The missing scientist, Gizmo Poindexter, is definitely involved one way or another.”

“Gizmo…isn’t he…?” Pinkie began. 

“Yeah…” Twilight nodded solemnly. “…he’s Micro Chips’ brother.”

“So…you think he might know something?” Rainbow questioned. 

“I don’t know. From what he’s told me, he hasn’t had contact with his brother for over six months.”

“But what if that changed since then?” Sunset suggested. “If Faust and the Smash really are his doing, then what if he got into contact with him when they started to appear?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think that’d be it. If it really was his fault, why would he reach out to his brother instead of hiding under the radar? And if he did make contact, he would’ve told the police to try and find him.”

“Would he really do that though? His brother got accused of murder, something that Micro absolutely refuses to believe. If anything, I think he’d try to prove his innocence somehow.” Rarity said. 

“Well, all this back an’ forth is getting us nowhere.” Applejack said. “There are just too many things to keep track of. I mean, how do we even know for sure if Micro knows something? It could just be coincidence.”

“Maybe. But I have noticed something the past few weeks.” Sunset said. 

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked. 

“Haven’t you girls noticed that Micro, Sandalwood, Flash, and Sol all seem to hang out at every instance they have free time?”

“Yeah, but isn’t that normal for friends to hang out like that?” Pinkie asked. 

“Maybe. But as far as we know, Sol is new to town and shouldn’t really know people that well. Yet back on his first day, he seemed like he knew the three despite not having met them before.”

“Didn’t he say they helped him outside of school though?”

“He did. But he never clarified what, even when I asked him. Not to mention the other day when…” She trailed off. She wasn’t sure if she should bring this up to her friends, as it seemed like it was a personal matter to Sol. 

“Other day? What happened?” Twilight asked. The rest of the Rainbooms were just as eager to know. 

Sighing, Sunset finally relented. She hoped that Sol would forgive her if he ever found out. 

“Well…it’s like this…” She explained to them what happened after she got off work, how she came across Sol Burner, injured and on the verge of crying. He looked like a frightened child blaming himself. After they talked, he disclosed that he made a terrible mistake where his friends would pay the price for his impatience. It led to her admitting her own mistakes back at the Fall Formal, minus the magic involved. But she was glad her story and the lesson she learned helped him back on his feet. Looking back, those friends might have been Flash and the others. 

When she finished, her friends stared silently. “…Whoa…that….that sounded pretty heavy.” Rainbow admitted. She never would’ve guessed Sol Burner would act like that. 

“And this mistake…you think it might somehow be related to whatever Micro and the others were doing?” Twilight asked. 

“It seemed that way.” The flame haired girl admitted. “But I can’t really say for sure.”

“Oh, hello there!” A new voice cut into their conversation. All seven heads turned to the source of the voice. To their surprise, it was a young man in his early to mid twenties. He stood at slightly above average height with a medium build. He had a clear, pale white complexion, piercing red eyes, and sterling silver hair tied in a ponytail. He was dressed in a pair of dark slacks, loafers, a white buttoned shirt, and a green apron. He wore a pair of spectacles over his eyes and a straw fedora on his head. In his hands were a paper pad and pen. In the girls’ opinion, he greatly resembled one of those pretty boy characters from anime Fluttershy watches. 

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner. I’m sorry for the delay, but I was preoccupied with another assignment. My name is Silver Speech, and I’ll be your waiter today. So, have you decided what you’ll be having?”

The girls were surprised by his sudden appearance. Pinkie Pie looked at him in scrutiny. “Say…I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you new?”

“Why yes. This is my first day on the job.” Silver Speech smiled. “I’ve always wanted to run my own café, and I hope working with the Cakes here will give me some experience?”

“Really?” The party planner asked with wide eyes. “That sounds amazing! I’m sure you’ll learn a lot from Mr. and Mrs. Cake! They helped teach me all I know about baking! I wish you luck!”

“Why thank you. Now, about your orders…”

To avoid arousing suspicion from their meeting, the girls placed in an order for three milkshakes, two iced teas, and two lattes. Pinkie also ordered three cake pops and two types of cookies. Once Silver left the table, the girls returned to their discussion. 

They debated on the possibility of Micro, Flash, Sandalwood, and Sol being somehow involved with Gizmo’s research. Admittedly, it was a long shot given a lack of evidence. However, it was all they had to go on in order to learn more about Faust. 

“…So we’re all in agreement?”

“Yeah. We’ll be keeping an eye on those four for now.” Twilight nodded before she turned to Sunset. “By the way, has Princess Twilight found anything yet?”

“Unfortunately, no. She still hadn’t found anything…”

Ever since their first few Smash attacks, Sunset had taken the liberty of writing to Princess Twilight about them. She made sure to entail how their magic didn’t seem to affect the first Smash in the slightest. She tried to describe the monsters as much detail as she could so she may be able to find something. At first, she thought the reason for these monsters was due to some new form of Equestrian magic.

However, even after weeks of searching, she still couldn’t find anything. According to the Princess, there are no records or even mentions of monsters like the Smash. And the man in armor she and Applejack saw, Night Rogue, yielded no results either. 

And now with this revelation regarding Stalk, Gizmo, and the Nebula Gas, they may not even be dealing with Equestrian Magic at all.

“…And after what you told me, I don’t think we’re dealing with magic anymore…”





Later…

Meanwhile, at the lab, Sol watched as Micro fiddled with Crozz. Right next to him on the table was a newly made Fullbottle. It was colored red and resembled that of a fire truck. 

"So what exactly are you doing to him?" Sol asked.

"Just working on an idea Sandalwood gave me," he replied as he finished resetting the wires and placed the side back on him. As soon as it was bolted down, Crozz's eyes flickered on and the little dragon flew back into the air with its tiny roar.

Sol smiled as he rubbed the top of his head. "Morning bud." He turned to Micro, "So what did you do to him." Micro smiled before grabbing a bottle off the table and throwing it to Sol, who managed to catch it and saw it was the Ninja Fullbottle.

"Put it in him."

Sol did so and placed the bottle in Crozz's slot. As soon as he did, the little dragon opened its mouth before shooting out a light. That light hit the ground and a few seconds later, a 3D image of Sol appeared. "Wow," the real one walked around his copy, "neat."

"It's basically using the same principal as the Sketch Saber's cloning jutsu. A hard light hologram that can move and act just like the real thing."

"Sweet," Sol said as he prodded his copy, only for said copy to swat his arm away. "But what's it for?"

"Just in case we ever to have you and Cross-Z, or Flash and Build in the same place at the same time. People might get suspicious if they don't see the two of you together.”

“That makes sense. But so far, we haven’t really needed to do that. Is it really necessary?” 

“Yes. You guys were lucky the first few times with the Rainbooms. But luck can’t hold out forever. Sunset and Twilight are sharp. They’d definitely know if something were off. Can’t be too careful.” 

“Makes sense. Got it.” Sol nodded as he returned to interacting with his body double. As he did, he failed to notice Micro sighing in relief. 

In truth, the intellectual’s main motives for installing this hard light copy feature into Crozz was due to a disturbing tip he received from Anony-Mister. 

The mysterious sender pointed out that Twilight Sparkle had been present at the fight scene against Stalk and the Ice Smash, and actively tried to capture Build and Cross-Z. He then suggested being careful, as, in his words, “Twilight Sparkle was quite the resourceful girl with connections…colorful connections.”

Micro had been disturbed by the implications. He was already suspicious of Anony-Mister’s awareness of him and his friends, but how did he know about Twilight Sparkle and the Rainbooms? Did he also know about Equestrian Magic? He had so many questions but so few answers. He would’ve brushed him off and interrogated him for what he knew, but he couldn’t.

For he had three reasons why:

1) He had intel about Faust, which is what they desperately needed to stop them.

2) He knows them. Somehow, he knows that Team Build has been doing and what they are capable of. If he terminates the relationship they have, who’s to say he wouldn’t expose them and get the authorities, or even the government involved?

3) He knows something about his brother, Gizmo. That is the only explanation as to how he called him by the nickname only his brother gave him, as well as his Sclash Project. 

Micro didn’t like keeping this from his friends. But he didn’t want to alarm them about this potential security leak. But even more so…he desperately needed answers for his brother. If he told them, then Sol would end up acting rashly that could end up terminating this connection. He couldn’t risk it. 

After several minutes, Sol left the lab to try and work on his homework with Crozz in tow, leaving the bespectacled teen alone. After ensuring that he was alone, Micro pulled up a series of files on the supercomputer. 

Currently, they were all encrypted; a security measure that Micro believed Gizmo placed to prevent hackers from reaching whatever was hidden. But he didn’t let this deter him. 

If this Project Sclash truly did have the answers he sought, then he would decrypt them, no matter what it took.  





“Man, that was delicious!” Scootaloo cheered as she and her family left the restaurant. 

“Yeah. Never knew there were so many types of Po-Boy sandwiches.” Flash commented as he burped. “Never knew alligator was so tasty.”

“I agree.” Misty Veil said. Since she was given the afternoon off, she decided to take her family out for dinner. They ate at a southern restaurant that one of her co-workers recommended and it certainly did not disappoint. To think they had 37 different types of cuisine from New Orleans. 

It was moments like these that the family of three savored. Misty rarely got time off due to the nature of her work. Her workplace became even more hectic due to recent events regarding the Smash and the Guardians. Her own schedule became even more packed since she was in charge of organizing a field trip for Canterlot’s High Schools to the Research Center next week. The only saving grace was that the head researcher, Twilight Velvet, was her co-lead organizer for the event. 

Fortunately, they managed to get the details and plans handled, granting her some time off for today. She chose to spend it with her children, as she was seldom at home to share dinner with them recently. 

However, all good things must come to an end.

As the trio walked back home, a series of black vans pulled up alongside them. They became boxed in as another set of vans cut off the block.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo questioned while Flash became filled with dread. He recognized this formation. His fears came to light as Faust Robots hopped out of the van and encircled them. Their firearms were raised, halting the family in their place. 

The crowd of robots parted as a figure in black and silver strolled toward them. Flash stifled as gasp as he saw Night Rogue approach, Steam Blade and Transteam Gun in hand. 

“Misty Veil…” Night Rogue announced. “Come with us. Come quietly and your children will be unharmed. Resist and I cannot promise their safety.” 

“Who…who are you people?!” The researcher shielded her children. “What do you want?”

“Who we are is none of your concern. Will you comply?” 

“Let’s see…being surrounded by armed robots, held at gunpoint, and threatening my family while demanding I go with you to who knows where?” Misty Veil quirked a brow. “…You must think I am quite foolish, or you’re a fool yourself.” 

Inwardly, Flash cheered at her mother mouthing off the bad guy. But dreaded upon what would happen now. 

“So be it.” Night Rogue gestured to his minions as a pair approached Flash and Scootaloo, intent on grabbing them. 

But the musician refused to let that happen. He kicked a rifle out of one of the Guardians’ hands grabbed it. He spun around and used the blade to slice through the arms of the other. While it was stunned, he spun the rifle around and bashed it against the robot’s helmet. He then turned and fired at the line of robots that tried to close in from behind. 

“Flash?!” Both Mother and daughter stared at his incredible feet. The tomboy wondered when her brother became such a badass. The mother wondered how he even learned to fire a gun in the first place.

“Get down you two!” The two complied and scrambled for covers he fired at the other robots. The Faust Guardians returned fire, prompting Flash to dive behind a trash can and avoid the shots. He even aimed to shoot at Night Rogue, but the ammunition simply bounced off his armor. The bat themed man seemed to be annoyed by the action.

Flash growled as he felt useless in this situation. He could’ve transformed and take them on if his family weren’t here. Now all he had to make due was a rifle that did nothing to the big bad. 

“Well, it would seem your son chose for you. Good. I was afraid this would be boring.” He turned the dial of the Steam Blade and aimed it at the armed teen. 

“ELEK STEAM!”

A burst of blue electricity shot out of the weapon’s barrel and electrocuted Flash. He screamed as millions of volts surged through his body, causing him to spasm and drop his weapon. 

“FLASH!” Misty and Scootaloo yelled. The former turned to Night Rogue, her face set in desperation. “Just stop it! I’ll do it! I’ll go with you! Just leave my son alone!”

“I’m afraid not yet.” The bat armored man replied cruelly. “You refused my initial offer and your son forced my hand. Now you must deal with the consequences.” 

“How about you pick on someone your own size?!” A familiar voice yelled out, one that made Scootaloo perk up.

“What-?” That was as far as he got before metal pipe slammed into his visor at extreme speeds. The force behind the blow made him stagger in surprise. His grip on the Steam Blade loosened, breaking off the electricity attack. 

A rainbow blur stopped in front of the mother and daughter pair, revealing herself to be the latter’s idol. 

“Rainbow Dash!” The girl exclaimed in surprise and relief. “How are you here?!”

“We heard the gunfire a couple blocks over and rushed here. Sorry we’re late, squirt.” The athlete consoled the girl and her mother. “Don’t worry, we got this.”

“Wait, we?” Misty questioned. 

Just as Night Rogue regained his focus, a cupcake splattered onto his helmet. A second later, the dessert detonated and sent him stumbling. “Dammit!”

“Step away from our friends and their mother!” Pinkie Pie yelled, holding cookies and cake pops between her fingers. The party planner mentally noted that the explosion from the cupcake should’ve been bigger, but remained frosty. Sunset, Twilight, and Fluttershy rushed over to Flash, making sure that the teen was still alive. Thankfully, he was after a quick pulse check. 

But as the group gathered, the Faust Guardians surrounded them. They open fired at them, but a wall of diamond constructs appeared and shielded them from the projectiles. While keeping her friends protected, Rarity conjured another pair of constructs to use as disc blades and slice through the shooters. Some managed to avoid getting hit with a quick retreat. 

One of them tried to shoot again before an orange hand punched a hole through its chest from behind. “Git outta here ya varmints!” Applejack growled as she lifted and threw the robot at its comrades, causing them to crash to the ground. Just as they tried to rearm themselves, Twilight grabbed their weapons with her magic and pulled them out of their hands. 

Night Rogue stood up after wiping off the soot from his face. “What an annoying surprise. Didn’t think we’d encounter you girls here.”

“Yeah? Well we’re here now, buddy.” Rainbow said as she smacked the pipe in her hands. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity lined up to form a protective wall for the family and their friends. The farm girl cracked her knuckles while the fashionista twirled a diamond construct in the air. The party planner took a bite out of one of her cookies before glaring at the bat man. 

“So it seems. But while your little parlor tricks work on my Guardians…you stand no chance against me.”

“Wanna bet?” Applejack tipped her setson hat with a glare.  

“No bet…” Night Rogue replied as he raised the Steam Blade. The tip crackled with lightning. “It is solid fact.” 

“ELEK STEAM!” 

He aimed and shot a blast of lightning at the group like before. Rarity conjured up a layered array of shields to intercept the attack.  

Sparks and bolts flew as the attack impacted the shield. The girl struggled to keep the defense up, but the shield up true. 

But during the bright light show, none of them noticed Night Rogue charging in and slashed at the barrier. 

“ICE STEAM!”

Instead of electricity, the attack conjured a burst of ice that froze the shields in place. As their vision became obscured once more, none of them notice Night Rogue appear from their exposed flank with inhumane speed. 

No one except Rainbow Dash. Seeing her friends in trouble, she rushed in and slammed her pipe against the bat man’s blade. But the blade proved to be superior as it sliced through the metal object with ease. Night Rogue followed up with a strong spin kick that flung Rainbow Dash away. The girl tumbled to Misty’s and Scootaloo’s feet. 

The Bat man tried to shoot the girls with electricity again, but a fluctuating, magenta aura surrounded his blade. Twilight tried to pull the weapon out of his hands, but struggled in doing so. It felt like when she tried to lift Build with her magic. 

While it didn’t disarm Night Rogue, it certainly caught his attention as he spun around and aimed the Transteam gun at her. With the Bat bottle in the gun’s slot, power gathered at the tip of the barrel. With a simple pull of the trigger, she’d be nothing but a cinder. 

And yet…he was unable to pull it. His finger trembled over the trigger for some reason. Using this moment of hesitation, Rarity conjured up an array of shields around her friends as Applejack punched him from behind. 

But as her fist made contact, instead of sending him flying like she intended, all she did was nudge him. Snapped out of it, Night Rogue turned to the farm girl, a nervous grin crossing her lips. “Ehehe…howdy.”

The Bat man was unamused and backhanded her away. As he did, several candies and pastries fell around his feet. He looked up and saw the pink haired party planner throwing more around him instead of directly at him. 

He opened his mouth to question her madness but was silenced by the chain explosions beneath his feet. The force sent him into the air before he landed harshly on the ground. The Rainbooms got up and stood around him warily. As they did, with Sunset’s and Fluttershy’s help, Flash stirred awake, much to the relief of his family. 

“…It would seem I underestimated you…” Rogue admitted, dusting off his armor. 

“Heh. Guess your facts are wrong, pal.” Rainbow Dash smirked as he grabbed the remains of her pipe. “We got you outnumbered and, by the looks of it, outclassed. What can you possibly do now?”

“…this.” Night Rogue snapped his fingers. As a unit, all intact Guardians stood, gathered into a perfect formation and turned, their bodies expanding and ripping through their suits. They then stacked on top of one another to form a towering, bipedal mech. 

The Metal Gear copy roared upon its completion before it loomed over the girls. Rainbow Dash had dropped her pipe while a jawbreaker fell out of Pinkie’s hair.

“…oh.”

To make matters worse, the mech had armed itself with guns upon assembly and fired indiscriminately. Rarity hastily erected a barricade of diamond shields to protect her friends and Flash’s family. The stun bullets ricocheted off the faceted surfaces, keeping the people safe. But while the mech had them distracted, Night Rogue’s armor exuded copious amounts of steam that concealed his body. When it faded, he was nowhere to be seen. 

Sunset, who kept watch, noticed his disappearance. “Where did he go?!”

She was answered by the surprised yelp of Misty Veil. All eyes turned to her as they saw Night Rogue keep a tight grip on her arm and pulled her away from Scootaloo. 

“Mom!” Both of her children cried. Flash tried to head over but his limbs failed him. His body was still numb from the electric shock while Rainbow held Scootaloo back and shielded her from the Bat themed man. 

“You should’ve taken my initial offer.” Night Rogue reprimanded the woman, who continued to struggle. Pinkie Pie drew her arm back to pelt him with exploding marshmallows. But she stopped when Night Rogue pressed the Steam Blade to her throat. “I don’t think so. Try anything funny, and I cannot guarantee her safety.”

“You bastard!” Flash growled as he willed his limbs to move, with minimal success. The girls were just as angered by his cowardly, tactics. 

“Fortunately for you, though…” The black and silver warrior told Misty. “You’re more valuable to us alive than dead…for now…” Before the others could stop him, his armor produced steam once more that enveloped both him and Misty Veil. Rainbow rushed in to try and take her back. But all she did was run through the mist and stir empty air. 

Both figures had vanished. 

“Mom!” Scootaloo cried as she ran to the spot where their mother once was. Flash could only watch with wide eyes and a distraught face. He bit his lower lip until it bled and pressed his forehead to the concrete below him. 

His body trembled as tears leaked through his shut eyes. He was useless. He could’ve saved her. To hell with his cover, he could’ve transformed, fought off Night Rogue, and saved his mother. So why didn’t he?!

The girls stared at the musician in sympathy and guilt. They had magic, but they couldn’t do anything to stop Misty from being taken. 

But their pity party was disrupted as the mech approached and kicked some of the diamond shields aside. It crouched down and roared at their faces. 

“Crap! Forgot about this guy!” The athlete growled. 

“Buzz off, ya varmint!” Applejack ran at the mech and punched it in the face. The impact blew some of the robots off its face, taking off its head and causing it to backpedal. The girls got their hopes up, feeling a sense of accomplishment after damaging the monstrosity. 

But it all came crashing down when the robots started to reattach themselves onto the mech, reassembling its head. 

“Oh come on! It can regenerate too?!” Rarity exclaimed. 

Pinkie Pie threw a jawbreaker at the mech. The spherical piece of sugar struck and blew its leg off. However, like before, it rebuilt its body from the scattered pieces and roared. “….this is just like chapter 5 all over again…”

The Guardian mech trained its guns and fired at them. Rarity put up another shield as they all gathered behind it. “Now’s not the time for crazy talk, Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow exclaimed. “What are we gonna do?!”

As the girls tried to think of a way to take down the mech once and for all under heavy gunfire, they were answered by the roaring engine of a motorcycle. 

Everyone was surprised; even the mech stopped its onslaught to turn towards the interloper. The girls and Flash peered out from behind their cover to see the hooded Cross-Z charging at them on the Machine Builder. In his hand was the Beat Cross-Zer. 

To their added surprise, he removed his other hand from the handlebars to pull the pommel on the sword once. 

HIT PARADE!

Power gathered in the blade as Sol hopped and stood on the seat of the Machine Builder as it drove itself automatically. 

SMASH HIT!

Once he got in close, he jumped up and swung his weapon at the Guardian Mecha’s weak point; the blade ignited in blue flames as it tore through the keystone robot keeping the machine together. 

He landed back on the Machine Builder as her swerved to a stop. Behind him, the mech fell apart before exploding in a fiery blast. 

Once the blast subsided, Rarity deactivated her shield, leaving the gang in awe of what happened. Sol got off the back and approached them, silently wondering how the heck he managed to pull that move off on the fly. 

“Is everyone okay? I heard the gunfire and came as fast as I could.”

“We….we’re fine but…b-but…” Scootaloo couldn’t say it. Once the adrenaline died down, the weight of what happened finally set in. 

“Why…?” Flash mumbled as he pulled himself up, finally regaining the feeling in his body. Before the others could react, he ran at Sol, grabbed him by the front of his jacket, and yelled in his face. “What the hell took you so damn long?!”

“Wh-what?!” Beneath his mask, Sol was startled. He hadn’t seen Flash this mad since the Faust warehouse. 

“Why weren’t you here?! If you’d been here she would’ve….My mom would still be…!” His voice croaked with despair as his grip finally loosened. 

He collapsed on his knees, strength leaving his body. “She’s…gone…I….I couldn’t….save her…” He hunched over and slammed a fist onto the ground. “I couldn’t save her!” 

Sol then realized what he was saying. He mentally kicked himself. He had been too slow. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t known about the attack until Micro alerted him. He still failed. Sol crouched down and assured Flash. He spoke softly enough so only he could hear. “I’m sorry. But I promise you, we will find her and get her back, Flash.”

The musician could only silently nod, afraid of his own voice failing him. The masked fighter then saw the Rainbooms approach. Now aware of their magic powers, he decided it was too dangerous for him to stay. 

“I’m sorry…” he apologized. “But I need to track the bad guys down.” He spun on his heel and ran back to the Machine Builder before he shot off on the pavement. 

Under normal circumstances, the girls wouldn’t let an opportunity of getting answers from one of the city’s vigilantes slip by. 

But today wasn’t a normal circumstance. The girls stared at the siblings. Flash continued to punch the ground. Sunset and Fluttershy had to gently stop him from hurting himself further. Rainbow Dash held the sobbing Scootaloo in the hug. 

All the while, Twilight Sparkle wondered one thing: why didn’t Build show up? 





“Did you find anything, Micro?” Sol asked as he drove through the streets of Canterlot. After the encounter with Flash, he immediately contacted Micro about the situation. Because of their slow uptake, Flash’s mother was kidnapped by Faust. “Do you know there they might’ve gone?”





Back at the lab, Micro and Sandalwood looked over a map of Canterlot City and schematics for the Transteam Gun, the latter rushing over the moment Micro called him about the situation. “I’m going through the Transteam Gun data right now.” Micro answered. 

“Why?”

“Because since Night Rogue’s using one, I thought it’d be best to understand their teleportation ability. Apparently, they can only move thirty to forty meters away from their designated spot at a time.” 

“So what you’re saying is….they could be anywhere in the city and change places again and again?” Sol asked in dismay.

“I’m afraid so. And my drone can’t be everywhere at once….I really should build more of them for situations like these.”

“Yeah man. But how are we gonna break it to Flash…?” Sandalwood asked. 

None of them had an answer.





Later that night…

Misty Veil was forced down into a chair in an enclosed room. The only light was generated from a single lamp overhead. She was held down by a pair of guardians with two more flanking her. In front of her was a metal door that soon swung open. 

“Hello there~” Stalk greeted as he waltzed into the room. Following the Cobra was Night Rogue in a more professional gait. “How’s our little guest doing? Everything alright? Chair comfy? Lighting good?”

“Who are you two?!” Misty demanded, showing no fear. “What does Faust want with me?”

“Oho! Straight to the point I see. I appreciate a woman like that.” Stalk pulled up a chair from the side and turned it so the back faced her. He plopped down, leaned his arms on the backrest, and faced her. Night Rogue stood behind, gun in hand. “We’ll just cut to the chase…tell us what you know about Pandora’s Box.”

“I…I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean…” Misty tried to lie, but was replied by a swift jab to her shoulder by a rifle. 

“Ah, ah, ah…no reason to lie, Misty Veil. We know you’re the head researcher of OOParts, and Pandora’s Box is just one of them. You’ve been studying it the past eighteen years making you the sole person that knows more about it than anyone! Also…” He leaned in close so that her reflection could be seen on his teal visor. “It’d be best if you told the truth from now on. Otherwise I cannot promise the safety of your children if you fail to cooperate. We simply let them go as a courtesy to you. But….there’s nothing stopping us from hunting them down and killing them while we force you to watch.”

Misty swallowed. The man before her had every intention of carrying out that threat. The fate of her children was well within his hand. So she complied.  “…Why are you after the Box?”

“Why? Now that’s a silly question.” The Cobra chortled. “We all know that that Box generates mysterious energy. And your little division is charged with understanding and harnessing its properties. Simply put…we want it.”

“But how do you even know about it?” The researcher questioned. “Our security is top notch. We keep the Box under twenty-four hour surveillance with armed guards.”

“Oh, that’s simple.” Stalk snapped before gesturing to his associate. Night Rogue stepped forward into the light. “…We have a man on the inside…” The Cobra snapped his fingers as the Bat dismissed his transformation. 

Misty Veil felt a sense of dread grow as her eyes widened upon seeing his true identity. “Th-that’s…! Impossible…! You….you’re…!!!”

“Ah, ah, ah!” Stalk covered her mouth with his hand while wagging a finger with his other. “No spoilers~”

“I am the leader of Faust.” The man told her. “Just as Stalk claimed; comply or your children will die.”

“There you have it.” Stalk said as he removed his hand from Misty’s mouth and placed it on her head. “Tell us everything you know about Pandora’s Box.”





The Next Day…

To say that Flash and Scootaloo were distraught would be an understatement. 

After the conclusion of their mother’s abduction, the police and ambulances arrived. They were asked questions as their injuries were treated. The same happened to the Rainbooms. Once everything had ended, the two siblings were escorted back home.

Neither one had the heart to even gone to school the following morning.

How could they? Their mother got kidnapped by a secret, evil organization and they have no idea where to start looking or if she’s even alright. 

His phone had been flooded with messages since then. Most of them from the Rainbooms, asking if he was alright. He generally ignored them. He knew they meant well, but he wanted to be alone for the moment. 

The same went to his friends. They kept him updated for any possible leads. He only replied with one or two word answers. 

Scootaloo locked herself in her room, only leaving for food or to use the bathroom. Flash sat despondently on the couch, staring off into space. His mind flashed back to the attack. Why did he hesitate? If he had transformed, he could’ve fought them off. Or at least, he could’ve prevented his mom’s abduction. 

Why did he prioritize his secrecy over his family? Sure he fought off some of the Guardians, but he was no match for Night Rogue. He was taken out in one shot. 

What he didn’t understand was why Faust had left him and his sister alone. If the really wanted his mom, why didn’t they take them as a means of insurance? It just didn’t make sense. 

As he pondered, the doorbell rang. Confused by who it was, he got up and looked through the peephole. 

It was Shining Armor. 

Flash unlocked the door and opened it. “….Can I help you?”

“Hey, Flash.” Shining greeted, his tone solemn. “How are you holding up?”

“…Okay, I guess.” The musician shrugged. 

“I see. Mind if I step in for a second? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Unless you got news about my mom being found or something, I don’t think I’m in the mood.”

“Please, Flash.” The officer pleaded. “This is important. And I’m sorry, but we haven’t found Misty Veil yet, but the police are doing their best to find her. Just…please.”

“…Fine…” Flash stepped aside and Shining Armor entered the building. They soon found themselves seated on the couch. “So what did you want to talk about?”

“….I heard everything from Twilight.” He admitted. “You and your sister were lucky to get away from there alive.”

“Yeah? It would’ve been better if all of us had gotten out of there.” Flash said bitterly. “….I could’ve done something….anything to save her. But that Bat guy knocked me out with one blow and I was useless!”

“You did all you could. You were outnumbered, but you still fought to save your family.” 

“But I still failed.” Flash argued. “Now Faust has my mom and they’re doing who knows what to her! I don’t even know if she’s alive or dead now!”

“If what Twilight told me was true, then she’s most likely alive. Faust seemed to want her intact instead of killing her.” Shining Armor reasoned. 

“But still…I could’ve done more….I should’ve done more…” He clenched his folded hands tighter. 

"You did all you could.” Shining reassured. “You trying to protect your family with nothing but your martial arts....I believe it was right for you to do. All you were doing was to protect your mom and sister. That is never wrong. But even now, I can't help but worry about Faust."

His words made the Rider pause and turned to him with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, even though I've been assigned to lead the investigation unit against Faust, I'm still terrified when we eventually find them.” The police officer explained. “I mean, since I'm involved, what if they retaliate and go after my family after they slip away?"

"Shining Armor..."

"I know I told you all about courage, but even now, I'm still scared. I hate to admit it, but at times like these, I wish I could fight with a mask like Build. If I could keep my identity a secret, then I can go after Faust whenever I want without consequence towards me family." The man admitted.

The musician remained silent as he processed these words. He never thought of it that way. But Shining Armor was right. It stung that he failed to save his mom, but knowing Faust, he would get another chance to save her. 

“I know this may be rather abrupt but…do you wanna play a game to take your mind off things?” Shining gestured to the console hooked up to the living room television.





While Shining Armor spoke with Flash, the Rainbooms took the opportunity to keep an eye on the rest of Team Build at school. They had been worried when Flash failed to respond to their messages, and hoped that Micro, Sandalwood, and Sol might know more. 

All they could explain to the girls was that Flash was extremely distraught over what happened yesterday. They didn’t blame him since his mother was taken. But they explained no further than that.

Unfortunately, this still had not dissuaded the girls’ suspicion over the male group.

“…They’re still watching us, aren’t they?” Sol asked his friends with a bland expression at lunch. Several tables over, Pinkie Pie had focused her attention on them with a pair of binoculars. 

“Yep.” Micro nodded as he ate his meal. 

“I swear…I know they’re suspicious of us, but this is getting ridiculous! Earlier today, I found Pinkie Pie spying on me in the bathroom! Who does that?!”

“Don’t question Pinkie Pie.” The two teens replied simultaneously. 

“But still dude…what are we gonna do?” Sandalwood asked in a whisper. “If they’re onto us, it’ll be harder for us sneak away if a Smash attacks.”

“We can probably sneak away in the confusion if it’s right near us. If not, then we can just resort to Crozz’s copy function to draw their attention.”

Just as he said that, Micro’s phone beeped. He pulled it out and clicked his tongue. “As I thought! Another attack two blocks down.”

“I’m on it!” Sol shoveled the rest of his lunch into his mouth before rushing out of the cafeteria. The rest of Team Build was wary as the Rainbooms followed him. 

The girls kept their distance but kept him within sight. They passed through a series of hallways before he made a sharp turn through a corner. They made their way around and only saw the fighter calmly stroll down the corridor. The Rainbooms quietly followed but remained out of sight. Once they moved past an empty classroom door, said door opened up and Sol Burner poked his head out. 

“At times like these, I’m glad to bring Crozz to school.” He had used Crozz’s Ninja function to create a copy of himself to distract the girls. Thankfully, it seemed to work. He quietly snuck away and made his way to the site of the attack.

Meanwhile, the girls stopped in front of the boy’s bathroom where they saw Sol walk into.

“Darn it!” 

“Don’t worry Dashie, boys pee fast! He’ll be out of there soon. We got him!” Pinkie Pie said. 

But as the seconds passed, time flew until it had been ten minutes. 

“…He sure is taking a long time…” Fluttershy commented. 

“…Maybe its number two?”

“That’s it! I can’t take it!” Without any reply from her friends, Rainbow pushed the door open and walked in.

“Rainbow Dash! We can’t go in there!” The girls tried to pull her back before someone saw them.

“Come on out, Sol! We got questions to ask!” However, as she entered the boy’s bathroom, there was no one there. It was completely empty. 

The only sign that someone had been here was the open window on the upper part of the wall by one of the stalls. But considering the height and how small the opening was, there was no way he was able to get out that way.

“I don’t believe it! Where did he go?!”





While the girls were tailing Sol, Shining Armor and Flash were in the middle of their third round of Smash. Just as one of them was about to win, Shining’s cell phone went off. 

“Oh, sorry. I gotta take this.” They paused the game as he answered. “Hello?...Wait, seriously?! Where?!...Okay, got it!”

“Did something happen?” Flash asked curiously. 

“Sorry, but I gotta go. There’s been another Smash attack downtown, and the chief’s sending us to mitigate damage.”

“O-Okay, good luck!”

“Thanks!” The officer left the household as Flash was deep in thought. He then got a text from Micro, repeating the news he just learned regarding the Smash. 

His mind flashed back to the previous battles he fought. The Smashes he battled ended up being people that were previously kidnapped. If his hunch was right, then there was a good chance that this next Smash….was his mother. 

His resolve hardened as he grabbed the Build Phone and ran out the door, leaving a note for his sister that he would return shortly. 





When a disguised Sol Burner ran through the streets to reach the Smash, he didn’t know what to expect. 

He certainly did not expect to see so much collateral damage already. In the middle of it all, punching cars through buildings, was a bulky Smash with large fists. It greatly resembled the Strong Smash that Flash had fought when he first became Build. But instead of orange and blue, its entire body was a bleak, metallic gray. 

The Smash roared as it threw even more vehicles off to the side or simply punched them through walls. It was on a rampage. 

“Well…guess this will be a bit harder…” Sol mused before he pulled out the Dragon Bottle and shook it. Once his fists became swallowed in blue flames, he charged at the mutant and punched it in the back. At first, he had expected it to be thrown off its feet from the impact like the previous Smashes he fought. 

He was greatly surprised when his momentum stopped and felt his knuckles throb. The Smash turned around, barely fazed by the punch, and moved to counter attack. 

Seeing the fist swing at him, Sol’s instincts told him to duck so he did. The appendage impacted the lamp post, causing the metal to crumple like paper. The fighter gulped. If he hadn’t ducked, he probably would’ve gotten more than a few broken bones.  

He quickly rolled away and put distance between them. If his fists wouldn’t work, then how about a sword? He pressed a button on his watch and the Beat Cross-Zer materialized in hand. He held it in a steady two handed grip as the Strong Smash lumbered forth and swung. He dodged the first swung and dragged his blade through its side.

Once he moved past it, he spun around and delivered an overhead swing to its back. Sparks flew when blade met Smash flesh. He quickly pulled the pommel. 

HIT PARADE!

Blue Flames gathered along the blade when he raised it once more. But to his shock, the Smash spun around, faster than before with a fist reared back. He hastily lowered the Beat Cross-Zer as a makeshift shield to block the attack. 

The impact sent him flying backward, causing him to crash into a nearby car. His body left an indent on the metal plating, winding him. His grip on his weapon loosened as his body collapsed in a daze. 

A disguised Flash Sentry pulled up on the Machine Builder. He arrived in time to witness what appeared to be the Strong Smash punch Sol into a car, causing the metal plating to crumple under the force. 

“CROSS-Z!” Flash called out in worry. He got off the bike and ran to help him, but a familiar, frustrating chuckle, stopped him in his tracks. 

“Well, this is a surprise.” The Rider snapped his head to the right to see Blood Stalk. The red armored man sat at an outdoor café table with his feet propped up. In his hands were a saucer and a tea cup with a pinkie finger out. “You’re actually late to the party.”

“Stalk…” Flash growled, already strapping the driver to his waist. 

“Now, now…” The man took a sip of his drink….somehow consuming it through his helmet. “…Should you really be concerned about me? If you stall any longer, that Smash is going to take out your little friend. But I’m truly impressed. That tenacity can only be from a mother who would give anything for her children…” 

As the words clicked in his mind, Flash was filled with a sense of dread. His theory had been confirmed. “You…you mean….she’s…”

“Yes. That Strong Smash Hazard right there? Used to be a woman named Misty Veil, a woman who we took because you didn’t even appear to save her. Now her poor children are distraught with worry because you failed as a hero.” He downed the last of his drink. Once he emptied the cup, he tossed it and the saucer over his shoulder and stood up. “Now don’t mind me.” He pulled out the Transteam Gun and pulled the trigger. 

He vanished in a cloud of mist before he appeared over Sol and grabbed him. “…But I’m going to take little Sol Burner here for a bit. You can handle the Smash in the meantime…if you can…” He broke out in a fit of laughter as both figures vanished in a cloud of steam. 

“Hey, wait!” Flash cried, but was too late to stop him. As that were left was himself and his mother. The Strong Smash threw the car away after it realized its target was gone. Then it turned and noticed him. Flash pulled out his signature Best Match to fight, but couldn’t bring himself to shake the bottles. No matter how he perceived it, all he saw in the Smash’s place was his mother. 

How can a child expect to fight his own mother like that? Lethargically, his hands dropped. He didn’t even notice the Smash rush up to him, a fist closing in on his face. 

Said fist was intercepted by a diamond shield. 





“Guh!” Sol grunted as Stalk through him on the ground. The fighter pulled himself up as his senses re-focused. He then realized that he was standing on the roof of a building. 

“Guess you got your second wind.” Stalk taunted as he fiddled with the Steam Blade in his hand. “Why don’t you and I play for a bit while your friend handles the Smash below?”

“You bastard!” Sol yelled as he swung the Beat Cross-Zer repeatedly. Stalk effortlessly weaved around each attack before he parried the final strike and pushed him off. 

“Wow, you are just clumsy with that sword of yours, aren’t ya?” He was greeted by a spin kick to the face. Stalk backed away whilst shaking his head from the blow. He casually raised the blade to stop Sol’s overhead swing. 

As the fighter was forced off, he spun around and pulled the sword’s pommel.

HIT PARADE!

As he came around, the blade burned with azure flames. 

SMASH HIT!

However, Stalk anticipated the attack and countered with his Steam Blade once more. 

ICE STEAM!

Frigid cold clashed with burning flames. The two opposing temperatures counteracted the other as a small phreatic explosion pushed the combatant away. 

“Hmph. Guess you’re not so bad after all…” Stalk dusted off his shoulder armor. “Still nothing outstanding, though.”

“Shut up!” He charged again and batted the Steam Blade aside. He then threw his fist into Stalk’s visor to shut him up. But the Cobra man caught it with ease. He held the hand in his grip and paused in contemplation. 

“Oho~! 2.7 now. You’re just growing by the day. How splendid…” He pushed Sol back and whipped out his Transteam Gun. 





When the girls tried to find Sol after the incident in the bathroom, the school fell into a lockdown due to the news of a Smash attack nearby. They would’ve complied with the procedures, but they were worried about Sol being missing during the events. After speaking with Micro and Sandalwood, they learned he never returned. 

Given the circumstances, it only solidified Twilight’s hypothesis about Sol and the others being related to the Faust issue. 

Which was precisely why they snuck away from school grounds to find the missing fighter. However, when they finally tracked down the Smash, they saw an untransformed Build about to be clobbered by it. Rarity hastily erected a shield to protect him from getting hit. Once its charge stopped, Twilight levitated a mass of debris to act as projectiles to force it away. 

Once they saw Build out of danger, the girls rejoined the Rider. Rainbow was the first to speak. 

“Why the heck are you just standing there?!”

Build stood frozen, failing to utter a response. The athlete rolled her eyes at the silent treatment. “Whatever! We’ll take care of this without your help!”

Her geode glowed as she zoomed past the Strong Smash to divert its attention away from the girls. She picked up pieces of debris to throw at the mutant. 

Instead of injuring it, it only served to infuriate the Smash even more. It ripped a lamp post from the ground before it hurled the large object at the speedy girl. She avoided the object before she regrouped with her approaching friends. 

“Careful there, Rainbow.” Applejack advised. “That thing kicked our asses last time, don’t run in there blindly.”

“I know, but we at least gotta try and beat it! Because the Rider guy won’t be of much help.”

Just as she said, Build had barely reacted. He simply stood still, lost in his own thoughts. 

“Just, c’mon!” Rainbow led the charge as Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity joined her. The ones with support-type magic, like Twilight, Fluttershy, and Sunset, pulled Build off to the side so he wouldn’t get killed by random debris. 

The girls knew that their magic had no direct effect on the Smash’s body based on prior experience. So they resorted to hit and run tactics to try and stop it. Applejack threw piece of rubble and other leftovers from the creature’s rampage, such as crumpled mailboxes and car pieces. 

Her added strength packed enough force in each throw, forcing the Smash to stumble each time. Rainbow took on the role of a distraction,  zooming around the Smash whilst striking it with broken tree branches. 

Pinkie Pie stood back and hurled a volley of sweets and confections. While the items exploded, they failed to do as much damage as they should have, much like her earlier fight with Night Rogue. 

When the Smash got to close to her friends, Rarity stopped its advance using her shields to bat it away. She also used them as disk-like weapons to keep it occupied. 

Meanwhile, Twilight had erected a barricade using smashed cars and large pieces of rubble to prevent the Smash from attacking them. 

Throughout all of this, Flash could only stand and watch. The girls, his friends, chose to fight the Smash, his mother, even though their magic had proven to be ineffective. Despite their efforts, they were gradually being beaten back. The Strong Smash grew smart and grabbed the diamond shields Rarity made then used them to swat the Rainbooms aside. 

The girls were sent tumbling to the rest of the group by the barricade.

“….Why…?” The word left his lips, alerting the girls around him. 

“Huh? Why what?” Sunset questioned. 

“…Why do you girls keep fighting when you know you can’t win?” Flash asked them. He already knew they were stubborn and determined, but why would they keep fighting against something that can actually kill them with ease? Their magic doesn’t work, the Smash was stronger than a person! So why?!

“Pft! Aren’t you supposed to be a hero?” Rainbow Dash questions as she pulled herself up. “Who cares if we can’t win?! Doesn’t mean we should just stand here and give up like you!” 

“What?”

“We got these powers here for a reason.” Applejack added as she used the barricade wall for support to stand. “After learning what we can do, we have a responsibility to do what’s right!”

“They’re right.” Sunset said next to him. “And even if something is right, it doesn’t mean that it’s easy. But we don’t care. No matter how hard it is, we will make sure we do the right thing with our magic.”

Flash stood as he reached an epiphany. His mind flashed back to the conversation he had with Shining Armor earlier. He realized that not transforming was the right course of action, as despite it being the hardest thing he had to do. 

Earlier, he was just making excuses. Even if he didn’t want to hurt her, this Smash is still his mother. It was his duty to stop her and turn her back to normal. Clenching his fist, Build leaped over the barricade and shook a new pair of Fullbottles to use.  

“So you finally decided to join in?” 

“Sorry. Just needed a swift kick to the pants. You girls take five.” He twisted the caps. “I’ll handle this.”

“HEDGEHOG!”

“FIRE ENGINE!”

“BEST MATCH!”

Despite not saying a word, he was amazed by what he heard. Did he have a Deus Ex Machina or something? Because this is another Best match he found during a fight. He shook his head to get back in the game and turned the crank. “Here we go!” The runners appeared with the white and red half-body armor pieces.

“ARE YOU READY?!”

Build fell into a fighting stance, completely determined. “Henshin!”

The runners slammed into him, donning him in a new Best Match.

“PIN-POINT RESCUE!”

“FIRE-HEDGEHOG!”

“YEAH!”

Build’s new armor was a vivid clash of red and white. The Organic armor pieces were white and spiky, reminiscent of a hedgehog with its spiked shoulder pad and morning star fist. Its Inorganic pieces were red with the design of a fire truck. Mounted on his wrist was a silver spout that resembled a fire truck’s ladder. The left eyepiece was a hedgehog while the other was a fire engine and its ladder.

The Strong Smash Hazard roared as it lumbered forward. Build simply slid a finger along the Hedgehog Eyepiece. “I’ve got the winning formula!” He charged in to meet his foe’s advance. The Smash threw a punch and Build responded in kind by smashing his right fist into it. The spikes dug into the Smash’s body, causing it to stumble. He then raised his hand and the spikes elongated, stabbing into it further. 

Once it’s held in place, Flash saw a reading on his HUD, focusing on his left arm. It gave details on the weapon, called the Multi Deluge Gun, and figured out just how to use it. He pointed his left arm at the Smash and activated it. A highly pressurized stream of water shot out and pushed the Smash back until it collided and uprooted a tree. The Strong Smash rolled along the ground as it stood back up and charged again. 

Switching tactics, Build raised his nozzle arm again. But instead of water, a stream of fire shot out and engulfed the Smash. Once it was distracted by the flames, he punched it twice with the Spine Knuckle glove and kicked it away. 

“…I’m sorry, mom.” He said under his breath before his expression grew determined beneath his helmet. “Time to end this!” He turned the crank on the Driver again.

“READY? GO!”

“VOLTECH FINISH!”

"YEAH!"

The multi Deluge Gun extended and stabbed into the Strong Smash’s body. It struggled and flailed as it became pumped full of water as it became surrounded by a white energy chart. Flash then jumped up high into the air before he dropped back down and punched the enemy with the Spine Knuckle.

The Smash exploded in a violent cloud of green gas and collapsed to the ground unconscious. Build pulled out an Empty Bottle and extracted the essence, reverting Misty Veil back to normal. “…It’s finally over…” The girls slowly approached Build once the fight had ended, hoping to get some answers from him. 

But they were interrupted by a scream of terror above them. All heads snapped up to see Cross-Z falling from the sky until he crashed on top of a wrecked car. The fighter choked as he fell on in a groaning heap. “Cross-Z!” Build yelled in concern. 

But a cloud of gray mist appeared before Blood Stalk walked out, Steam Rifle hanging lazily on his finger. “Well…that was fun…” He then glanced to the Dragon Fullbottle wielder, who managed to pull himself up from the crash. “Impressive. You managed to survive a fall from that height and still walk.” 

Sol was thinking the same thing. How the hell was he even alive from that drop?!

“You bastard!” Flash growled before he snapped over to the Rainbooms and gestured to his mother. “Make sure that she gets someplace safe!” Unable to wait for a response, he charged at the Cobra man. 

Stalk hung his head before he switched his rifle into a backhanded, melee grip and charged as well. 

Meanwhile, the girls followed Build’s orders upon seeing the condition of Misty Veil. She was unconscious and didn’t seem to respond. They carefully carried her off the site to get her proper medical treatment. 

While the two warriors clashed, a figure walked through the shadows of an alley. Their form concealed, they pulled out a black and yellow Fullbottle and a Transteam Gun. He inserted the object into its slot, allowing the weapon to charge up. 

“BAT!”

He raised the gun to his temple. “…Jouketsu.” He pulled the trigger as a cloud of black smoke completely enveloped his body, his outline flickering amidst the obscurity. 

“MIST MATCH!”

“BAT…BA-BAT….FIRE!”

From the cloud, Night Rogue stepped out, his yellow visor and chest plate glowed brightly before bursts of steam shot out from the various pipes along his body. 

He stepped out of the alley, both Transteam Gun and Steam Blade in hand.

His sudden appearance garnered the attention of the girls and Sol, who had finally regained his bearings. 

Blood Stalk and Build continued their bout, Steam Rifle clashing against the Spine Knuckle. The red armored man’s movements were fluid like a snake’s. He easily evaded any shots he made with the Multi Deluge Gun and stayed out of range of the Spine Knuckle’s elongated spikes. 

The Cobra man then noticed the new arrival once he got behind the Rider and started to choke him by pulling the rifle against his windpipe. “Oh, you’re here already?”

“You were taking too long.” Night Rogue replied. He paused as Sol rushed at him with the Beat Cross-Zer raised. He sidestepped the swing before kicking the teen back. Sol quickly recovered and pulled the pommel.

HIT PARADE!


SMASH HIT!
He swung again with a blazing blade. Night Rogue crossed his weapons in front of him and blocked the attack, despite skidding back a few inches. He pushed the sword back and swung his arm to strike the fighter with the butt of his gun. 

Sol hastily raised his sword to block the attack. The force of it caused him to stumble back. 

Back with Build, he threw his head back to strike Stalk in the face. His grip loosened allowing him to break free from the hold. He wrenched the Steam Rifle away and slammed him against a wall. He stabbed the Multi Deluge Gun into Stalk’s gut, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. 

“Why are you doing this?!” He demanded. “Just what is Faust after?!”

“Heh…that’s for me to know…” With inhumane reflexes, Blood Stalk used his free hand to yank the Multi Deluge Gun away, regain his grip, and smacked Build in the face with the butt of his rifle. While he was dazed, he kicked him away. "…And for you to stay up at night boo-hooing cause you're never finding out."

“Damn you!” Flash raised his left arm to blast him with pressurized water. But Stalk quickly pulled the trigger of his rifle, enveloping his body in steam and vanishing from sight. 

Night Rogue had done the same, leaving two alone amidst the wreckage. The wail of sirens gradually closing in from the distance, signaling their time to depart.




While Build and Cross-Z had ended their fights, the Rainbooms were one block away from the battlefield, slowly carrying Misty to the city Hospital so as to prevent aggravating her condition. As they continued, a familiar voice called out to them. 

“Guys? What are you….wait….MOM?!” Flash Sentry cried as he and Sol Burner ran up to them. The girls parted to let the blue haired guitarist hug his mother. The teen broke down crying as he held her in his arms, relieved that she is alright. 

While the girls let Flash have his moment with his mother, they turned to Sol for answers. “What are you guys even doing here? Wait, more importantly, where were you in the first place?!” 

“Why weren’t you at school when the lockdown hit?!”

“How did you meet up with Flash?!”

“How’d y’all know to come ‘ere?!”

“How come we never see you guys when Build or Cross-Z show up?!”

The fighter was bombarded with a plethora of questions, many of which he was unable to answer to on the fly. 

As the girls continued to interrogate them, their voices became drowned out by the whirr of a motorcycle. Zooming past the group was the Masked Rider Build and Cross-Z on top of the machine Builder. 

The Rainbooms were momentarily stunned by their appearance, disproving their initial suspicions between their friends and the vigilantes. Rainbow Dash was the first to snap out of it as her geode glowed. “Oh no, you don’t!” She raced after them, intent on getting the answers they seek. She followed them through the streets of Canterlot until they made a sharp turn into an alley. 

She smirked knowing that they had trapped themselves at a dead end. But when she entered the enclosed space, all she saw was thin air. There was no sign of the vigilantes or their bike. 

“What the-?! Where did they go?!” The athlete scratched her head in confusion and frustration, not noticing the small, blue, mechanical dragon fly above her head and out of sight. 





After losing track of Build and Cross-Z, the girls went back to transporting Misty Veil to the hospital with Flash and Sol in tow. They made it without further complications, and even got Misty a room quickly thanks to Sol knowing the staff, which was something they would ask later.

After the examination, everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the researcher would be okay. During this instance, Flash phoned Scootaloo about their mother, and the athletic youth ran as fast as her adolescent legs could carry her to the hospital. 

Her children stayed by her side until visiting hours were over. The Rainbooms had received a call from Principal Celestia earlier, demanding where they and Sol Burner were. All eight of them left earlier to properly inform her about circumstances in detention, a prospect that Twilight has been hyperventilating in anxiety and terror.

It was fortunate that she hadn’t passed out then and there.

Later that day, after Sol’s time in detention and Flash dropping off his sister at home, Team Build found itself in the lab once more.

All four teams sat in chairs, discussing today’s turn of events. 

“So the girls really are onto us…” Flash lamented after being told about what happened at lunch by Sol. 

“Yeah. If I didn’t have Crozz with me, I probably wouldn’t have gotten away…” Sol petted the mechanical dragon on the head.

“Indeed. But hopefully that image of Build and Cross-Z riding away would dispel said suspicions.” Micro replied. “Nice job telling Crozz what to do.”

“Didn’t take much. The little guy is incredibly smart.” The fighter tickled the critter’s chin, eliciting a pleased chirp.

“While it’s a good thing that we’re out of the Rainbooms’ eyes, for now at least, we still don’t know what Faust is planning. I don’t even know why they took my mom.”

The resident intellectual adjusted his glasses. “Well, until she recovers from the transformation, we can’t really get any answers from her. But even then, I don’t think it would be possible. In my brother’s notes, it said that reversion from Smash transformation induces short term memory loss due to the Nebula gas infused with their bodies.”

“Great…so we’re back to square one then…” Sol sighed as he kicked back in his chair. His expression then twisted into one of confusion. “…Say…you guys were watching through Crozz, right?” 

“Yeah. Why?” Sandalwood asked with a raised brow. 

“…Do you guys have any idea how I’m even alive right now?” His question startled the rest of the group. 

“What do you mean?”

The fighter sat up straight and looked at them seriously. “I mean, when the Strong Smash punched me into that car, it crumpled underneath me. But none of my bones broke from the impact. Heck, the broken glass and metal didn’t even break the skin. What’s more, after fighting Stalk on the roof, he didn’t just teleport me a few feet above a car just for shits and giggles. Guys…he tossed me off a freaking five story building!”

The team became shocked by this revelation. “Sure the car broke my fall, but I still should’ve died from the impact! Or at least seriously injured! But instead I just got up and walked it off! Sure it hurt, but nothing was broken! Just what’s happening to me?!” He had gotten out of his chair and grabbed Micro by the shoulders, desperation and confusion laced in his voice. 

Unfortunately, none of them had a solid answer. While they were aware that a greater hazard level resulted in greater strength, Sol’s own level was still below a three. And not even Flash could come out unscathed from incidents like that without the armor. 

The bespectacled teen gulped before he finally spoke. “…I….I don’t know….”

The trepidation in the air was palpable. Sol was visibly distraught while the others were befuddled. He let go of Micro and backed away into his chair. He stared at his hands as Crozz tried to comfort him. "So...what is it then...? Am I...am I some sort of freak...? Was that the reason...for all those tests...?"

The three were confused by what he meant by tests, but chose not to bring it up due to his current state. Truth be told, they were all plagued by this sense of obscurity. There was so much they did not know. Whenever they sought answers, they were denied. They continued to wander in the dark. No matter how hard they fought, they still couldn't find answers.

But it was at that point that Flash realized something. He realized what was wrong....what they were doing wrong. Instead of actively searching for answers, they had simply been waiting for Faust to make the first move and act accordingly. That was because they lacked proper focus of where to look and searched aimlessly.

After staring at his friend long and hard, the musician stood up and took action. "Guys." All heads turned to him. "I know we haven't been doing well in finding answers. But I think it’s time we take things up a notch."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about being proactively searching for once. All this time we have been waiting for Faust to make a move for answers. We have been reactive instead of proactive in our search."

"But we tried looking for them!" Micro argued. "We sent the drone to fly over the city, but still failed to find them!"

"Then maybe we were just using the wrong method." Flash countered. "Instead of falling into insanity by using the same method repeatedly, why not try something new? Maybe we can find something, or maybe not. But we won't get any closer to the truth just by taking things easy."

The more Flash spoke, the more a driving force rekindled in their chests. His words struck a chord in each of them. He was right. So what if things were a mystery now? So what if their earlier methods failed? They need to do better.

"I say it’s time to stop waiting and finally take the initiative!" Flash balled a fist. "There's no way we're just gonna let Faust walk all over us! Now, who's with me?!"

"Yeah!" All four fists were raised. The previous tension forgotten as a new spark was lit.





Later…

“Well, that could’ve gone better…” Stalk sighed as he sat on the metal railing. “Well, at least we got all that we needed from Mrs. Veil.”

“Indeed. But have you erased her memories of us to hide our tracks?” Night Rogue questioned from his chair. 

“Of course I did!” Stalk flung his hands up in the air. “I’m not some amateur, you know. Still though…” He waltzed over to the Panel that was embedded into the wall. “To think that she was organizing a little field trip from the local high schools.”

“It doesn’t matter if that’s the case or not.” The Leader of Faust added. “Nothing will stand in our way to procure the Box. We merely need the precise plan to do so…” 

The Cobra man folded his arms and tilted his head as if to contemplate. A lightbulb went off in his head as he perked up. He then walked over to the railing, eyeing the scientists below. “…I think I have just the plan…”

To Be Continued…