//------------------------------// // Mall Time Disaster // Story: Equestrian Titan // by Codex92 //------------------------------// "Oh man! I can't wait to get my hands on this new 'Ultimate Warrior Showdown'!" Garfield excitedly said. "Me too!" Rainbow added. "A whole new roster of fighters, AND a demonic villain who's supposed to be even worse than the last guy!" "Sweet!" Rainbow and Garfield continued to talk about the newly released game as the group carpooled together to the mall. "We're going to be hearing this all day, aren't we?" Twilight asked. "I really don't get these dumb, violent fighting games. Why can't there be more educational ones?" "Then that would be like learning stuff in school," Sunset said. "I mean, there are some games with challenging puzzles, although they also have some action or a strict time limit to complete them." As they got closer to the mall, Rarity looked through her phone to see if the mall's theater was playing anything good today. She talked with the others days before their little outing, figuring out a way to get Fluttershy hooked up with Garfield, and the best way was a scary movie, with the girl clinging onto her man at a horrifying scene or a jumpscare for protection. Even though Fluttershy won't be fond of watching creepy, terrifying, or gory scenes, she'll at least be able to hold onto Garfield and be a small step closer to upgrading their relationship from friends to a lovely couple. They finally arrived after finding a decent parking spot, the lot nearly filled with many other gaming fans, frequent shoppers, moviegoers, or groups wanting to hang out in the mall's food court for the day. The inside of the massive building was packed, many different stores bustling with activity, some of the security on staff wandering about to make sure no one caused any trouble. "Man, this mall is huge," Garfield said. Being guided by the girls, they found the game store that had the game he desperately wanted to try out. There were cutouts of some of the characters and a couple banners to announce the hyped game of the year, though the doors were closed while employees inside were getting things ready for what they expect to be a busy rush. There was already a lone of people waiting for the store to open, most of them teens who can't wait to buy "Ultimate Warrior Showdown". "Oh boy...it's gonna be a while until it opens. I hate waiting!" "How about we watch a movie until it does?" Rarity suggested, getting knowing looks from all but Fluttershy. "Yeah! And movie theater popcorn and candy is always the best!" Pinkie added. "Ooh! Is the new 'Cutie Critter Crew' movie playing today!?" Fluttershy asked excitedly. "I don't think so, but there's a better one I found," Rarity said. "What is it?" Fluttershy asked. "W-W-W-We're...w-watching t-t-t-this!?" Fluttershy shivered frightfully, the gang reaching the theater and her enthusiasm gone with a pale face after Rarity asked the clerk for tickets to a horror movie: "The Dead Rise Again" "Sweet! A zombie movie!" Garfield cheered. "I don't care if I didn't see the prequel yet! I love horror movies!" "We should have a sleepover marathon and watch all the scary movies we can get our hands on," Rainbow suggested. "N-No thank you!" Fluttershy squeaked, still shaking as they got in line to get some snacks at the concession stand. After getting their popcorn, candy, and drinks, Pinkie with both arms full of goodies, they found the room where their movie was playing, trailers for future films already underway before getting to what everyone wanted to see. After finding a few empty seats, Rarity made sure that Garfield and Fluttershy sat beside each other, ensuring that Fluttershy would only grasp onto her crush and neither of them, or someone else who sat around them. Things seemed to be going ok at first, but when the creepy and scary zombies and monsters in the movies started showing up, instead of Fluttershy screaming and holding Garfield, he did the exact same thing. It was the least masculine thing any of the girls have seen someone like Garfield do, and his shrieking sounded more like Fluttershy's as they both held each other in fear. Rarity grumbled, her expected romantic gesture she expected ended up flopping because of the green teen's cowardice for scary movies after saying how much he likes the genre. Once the movie was finally over, with a promise of a sequel after a shocking twist at the end, everyone filed out, ignoring their other fellow audience members commenting on the film. "Well, that has to be the most humiliating thing I've seen," Rarity grumbled. "I thought it was pretty spooky!" Pinkie said. "But can't they come up with another idea of how the infection starts besides some dangerous chemicals 'accidentally' leaking out when someone tries to take the scientist's work?" "I was talking about Garfield," Rarity corrected, the young man she mentioned now all giddy after watching the movie while Fluttershy was still shaking like a leaf. "Well, they were both holding each other when the zombies started popping in out of nowhere," Rainbow mentioned, making sure the future couple didn't hear them. "Doesn't that count?" "But it's not romantic!" Rarity seethed, gritting her teeth irritably. "Ugh...I swear, whatever's going on in that boy's head is worse than what goes on in Pinkie's. No offense, darling." "Eh, even I don't know what goes on in my head half the time," Pinkie said, shrugging off the comment. "You all have no idea," Sunset grimaced, still recalling the first, and last time ever, delving into Pinkie's head when she discovered her unique magic power. "We'll have to come up with a plan B," Rarity said. "Or maybe we should let them get together on their own instead of tryin' to hook them up on blind dates they ain't aware of," Applejack said. "But Fluttershy's not used to talking with others, let alone a boy she has a crush on," Rarity whined. "And Garfield...well, boys can be a bit dense when it's obvious a girl likes him. And he's one of those kinds of boys." "Is that why you don't have a date?" Rainbow asked teasingly. Rarity gasped, turning to glare at Rainbow with her fuming red. The others laughed at her reaction, though it was her fault for stating what she believed was a fact, and she had her own share of crushes that failed to notice her and her flirting, at least when she did it on purpose to get her way. The group left the theater and made their way to the game store, where a huge line formed, the store now opened and filing customers went in to buy the new release or any other games they had on their shelves. "Hope they have enough copies before we get up there," Garfield uttered to himself. As he reached into his pockets, the one where he kept his wallet was empty. Yelping, he patted down his pants, only feeling his new phone. "Oh, shoot! My wallet must have fallen out of my pocket during the movie! H-Hold my spot in line! I'll be right back!" "And if one of us has to buy the game for you if you don't make it back, you're paying us back!" Rainbow called out as Garfield was already sprinting back to the movie theater. Slowly, the line moved, customers ahead of them ecstatic of their new game or the featured new release that was announced. The girls managed to reach the store entrance, where they heard someone discussing different games, old classics, game developers, and updates or new releases this year or in the coming year everyone's been waiting for. "Almost there," Sunset excitedly said. "Hope Garfield gets back quick. Not sure how many copies are left." Suddenly, the television sets in the store started to break into static, interrupting some important news regarding the new game to many fans' disappointment. "Hey, what's going on?" one of the employees questioned, grabbing a remote and tried fixing the problem, to no avail. The static finally faded, only to have a portly looking young man standing in place of the person who was on the screen earlier. He wore a black overcoat, the shoulders shaped more like shoulder guards on a set of armor with the top being a silverish-gray, a tan vest with a brown shirt underneath, a brown sash worn across his chest, which held what looked like small T.V. guides, brown fingerless gloves, brown pants, and tannish-gray boots. His orange hair was in a sort of mullet style, both sides of his long, upper-back length hair draped over his shoulders, part of the back of his hair tied in a ponytail that was almost hard to notice, and jagged sideburns. "Greetings, fellow gamers!" the mysterious person interrupted. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled gaming news to bring you this!" "What the heck happened?" the manager questioned, clearly upset with someone tampering with their store's electronics. "Do not adjust your sets! I'm in full control now!" the young man said. "This mall now belongs to me: Control Freak!" "Uhh, is this some kind of practical joke?" Pinkie asked. "Because this is a weird prank." "This is not a joke!" Everyone looked at the screens in shock, able to hear them, even though they have no idea where the show was broadcasting from. "Now, I want you all to bow down before me, or face my wrath!" The store was silent for a few seconds, only to be followed by uproarious laughter. Control Freak glowered at them, his eye twitching before his frown turned into a wicked smirk. "Very well, then. Behold the power I possess, plebeians!" Pulling out a black remote controller with red buttons from under his coat, he aimed it at them, pressing a button with a flash coming from the end. Another flash lit up the cutouts of the warriors from the new game: a knight in gold armor with a spear and shield, a ninja in a black full-body gi, a brutish barbarian wielding a massive hammer, and a dark samurai wielding a katana. Their eyes began glowing red, and they started to move, startling those who were standing beside the cutouts as they swung with their held weapons. Everyone screamed in panic, fleeing the store and the living warriors coming to life, along with the cash registers and video game cases Control Freak manipulated to life with his powerful remote. "Quick, everyone get out of here!" Sunset quickly ordered, even though most of them were already thinking that the moment video game character cutouts came to life and swiped at them. Once the girls filed out after the customers and employees, Control Freak transported himself from the T.V. and appeared inside the store, cackling darkly as he investigated the racks of games he didn't animate with his remote. "Just who is this guy!?" "And what kind of magic is he using to make everything come to life!?" Twilight asked. "Whatever it is, he's not taking over the mall!" Rainbow said. Control Freak walked out with his warrior entourage, along with some of the games he stole. "Huh. Some of these titles and box covers aren't all that different from what we have back in our world. Interesting." "Hey!" Rainbow called out. Control Freak looked up, only to yelp in shock when a rainbow blur whizzed by, smacking aside the ninja cutout. Rainbow skid to a halt alongside her friends, each of the girls with their defensive magic ready to stop this mysterious villain. "Your not going anywhere, buddy!" "What the-? Did you just...?" Control Freak growled irritably after nearly getting sideswiped by the super swift teen. "I thought this place didn't have any superpowered teens, but I guess I had my hopes up too high." "Put everything back where they were and leave, or prepare for a whooping, tubby!" Rainbow taunted. "I'm not fat! I'm big-boned!" Control Freak stated. "And if you think I'm just going to give up to a bunch of girls, think again! Attack, my minions!" The four cutout warriors let out battle cries and charged toward the girls, along with the monster games and registers from the game store. "Ugh. Come on, wallet," Garfield muttered, looking around where they sat in the theater to find his missing wallet. Thankfully, the next screening wasn't for another half hour, and the ushers let him in after explaining his situation. He found it under his seat, breathing a sigh of relief as he picked it up. "Must have slipped out while I was freaking out with Fluttershy. I gotta ask Rarity if she can find me some pants with pockets that aren't so loose." He left the theater room with his wallet safely tucked in his pocket, whistling joyfully in eagerness, ready to get his new game and play it until late in the night. Right as he was about to leave, he heard screams coming from outside. Through the glass windows of the movie theater's entrance, he was surprised to see several inanimate objects roaming around, terrorizing the mall shoppers, and his friends were going around stopping these living items and rescuing the helpless civilians. "Everything's coming to life!" he heard someone scream as they ran past the movie theater. "Everyone get out of the mall!" Sunset ordered, escorting everyone along with Fluttershy, the others left to deal with the living electronics, toys, and even food. "What is going on out there?" Garfield asked, finding this random attack somehow familiar to him. He then heard a familiar laugh, and when he saw who it belonged to, his jaw literally hit the floor in both shock and disbelief. Causing trouble with a familiar-looking remote control that made anything he pointed at come alive with a click was the Teen Titans' "arch-enemy", Control Freak. "Control Freak!? What's he doing here!? And HOW did he get here!?" Shaking out of his stupor, Garfield quickly ran into the theater's bathroom, thankfully keeping his backpack on him as he suited up to deal with the worst villains he and his friends had faced, and worse is considered an insult with how ridiculous Control Freak's idea of being evil is with his intellect. After donning his superhero persona and his mask, Beast Boy snuck out of the stalls as a fly after locking the one he dressed up in, leaving the theater and flew up to a higher vantage point. "Keep trying all you want!" Control Freak mocked, watching his huge assortment of minions attacking the magically gifted girls. "Soon, my new comrades and I will take over this world, and with no Teen Titans to mess it all up like they always do!" Beast Boy dove down as a falcon, letting out a screech, alerting everyone and everything to his presence, then slammed down on the barbarian cutout as a gorilla, ironically squishing the heavily-muscled warrior into a crumbled heap. "Think again, Control Freak!" "B-Beast Boy!?" Control Freak shrieked in surprise. "W-What are YOU doing here!?" "That's what I want to know!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Wait, you two know each other?" Applejack asked. "He's not exactly a friend," Beast Boy said. "He claims to be the greatest supervillain, but of all the technology he could come up with his so-called 'higher intelligence', he wastes it on that remote that makes anything around him come to life." "So, instead of a doomsday device, he makes a remote control to make inanimate objects come alive and cause trouble?" Twilight summarized. "Kinda lame if you ask me," Rainbow said. "I AM NOT LAME!!!!" Control Freak screamed, flailing his arms angrily. "I am the Teen Titans' arch enemy!" "No. Not even close," Beast Boy said irritably. "And...what he's using isn't magic?" Sunset asked. "Look, I'll explain everything later," the shapeshifting hero interjected. "We gotta get that remote out of Control Freak's hands before he does anything more annoying than make cutouts come to life." "I'd like to see you try when you're in my domain!" Ordering his other cutout warriors and technological minions to attack, he quickly fled to one of the shops in the mall to recruit more appliances and objects. "Oh, no you don't!" Beast Boy chased after Control Freak, only to get tripped up by the samurai cutout's sword. The techno-nerd villain reached a nearby electronics store, several clicks of his remote bringing many T.V.s, refrigerators, microwaves, and more appliances to life, increasing his massive army. He sent them to fight the girls and Beast Boy, the shapeshifter ripping through the other warrior cutouts as a rhino. As Control Freak walked past a candy store, he yelped as his feet suddenly lit up with explosions, Pinkie walking out from the store with a massive variety of candies to use. "You may make living things come to life, but I can make candy explode!" Pinkie gloated. "You walked into the wrong domain, Freaky Controller!" "It's 'Control Freak'," Control Freak corrected. "But if you like candy so much, let's see if you like getting bitten back." Aiming his remote, the light flashed with a click. In Pinkie's hands, the candy she held glowing before stirring, startling her as she dropped them. They now had faces, their growls high pitched and almost cute, but Pinkie didn't find it cute when they all began swarming her and bit into her skin. "OW! Hey! Candy, too!?" she exclaimed, yelping as she shook them off, fleeing from her own ammunition with all the assorted candies chasing after her. "Like I said, this mall is MY domain! I control EVERYTHING!!!!" Control Freak cackled, then continued casually wandering to the other stores. Fighting the bigger appliances were more of a hassle for the girls than the game cases, registers, and the now destroyed cutouts Beast Boy tore through. The T.V.s shot out sparking cables, lunging them at the teens to either bind them or shock them. Rarity unfortunately got hit by the latter, the electric shock frizzing out her hair into a poofy mess. Enraged, she summoned her diamond shields, forcefully shoving the shocking appliances away from her, not caring if they had to pay the stores for damaging their electronics. "When I get my hands on that overweight nerd, he's going to pay for ruining my hair!" Rarity shrieked. Applejack winced, feeling something trying to crawl up her boot. "What in tarnation!?" She saw one of the animated candies growling as it climbed up her boot to sink its small fangs in the farm girl's leg. Applejack grabbed the jawbreaker between her fingers, staring at the squirming hard candy in befuddlement. "He's able to bring food to life, too!?" "Yup. He can make ANYTHING come to life," Beast Boy said. "Well, that's...kinda disturbin'," Applejack uttered. She looked back at the jawbreaker. "Not such a good little minion if we can just eat you, aren't ya?" she asked the candy with a smug grin, making it shriek as it continued to squirm away. Right as she was about to pop the jawbreaker in her mouth, Beast Boy quickly snatched it out of Applejack's hand, threw it on the ground, and shapeshifted into an elephant, crushing the hard candy to pieces before reverting back to normal. "Bad idea," he said. "OWIE! Bad candy! Bad candy! I'm not food! You are!" Pinkie screamed, still being chased by the horde of candies. Having gotten bitten enough, she growled, snatching two big handfuls of the evil sweets. "That's it! Behold the power of my sweet tooth, evil goodies!" "Wait, Pinkie!" Beast Boy tried to warn, but it was too late as Pinkie scarfed down both handfuls. The hero teen let out a sigh, facepalming and shaking his head. "Oh boy. Not a good idea." "Why is it such a bad thing?" Applejack asked. Pinkie licked her lips, humming in thought with a wide grin. "Who knew evil could make sweet candy taste delicious!?" The other candies shrieked in terror, fleeing from the candy-loving girl. Unfortunately, Pinkie's grin didn't stay long, her stomach grumbling loudly as her face went from light pink to green. "...Bathroom." Faster than Rainbow Dash could run, Pinkie sped off to the nearest bathroom, her vomiting able to be heard in the central halls of the mall, making the girls cringe. "Oh. Now Ah see what ya mean," Applejack grimaced. Beast Boy hung his head with a groan, then quickly got back to focusing on catching Control Freak. "Where did that-? LOOK OUT!" He quickly shoved Applejack away from another T.V.'s electric cables, getting smacked in her place and sent flying into a video store. Smacking into a shelf, he let out a groan, rubbing his head as he stood up. When he opened his eyes, Beast Boy noticed a cardboard cutout nearby, his eyes popping out of his mask at the familiar creature on it. In tattered robes, the raised hood barely showing anything underneath but a piercing red eye, and tentacles writing from underneath, it was the very same demon from the movie "Wicked Scary" back home, even bearing the same title on the side. "No way! "Wicked Scary"!? It exists in this world!?" "I know!" Control Freak said, geeking out along with Beast Boy as he slid up beside the shapeshifter. "This world has many things similar to what we have back home! Maybe a few differences here or there, but I'm dying to see what they did with this movie, and its alternate ending and deleted scenes!" "Cool!" The two stared at the cutout for a moment, only for Beast Boy to raise a brow curiously. "Wait, why do I have a feeling of deja vu?" Control Freak smirked, using his remote to make the demon monster come to life, then zipped off to cause more trouble. "Oh, yeah. Now I remember." The demon growled, its cardboard tentacles whipping about as it menacingly approached the Teen Titan. "You know, I've faced worse monsters. Trigun makes you look like an ant." Shifting into a bear, Beast Boy tore the cardboard apart, barely able to do much aside from look and sound intimidating. Outside, Twilight tossed the appliances back with her telekinesis, keeping them away from the frightened mall employees and shoppers while Fluttershy and Sunset escorted them out the doors. Rainbow easily sped past the growing number of animated minions, catching up with Control Freak at a book store, who was skimming through a Daring Do book, curiously reading a bit of this world's style of adventure mystery novels. "You can't run forever, Control Freak!" Rainbow said. "You know, this Daring Do chick is quite the adventurer," he said to himself, ignoring the rainbow-haired teen before glancing up at her. "Ever wonder what it's like to meet your idols face to face?" "Uhh, why'd you ask something so-?" Out of nowhere, Rainbow was kicked hard by something, sending her staggering over. When she saw what struck her, she was shocked to see a Daring Do cutout come to life, though the fictional explorer's eyes were red like the other living objects Control Freak created. "Oh, you have got to be kidding!" "I know! There's no possible way someone can escape a trapped room while tied up, walls closing in, sand spilling into the room, and while poisonous snakes are crawling through the holes in the wall and toward her!" Control Freak exclaimed, heavily engrossed in the story's scene he picked at random. "You're a massive dork," Rainbow muttered under her breath. The Daring Do cutout quickly lunged toward Rainbow Dash, pulling off swift and surprisingly strong jujitsu moves for being being a flat, drawn-out character. Rainbow ducked and blocked the evil Daring's punches and kicks, unable to get closer to Control Freak as he wandered off, stealing the book in the process. "Darn it! Why don't you fight us for real instead of-WHA!?" The Daring cutout grabbed Rainbow's arm, flipping her over onto her back, then caught her in an arm lock. So far, the group wasn't making much progress stopping the appliances, snacks, and miscellaneous items Control Freak brought to life with his remote, and more and more were being made with each shop he walks by. "This is insane! How can we stop him!?" Sunset questioned. "There's so many," Fluttershy whimpered. Both girls screamed when several flying books headed toward them, only to be smacked away a green pterodactyl wing, Beast Boy letting out a screech before turning back to normal. "There's a way we can stop him! We did it before with my old team when we first fought him! Does this mall have a sprinkler system in case of fires?" "It should," Sunset said, getting Beast Boy's idea. "Of course! If Control Freak is doing all this with that remote of his, short-circuiting it should cut off its power and turn everything back to normal!" "Right!" Beast Boy said with a nod. "Let's find Pinkie Pie and have her cause enough of a blast around the sprinklers to set them off!" Sunset said. Her plan was doomed to fail before it even began when she and Fluttershy spotted Pinkie exiting the girls' bathroom, clutching her stomach, looking like she was going to hurl again. Her cheeks bulged as the evil candy was coming back up, quickly running back in the bathroom. "Umm, I don't think Pinkie's going to be much help right now," Fluttershy pointed out. "Ok, then," Sunset muttered. "Well, maybe we can pull a fire alarm, and that can set off the sprinklers instead." "Worth a shot." Beast Boy scanned the area, though it was obvious a fire alarm wouldn't be out in the open if children could pull them out of curiosity. "Hope the others can keep everything distracted until I find one." Shifting into a cheetah, Beast Boy roared and dashed off, weaving around electronics trying to stop him as he sprinted through the mall. After a bit of searching, he found one down one of the emergency exits, quickly shifting back to normal and ran straight for the emergency lever while being chased by a flock of books. "Please turn on the sprinklers when I pull you!" Once he grabbed onto the fire alarm lever, he gave it a hard pull, a bell ringing loudly throughout the massive building. The sprinklers turned on a moment later, where the hero was pelted by the flying books before getting drenched by the emergency sprinkler system. Control Freak grimaced, unable to hide his remote in time, shorting it out, along with his army as the electronics sparked and his control on his inanimate army ceased, every single object dropping all around the mall. Rainbow pushed the soaked cutout of Daring Do off her, relieved that the techno-geek's power was cut off thanks to every electronic's weakness: water. "Ahh! Not again!" Control Freak grumbled, pressing every button, but nothing worked, just like his first defeat against the Teen Titans. "I need to invest in a waterproof casing for my remote!" Hearing a roar, Control Freak turned in time to see a green lion charge toward him, letting out a girly shriek as Beast Boy rammed into him, slamming him to the ground. Pinning the defeated "villain" down, Beast Boy turned back to normal, snatching Control Freak's remote out of his hand, admitting defeat as the other girls, not including Pinkie, surrounded him. "You're busted, dude," Rainbow growled, cracking her knuckles, ready to clock Control Freak for what he did to her. "I'm starting to hate being a villain if I keep getting beaten," Control Freak muttered. "And out of the others I've faced before, you're just the worst kind of villain to face," Beast Boy said. He then grabbed Control Freak by the collar of his shirt, picking him up and threateningly holding him. "Now, start talking, Control Freak. My friends and I put all of you who were part of the Brotherhood of Evil in jail after stopping The Brain." "You know, prisons don't really keep bad guys in jail for long unless they find a way to break out," Control Freak stated. "Even I can with the right tools." "Or someone else broke you out!" Beast Boy said. "You mentioned comrades. What group are you working with this time, and how did you get here!?" "I'll never tell!" Control Freak exclaimed. "Applejack, can you bend his arm behind his back?" Beast Boy requested. "Just not too hard. We don't want to break his remote hand." "Oh, sure," Control Freak scoffed, Applejack gladly stepping behind the villain. "Like any of these girls can do any harm to-" Applejack quickly grabbed Control Freak's right arm, pulling it behind him and put a lot of pressure, making the villain yell out in pain, surprising him with how easily she locked him when he tried to break out of her grasp. "AHHHH! OW! L-LET GO!" "Just so ya know, sugarcube, Ah've got quite a lot of strength," Applejack stated, putting a bit more pressure on Control Freak's arm, making him whimper as he grimaced in agony. "I really could just break it off, but you're lucky Ah ain't that kinda gal." "OK! OK! YOU WIN! J-JUST DON'T BREAK MY ARM!" Control Freak pleaded. Applejack let go of his arm, still held by Beast Boy while rubbing his sore limb. "Just so you know, I'm not going to be the only familiar face you'll see. I was basically the test runner for his experimental portal." "Whose portal?" Beast Boy demanded. "What are you talking about?" "About a couple months ago, there was a strange fluctuation of energy outside the city back in our world. I was brought on board along with the others to help build a device to replicate that same energy, which happened to be a portal to another world," Control Freak explained, startling Beast Boy. "A portal?" he asked nervously. "I mean, it's not really much of a surprise with dimensional portals being made in our world, but this world seemed so much easier to take over," Control Freak continued. He glanced at the girls, Rarity still leering at him for her living flat screen T.V.s shocking her, even though her hair was know drooping wet, the sprinklers still active to drench out the "fire" around the mall. "I didn't know you recruited more Teen Titans since you're apparently here first. Where's the rest of your dumb friends?" Surprising the remote-control wielding villain, Beast Boy punched Control Freak in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him as he coughed heavily. "Don't change the subject! Who else are you working with, and who's the real brains of the operation!?" "Y-You...You're not supposed to be-" Beast Boy reared his fist back for another punch, making Control Freak panic. "O-Ok! I'll talk! Don't hit me again! T-The one in charge is-" Suddenly, a beeping sound came from inside Control Freak's overcoat, startling everyone, including the nerdy villain. Beast Boy backed away, thinking there was a bomb strapped to Control Freak, even though being a suicide bomber didn't fit the lamest villain on the face of the earth. "He's got a bomb vest! Hit the dirt!" Rainbow shouted, the girls quickly running back to a safe distance. "What are you doing, Control Freak!?" Beast Boy questioned, even though he hated Control Freak, he didn't hate him enough to see him die. "I don't know! You think I would kill myself to keep me from telling you who-!?" The beeping got faster until it was a high pitched whine, but instead of an explosion, Control Freak was shocked by whatever was on him, falling unconscious after several agonizing seconds. Beast Boy panicked, the electric current running through him may have been conducted by his soaked clothing and probably stopped his heart. He ran up to the unconscious villain, pressing his ear to his chest, letting out a sigh of relief after hearing his heart beating. "Oh man. I thought he was dead," he uttered. "But who else is planning to take over this world...?" Without much information to go on, the police arrived to take Control Freak into custody after checking his vitals, just to double-check after being told what had happened in the mall. The sprinklers stopped after a while, leaving the shopping mall soaking wet with a lot of the different stores' items just as wet or destroyed no thanks to Control Freak. Pinkie finally emerged from the bathroom, the evil candy she ate finally expelled from her stomach as she regrouped with everyone. "Ugh. Evil is delicious, but gives you such a bad case of indigestion," Pinkie mumbled. "So, Beast Boy, care to explain who Control Freak is?" Sunset asked. "And...maybe yourself and where you two really came from?" "Well, you saw what Control Freak can do. And like I said before about him: he's not exactly the most threatening villain I faced, and he tries to be me and my old team's arch nemesis when we barely heard of him to begin with," Beast Boy said. Looking down at Control Freak's remote, even though it was shorted out thanks to the emergency fire sprinklers, he didn't want it back in his hands, or in anyone else's if it was fixed. "This thing isn't crafted with magic; it's made with mad science, and the mad scientist is more focused on something else rather than take over the world with something better." Dropping it on the floor, he stomped on the remote, breaking it to pieces. "No one should have that much power over reality. I'm not taking that risk here in this world." "Aww. I wanted to pry it open and see how such a device managed to make any inanimate object come to life," Twilight whined, but a serious glare from Beast Boy made her giggle timidly, shuffling behind Fluttershy and Rarity. "And what about you and your world?" Sunset asked. Beast Boy grimaced, which was thankfully hidden behind his mask. He already told the girls where he "lived" as Garfield Logan, and he didn't want them to find out his identity with the same place. He needed to stay vague about his true origins if he wanted to keep them from getting hurt by his other nemeses. "It's...not much different from yours," Beast Boy said. "I was part of a superhero group we called the Teen Titans. It started small as we protected one city, but we recruited other teens with incredible powers or skills to be considered heroes all over the world. We've stopped all sorts of villains, monsters, even a demon from another dimension, who actually happened to be the father of one of my teammates that rested inside her." All the girls' jaws dropped at the last enemy Beast Boy mentioned, so much to take in despite that moment being incredibly vague. "He almost won, too, but we managed to win after everything almost seemed hopeless." "Yikes," Pinkie said. "So, then, you're not from Equestria, then?" Fluttershy asked, the hero shaking his head in response. "But...how did you come to our world?" "A few months ago, after all of the Teen Titans stopped the Brotherhood of Evil...I left my team and tried to go solo," Beast Boy said, though it was more of a half-truth. He didn't want to bring up his sorrows with Terra, or his own self-esteem issues after having his heart broken. "I didn't want any sad goodbyes, so I left in the middle of the night. Just as I was leaving the city as a falcon, a portal suddenly appeared in my flight path, but I couldn't veer away and got sucked in. When I finally reached the exit, it felt like I was flung out, crashed through a window, and passed out from flipping around in that portal and my crash landing." "So...that WAS you that night," Twilight said. "But my portal was supposed to open up to a part of Equestria during my test run. How was it that it opened up to a different world where I had Sunset's old enchanted journal as the catalyst to make the connected gateway?" "Maybe there was an electrical storm in the other world, or the lingering magic in my old journal must have acted up and altered where the other side of the portal opened up to?" Sunset theorized. "It was a clear night when I flew through," Beast Boy stated, debunking Sunset's first guess. "Hmm...That is odd," Twilight muttered. "Well, whether it was by accident or not, I'm actually grateful we have Beast Boy here to help us save the day," Rarity said. "He's definitely saved our skins on several occasions since he arrived." "I wish he wasn't wearing a mask so we could see his face!" Pinkie said, making the shapeshifter sweat profusely. "Uhh, I'd prefer keeping my mask on," Beast Boy insisted. "I have...quite an ugly face...and buck teeth...and really messy hair." "Probably because, he can turn into any animal, his face might look like a lizard or something," Rainbow whispered to Applejack. The farm girl elbowed her friend's side, but the Teen Titan heard her, giving the athlete a blank stare. "Anyway, if we can figure out a way to connect the portal to your world, would you like to go back?" Twilight offered. "I appreciate the offer, but if Control Freak's promised there will be other foes of the Teen Titans's coming here soon, I'd better stay until I figure out who's behind all this," Beast Boy said. "Trust me: what I've faced, they're far worse than mythical creatures from a different world. Best leave them to me." "Then we can be your backup!" Pinkie cheered excitedly, but quickly clutched her belly, keeping herself from overdoing herself and blowing chunks on everyone. "...We'll see." Beast Boy gave the girls a two-fingered salute, then changed into a falcon and flew out of the mall to take his leave, but went around to sneak back into the movie theater's bathroom and change back. "Wow. I just had to miss everything!" Garfield exclaimed, the group back in town, hanging out at Sugarcube Corner as he was given a summary over what happened while he was searching for his wallet. "That Control Freak guy sounded like a huge movie nerd!" "He definitely looked the part," Rarity uttered. "It's too bad we never got the chance to buy "Ultimate Warrior Showdown" no thanks to that dork," Rainbow grumbled. "Maybe we can get a hero's discount next time we visit?" "I doubt that'll happen," Sunset remarked. "I got beat up by a living Daring Do cutout! I think all of us deserve some kind of reward, like a free game or something!" Rainbow complained. "And living T.V.s, cash registers, candy, and even the kitchen sink if it was possible," Applejack stated. "And everythin' in the mall got soaked, so Ah doubt they'd be willin' to give us free stuff as rewards for savin' them from a villain from another world." While Rainbow continued whining about their hard work going unrewarded, Fluttershy tapped the sides of her shake glass, occasionally glancing at Garfield. She had a feeling Rarity planned them to watch a scary movie at the theater, along with where they sat, setting them up on some kind of mini-date. Fluttershy was new to this, but she didn't want her friends to try pressuring her, or Garfield, to get together as a couple because of her timidity. Her cheeks flushed red, her heart racing as she steeled her nerves, making the choice to be bold and admit her feelings to Garfield and see where things go. "Umm...G-Garfield?" Fluttershy said, getting the teen's attention with a gently poke on his arm. "Yeah, Fluttershy?" he asked. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked away for a moment, twiddling her thumbs, but summoned her inner courage, staring back at him with nervous blush on her cheeks. "I-I...I want...t-t-to tell you s-something," she uttered. Garfield waited patiently, wondering what was on her mind. "We've...k-known each other f-for...a while, now. You k-know a lot about a-animals, you're funny...kinda c-cute." The other girls stopped their conversation as they heard Fluttershy, Rarity watching in anticipation as her friend listed a few things about Garfield that she likes. "Is she...going to ask him out?" Rarity uttered to herself, a bit surprised by Fluttershy's boldness. "A-And...I-I didn't know what to think some time ago," Fluttershy continued. "W-Whenever I'm with a-anyone else, I...I get really nervous and shy. But...with you...it's different. I can...talk to you normally, and share a lot of stuff with you." She reached her hand out, gently laying it over Garfield's, who was still oblivious to what she wanted to say to him. "Garfield, I-I...really, really like you." Garfield blinked a few times, still clueless. "...Uhh, I like you, too," he said, the other girls silently grimacing at his response. "I mean, all you girls are great, and being here's like I never left home." "Umm, actually, I mean...I LIKE like you," Fluttershy reiterated, her blush turning a darker shade of red. He finally understood what she meant, letting out a laugh over how dumb he was being. "Oh, LIKE like! Duh. You have a crush on-" Garfield paused, his comically brushing off the compliment quickly turning into shock when it sank in. He looked at Fluttershy, but he didn't share the same nervous excitement she did. He showed the opposite: anxiety, fear, and dread. "...Y-You...you mean...?" "Mhmm," Fluttershy mumbled with a nod, biting her lower lip as her hand gently grasped Garfield's. "D-Do you...want to...g-g-go out...with me?" Though the others silently cheered Fluttershy on and gestured Garfield to say yes, inside the shapeshifter's mind, he was terrified. Instead of Fluttershy, he saw Terra in her place, far more confident and outgoing than the animal caretaker he recently befriended. It didn't help that memories he tried to suppress came flooding back involving Terra: their first meeting, losing her after Robin merely guessed that she wasn't able to master her powers yet, her return and date that soon ended in betrayal, fights both through words and violence while believing she wasn't evil as she was "taken in" by Slade as his new apprentice, losing her as she sacrificed herself to save Jump City from a destructive volcano after using all her power to defeat Slade, and reuniting with her again, but having no memory of him, his other friends, their time together, her powers, or even the relationship he wanted to have with her. Despite giving up and leaving Terra as the normal girl she chose to be, if that really was the case, his past with her still lingered, and it still hurt him, even after getting sucked into this world to try to start a new life. However, he can't escape his fate as a hero, nor the relationship he hoped for a former Titan who felt the same way toward him like he had for her. Not only did those horrible memories surface, but scenarios of Fluttershy being in mortal peril by his enemies from his world coming to hers and their other friends flashed through his mind. Control Freak may be one thing, but he couldn't imagine the worst ones coming through to cause much more trouble. She may not be able to be manipulated with her magic powers, but after seeing how terrified they were after being held at gunpoint that day, they would definitely freeze against the more dangerous criminals with powers that could devastate huge cities to ruins. He didn't want to lose anyone else, and with Fluttershy admitting her feelings for him, Garfield Logan didn't want to feel that same pain again. He was snapped out of his daze by a tap on his shoulder, jumping slightly when he turned to see it was Rainbow getting his attention. "Well, aren't you going to say something, you dolt?" she questioned. He looked around the table, seeing the girls had worried or concerned expressions, including Fluttershy, frozen still and dead silent while he spaced out in his thoughts. "You've just been staring at her for the last few minutes like a deer in headlights." "H-Huh?" Garfield uttered. While pondering how long he'd zoned out, he recalled Fluttershy's question earlier, along with her feelings toward him. Looking down, her hand was still gently grasped over his. He pulled his hand back, swallowing the lump in his throat as he stood up, startling Fluttershy. "I-I...I gotta go." Ignoring his friends, he left Sugarcube Corner, needing some air to clear his head while leaving behind six confused girls and a dejected Fluttershy, tears welling in her eyes as she felt like messed up. "...D-Did I...say something wrong?" "Why, of course not, darling," Rarity assured, moving over to pat Fluttershy's shoulder to console her. "It's not easy admitting to someone you like how you feel, and that's by far one of the boldest things we've ever seen you do. But, Garfield, on the other hand, could have at least been a bit tactful with his exit without leaving you a proper answer." "Maybe he was a bit surprised to have someone he considers a friend admit romantic feelings toward him, thus conflicting his own feelings toward Fluttershy in a different light?" Twilight guessed. "Then how come he spaced out like that?" Rainbow questioned. Pinkie and Sunset looked at each other, having seen that very same blank stare the day they first met him. "I'm not entirely sure, but there must be something he's hiding from us that must be pretty painful to tell," Sunset said. "Pinkie and I saw that same depressed look and zoned-out gaze before when I showed him around town." "I gave him a free sample of an apple pie, and the first bite he took, he got really sad," Pinkie added. "Over an apple pie?" Applejack asked with a raised brow. "Probably something personal that reminded him of home, or..." Sunset paused, recalling one part of Garfield he mentioned his first day with Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna that was quite upsetting, but not as much as his other two episodes. "...Or...maybe he misses his parents." "What's wrong with calling them if they're back in Jump City?" Rainbow asked. "He's got his own phone now. He must have their numbers." "He told me they passed away in an unfortunate accident when he was little." Rainbow Dash cringed, her comment making her feel like the biggest jerk in the world as she and the others were shocked at the sad news. "I don't really want to use my magic to pry into his memories without his permission. If it's too personal, I don't want him to hate me if I forcefully look into his thoughts." Fluttershy was still a little hurt, but she knew Garfield wouldn't want to hurt her feelings like that. She was curious to know what made him act so strangely, and even if he does answer no, she hoped her crush didn't ruin her friendship with him. It was going to be awkward tomorrow at the animal shelter between the two, the day either going to be spent in silence or a long discussion with their relationship as friends.