//------------------------------// // 6th Light: Suspicion! / The new student arrives! // Story: Shine on! Ultrawoman Aster! // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// “So, let me get this straight. You made those little bombs?” Sunset asked.  Sunset was in her history class, and in this class with her were Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. It had been a couple of days since the attack on the Preserve, and things had gotten back to a relative sense of normalcy.  “Yep, I was trying to create a new kind of mini fireworks that give you the same kind of oooooh, and awwwwe, effect, but I kind of ended up just making those things I used back in the cave,” said Pinkie.  “Fascinating, were those the only ones?” Twilight asked.  “Oh no, I have plenty more stashed up in my hair, just in case of emergencies. Although they are a bit of a pain in the rear to get out when I want to shower.” The girls chuckled but then grew quiet when they heard the bell ring and their history teacher, Miss Cheerilee, entered the room. The teacher stood before her class and said, “Good morning everyone, I have some news. Starting today, you’ll all have a new classmate transferring into your class.” The students began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering who could be transferring to their school at such a time.  Cheerilee looked towards the open door and said, “You can come in dear.” The class watched as girl entered their class room. She had light olive skin, artic blue eyes, and salmon colored hair. She clutched her backpack kind of tight, and was having a hard time making eye contact with everyone.  “Go on ahead, dear, introduce yourself,” said Miss Cheerilee in her cheerful tone.  “Um…m-my name is…Ocellus…” Immediately, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Sunset’s eyes widened upon hearing her name. Leading all three of them to rise from their desks and call out, “Ocellus?!” The sudden calling of her name made the young girl yelp as her body flared up with arctic blue energy, changing her body and form to that of her true Changeling form, the uniform she was wearing was specially made with slits in the back to compensate for her wings, and another slit was made in the skirt for her tail frill.  “Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie?!” Ocellus exclaimed happily.  The class as a little taken aback by the fact that she had just changed from a human girl into an insectoid human-like creature.  “Oh, well then, I guess this is as best a time as any to tell you all. Ocellus is a Changeling that comes from Hive Prime, she’s new to Earth and so because of that, I expect you all to treat her kindly and help her with anything that she may not understand. Ocellus, since you seem to know some of my students, you can take the seat closest to them.” Ocellus turned to Cheerilee and gave a slight bow. “Thank you, ma’am.” As Ocellus made her way to the seat next to Fluttershy and Pinkie, she could hear several of the students whispering suspiciously about her. Her body ignited once more, changing her back into her human disguise and once again making the class gasp.  Class went on, but Ocellus could tell that the other students were sneaking glances at her when they thought she wasn’t looking. After about an hour of class the bell rang and began the transition time to get to their next class. Ocellus tapped on Sunset’s shoulder and asked, “Um, hi, Sunset. C-Could you show me to my next class? I have the schedule, but I don’t know where to go exactly.” Sunset smiled at the Changeling. “Sure, let’s see.” Ocellus handed her HoloFrame to Sunset. “Oh, cool, you have Physics next, Twilight and I have that class. We can walk you there.” “Thank you,” said Ocellus.  Fluttershy came up and said, “We’ll have to catch up later, maybe during lunch?” “I’d like that.”  “See ya later, Ocellus!” Pinkie exclaimed as she left the room.  Twilight, Ocellus, and Sunset left the classroom and walked down the hall. Apparently word had spread fast as the other students were looking at Ocellus with suspicion as well.  “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Sunset asked.  “Um, is it okay to talk about that?” Ocellus asked.  Twilight leaned down to the slightly shorter girl and whispered, “I know that Sunset’s Aster, so do the rest our teammates, and the Commanders, but no one else in the school knows.”  “Okay, well…I’ll tell you after school, it’s kind of complicated…”  \\\***/// The Commanders of SMILE Concordia Base stood in the communications room, making contact with Ocellus’ home world of Hive Prime. After a minute, the screen showed the image of the current Changeling ruler. His carapace was a bright green color, his chest was a darker green color, and sparkled brilliantly. Around his collar bone were three embedded white jewels, the color around his collar was an orange and faded into the light green color halfway up his neck. His eyes were a deep violet color, and upon his head had three horns. One in the middle of his forehead which was dual tipped and green, and the other two came from the sides of his head and were colored orange.  Ocellus bowed when she saw her king and said, “King Thorax!” “Ocellus, I’m happy you’re safe!” King Thorax exclaimed.  “She is safe and sound thanks to Ultrawoman Aster. We’ve also apprehended the ones who enslaved her, and are currently awaiting trail and extradition.” “As such, we are also ready to have Ocellus returned home. Do you wish for us to make the journey to you or are you sending a ship for her?” Vice Commander Luna asked.  King Thorax looked a little troubled at that question. A look that did not go unnoticed by Ocellus. “Is…Is something the matter my King?” “Yes…and no…It’s complicated.” King Thorax sighed heavily. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it. Ocellus, you can’t come back to Hive Prime right now.”  Ocellus’ eyes widened with shock. “W-Why?! Did I do something wrong?!” Thorax quickly shook his head. “No, no, little one, you didn’t! It’s just…we discovered something about you that puts you in more jeopardy should you return. We recently went over your last biometric information, trying to see if there was a reason you in particular were kidnapped. And there is a reason, or maybe they weren’t aware, regardless, it’s important enough that the Dark Changelings would attack you again.” Commander Celestia narrowed her gaze. “Forgive us, King Thorax, if this is classified information, then we need to switch to a private channel.”  Thorax nodded.  Vice Commander Luna looked to one of the workers and they quickly switched the feed to a secure communication line. “You may speak now, our conversation is encrypted.”  “Thank you. It turns out, Ocellus, you have the potential to become a Queen Changeling.”  The strength in Ocellus’ legs drained as she collapsed onto her rear, prompting Luna to rush to the young Changeling’s side. “I…I can become a Queen Changeling?!” “It’s true, a very rare occurrence given our times. We’re still running more data to make sure, but it’s looking like this is more and more a fact. If Queen Chrysalis learns of this, your life is in danger on Hive Prime.” “I’m sorry, King Thorax, but how does this endanger Ocellus? You are the King of the Changelings, and while I’m not familiar with your customs, Ocellus looks far too young to take as your bride,” said Luna.  Thorax rubbed the back of his head. “It’s not exactly the same thing as marriage. With Chrysalis, she practically gave birth to all of us on Hive Prime, there was once a King who helped in fathering our race, but once he served his purpose, he was killed by Chrysalis, from then on, she laid the eggs that would soon become the race of beings you see before you.” “When I began this rebellion, and converted us from what we once were, initiating this dramatic change to our bodies, it’s made it so that we do not need to feed off of the emotional energy of other creatures, we can share that energy amongst ourselves, love when freely given can be shared with others. That power is what changed us. That change is what helped me start this revolution, and allowed other Changelings to procreate with each other and have families of their own.” “But the Queen is the Queen, she can continue to make more Changelings. And because of that, she can assert her power as ruler and life giver. But, if a new Queen type of Changeling is born…” “It would take away that power, and possibly bring more of the Dark Changelings over to your side, dwindling their numbers,” said Celestia.  “…It’s more than that…” Ocellus finally spoke. “There cannot be more than one Queen Type in a Hive that is a law that has been set since the beginning of Hive Prime, before Chrysalis, and before the one who spawned her. If it’s true…If I do become a Queen, I’ll have to face her…by ancient law, we must fight until only one of us stands.” Celestia and Luna’s eyes widened as they looked upon Ocellus in a new light. If this was true, then Ocellus was the key to ending the civil war on Hive Prime, and in that case, Chrysalis would stop at nothing to try and kill Ocellus before she could become a threat to her.  “I know you want to come back home, Ocellus, but given what we know now, it’s more than likely that Chrysalis has figured this out as well. I’ve already talked with the SMILE Director, as well as the Earth Federation, and they have agreed to grant you and your family asylum on Earth. And, with your permission, Commanders, I’d like it if they could migrate to your area, and have Ocellus attend your school. I can think of no safer place in the universe than on a planet that as a member of the Ultra race protecting it.” Celestia looked back at the young alien girl, she looked as if she was still processing all this. The tall woman walked over to where Ocellus was still on the floor and knelt before her to look the Changeling in the eyes. “Ocellus, this is as much your decision. I would be happy to have you at this Academy, and having Aster around does make this area safer than most. But that’s not up to me, I know you want to go back home, however, Earth is called home by many different aliens who have decided call it that. I know there are at least two or three people here who’d be willing to be your friend and help you transition.” Ocellus looked up to the monitor, and then to Celestia. With a heavy sigh, she made her decision. ~*~*~*~ “And that’s what happened…”  The girls had met up outside, sitting at a bench as Ocellus told them what had been going on this past week. They were each in various states of shock, and didn’t know what to say about what they heard, they were mostly feeling sorry for the young Changeling.  Twilight cleared her throat to break the silence and asked, “If this isn’t too personal, do you know when you’ll become a Queen?”  Ocellus shook her head. “No, a metamorphosis like that could happen at any time. It could take years before I become that. Or could happen this week. All I know is, from what King Thorax told me, I’ll grow a cocoon around myself, and then when I emerge, I’ll be a Queen Changeling. I’ll be as strong as Chrysalis is, and be able to fight her for rule of Hive Prime. But, again, there’s no telling when that will happen. I’ll be the first Queen of the newly reformed Changelings…I should feel honored, excited even…” The girls all had saddened looks on their faces. Fluttershy scooted closer to Ocellus and asked, “It’s okay, you can tell us how you feel.” “Is it…Is it okay if I change back?” Ocellus asked.  “You don’t have to ask permission for that, Sug. You just be yerself,” said Applejack.  Arctic blue energy flared around Ocellus until she was in her true form. Her eyes began to water as she sniffled. “I don’t want to become a Queen! I just want to live with my family, go to school, and have a life of my own…! Now…Now everyone, my entire race, is going to be looking to me to end this war! I…I don’t know what to do!” Fluttershy brought Ocellus into a hug as she let her cry into her chest. The overwhelming pressure of becoming the potential savior of her people was a lot to be hefted on a young girl’s shoulders, alien or not, that was a heavy burden to bear.  “Sunset, this may sound like a stupid question, but is there any way you can, like, go to Hive Prime and ray beam blast this Chrysalis?” Rainbow asked.  “I’d love to, but I’m not sure how well that would go over with Celestia and Luna. Plus, I know I can go into space, but I don’t want to run the risk of flying out there and changing back before I got there. The only other way would be to jump on a ship heading to Hive Prime, but that would leave Earth vulnerable to Space Beast attacks. No offense, but if more like Barabas, Zetton, and that Meteor Raptor show up…” Twilight pushed her glasses up as she chuckled. “Well, we may be closer to providing you with backup sometime soon. With the improvements I’ve suggested and with some added research thanks to you, Sunset, we may be able to at least start causing more damage to the Space Beasts.” “Oooh, I like where that’s going!” Pinkie exclaimed.  “Ocellus, if they haven’t given you a room yet, you can come and stay with Pinkie and me. Our room can house at least three comfortably.” Fluttershy offered. Ocellus wiped her tears and smiled up at the teal eyes girl. “I’d like that.”  \\\***/// [Wednesday, 3:15 pm…] Three days had passed since Ocellus was brought into the Academy, unfortunately, the rumor mill had been going on about her. And once they learned she was a Changeling, people became suspicious of her. Since she had the power to turn into anyone, it was hard not to think that she could do some things and get away with it. It also didn’t help that her involvement in the Preserve attack was also circulating around, so now people knew that she could transform into a giant monster whenever she chose.  Ocellus mostly kept to her human form, only dropping her disguise when she was with Sunset or the others, or just in her dorm room with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.  Currently, Ocellus was in one of the design rooms, Rarity had asked for assistance with an idea for a gown for herself for a party that she had to attend back in the city. Ocellus agreed, happily willing to help. She transformed into Rarity herself, and allowed the fashionista to begin her work.  “Oh, darling, you have no idea how much easier it is to work on an outfit for yourself, when you can actually see how it looks on you.” Rarity took a step back as she looked upon Ocellus in the unfinished dress. “Although, I must admit, it’s a bit of a weird feeling to see yourself and touch my own body from this perspective.”  Ocellus chuckled, “I’m sure it is. But, if it’s not too much trouble, could I ask you to make something for me? I don’t have that many clothes and…” Rarity gasped upon hearing this. “Darling, you mean to say you have no wardrobe at all?!”  Ocellus shook her head. “Not really, we Changelings don’t normally wear clothes, but I have grown a fascination with them. And, typically, when we transform, we can also recreate different outfits with our power. It’s fake though, and disappears when we change to another form.”  Rarity tutted. “No, no, no, this simply will not do. A young girl requires a detailed wardrobe. This Saturday, you and I will go on a shopping spree, my treat!”  Ocellus blushed. “Oh, you don’t have to, I don’t want to spend your money on me.”  “Nonsense, it is my money, and I shall spend it how I wish! We’ll pick out some fashionable, yet comfortable clothes, and I’ll also treat you to some of my original designs. What do you think?”  Ocellus smiled and then her voice changed. “If you insist, darling, then I’ll happily take you up on your offer.”  “Oh you cheeky thing.”  Both girls laughed, at that moment, some of the other design students stepped in and saw the two Rarity’s.  “Uh, Rarity, what are you doing?”  “Ocellus was assisting me with a gown I was making for myself, and she kindly agreed to turn into me to model that dress so I could see how I look in it,” Rarity explained.  The female students glanced to each other with uncertainty. They motioned for Rarity to walk over to them and asked, “Is that, okay with you?” “Of course it is, I asked her to.”  “But, what if she goes around the rest of the day as you.” Rarity raised her eyebrow. “I’m failing to see the issue here.” “We’re just saying, you might wanna be careful she doesn’t impersonate you.”  Rarity rolled her eyes. “Humph, yes, thank you for the warning, but if you don’t mind I am busy.” The female students left, leaving only Ocellus and Rarity in the room. “Don’t pay attention to them, darling.”  “Okay…sure.”  \\\***/// Sunset had decided to let things cool down before she asked some questions, but now knowing about Ocellus, it was more than likely not going to be a good time one way or another, so Sunset made her way to the office of Commander Celestia. She knocked on the door of her office, to which Celestia replied, “You may enter.” Sunset pressed on the pad next to the door and let it slide open as it revealed both Commanders going over some documents.  Geez, I know they’re sisters, but they’re always together when I see them…people are going to start talking, thought Sunset.  “Sunset, to what do we owe this visit?” Celestia asked as she briefly glanced to see who it was and then went back to her work.  “Gomora.”  Both Commanders stopped what they were doing as they looked at Sunset.  “What about, Gomora?” Luna asked.  “How long has SMILE known that there’s a Terra Beast resting under our feet near the city?” Sunset asked as she crossed her arms.  Celestia raised her brow. “Are you concerned that Gomora may attack?”  “No, that’s not my concern. I’m pretty sure he’s on our side, if that lick meant anything. No, what I’m concerned about is the fact that you didn’t tell me he was there! Don’t you think I should know something like that?! I mean, I made the decision to protect the Earth from Space Beasts, shouldn’t I be aware that there are Terra Beasts sleeping underneath our feet?!”  Luna cleared her throat. “I’m sorry you’re not privy to all our classified information, Sunset Shimmer. But it’s best that certain bits of information are kept secret, even from you. Your being Ultrawoman Aster does not grant you Top Secret Clearance, the chain of command has to be followed.” “I’ll have to agree with Luna on this one, it’s not our call whether to divulge classified info to you Sunset or not. We can only provide the best information we can under the circumstances, but rest assured, that won’t be happening again. We’ve increased security around Gomora, more specifically the Preserve.”  Sunset sighed. “Anything else I should know?”  “No, but Sunset,” Celestia rose from her desk, “I can’t tell you a lot because of where I’m stationed in SMILE, neither of us can. But know this, I do care about you, and I’ll always be there to help you in whatever capacity I am able.”  The redhead smiled at that as she sighed. “Thanks. I’m going to hang around with Pinkie and Twilight.”  With that said, Sunset left the room and left the two sisters alone. When she left, Celestia sat at the edge of her desk and held the bridge of her nose as she sighed heavily. “I don’t like keeping these secrets from her, Luna. I feel as if I may be keeping her from regaining her past!”  Luna came around the desk and stood before her elder sister. “Tia, what else can you do? You know about as much I do about her, which is little.”  “I still think I can make a better effort to find out who she is, and where she came from. To give her some kind of closure.”  Luna placed her hands on Celestia’s shoulders and then brought her into a hug. “Tia, you always have to play the role of the mother, but that’s what makes you such a good commander.”  “Same to you, I guess one of us has to be the stern parent to our wards.”  “Oh, and you’re the fun parent?” Luna asked with heavy skepticism. “Well maybe if you showed more of your cute side, our students would see you the same way I do!” Celestia raised her hands up as she wiggled her fingers.  “Oh no…y-you wouldn’t dare!”  “Run if you can, Lulu!”  No one would ever hear the cute, if not torturous laughter that emanated from Celestia’s office, nor would they ever hear the constant pleads of the Vice Commander for mercy. But then the door slid open.  “Oh, sorry, I wanted to ask if there…was…” Sunset looked down at the floor.  Before her was Commander Celestia, on the floor, straddling the Vice Commander, her hands paused at her sides, and said Vice Commander’s shirt and coat were bunched upwards, exposing her midriff. Vice Commander Luna’s face was bright red, with tears running down from her eyes, Commander Celestia’s face was just as red as her younger sister, both also sported a look that was caught between shock and mortification.  “Uh…I…I don’t…Do I need to help her…come back in a few minutes…?”  “S-Sunset, this isn’t what it looks like!” Luna exclaimed.  Sunset raised her hands as she said, “Hey, no judgement, whatever you guys do in your private time is your business. But, a word of advice, you might want to lock your door if you plan to–” “THAT’S NOT WHAT WE WERE DOING!!!” “THAT’S NOT WHAT WE WERE DOING!!!”    \\\***/// [Saturday, 10:00 am…] Sunset was currently laughing her rear off as she, Ocellus, and Rarity were sitting in the food court. The fiery redhead had recounted the story of her having a chat with the two commanders, only to find them in a precarious situation. Ocellus couldn’t help but giggle a little at the story, while Rarity was blushing.  “Really now, Sunset, I don’t think it was that funny,” said Rarity.  “Oh, you had to be there and see it, and if you were, you’d be laughing just as hard! Ha, ha, ha-ha!” Sunset exclaimed. “Damn, I should’ve taken a picture, could’ve come in handy.”  “Don’t you dare think about blackmailing our commanders over such a thing! I’ve had such interactions with my little sister, Sweetie Belle. Sometimes when she’s getting overly clingy or she’s interrupting me, I often resort to tickling her into submission. There’s nothing scandalous about that.”  Sunset waved off Rarity’s concern. “I know, I know, it’s just funny to see the stern and stoic Vice Commander Luna looking that embarrassed and flustered.”  Rarity thought it over for a moment and her lip couldn’t help but curl upwards a little. “I suppose it is a little funny when you put it that way.”  Ocellus was quiet throughout the conversation, mostly just listening to them and also paying attention to the people around them. Ever since finding out she was a potential Queen type, the idea of an assassin lurking about crossed her mind constantly. Not only that, but she also noticed that some of the people did have an eye on her. Most she recognized from school. She knew that the story of what happened at the Preserve had spread, and how she was one of the giant monsters that fought Ultrawoman Aster.  In a way, Ocellus couldn’t blame them for being on edge in her presence. Earth had suffered the First Incursion, and have had subsequent Space Beast attacks, some of which have increased recently in frequency. But add to the fact that Ocellus could imitate anyone in the world, or any creature, then it made it easy for her to be seen as a potential danger.  “You know,” Sunset spoke, snapping Ocellus out of her inward thoughts, “you could always, change your form. It won’t bother us if you do.”  Ocellus shook her head. “No, thank you. I chose this human form to help put people at ease around me. I like to think it helps. But…” Rarity saw the looks of the people who would glance their way and huffed in indignation. “Honestly, it’s not as if you’re the only alien in this building. There are plenty of other aliens who have dangerous abilities, but none here have done anything to harm another soul.”  “Yeah, but not many can…you know.” Sunset left that open.  The fashionista sighed. “Very well, so, we found many cute things for me, and we finally found some more stylish choices for Sunset.”  “Don’t know what was wrong with my taste in clothes,” Sunset muttered.  “Oh, darling, nothing’s wrong, it’s just…well…you could use more variety,” said Rarity.  Sunset raised an eyebrow at that, she then looked over to Ocellus and noticed that there weren’t that many bags, maybe one or two small ones that only contained accessories. “Well, if I have to be your dress up doll, then so does Ocellus.”  “Oh, I…” “Fabulous idea, let’s hop to it then!” Rarity wasted little time in gathering their things and then practically dragged the young Changeling into the nearest store.  Rarity began picking out a few things here and there, Ocellus had attempted to argue that her school uniform was more than enough. Sunset and Rarity swiftly denied that idea out right. Rarity had Ocellus try on different outfits that complemented her human form, and Sunset would chip in her two bits to make sure that Rarity didn’t have Ocellus wear something too overly complicated.  “Now, then, I think that’s enough for you in this form, why don’t we do something for the real you,” Rarity suggested.  “Oh…um…I-I don’t think…I mean, Changelings don’t normally wear clothes, our carapace is quite durable and protective,” said Ocellus.  Rarity placed her hands on Ocellus’ shoulders. “My dear, you don’t always need to hide who you are. You are beautiful, and you deserve to show others that beauty. Plus, you look quite stunning in your natural form.”  Ocellus blushed and then nodded. The young Changeling surrounded herself in artic blue plasma, and when it faded, she was in her true form. Rarity circled Ocellus, now that she was a getting a better look at her features and coloring, humming in contemplation as she did so. The violet haired girl then walked the aisle, perusing the store’s selection until she happened upon the perfect dress for the young Changeling. Rarity took it and gave it to Ocellus, she then nudged Ocellus into the changing room, and the two young women waited.  After a minute, Ocellus stepped out. She wore a simple salmon red blouse, with a matching skirt that had a few sequins that were tactfully placed to give the skirt a nice sheen without making it flashy. The blouse had a low hanging back that dipped into a “U” shape, giving Ocellus plenty of room for her wings to move about. Rarity got up and inspected the outfit and smiled happily.  “Just as I thought, simplistic, but it makes such a difference. Hmm, I forgot to take into account your tail, perhaps I could find another skirt?” Rarity suggested.  Ocellus shook her head. “No, I like it. But maybe you could alter it a bit to let my tail hang out?”  “Consider it done.”  Sunset nodded her approval of Ocellus’ outfit. “Wow, you really look cute in that Ocellus. You should wear it out.” “Capital idea…” Rarity looked back at Ocellus. “Only if you’re comfortable, Ocellus.”  Ocellus looked at Rarity and Sunset with eyes full of budding confidence and nodded her head. Rarity smiled and three went to the cashier who rang them up. The trio of teens walked through the rest of the mall, with Ocellus still in her true form and wearing the outfit she liked. She was catching some glances again, but this time around they weren’t exactly suspicious glances, more like they couldn’t believe how cute she looked.  Sunset lightly elbowed Ocellus and whispered, “Looks like you’re turning a few heads.” Ocellus blushed under the attention, but she didn’t dislike it, compared to earlier, this was much more preferred. Rarity and Sunset fell back just a bit to give Ocellus room and to not obstruct the view, which also allowed them time to speak privately.  “You did a good thing, Rarity,” said Sunset.  “Nobody deserves to be seen as an outcast, she’s beautiful, kind, and very sweet. Circumstances have not been kind to her lately, so, I felt that it was our job as friends to cheer her up, to help make the best of her current situation,” Rarity explained.  Sunset chuckled a bit.  “What’s the matter?”  “This is going to sound a little bad, but, when I first saw you, before we became teammates. I thought you were going to be haughty, stuck up, and really nitpicky. But, you’re none of those things.”  Rarity rubbed her left arm. “Well, I will admit, I do tend to act that way from time to time. But, overall, I try to maintain the bonds I weave with others, and doing what I can – whether it is spending time with my friends, or making something beautiful for them – is how I express that and doing so fills me with energy.” Sunset felt a strange sense of happiness from hearing Rarity’s words. Suddenly, the alarms went off, and PA system turned on. {All shoppers, we have an emergency situation. Imminent Space Beast attack. All shoppers are to quickly and calmly make their way to–} A violent rumble ceased any further talk from the PA system, causing the people to look around in a panic. Another round of tremors came, stronger than the last. People began running for the nearest shelters, holograms appeared and displayed arrows which pointed to where the shelters were. Sunset, Ocellus, and Rarity looked up through the skylight and watched as the blue sky turned purple, indicating that the Phantom Zone had been activated.  “I think you might want to get outside, Sunset,” Rarity suggested.  “Agreed, you two get to the shelter!” Sunset stated as she ran off.  Another violent tremor coursed through the mall, causing the walls and ceiling to crack and chip. As Rarity and Ocellus made their way to the shelter, Ocellus spotted a group of people heading their way. But her eyes also spotted how part of the cement ceiling was gradually cracking. A second tremor hit and caused the group to stumble, Rarity rushed towards the people to try and help them hurry along to the shelter. However, another tremor caused the large chunk of the ceiling to fall.  “RARITY!” Ocellus cried out.  The young woman looked up, making the others look up as well, and all could only watch as a giant slab of concrete came rushing towards them.  \\\***/// || SHINE ON! ULTRAWOMAN ASTER! || A bright flash of light went off in the city, and from that light appeared the giant hero of light, Ultrawoman Aster. Aster landed upon the ground and entered her fighting stance as she beheld a new foe. Its body was made of a tough red and black carapace, with exoskeletal blades that rested on the sides of its arms, red compound eyes, and a long tail that had a sharp stinger on it.  “You are all kinds of ugly, but you’ll go down like the rest!” The monster chittered as it rushed towards Aster, extending its arm blades as it swiped at her. Aster blocked the first strike, but the creature managed to move faster as it slashed upwards with its left arm, hitting Aster in her chest and causing sparks to fly from her body.  Aster stumbled backwards, but the monster wasn’t done yet. The tip of its extended horn began to spark, and in the next second, unleashed a blast of Red Lightning that crackled as it sailed towards Aster. The Ultra Warrior braced herself as she took the full brunt of the blast, buildings exploded around her, turning into rumble as her body released more sparks from the continuous damage.  Sunset had had enough and decided to get serious.  “Bestow, the strength of the brave!” || ULTRAMAN LEO! || “Bestow, the power of the bold!”  || ULTRAMAN MAX! || “Ignite the fire in my heart!” || BURN UP! SOLARIS MAXIMUS! || A pillar of fire rose up around Aster, transforming her into powered form, Solaris Maximus. The Red Lightning continued to hit her, but now she barely felt it, and the sparks were appearing less than when she was in her default form. Aster began walking towards the Space Beast, the creature continued its attack, but was quickly finding out that Aster’s defense was far stronger than it had anticipated.  Aster used her left hand to grabs its horn, forcing it to look up. She then cocked back her right fist as the revolver chambers spun and locked. The empowered hero thrust her fist forward, hitting the Space Beast in the gut as the chamber fired and released a burst of energy that sent it flying backwards as sparks flew from its body.  As it flew, Aster began to charge forward, running for the monster and waiting it for it to land to give it more punishment. However, that would not happen as the monster quickly sprouted wings and stopped itself in midair. Aster came to a skidding halt as she watched this and groaned in annoyance, “Of course the bug monster flies.” The beetle Space Beast began gathering energy around its pincers, the sphere that formed glowed a bright magenta as plasma flames wafted from it. The Space Beast fired the sphere from its high position, the blazing sphere sailed through the air as it made its way towards Aster. When the sphere hit, a massive explosion went off that managed to pick Aster off the ground and throw her back down with unforgiving force, causing her to roll into a few buildings before stopping against a skyscraper.  Aster groaned painfully as she kneeled in a slight daze. “Damn, that was strong, if I wasn’t in this form I think that would’ve made me change back!” The beetle seemed to realize that its Inferno Bomber attack was the key to damaging this Ultra. It wasn’t long before it charged up again and fired a second blast. Aster didn’t try and tank this next attack, instead choosing to roll to her right and jump away just as the sphere hit ground, exploding on impact.  \\\***/// Rarity had shut her eyes when she saw the concrete fall towards them, believing that her life was at an end. But she didn’t feel dead. With reluctance she managed open her eyes, and she gasped.  Standing above her, above all of them, was the insect monster that fought Aster during the Preserve incident, although it was much smaller compared to then. Rarity instantly knew who had saved their lives.  “Ocellus!”  “Thank goodness…ugh…you’re alright!”  Rarity took a moment to look around them, Ocellus was holding up a large slab of concrete, but all around them more had fallen, burying them in debris. It was dark thanks to that, but Ocellus’ underbelly provided a bioluminescent glow that lit up the inside.  “Are you okay?!” Rarity asked.  “N-Not really…I think there’s something stabbing me…!”  The people trapped with them were scared, both because there a large creature looming over them, and also due to the fact that they were buried under tons of rock. Rarity took out her cellphone and turned on her light, prompting the others to do the same. “Where do you feel it?” “M-My left third leg…!” Rarity hurried to the spot and indeed she was injured, a piece of rebar had broken off and pierced her leg, allowing green blood to ooze from the wound. Rarity took another look at how Ocellus was positioned and realized the horrible truth. “You’re holding up the slab aren’t you?!” “Uh-huh!” she grunted.  “Can’t you make yourself bigger and push it off?” Rarity asked.  “Not with that stabbing me, and even if it wasn’t, if I did, I could make the rest fall off and crush the rest of you!” Ocellus explained.  Rarity looked at her legs, she could see them straining, shaking with fatigue and sheer willpower.  “I…I don’t know how long I can keep this up, but I’ll try!” Ocellus stated.  There was a shift, and Ocellus began to buckle under the strain, causing the slab to grind against the rest of the concrete as it gained a few more inches.  The people were getting worried as they watched the Changeling strain against this daunting task, knowing that she was doing all she could to keep them from getting crushed to death made them see this alien in a different light.  Rarity walked up to Ocellus’ head and petted her gently. “Don’t worry, I know we’ll make it through this.” “H-How?”  “Because our friend will help us. Bonds of camaraderie and friendship are strong, and oftentimes, those strong bonds can let a friend know when the other needs help.”  Just then, Rarity began to glow bright purple, making the others gasp in shock. Rarity gasped too, not entirely sure what was happening to her. That purple light left her body as it formed a circular object in front of her. Rarity gingerly reached out to touch the object, and upon doing so, it flew off, piercing through the stone that kept them imprisoned.  \\\***/// Aster was starting to get tired, and now her timer was blinking red, which meant she didn’t have much more time before she turned back. But all of that was forgotten when she sensed something. Her head turned towards the mall and watched as a purple light hovered over it.  What the heck is…? Wait… Aster bolted for the mall as the monster opened fire on her from above. The Ultra Warrior dodged to the right as she grabbed a building, tearing it up from its foundation, and then tossed it into the air right at the monster as it fired another attack. The Inferno Bomber hit the building just as it got close to the Space Beast, exploding violently. The shockwave from the blast managed to send the monster into a tailspin for a few moments.  That was all the time that Aster needed as she approached the mall, and looked directly under where the light was shining. There was some debris huddled around small, exposed area. Someone’s there! Aster carefully reached down and used her right thumb and index finger to lift the slab up, revealing Ocellus in her monster form, Rarity, and some civilians. Aster could see that Ocellus was hurt, but otherwise she looked okay as she was finally allowed to collapse onto the floor in exhaustion. Rarity sat by her side as she petted her head soothingly, the fashionista took a moment to look up and smile at Aster.  Thank God, I was in time. The purple light then zoomed towards Aster, zipping right into her color timer. In the starry nexus, Sunset reached out towards that purple light as it transformed into a new Ultra Coin. “Seriously?! A new coin?! But…only one?”  The Ultra Coin flashed and briefly displayed the image of a new Ultraman to Sunset. And when saw it, one name entered her mind.  “Orb…” The sound of angry chittering caught her attention as Aster turned around and saw the Space Beast recover as it readied to counterattack.  “Okay, then I know the best way to use you then!” Aster turned around to face the beetle monster; in the starry nexus, Sunset opened her Coin Keeper and took her two newest Ultra Coins.  “I ask for the gift of kindness!” || ULTRAMAN COSMOS! || “I ask for the gift of protection!” || ULTRAMAN AGUL! || “Let the waves of my soul quell your rage!” || FLOW AND CRASH! COSMIC WAVE! || A pillar of light and water rose around Aster, changing her into her agile and accuracy focused form, Cosmic Wave. Aster raised both of her hands to her head as the shark fin crest on her head began to glow. The light began to take form, and Aster grabbed the light, pulling forward and twirling the object around until it transformed into her bladed weapon.  “Stellugger!”  Within the starry nexus, Sunset took the Ultraman Orb Coin and placed into the top slot of the Stellugger, and in the bottom slot, she placed the Ultraman Coin. Sunset twirled her Stellugger around as the two Ultra Coins empowered her weapon, making it glow with an aurora of colors.  Outside, Aster used her left hand to draw a circle of light around the entire mall and said, “Healing Halo!” The Halo bathed the area in healing light, the rebar rose out of Ocellus’ leg and fell harmlessly against the floor, allowing the wound to close up. Her fatigue was erased as she allowed the healing light to enter her and make her well. Ocellus looked up and smiled at Aster, but then her eyes widened when she saw the creature that was about to attack her.  “A Bezelb!” Ocellus then watched as the monster’s tail coiled around and lashed towards Aster like a snake. “DON’T LET IT’S TAIL HIT YOU!” Aster sensed the attack, time slowed for her as she stepped to the side, leaving behind an afterimage of herself. The Bezelb believed it had pierced her, when in reality that was not the case. Aster took advantage of this and slashed at the tail, cutting it off and causing the Bezelb to screech in pain. Aster launched towards the Bezelb and slashed it across its chest as she flew by, using her hyper speed, Aster turned around and attacked again, and again, and again.  In the sky, it appeared as if a blue blur was slashing at the monster from every direction, causing sparks to fly from its body with each successful blow. Aster hovered a few feet away from the monster as her eyes glowed. She used the Stellugger to draw a circle of light in front of her, particles gathered around the circle, filling the center.  Aster drew back her Stellugger, entering a thrusting stance as she cried out, “SUPREME SPECIUM CALIBUR!” Aster thrust the Stellugger forward into the ring of light.  The light was absorbed by the blade and was then released in beam of aurora light that struck the Bezelb right in the chest as its carapace began to crack with fissures of light. The fissures expanded at a rapid rate until the insect Space Beast exploded in a shower of sparks. Aster ceased her attack as she let her Stellugger change into light and disappear. With the Space Beast defeated, and her time nearly up, Aster flew off into the distance.    \\\***/// [Monday, 1:45 pm…] “Thanks Ocellus!” A student exclaimed.  The insectoid girl blinked at the sudden praise. “Um…d-do you mean me?” “Yeah, you saved my Mom in the mall during that attack!” “Same here, you saved my Sis,” said another.  Before Ocellus knew it, she was being swarmed by more and more students as they wanted to get a picture and give their thanks to the hero of that day.  Rarity and Sunset were standing a few feet away from the crowd as they watched Ocellus, although the shy Changeling was obviously embarrassed about the attention she was getting, it didn’t stop her from letting a big grin appeared on her face. Something that made both teens happy to see.  “So, let me get this straight, that coin flew from me, and then to you?” Rarity asked.  “Yep, same thing with Rainbow and AJ, same thing with Pinkie and Shy,” said Sunset.  “Hmm, if these come in sets of two, does that mean that there’s another one to come?” Sunset shrugged. “Unfortunately, I don’t make the rules when it comes to this sort of thing. I did some experiments with Twi yesterday, trying to transform with it and another coin, but no luck. For now, it’s only good for my Stellugger until I get the next Coin, I guess.”  Rarity nodded as she turned her attention back to Ocellus. “I’m just glad that you aren’t particularly annoyed that she’s getting the credit as the hero of the hour.” Sunset smiled. “I’m a hero every day, so it doesn’t matter. Besides, if this helps make people less edgy around her, then I’ll call it a win.” Although… ~*~*~*~ Ocellus and Sunset met in the office of Commander Celestia, the young Changeling needed to talk to her immediately about the Space Beast that Aster had confronted yesterday, and from the sounds of it, it was urgent.  “We’re free from any prying eyes or eavesdropping, you can speak freely, Ocellus,” said Celestia.  “That thing that Sunset fought yesterday, it was called a Bezelb, a creature that can control others with the poison in its tail stinger.” Ocellus explained.  Sunset flinched upon hearing that. “Wait, what?! You mean, if that thing stung me I could’ve been controlled by it?!” Ocellus nodded. “Its poison is called Kugutsu. Once stung, you become a slave and do its bidding, there’s no cure for it.” Sunset gulped. “Damn, glad I killed it.”  Ocellus didn’t seem relieved by that, something that Celestia immediately picked up on.  “Ocellus, there’s something else to this, isn’t there?” Celestia asked.  The arctic blue Changeling nodded. “Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Changelings and Bezelbs were at war with each other. You see, while there is no known cure, we Changelings have a natural immunity to it, due to our power of shapeshifting it gives us some resistance to it, but what really keeps us from being controlled is the connection we have to the Hive. According to our history, Queen Chrysalis’ control over the Hive at that time was immensely strong, so combined, it made it nearly impossible for the Bezelbs to infect us.” “So…did the Changelings kill them all or something?” Sunset asked.  Ocellus shook her head. “No, at that time, the task was impossible, but the same was true for them. The war between our races lasted hundreds of years until the Bezelb Queen and Queen Chrysalis settled on an armistice. We would not attack them, and they would not attack us. Our two colonies would take residence in their respective territories.” Sunset and Celestia shuddered, the Changelings and Bezelbs, if those two ancient races had decided to join forces instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, the universe would be under their control.  “Many years passed by, and eventually, the Queen of the Bezelbs was killed by a team of Ultra Warriors. That being said, many of the Bezelb were presumed dead since they no longer had a queen to follow. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore…” “Are you saying that there might be a new queen?” Celestia asked.  “Or…something just as bad.” Sunset narrowed her gaze. “Queen Chrysalis, you’re saying she may have control over the Bezelb?” “It would make sense, the only other species who could equally match them was ours, and the remnants might have sought out Chrysalis as they might see her as the closest thing to their original queen. I pray that is not the case.” ~*~*~*~ Sunset didn’t like it, if it was true, then Chrysalis had an ace up her sleeve. Ocellus told them that Changelings could resist the poison, but the reformed Changelings had no Queen of their own to combat the power of the mind control. Apparently, King Thorax’s authority only did so much, the true power lied with the Queen.  If this Chrysalis really does have some of the Bezelb under her control, then sending some to try and infect Ocellus and bring her under her control before she ascends to a Queen would do the trick… “Sunset, are you alright?” Rarity asked.  Sunset shook her head, snapping herself out of her contemplation. “Yeah, why?”  “Sorry, it just seemed to have this intense look on your face for a moment.” Sunset waved off her concern. “It’s nothing, really. But, I think we should go and save Ocellus, I don’t think the little bug girl can take anymore.” As if to emphasize her point, Ocellus managed to squeeze some of herself out of the crowd and reach out to her friends as she pleaded, “Sunset, Rarity help me…!”