//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Friendship is the Right of All Sentient Beings // Story: Predator's Moon // by Atomic Chinchilla //------------------------------// PREDATOR’S MOON A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic/Transformers: Beast Wars Crossover By Atomic Chinchilla Chapter 3 Friendship is the Right of All Sentient Beings The rays of the late morning sun drifted in through the windows of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse. The three fillies had spent the remainder of the morning in a ceaseless stream of questions for their new acquaintance. Blackarachnia sat in robot mode on a table--which was about the size of a chair to her anyway--with one leg crossed over the other. She rested her elbow on one knee with her head in her hand, tapping her finger against her cheek. She sighed loudly as the saccharine, little ponies ran in a circle around her and gleefully continued with their questions. She had stopped trying to answer them some hours ago and was just waiting to see how long they could keep it up before they passed out from lack of air. Her eye beginning to twitch, she found she just couldn’t take any more. “Okay, that’s it!” she growled as she stomped to her feet and kicked the table across the room, scattering its contents. The Crusaders all jumped back and huddled together in fear. Blackarachnia fumed for a moment as the little equines looked up at her nervously. She sighed, rubbing her forehead, and said “…All right, look. Maybe I overreacted a bit, but you said you’d help me out before bringing me up here. That was four mega-cycles ago!” “What’s a mega-cycle?” asked Scootaloo, “Is that some kind of bike?” Blackarachnia slapped her forehead. “It means that I’ve been sitting here on my aft all morning waiting for this so-called ‘help’ while you all talk a mile a cycle!” “Why does she keep talking about bikes?” Sweetie Belle asked. The other fillies shrugged. “Oh, for the love of—“ Blackarachnia seethed, “I am not talking about bikes! I don’t even know what a bike is! You know what, this isn’t worth it. I’m outta here.” She turned and stomped toward the door, but the Crusaders ran around her and blocked her path. “No, wait! We promise we’ll help you!” shouted Scootaloo. “Please don’t go!” begged Apple Bloom. “We’re really sorry!” cried Sweetie Belle. The arachnid Maximal groaned as the ponies pressed up to her legs, looking up at her with big, sappy eyes like a pack of kittens. She strained against the cuteness with all her might, before sighing loudly and slumping her shoulders. “…Fine.” “YAY!!” the fillies cheered, hopping for joy. Blackarachnia trudged over to the fallen table and set it back right side up. She resumed her sitting position as the Crusaders sat down at her feet, looking up eagerly. “…Okay,” the Maximal said at length, “How about this? I’ll answer some of your questions--one at a time--and then you can answer mine and we can work out what to do next. Deal?” The fillies nodded with wide grins as they all started to speak at the same time again. They quickly fell silent when Blackarachnia’s eye twitched again. “Sorry,” Apple Bloom chuckled nervously, “Um…Scootaloo, you go first.” “Okay, uh…” the orange pegasus began, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, “…Oh! What’s your alien planet like?” Blackarachnia tilted her head, her eyes looking up in thought. “Well, Cybertron is…metal. You have cities here, right?” The ponies nodded. “Then imagine an entire planet made of cities. Not quite as pretty as this place, I guess.” She shrugged with her last statement as she looked to the trees out the window. A pretty environment was never something she cared about. “And you’re made of metal,” Sweetie Belle piped in, “Are all the people on your planet metal?” “Yep. Every Cybertronian is a living machine, a bona-fide transforming, alien robot. “That is so cool,” the Crusaders sighed, their sparkling eyes wide as dinner plates. Apple Bloom spoke up next, with “So how did ya get ta Equestria in the first place?” The spider sighed. “Oh boy…” Blackarachnia spent the next hour or so trying to explain her present situation in terms the ponies could understand. She began with the night the Alien artifact fell to Earth from the moon, and her tussle with the Predacons before being warped to another planet. But that only raised further questions and she had to explain the differences between Maximals and Predacons. Fundamentally, they were the same life form but separated by creed and philosophy. The Maximals strived for peace and exploration while the Predacons hungrily sought power and conquest. And so two small groups of the warring factions continued the strife on Earth. But that only raised further questions and she then had to explain why they were on Earth in the first place. So she told them about Megatron the would-be tyrant and his Predacon cronies, and the Maximals who chased him across time and space to the small, blue planet called Earth. Since there were no suitable vehicles for them to transform into, they adapted their bodies to become animals instead. As time went on, the Predacons enacted their plans to harvest the power of Energon from Earth to fuel their war efforts, and the Maximals fought many battles to stop them. More warriors joined both sides, and valued allies and friends were lost. Through strange technology from a clandestine, Alien presence on Earth, the Maximals and Predacons were nearly wiped out many times, and some of their bodies were upgraded and altered into new shapes, like Blackarachnia’s own Transmetal form. The constant escalation of their Beast Wars grew to the point where Energon was no longer Megatron’s goal, but total mastery of time itself through altering the course of history. “…And so we’ve been defending the Ark nearly every day, because Megatron could destroy all of time as we know it if he ever got his hands on it,” Blackarachnia continued with growing weariness, “Which is why I have to find a way back to Earth. I have no idea what happened to old Prune-Face and his flunkies, and for all I know the other Maximals could be in really deep slag.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat in stunned, silent wonder, beaming smiles plastered on their faces. Blackarachnia took the moment of silence to rest her aching vocal processors. “So, does that answer all your questions or do you want to keep going for another mega-cycle?” She sighed as she rubbed her stiff neck. Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized what she just said, “Wait, don’t answer that--” But it was too late. The three fillies were already prattling loudly again, expressing their awe and enthusiasm to her and to each other and to the room in general. Blackarachnia groaned in defeat and slumped her shoulders, cradling her aching head in her hands. **** The murmuring of the crowd could be heard from several streets away. Twilight Sparkle trotted briskly down the emptied road toward the throngs of ponies gathered in the town square. The morning had been filled with whispered rumors of some kind of attack on Canterlot, but there had been no official word on the matter, at least not until the mayor called an emergency town meeting. An uneasy feeling sat in her stomach, a kind of worrying that she couldn’t quite place her hoof on. Being exhausted from last night’s battle, she had slept in until well after noon. She had only been awake for a few minutes before this apprehension fell upon her. She felt that something was wrong far away, something about Princess Celestia? She had Spike deliver some messages but they received no reply. For a good while she paced the library, worrying that some danger had befallen her beloved teacher, but Spike had managed to calm her down like usual. It was about an hour later that she overheard some customers talking about this supposed assault on the capitol. Even though these rumors were unsubstantiated, they did little to help Twilight’s unease. She rounded the corner and halted suddenly. Just about the entire population of Ponyville was pressed into the town square, backed up into the connecting streets and stopping just in front of the lavender unicorn. She stood on tiptoes and craned her neck to see over the crowd, but there was no way she’d be able to see or hear the mayor’s announcement. She sighed with a pout before noticing a familiar pink pony bouncing towards her atop the heads in the crowd. “There you are, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie called, standing on a grumpy stallion’s back. “Hi, Pinkie,” Twilight replied, shuffling her hooves, “Sorry I’m late, I haven’t been on my A-game today.” “Well, your B-game’s a bit too slow. Come on, everypony’s waiting for us up front!” Before Twilight could say another word, Pinkie stretched over and grabbed her purple friend around the waist. There was a rush of air, a loud “SPROING” sound, and suddenly they were both standing right at the head of the crowd with the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony. “How did you…” she stuttered, blinking in confusion. Pinkie Pie just grinned with a squeak. “…Never mind,” Twilight chuckled. She looked around and noticed one of her friends was missing. “Where’s Fluttershy?” “Oh, she went ta Everfree a few hours back,” Applejack chimed, “Angel Bunny’s picky eatin’ finally caught up to him and Fluttershy hoped Zecora might have somthin’ fer his stomachache.” “So do you have any clue what all the hullabaloo is about, darling?” asked Rarity with a raised eyebrow. “I have no idea,” replied Twilight, shaking her head. The others all exchanged glances. “I heard from some guys in Cloudsdale that Canterlot was attacked by monsters that busted out of Tartarus,” said Rainbow Dash as she hovered over the others with forelegs crossed, “They burned down the whole city.” “Ain’t how Ah heard it,” Applejack retorted, “Rose, Lily, and Daisy’re sayin’ it was Griffons breakin’ the peace treaty.” “Please,” scoffed Rarity, “Those three can hardly be called reliable sources.” “Maybe it was robots from another planet!” Pinkie chirped. The others all stared at her blankly. “…What? It could happen.” The crowd around them started to chatter loudly as the mayor appeared at the podium, a solemn look on her face. She cleared her throat and held up a hoof, signaling the assembly to be quiet. Silence fell across the square as every pony leaned forward in anticipation. “Thank you all for gathering on such short notice,” the mayor began, a noticeable tremor in her voice, “I’m sure everyone has been hearing rumors about Canterlot this morning. I don’t have all the details yet myself, but I am assured that there is no cause for alarm. I will now give the floor to Princess Luna, who has graciously come to clarify the situation.” No sooner did the mayor finish her brief statement than a swirling cloud of blue stardust arose on the stage beside her. Materializing from the ether stepped the dark sapphire-colored alicorn, Princess Luna. Every head in the crowd turned in surprise as the night princess stepped up to the podium. The square erupted into murmuring and whispering from multitudes of confused ponies. “Wha-huh?” Twilight said, her jaw hanging open, “Where…Where’s Princess Celestia?” “Isn’t Luna supposed to burst into flames if she comes out during the day?” quipped Rainbow Dash. “The mayor’s giving her a floor?” asked Pinkie, “Aw, lucky.” “PLEASE BE STILL,” boomed the voice of Princess Luna. Every pony jumped a good foot in the air and immediately fell silent. The princess of the night cleared her throat and brushed aside her waving, stardust mane. “…Thank you. I know you were not expecting to see me, and would prefer my sister was here in my place. But Princess Celestia is…occupied, busy with coordinating Canterlot’s recovery. I am here to explain to you what happened only a few hours ago this morning. Please know beforehand that there is no need to panic or worry for the ponies of Canterlot. “The city came under swift and sudden attack by a small but dangerous band of seven assailants who called themselves ‘Predacons’. We have yet to determine which province or nation they come from. They made no demands and proclaimed no reason for their assault. They caused considerable damage to the city, and dozens of citizens and soldiers were seriously injured in its defense. But please rest assured that there were no casualties. Everypony will be fine. And the Predacons were turned back by the combined efforts of the Canterlot royal guard and the might of Princess Celestia herself. But also be aware that the Predacons, though wounded, escaped with their lives and are currently at large somewhere in Equestria, and it is unknown if they are part of a larger group. “I repeat, do not panic. The royal guard has mobilized and deployed throughout the kingdom, searching high and low for these villains. A garrison will also be stationed in Ponyville starting tonight for your protection. My sister and I ask you to please go about your day without fear, but be vigilant and stay mindful of your children. Thank you.” The congregation slowly began to disperse back into the town, some ponies reassuring each other of their safety, others still apprehensive of a possible danger. Twilight immediately broke from the crowd and jumped atop the stage as Luna was turning to leave. “Princess!” she called out, “Princess Luna, wait!” The dark alicorn turned in surprise to see the violet unicorn run to her side. “Twilight Sparkle? Is something the matter?” “That’s what I was going to say! Please, is Princess Celestia alright?” Luna turned away slightly, her gaze falling to the ground. Twilight’s heart sank. “Your majesty, please tell me! Is she hurt?” “Nay, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna sighed, “But…It is difficult to explain.” “What’s difficult to explain? I’ve been worried about her all day! I’ve had this feeling ever since this morning, when Canterlot was attacked!” Luna looked away again, biting her lip. “…She asked me not to tell you.” “What, what didn’t she want me to know?” Twilight pleaded, edging closer to the night princess, her eyes wide with worry. “But…” “Please tell me!” “I don’t think you want to--“ “Please!” Luna hung her head low and whispered softly into Twilight’s ear. The lavender pony’s eyes paled as the princess recounted Celestia’s frightening display of wrath, her willingness--her eagerness--to give the Predacons a slow and agonizing execution. Twilight felt weak in the knees. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the princess and teacher she loved acting with such cruelty. “…I almost couldn’t stop her,” Luna said somberly, “but she’s alright now. She’s very weak and tired, and feels horrible about her actions. She wasn’t in the right state to appear so I volunteered.” “Can I see her?” Twilight asked, looking up anxiously. Her eyes betrayed restrained tears. “Soon, Twilight Sparkle, but let us give her some time to rest.” The purple unicorn nodded sadly, then turned and started to walk back toward her confused friends. “Thank you for telling me, your majesty.” “Please, call me Luna,” the night princess called back, “I will let you know as soon as Celestia is well again.” “…Thank you, Luna.” Twilight hopped off the stage as Luna vanished in an ethereal cloud. Her friends all galloped over to her with questions. “What was all that about, Twi?” “Are you alright, darling? You look positively pale!” “Yeah, you look like a wreck!” “How come the princess left already? Doesn’t she want her floor?” “I’ll be okay, girls,” Twilight replied solemnly as she walked past them, “I just…I need to go home and think for a bit, okay?” The others exchanged confused glances as their friend vanished into the departing crowd. “Well, that was weird,” Rainbow remarked, scratching her head. “Everythin’ about today’s been weird,” said Applejack as she straightened her hat, “Just give her time, y’all. She’ll bounce back from whatever’s got her down.” “Oh, Applejack, are the girls still at their little clubhouse?” Rarity asked. “Last Ah left ‘em. Why?” “Even if they say it’s safe I don’t feel right leaving Sweetie Belle unsupervised today. I think it’s best I take her home.” “Ah know what’cha mean. Come on, let’s go. You comin’, Rainbow? Ah reckon Scootaloo will need a ride.” “Yeah, sure,” Rainbow Dash answered with a shrug, “You wanna come, Pinkie?” “S’alright!” Pinkie replied, bouncing happily, “I still have work at Sugarcube Corner today. I got a big batch of muffins to deliver to a certain mailmare, too.” “Just be careful, dear!” Rarity called as Pinkie Pie bounded away, “She lives out by the forest, you know! And the princess said those brutes could still be sneaking about!” “Don’t worry about me, silly! No space robots are gonna scare me!” “…I worry about that girl sometimes.” “Who understands what goes on in Pinkie’s head, Rarity?” Applejack chuckled as she patted the white unicorn’s shoulder, “Now let’s skedaddle. As soon as we get the girls home Ah wanna run over to Zecora’s and check on Fluttershy.” The three ponies departed the square at a swift pace, making their way towards the edge of the town proper and the trail to Sweet Apple Acres. **** “…Wazzpinator seriously considering other employment venues.” The hornet Predacon lay in a crispy, smoking heap of parts at the bottom of a smoldering crater deep in a dark forest. One of his arms was thankfully still attached to his torso, and he slowly started to gather up his various pieces. “Wazzpinator just want one day where Wazzpinator not get shot. Or smooshed. Or blown up. Just one. Is that so wrong?” As he reached out to grab his waste disposal unit, his hand brushed against a small object jutting out of the ground. At its touch, Waspinator felt a zap of energy flow up his arm. He jerked his hand back in shock with a shout. He looked at the little thing in confusion. It was a shining red gemstone just like the ones Tarantulas had examined before. Waspinator wished he had paid more attention to what that mean spider was talking about. Something about radiation? The fried Predacon noticed that his crater was dotted with the little stones and they all exuded some kind of tangible energy. He curiously reached back out and plucked the ruby from the dirt. It seemed to throb in his hand, sending waves of warmth up his arm and into his spark chamber. “Hmm, tingly.” Suddenly Waspinator’s arm began to change. Starting with his hand, all the scorched metal and internal burn damage started healing, fixing itself almost magically. The hornet’s eyes widened and his mandibles hung open in awe. Within seconds his whole arm was good as new. Then his battered torso plates were restored and then across to his other shoulder. As if enchanted, his scattered pieces began to pull back together and reattach themselves neatly. Waspinator giggled for joy as his wings buzzed to life. “Oh, happy day!” he cheered, flying out of the crater in pristine condition, “Wazzpinator not understand at all but Wazzpinator not care!” He looped and swerved and rose and dove for a few minutes before hovering to a halt. “…Wazzpinator probably should call Dragon-bot.” He activated his onboard radio and pinged. “Wazzpinator reporting for duty. Dragon-bot there? Anyone? Hello?” His only answer was static. “Oh, right. Gems fix Wazzpinator but gems make comm-link worth scrap.” The hornet sat in thought for a moment before hitting a realization. “If Dragon-bot can’t call Wazzpinator, then Wazzpinator not have to find Dragon-bot! Wazzpinator not have to find any Predacons! Wazzpinator can do what Wazzpinator wants! Dragon-bot will never know. Wazzpinator’s plan is foolproof.” He buzzed happily, transforming into his wasp beast mode and whizzing off into the woods. **** Fluttershy hummed softly as she trotted down the dimly lit forest path towards Everfree’s edge. Her beloved pet rabbit Angel sat very grouchily in her saddlebag, very green in the face. “I know Zecora’s medicine tasted yucky, sweetie,” said Fluttershy, “but it’s your own fault you got a tummyache. Mama told you not to eat so much junk food.” The rabbit grumbled and sunk into a pouting slouch. He hated being treated like a baby, but he hated his owner being right more. “I’ll tell you what,” Fluttershy cooed, “If you promise to build better eating habits, then I’ll make that special salad for you tonight. You liked that, remember?” Angel simply huffed, as if to say “Whatever”. Presently an unfamiliar sound entered Fluttershy’s ears. Angel tilted his head, his own long ears perking up. It was a faint but strong buzzing, far ahead in the gloom and growing steadily nearer. “I’ve never heard anything like that before,” said Fluttershy, her head falling under her mane nervously, “I hope it’s friendly.” She could barely make out sunlight ahead through the thick canopies. She quickened her pace, hoping that whatever was making the sound wouldn’t find her. But just as she crossed through the wall of trees into an open field a large shape flew out with her, only ten feet away, and stopped parallel to her. The yellow pegasus slowly turned toward the giant wasp as it slowly turned toward her. They both stared at each other, each trying to figure the other out. Fluttershy tilted her head to the side. The hornet did the same. “Um…H-Hello,” Fluttershy squeaked, daring to take a step closer to the huge insect, “I’ve never seen a w-wasp as big as you are. Do you l-live in the Everfree F-Forest?” “Nope,” said the wasp. “EEP!” Fluttershy squealed, diving behind a bush. The huge bug tilted his head again. “Pony-bot…scared of Wazzpinator?” “Y-You s-s-spoke! You t-talked! Insects don’t t-talk!” The hornet rubbed his legs together excitedly, as if he were happy that she was terrified of him. “Wazzpinator finally find someone scared of power of Wazzpinator!” he buzzed with a giggle, “Wazzpinator only bug on outside, Pony-bot. Pony-bot want to see what Wazzpinator really like?” “U-Um…Not really. I-If that’s okay with you,” Fluttershy meeped behind the bush. “Wazzpinator show you! Wazzpinator: Terrorize!” To the pegasus’ utter horror, the wasp reared up in midair and seemed to split open down the middle, his body unfolding and rearranging from a giant insect into a tall, green, metal biped with hornet parts all over it. She had to keep herself from fainting on the spot. “Gaze into epic majesty that is Wazzpinator!” he declared, puffing out his chest with his hands on his hips. Fluttershy backed away slowly, only managing to stutter incoherently. “Wazzpinator so awesome Pony-bot is speechless!” The metal creature laughed with a little dance, “Pony-bot is alright in Wazzpinator’s book. Wazzpinator so happy Wazzpinator not scrap Pony-bot.” “S-Scrap?” Fluttershy whimpered, “I-I don’t know what that m-means.” “You know, scrap!” said the hornet, holding up his hands as if it were common sense, “Shoot, smoosh, blow up. Scrap.” “Y-you…” Fluttershy’s eyes paled, “You mean…kill me?” “Uh-huh.” At that moment a white blur exploded from the pony’s saddlebag and hammered into Waspinator’s face, knocking him head-over-heels through the air. He steadied himself and shook his head, looking around. “Who dares attack Waz--“ Angel Bunny leapt up behind the hovering hornet, holding a branch so large he shouldn’t have even been able to lift it, and bashed him in the back of the head. Waspinator spun around and hit the dirt with a yelp. The little rabbit didn’t stop his attack. He jumped onto the metal monster and proceeded to repeatedly thwack him in the face so hard his metal head was soon buried in the dirt. Angel hopped off, tossing his club aside, and clapped the dust off his paws. Then he kicked the wasp for good measure. Waspinator suddenly jerked upright, pulling his battered head free, and snatched Angel up in a tight grip. “Wazzpinator make Bunny-bot sorry! Wazzpinator just got over last headache!” “Put him down, you meanie!” came a sharp command behind him. Turning around, Waspinator found himself face to face with a very angry Fluttershy. She hovered just above him with her forelegs on her hips and her eyes wide and stern in some kind of haunting, mesmerizing stare. He found his servos moved against his will and he released the white rabbit. “It’s not nice to scare ponies smaller than you, is it?” The yellow pegasus said firmly. Waspinator could only shake his head in agreement, shrinking in fear of this pony’s sudden, unexplainable power. “You’re going to be nice to ponies and bunnies from now on, aren’t you?” She narrowed her eyes slightly, which seemed to increase her stare’s potency even more. Waspinator nodded rapidly, unable to understand how he could be cowering before a three-foot pony. “Now what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Wazzpinator?” She crossed her forelegs and leaned in close. Waspinator thought his head was going to explode from the pressure. “…Wazzpinator sorry,” he meeped. “There now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Fluttershy asked with a smile, her manner returning to its former sweetness. The hornet slumped to the ground in a daze, wondering what just happened here. Angel Bunny just smirked. The pegasus reached into her saddlebag and withdrew a roll of bandages. She delicately floated around the hornet, tenderly wrapping the bandage around his bashed head. “Don’t worry, Mr. Wazzpinator,” Fluttershy said sweetly, “I’ll fix you right up.” Waspinator blinked. “…Pony-bot scared of Wazzpinator. Then Bunny-bot attack Wazzpinator. Then Pony-bot not scared of Wazzpinator and puts Wazzpinator under mind control. Now Pony-bot fix Wazzpinator. Wazzpinator very confused.” “Oh, I’d never leave anypony hurt without doing what I can to help,” the pegasus cooed, “And Angel was only protecting me because you were scaring me and being a bully.” The wasp frowned. “Pony-bot not scared anymore?” “I was afraid because I’ve never seen somepony like you before, and you were being mean. Isn’t being nice so much more…nice?” “…Wazzpinator not sure how to feel. No one ever nice to Wazzpinator before.” “Oh, that’s awful! Don’t you have any friends, Mr. Wazzpinator?” “Wazzpinator’s friends use Wazzpinator as bait or leave Wazzpinator for scrap. Wazzpinator getting sick of friends.” “No, no, no!” Fluttershy cried, pulling the confused insect into a hug, “That’s not how real friends treat each other at all! Friends are nice to each other and they have fun and play games and you share stories together and spend your lives together. Friends are one of the greatest things in the world.” “Wazzpinator never had that,” the hornet sighed, his head drooping down, “Wazzpinator never had friends.” “Well, then,” Fluttershy replied, hugging him tighter, “I’d be happy to be your first friend, Mr. Wazzpinator. Call me Fluttershy.” Waspinator was taken aback. His processors didn’t know how to handle this. This little, fleshy equine, the same one he had intimidated and even considered killing, the same kind of creature Megatron had ordered him to attack only hours before, was now offering her hand--er, hoof--in friendship. No one, not Predacon nor Maximal, had ever treated him with this kind of empathy or kindness before. His mandibles began to twitch as lubricants filled his optics. “Wazzpinator think Wazzpinator going to cry.” **** Applejack and Rarity hurried along the trail at a quick pace while Rainbow Dash flew ahead over the tops of the apple groves. The trees began to spread out as they neared the clearing. “I think you guys are way too worried about this,” Rainbow laughed, turning over and backstroking through the air, “The princess said those Preda-whatevers got the hay bucked out of them.” “Did ya forget the part where only seven of ‘em were able to destroy a chunk of Canterlot in under an hour?” Applejack retorted, running underneath the cyan pegasus. “Ah, whatever. If any of those blowhards show up I’ll send them packing.” “We don’t even know what they look like,” Rarity sighed, “In any case, I’d rather we never have to see any of those brutes. They sound simply horrid.” The three equines cantered into an open patch in the apple grove and came to the large tree in its center, the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse standing in its boughs. “Well, they haven’t burned it down again today, at least,” Applejack snarked as they trotted up the ramp. They could hear the chirping voices of the fillies inside, chattering enthusiastically about one of their schemes, no doubt. Applejack pushed on the door but found it surprisingly locked. She raised an eyebrow and knocked. “Girls? Y’all okay in there?” “Oh, shoot!” came Apple Bloom’s voice from inside, “Uh-Uh, one second, sis!” Applejack and Rarity exchanged glances. “What do we do?” Scootaloo whispered loud enough for the adults to hear. “We gotta hide her!” Sweetie Belle whispered back. “…Apple Bloom,” Applejack said flatly, her face deadpan, “Y’all better not have brought home another ‘pet’ from Everfree Forest.” “N-No, of course not! We’re, uh, just tidyin’ up! Scootaloo made a mess!” “Hey!” “Shh!” Sounds of scuffling and rapid hoofsteps running around came through the door, along with frantic grunts and squeals from the fillies inside. Rarity rolled her eyes and brushed past Applejack. “I’ll handle this, dear,” she groaned as her horn flashed with blue light. The clubhouse door was bathed in a sapphire glow and popped open magically with a loud thunk. The three adult ponies stepped inside to find the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing in a row, each one with an overly innocent smile on her face. “Howdy, sis!” “Hi, Rarity!” “Great to see you, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack was not amused. She began pacing the clubhouse, examining the hastily placed table and scattered papers everywhere. She opened the closet to find it empty. “Okay, where is it?” “…Where’s what, dear Applejack?” Sweetie Belle asked as sweetly as she could manage. “What you were trying to hide before we came in?” Rainbow Dash replied with a grin. The fillies began to sweat as they forced their smiles wider. “We aren’t hiding anything!” Scootaloo said a little too loudly as she shuffled her hooves, “We were doing…homework!” “You said ‘we gotta hide her’,” Rarity retorted, watching her sister closely, “We could hear you outside.” “No, we didn’t say that!” Apple Bloom denied, “We said, um…” “I said ‘I got the slider’!” Sweetie Belle butted in, putting a hoof over her yellow friend’s mouth, “Like a slide rule! You know, for math and stuff.” “Homework!” Scootaloo shouted, nodding. Applejack narrowed her eyes. Rainbow Dash simply rolled her eyes with a snicker. Rarity tilted her head with a frown. “Miss Cheerilee is giving you trigonometry for homework?” The fillies looked at each other, their smiles faltering. “…Yes?” Sweetie Belle finally said. “Okay, okay,” Rainbow chuckled, “The squirts probably just brought home a raccoon or something and were afraid you’d flip out like you always do.” “I don’t flip out that often!” Rarity snapped. “Well, there’s no sign of any critters here,” Applejack sighed, “Ah suppose there’s no harm done. Awright, Apple Bloom, it’s time ta go home.” “Already?” the yellow filly pouted, “But it ain’t even close ta sunset!” “There’ve been some announcements y’all missed today. Rarity and Ah think it ain’t safe ta leave y’all alone today.” “Not safe?” Sweetie asked, “What does that mean?” “I’ll explain on the way home,” Rarity replied, walking around and giving her sister a little nudge toward the door, “Now come on, time to go.” “You gonna send me home, too?” Scootaloo frowned, looking up at her cyan hero. “Afraid so, squirt. But we’ll do some acrobatics on the way, okay?” “Cool!” the orange pegasus cheered, jumping onto Rainbow’s back, “See you later, Crusaders!” The two pegasi vanished in a rainbow blur out the door. “Do we have to go now?” Sweetie asked, her eyes moving subtly toward the ceiling. “Yes, we must,” her sister answered, nudging her again. “But…” “No buts, young lady.” The little unicorn grumblingly obliged and sulked out the door. Applejack gave her own sister a firm look and Apple Bloom followed suit, making a nervous look back inside before Applejack shut the door. “Ah know it stinks, but Rarity and Ah just feel better if y’all are where we can see ya.” “Quite right,” Rarity affirmed with a nod, “And you can go back to your adventures as soon as this all blows over.” “Okay,” the two fillies groaned. The ponies stepped off the ramp and the pairs of siblings bid farewell and parted ways, each heading for home. All was still back inside the seemingly empty clubhouse until Blackarachnia dropped from the ceiling in her spider mode, transformed in midair, and landed on her robot feet. She crossed her arms and shifted her hips with a scowl. “Well, it’s a lot more peaceful without the little disasters running around with their screechy voices…But what am I supposed to do now?” She sighed and walked over to the window, peering out at the grove below. The earth ponies vanished down the trail while the unicorns departed into the woods toward a town on the horizon. She scanned the grove as best her fritzing sensors could manage. No one was around. She didn’t know where to go in this alien land but she knew there was no way she was just going to sit in a tiny clubhouse for who knows how long. She raised her leg and stepped onto the windowsill, ready to leap out to the grass below. A sudden movement caught her eye and she stopped. A form moved swiftly between the trees, long and lithe, a bony tail whipping behind it. It was bone white but for blood red metallic patches on its head and hips. Just as soon as she recognized the creature it was already gone, disappeared beneath the canopies. It was headed right for Sweetie Belle and her sister. “…Oh scrap.” **** Pinkie Pie bounced down the road in her usual cheery manner, a box full of muffins balanced expertly atop her head. The streets were a lot emptier than normal, but Pinkie was unafraid. She bounded away from the more condensed part of Ponyville and the buildings became much more spaced apart. The path wound ahead towards the southern woods and Pinkie’s destination lay just short of them. She had only just finished a new muffin recipe, and she had the perfect taste tester in mind: Brighteyes “Derpy” Hooves, Ponyville’s most well-known mailmare. While cheery and sociable, the gray pegasus preferred to live on the outskirts of the town with her daughters. “It’s because her eye condition has left her a bit of a butterhooves, y’know,” Pinkie said, seemingly to no one, “Some meaniefaces used to make fun of her, but she’s a trooper, the sweetheart!” The pink party pony sang to herself while bouncing until she came to Brighteyes’ little cottage, nestled against the trees. The muffin box still on her head, she hopped onto the porch and raised her hoof to knock. “Hiya, Ms. Hooves! Pinkie Pie here! Hope Dinky Doo and Amethyst Star have a hankering for some muffiny goodness! I--“ As soon as her hoof tapped the door, it swung open loosely, revealing an empty living room. Pinkie took a cautious step inside. “Hello? Ms. Hooves? Brighteyes?” She looked around, noticing overturned furniture and scattered objects all over the floor. She headed into the kitchen nervously and found it equally devoid of life. A pot of stew was still boiling on the stove and the refrigerator door hung open. Broken plates lay strewn on the floor. Pinkie gulped and ran to the main bedroom. All three beds were empty. She ran to the open patio door. Shards of broken glass lay at her hooves, meaning something broke the window coming inside. She peered outside. The back yard was just as empty. A filly’s toys lay on the grass. “Okay, stop describing it like that! You’re creeping me out!” Her heart beginning to race, Pinkie Pie set the muffin box on the couch and sped toward the only part of the house she hadn’t explored yet: the basement. Bounding through the open window and into the yard, she cantered around the corner of the cottage to the cellar doors. They were covered in some kind of…web? Translucent, luminescent blue strands lay across the entry in intricate patterns. Pinkie stared at the strange substance and poked it with her hoof. It was sticky, and tingled her. Looking around, she reached down and snatched up a stick in her mouth. Shaking her head, she stirred up the stuff on the stick and yanked. It was resilient, but she managed to pull it off. Tossing the gunk aside, the pink pony grabbed the door handles and swung the doors open with a loud creak. She stood uneasily at the top of the stairwell, peering down into the darkness. No light could be seen at the bottom, but sounds echoed up to her ears. Scuttling and scraping, a hissing voice whispering…a filly crying? Steeling herself, Pinkie Pie placed her hoof shakily on the first step. Then the next. She knew she couldn’t leave without making sure the ponies were all right, but she couldn’t stop herself from wondering what kind of horror awaited her. Gulping down her dread, Pinkie Pie tiptoed slowly down the stairs and vanished into the darkness of the cellar. **** “…If your rudder runs aground or seaweed holds a grip! (Kelp!) Count upon the Sea Ponies, they'll see you get help!” “You are a sadistic monster,” Depth Charge grumbled, dragging his manta ray face through the seafloor in a vain attempt to drown out the mint green seahorse swimming happily beside him. “Oh, stop being such a grouch,” Lyra Heartstrings giggled, “The song is supposed to make you happy!” “You know what would make me happy?” groaned the manta, “Not fragging singing!” “Every party needs a pooper, that’s why they invited you,” Lyra retorted, sticking her tongue out. She turned ahead and pointed ahead with her fin excitedly, “Oh, look! There’s the shore!” “Finally!” the Maximal shouted, racing toward the slope like a rocket, “You said we were only a mile offshore! I’ve had to put up with you for six mega-cycles!” “My sense of direction isn’t the best. But what does that have to do with bikes?” “Oh, shut up.” The manta ray launched out of the water into the air, flying towards the sand. “Depth Charge: Maximize!” His aquatic shape transformed and rearranged into his robot mode, landing heavily on his feet and scattering the sand. Behind him Lyra’s head broke the surface. She shook her wet mane as her horn sparked with emerald light. Her fins sprouted into hoofed legs as her curling tail flourished into silvery hair. Her coat changed from sleek scales to smooth fur. Lyra stepped out onto the sand a full unicorn. “Cool trick, huh?” she asked cheerfully. Depth Charge was already walking up the beach several feet ahead of her. “Sorry, didn’t notice,” he replied, not even turning around. “You’re a real stick in the mud, you know that?” Lyra pouted, trotting to his side. “Oh hey, you have legs now,” the manta remarked, wholly uninterested, “So go trot home, or something.” “You’re never gonna get to see Princess Celestia with an attitude like that,” Lyra scowled, “You should come home with me and meet Bon Bon! She’ll teach you some manners!” “I highly doubt it. Now quit fragging following me like a hungry Scraplet, or so help me I will strangle your voice box!” “I don’t know what that means.” Depth Charge slapped his forehead, so very tempted to go for his rifle. Just as they reached the top of the sandy hill, the pair came across a small (for Depth Charge) house sitting nicely between the dunes. “Here we are!” Lyra called happily, “Home sweet home!” “…Joy.” “Mmm, smells like Bon Bon’s making something awesome! You wanna stop in and say hi? Maybe grab a bite? …Can you even eat with no mouth?” “Will you please, please let me leave in peace if I do?” the manta sighed. “No problem!” the unicorn laughed, bounding for the door, “I Pinkie Pie promise!” “…Alright, fine,” Depth Charge said in defeat, rubbing his forehead, “Five cycles, no more.” “Yay!” Lyra cheered, “You’ll love Bon Bon! She’s a sweetie, and she has this great trick with her voice!” “Why do I have the feeling you’re going to tell me about it regardless of whether or not I actually care--“ “Most ponies think her cutie mark has to do with candy,” the unicorn laughed, “but it’s actually throat lozenges. See, her special talent is to mimic other voices perfectly. She has a different voice practically every day! Sometimes I wonder if I’ve ever heard her real voice! And I live with her!” “Wow, that’s fascinating,” Depth Charge lied, “Can we just go inside?” “Okay, sheesh.” Lyra shook her head, hopping onto the porch and pushing the door open, “Hey, Bon Bon! We have a guest for dinner! A really big guest! Hope you made enough for…all…” The unicorn stopped dead in the doorway, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide in horror. Depth Charge knelt down behind her and peered inside. He gasped in shock and reached for his gun. The inside of the house was quaint and homely, an appetizing aroma wafting out from the kitchen. An equine sofa sat in the living room facing the open door. Sitting on the couch, much too large for it, was a hulking creature the likes of which Lyra Heartstrings had never seen before. It was similar in size and appearance to Depth Charge, but crablike. It was dark red and purple to contrast his silver and blue. Gigantic pincers curled down its back. Its mouth was a hideous vertical slit and it leered at them with soulless, green eyes. It seemed to smile, made all the more horrific by the utter wrongness of its face. It sat almost motionless with one leg crossed over the other, a soft chuckle escaping its lips. Sitting in its lap, held in place by both fear and icy, metal hands, was the terrified and whimpering form of a cream-colored pony with a pink and dark blue mane. “What an unexpected surprise, my old friend!” Rampage laughed in his soft, spine-chilling voice, “I’m so happy to see you’re here as well.” He petted his captive pony like a dog, the equine’s tearful eyes silently pleading to Lyra and her Maximal companion. The crab tilted his head and sneered. “I’ll be right with you, friend. As you can see, I was just sitting down to dinner…