//------------------------------// // Part 1/3: Let's Go Jaunting! // Story: The Bridge: Birthday Bash! Chibi Moon's Quest for Cake! // by Tarbtano //------------------------------// THE BRIDGE: A GODZILLA-MY LITTLE PONY CROSSOVER Birthday Bash! Chibi Moon's Quest for Cake! “I don’t know.” Sitting in their favorite tavern to have lunch together, she flinched. Three words that almost caused Mariner Chibi Moon to hear the sound of cracking glass between her ears. She looked up from her coffee milkshake and tilted her head. “You what?” she piped with a voice crack. Godzilla Junior, sitting in the seat across from her with his helmet off, shrugged, “I don’t know when I was birthed… or rather hatched. Neither actually. It was a long time ago and I lived indoors a lot so I couldn’t really tell what season it was.” He nonchalantly sipped at his tea, “So no, I don’t know my birthday… or hatchday. But why worry about mine? Isn’t it yours tomorrow, birthday girl?” He smiled and picked his helmet up to put it on her. Chibi Moon couldn’t resist a reflexive giggle as the way-too-big-for-her-head helmet obscured her face. It didn’t last too long and instead it allowed her the privacy to visibly puzzle. Within her little mind, the 11, soon-to-be 12-year-old was getting an idea… ============== Canterlot Library ============== Heading over to a table, Chibi set down a book of her native Neighponese spells and a large spell tome as big as she was that she managed to sneak out of the adult section. Strange it was there. What seemed to be written in it was nothing profane, that much she could swear to any passerby. Still, the filly didn’t want any trouble from those who might think she couldn’t handle the adult section’s content. This stuff was just magic, not the weird comics her parents had! Of course, she could handle magic! Who was she but the daughter of the earthly and lunar guardian, the heiress of the latter, star student at the school for gifted unicorns, and hoof-picked protégé of the Monster King himself! So what if she didn’t know quite what some of these old archaic terms meant? She could still understand most of it and knew a tried and true technique: If you can’t understand the spell fully, mix it with another one. And that’s what her little hooves were putting together in front of her as she read off from the archaic Equestrian text and those of her family spell scrolls, jotting down something new. Chugging some coffee and penning down more, Chibi nodded her head slowly. If her sensei was going to have a birthday, he was going to need a present. That said, she didn’t exactly know what sort of things he wanted and asking him would ruin the surprise! Chibi chewed on her pen. -Hm… He eats and likes the taste of things, so if I got him something really good to eat, that should count!- She flipped through some pages and found exactly what she was looking for under a transmutation section within the old book. -Ah perfect! A spell to combine ingredients to make a cake! Hmmm, says it will only last for a few hours and I need to get the… ‘essence of a skilled baker’?- She puzzled, flipping through a few pages to see exactly what that counted as but the texts were vague and appeared to be written with the understanding that whoever was reading them would already know what that was. Checking the book, she could see it actually was part of a series that she didn’t recall being on the shelf. Chibi Moon pouted. -Must've been explained earlier. Well, maybe I can ask a baker and check with them. But what about ingredients?....!!- Her eyes widened as she realized a shortcut to not even needing to figure out what sort of things her sensei might have a taste for. After all, he’d only sampled some types of food so who was he to know that he may not be a fan of Gryphonese Upsidedown Pumpkin Cake? Chibi Moon pulled open another scroll and grinned at a spell that showed various raw materials in a series of progression ending in a gleaming suit of enchanted armor. -To make all one, and fuse together most anything… Perfect!- Jotting down the spell in between the margins of the cake spell as if she was solving an addition problem and cross multiplying, she ended up with a gestalt hybrid of the two written down on a note. -All I have to do is find some of the tastiest things around and put them together. Bet nopony’s ever thought of this before! It will be the tastiest magic made cake ever, perfect for my sensei’s birthday!- She teleported back to the shelves in the adult section to return the tome before anyone noticed it was missing, dropped her scroll off at her dormitory, and was off to the races across Equestria for her greatest quest yet! ========== Barracks ========== Chibi Moon marched in a formalized, orderly step while clad in padded gray armor that, despite being the smallest size available, still looked gargantuan on her. She stopped and saluted, wielding a broom beside her like a lance. She was half-covered in dust but didn’t let any of the grit or grime clinging to her visibly weigh her or her determination down. Captain Blueberry Frost didn’t return the salute but did nod approvingly, “Good work cadet, capital work in’-fact.” She marched beside and behind Chibi Moon and inspected one of the barrack’s stock rooms. The blue mare smirked and hummed at the sight of training gear neatly tucked away, the floor cleaned out, and the shelves neatly stocked with everything from target bags to practice weapons. She pulled out a stopwatch and checked the time as she paced back to Chibi Moon. “Twenty minutes, twelve seconds to the T, for someone your age that’s a record,” She glanced about but did lean down to the filly’s level, “And you know you didn’t have to do any of that right? I had been joking but ye’ wouldn’t stop when I clarified.” Chibi Moon clicked her hooves together and bowed her head, “Affioi’rmative, Captain Frost-sama! But I wanted to earn it and help pay back for you letting Sensei use some of the equipment for my training. I messed some of it up, so I should be the one to help fix it!” Blueberry Frost smirked as she removed little Miss Moon’s helmet and ruffled her hair with a hoof, “Honorifics ey? Well ye’ could use gozen for me, but ye’ really don’t gotta.” Chibi Moon briefly pondered the old sounding word she’d never used but shrugged it off and smiled, “Hai, Frost-gozen…. You know honorifics?” “Traveled a lot in ma’ line of work ‘fore I became Captain,” Blueberry Frost giggled. Blueberry Frost tilted the filly’s head up and rubbed at her cheek as she took away the broom, “Got some grit on ye’, little cadet. Hows about treating ye’self to the showers ‘fore you head out on ye’ little quest? Facilities here in the capital are top notch.” Chibi Moon clicked her hooves together and nodded, “Arigato!” Inside the wash and locker rooms a gray pegasus mare with a bi-colored orange and white mane was chattering with her old friends from the service. The first was a rather lanky stallion who looked to be what one might identify as green camouflage colored all over, fur and mane. Fittingly, his name was Incognito. The second, Starlight, was a bright red stallion of youthful complexion whose head was topped in a bronze-brown mane. The last, a large and very powerful stoic type stallion with a near inverse of Starlight’s hues seemed to be pretending not to listen as he relaxed on his bench seat lifting a weight. Cached Ire, towel still around her shoulders punctuated her words with her hooves being beat together, “So that’s when I ran into Luna’s new student literally headfist.” “Starlight, right?” Incognito piped only to earn a confused look by his compatriot. Starlight held a hoof up, “No it wasn’t me, I’d remember if ‘Crashed Ire’ here blitzed into me!” “No no no, not that Starlight, the Starlight near Luna,” Cached Ire fussed as she waved her hooves. “But I’m on night detail a lot,” Starlight complained, “I’d think I’d know if there was another Night Guard named Starlight in the service, much less at the capital.” “It is a pretty distinctive name, I mean what are the odds?” Incognito poised as he ran through the names of those he knew, “No nobles named that either… But there are a lot of folks with astrology names around here, come to think of it.” “Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Moondancer, the Lulamoons, hey doesn’t Big G have that apprentice of his? Oooh what was her name,” Starlight fussed as the red stallion pondered. “You’re the one who’s seen her a lot,” Cached Ire groaned, “And I was talking about another Starlight, girl Starlight.” Incognito raised an eyebrow and looked to his cohort, “You have a sister? Dude! Never told me!” “I have fifteen brothers, not one sis,” Starlight grunted, “And seriously, who’s the tyke Godzilla’s with a lot?” “But I wanna know about the girl Starlight,” Incognito whined, “Otherwise I’m stuck with the mental image of Cached sucking face with you in drag like she used to with Blade Dancer.” Cached Ire felt like bonking them both on the heads, “Starlight Glimmer! And we did not kiss ye’ dolts, heads out of the gutter!” “I’m just saying the names are hard enough to keep track of with multiple Starlights walking around Canterlot now,” Incognito griped. “Hey I was here first, don’t blame me that someone else’s makers got the same idea, lotta stars in the sky,” Starlight quipped with his hooves on his hips, “… And seriously who is the tyke?” “Who?” “The tyke.” Cached Ire deadpanned, “Weren’t we talking about Starlight?” Incognito cut in, “Yes but this is bugging me now, who is Starlight?!” Cached Ire pointed at their red companion, “He’s Starlight. Or is this name problem giving you amnesia?” “The little one’s name is Mariner Chibi Moon,” Hammerbolt interrupted as he put down the heavy dumbbell with an audible thud, “And she’s standing right there.” He pointed and all looked as a little voice cleared her throat. “Excuse me,” a little voice piped up. All the guards looked aside to see a dirty-looking filly giving them the watery puppy-dog eyes. Chibi Moon pawed at the floor, “Did some work for you all, could I borrow some of your shampoo to get cleaned up?” The guards were silent as they towered over Chibi Moon, especially Hammerbolt. They looked to one another, then to the little girl. Hammerbolt’s stoic facade fidgeted before cracking, the rest following suit as they all emitted squeals at the adorableness. Soon after, Chibi Moon happily paced into the showers with several autographs on her saddlebags her hooves full of soaps and washes. A minute later, Chibi Moon skipped out of the washrooms with a bouncy step, literally glinting with her coat shiny as can be and hair done-back up in her trademark twintails. Captain Frost, wearing sunglasses, smiled as she retrieved something from her personal safe. A glinting bottle with the symbol of the Crystal Heart and a smiling bee was placed in Chibi Moon’s awaiting hooves. “Crystal Empire fortified nectar tea, fresh and pristine.”  =============== Ponyville Library =============== “So have you ever done a teleportation across a whole continent before, Princess Sparkle-gozen…er.. -sama?” The alicorn that Chibi Moon idolized the most after Princess Luna and maybe Celestia paused for a moment to tilt her head at the terminology before snickering. “Right, Neighponese respect. Don’t worry, there’s no need for that with me,” Twilight replied as she adjusted some of the spell codes in her book, arranging the mental formula before her eyes, “And to answer your question my little pony, yes! Yes I have. Though this will help me get directions.” “Hai!” Chibi Moon piped as she sat in a rune scrawled onto the floor with chalk as if it was the most normal thing ever. A towering changeling paced next to her and Chibi, in on the secret, was unphased as the giant insectoid equine eyed her and passed her a biscuit. “Here is what I tried out and found I like,” Mothra Lea hummed as she giggled at the little filly sniffing the biscuit before eagerly devouring it and audibly licking her lips, “I take it you like?” “Mmmmhm! Sweet, but not too sugary! What’s in it?” Lea levitated over a small bag of flour that Spike held out as he paced out of the small kitchen. “Nectar from honey suckles, crushed flower petals, ground up honeycomb, and store-bought flour cooked over dragon flames by young Master Kenbroath here,” Lea explained as she passed the concoction to their recent company, “I found myself quite fond of such after gaining this form.” “Kenbroath?” Chibi piped as she looked about for someone unnamed. Spike, still wearing a flowery apron paced over and twirled his hands before giving an overly dramatic bow, “Maaaster Spike Kenbroath Sparkle at your service mi’young lady!” He chuckled and earned a pat on the head by Lea, but a chuckling groan by Twilight Sparkle. “He got it in his head his middle name sounds fancier when paired with the title Lea gave him, I think he likes it more in the hopes Rarity will hear it,” Twilight piped while still having her face buried in a book, “On second thought, Chibi Moon are you going to Rarity’s later today?” The Neighponese unicorn filly nodded affirmatively, “She was out of her shop at the moment but I was gonna swing back through.” “How do you plan to get all the way back here from the Crystal Empire so quickly? Didn’t you say you had one day?” Lea chimed with a raised brow. “I was gonna ask Xenilla-dono- er... Mister Xenilla for his portal door’s use,” Chibi Moon explained as she packed the flour away. “Firstly, if you do…” Twilight poked her head up from the book with a sly smile, “Be sure to compliment ‘Young Master Kenbroath’, the chef to Rarity.” Spike turned a slight shade of red, giggling awkwardly before pacing back towards the kitchen, “I um... er… ‘Chef Kenbroath’ needs to… make sure everything’s off in the kitchen. Don’t want to burn the library down. Right… Bye!” He zipped away to the sound of Twilight’s snicker as she shut the book and paced closer, scrawling at the ground with some chalk to modify the teleportation rune. “Unicorn teleportation can be far-reaching but tends to be on the random side, even for skilled magicians. Xenilla might have made great strides with his and his company’s concoction but I know I can make the classics work just as well without the need for a door. Starswirl didn’t need any surge crystals nor-“ She started to mutter and ramble as Lea leaned down to Chibi’s perked ear. “She’s grown a little bit competitive ever since seeing and geeking out over the set up in the Empire, I’ve been making sure she didn’t blow up the library while doing so,” she whispered as Chibi held in a giggle. Certainly sounded like something she herself would do. “-And now! The totally safe, perfectly aimed transportation of the future which can be set up anywhere without a whole warehouse to power it! THIS will be the new inovation Xenilla! Stable, homegrown, Equestrian and infused Terran magic!” Twilight chimed with glee as her horn ignited with magic. “Only an hour of set up and the magic of one of only four alicorns in existence, truly what can be mass produced,” Lea sing-songedly quipped as she lent her own magic in to help out. Chibi Moon wagged her tail and braced herself as the rune below her hooves ignited with magic and started to spin around her. Oh yes the more logical side of her brain was telling her Twilight Sparkle was sending her to the Empire partially to show off to the other researchers up there, but the more fun-loving part of her brain was just all too eager to get teleported across the continent! This was gonna be fun! The magic flashed and she was off to the races! ============ Crystal Empire ============ Some of the greatest minds in the Crystal Empire loomed over a table together. Horns caught the light above as plans and machinations for future designs were scattered about the crystalline surface between them, casting them in darkness. Hooves were put together with a gleam of glasses showing behind them, the reddish stallion nodding to his cohort cast in a dark blue cloak. “Gentlecolts, it is time we begin… Status?” The cloaked one ignited his horn dimly, casting a shine from his spectacles as he reviewed the designs, “Your crystalmancers have been working expertly. Soon the design can help reach more of the Empire’s ground well before the time of the Imperial heir’s birth. How is that proceeding?” A giant, powerful stallion slouched in his chair while tapping a large hoof upon the floor as he stayed crouched in the light, “The pregnancy has been proceeding without issue, I have seen to it that it be so…” “Mwhehee… yes, soon this machination of ours can be far extended to reach the lengths of the Imperial City! Come rain or snow… likely the latter in our climate, our experiments over the past weeks should be a rousing success! Hahahaha!” “Hehehe, soon yesss… None can stop it! Hehehe!” “BWAHAHAHAHAH!” The reddish stallion snickered as the giant chortled. Soon all three were laughing maniacally in the shadows of the planning room. They had a good laugh for a hot moment before the uncloaked, non-giant unicorn caught himself and cleared his throat. “Sunburst, Sunburst, turn it down a notch,” Key Ring muttered while motioning downwards with his hoof. “Woooooo…” Sunburst cooed before snickering. “Right then,” Xenilla hummed as he leaned forward and lit up his horn, “For us to test it ourselves, we need to induct our magical signatures into it and keep them separate. That means infusing our magic into the three surge crystals I and Key Ring’s students’ prepared.” Three blank gems were levitated up to the table and all three magus’ prepared. Xenilla cracked his neck, “Remember, an excitable hoof can send it all up in smoke." Sunburst quickly wiped down his glasses with a bit of his cape before nodding, “R-Right right. Well, shall we?" Key Ring psyched himself up with some quick breathing before biting his tongue, “Everyone keep the streams separate.” The three’s respective horns all glimmered to life as the magic was prepared to be cast. They all leaned in closer with determination and the most purified concentration visible on their faces. They all drew close and let loose just as- Chibi Moon appeared in a flash of teal light and puff of purple smoke between them, happy as can be and beaming brightly. "Kon'nichiwa!" she shouted with her eyes closed. "OH *@&Y#$!)(@*!!" All three stallion’s eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates as they redirected their magic blasts upwards. Some were stronger than others, but between the chaos and multiple players involved they managed to blast a hole in the roof. The crystalline ceiling groaned and creaked as chunks of it fell away. “Debris! Big debris! Not again!” Key Ring yelped as he got flashbacks to the library attack, jumping up to grab the precious scrolls and diagrams they had been looking over, “Get the rando-baby, I got the plans!” “I got her, I got her!” Sunburst cried out as he dove to grab Chibi Moon in a tackle across the table. “I have it!” Xenilla roared as he stomped on the table, sending it flipping over and pushing Sunburst and a confused but not scared Chibi Moon out of the way as he held his hooves up and grabbed some of the debris. Blade Dancer bucked the door open, wingblades at the ready as she no doubt thought an explosion meant they were under attack. But instead of King Sombra back for the third time and second resurrection, she instead found the perplexing sight of her coltfriend holding up a carriage-sized piece of what had been the ceiling, Key Ring holding a chair over his head as a shield from falling pebbles and shards while clutching half a desk drawer’s worth of papers to him; and Sunburst trying to use himself as a shield to protect a very confused looking- “OOOH A CUTE BABY!” she squealed, running right past her beloved as she picked up Chibi Moon from Sunburst’s arms. Sunburst, still having his eyes spinning from getting launched by Xenilla’s table stomp, mewled, “Thank you- ma’am…” Blade Dancer happily supported her in her forelimbs and smiled sweetly at the bemused Chibi Moon as well as Xenilla, “You okay, Honey?” Xenilla nodded as he gently put the hunk of debris down and rolled his shoulders to ensure he hadn’t pulled something, “Quite fine Blades, quite fine. We just had a little interloper.” “Well I’m not a baby, but I am cute,” Chibi Moon nodded as she gazed at Blade Dancer’s crimson-hued mane, “Ooooh but you have really pretty hair!” Blade Dancer winked as she put the filly down, content she and everyone else was okay, “Likewise lil’ stunner. So what are you doing here, giving the Nerd Trio a heart attack like that?” Key Ring panted as his pulse calmed down and he waved a hoof at them, “Not... something… I hope she makes a habit of!” A few minutes later, they were back in the modified warehouse with Chibi Moon gawking at all the intricate crystalline creations, from the pillars holding up the roof to the rune-encrusted seals around the doorway in the center of the chamber, and to the elaborate controls built into some of the tables nearby one might recognize as panels. “OooooOOOOOooooooh! Very elaborate! And so shiny!” Chibi Moon keened to the approving nod of the trio. Before any could stop her, she had happily pranced to the doorway and gazed upon it, wagging her tail like an energetic puppy. “Can you send me through right now?” Key Ring nodded but perked his brow, “What about the foodstuffs you wanted to bring along? Lots of good things to sample in the Empire.” Xenilla hummed as he walked up to Chibi Moon, “Leave that to me. She wishes to give it to my brother, after all.” She tilted her head at the giant so much like her sensei, “How’d you guess?” “Observation and imagination, eyes and brains, my little one; the keys to any puzzle. Wherever he goes, you often try to go and wherever you’re involved, he tends to be. A logical deduction, given I sense him nowhere near here,” Xenilla quipped as he put a hoof on the ground and pulsed waves of energy into it from both his horn and shoulder pads. Drawing the hoof up, he brought forth a glimmering, bright yellow crystal that crackled with energy within itself but was perfectly safe to hold. “An energy surge crystal. He’ll definitely recognize this, and may have a use for it one day,” Xenilla explained while levitating it into the wide eyed and gawking hooves of Chibi Moon, “Bound to make most anything it's applied to more lively…. Careful though, it’s explosive… Mildly.” ======================= Wonderbolts Academy Skies ======================= Forward and then straight down after glimpsing a turtle was the majority of what registered in her mind after stepping through the door and promptly falling right through the line of thickened clouds that made up the floor outside the front door. In a panic but not losing her senses even as she tumbled out of the skies, Chibi Moon had tilted herself to look upwards and cast the spell to save her flank! Rodan was humming as he was snipping up some greens for Tank with his claws, patting the shell of the eagerly awaiting turtle before handing him his food bowl. He was just about to smile and take in the sight of his housemate’s turtle going to town on the veggies when a flash of pink light burst outside the window. A little filly shot out of the clouds in a spiraling flight pattern thanks to a pink energy ray blasted out of her hooves. “Excuse!-“ He blinked and looked outside the window again, seeing a hole in the clouds below outside the house and registering that something had fallen through right before the pinkish flash appeared again, the recoil of another pink blast shooting the filly up again. Chibi Moon waved at him as she started falling again, “Me!-“ She blasted herself back up again, still spinning about, “Can’t get!-“ “Inside!-“ “What the feather is going on in there?” Rainbow Dash piped as she adjusted the new skylight she’d installed to help make her wingmate more comfortable indoors, poking her head through her roof. Rodan pointed to the window while making his way towards the door. Chibi Moon reappeared again and waved at her. “OHMYGOSH!-“ Chibi Moon bit her tongue and was just about to recoil launch herself back up again when two speeding streaks of light and color darted out from around the house, one multihued and one red. Hooves and paws gripped her gently but firmly as beating wings de-accelerated the fall before they started to rise. A minute later and she was lifted up to be set back down on the front step of the house. “So Xenilla and company sent you for some quest huh?” Rodan quipped as he was careful to put her on the solid welcome mat. “Why’d you pick us to go to? You know, in the sky and all.” “Well I knew the best fliers in Equestria could catch me if I couldn’t stop my fall,” Chibi Moon giggled as she tested and stood on the mat contentedly. Both Rainbow Dash and Rodan ruffled her mane slightly. “Darn right we could. Step inside why don’t ya’, inside should be firm enough,” Rainbow Dash noted as she opened her front door, “I had Twilight solidify the insides on account of Tank; no need for cloud walking.” “Arigato, I can’t levitate yet and I didn’t want to blow holes in your house!” Chibi Moon keened as she stepped inside on what approximated terra firma. Rodan snapped his claws in recognition, “You’re Chief’s pupil, ain’t you?” “Hai! And where are we exactly? I thought this was the Wonderbolts academy?” the little filly piped as she looked about but didn’t see the military training camp she was expecting. Rainbow Dash motioned out the window in the opposite direction Chibi had been facing during her free fall, though she probably wouldn’t have noticed it anyways given how much she was spiraling. Looking where indicated she could indeed see the famous training grounds, a massive runway built into higher altitudes with obstacle courses and barracks. “Benefits of a cloud home, I moved it over here so I could crash in my own bed,” Rainbow Dash explained as she patted her wingmate on the shoulder, “Had some big help, and as a thank you he bunks with me. ‘Sides, I was awesome enough to do aboooout 90% of the lifting.” Rodan grunted. “80%,” Rainbow Dash snorted with a snicker, “So what brings you here, lil’ Moon? I dig the booster flight but I don’t think Colonel Spitfire’s looking to recruit.” “Well I have two problems,” Chibi explained as she sat herself down on a small chair. “Well we might have a solution, name it,” Rodan said as he walked past her, “Day off.” Showing how adjusted he had become to this dwelling, the claustrophobic kaiju-turned-gryphon plopped down on the lazy boy couch as his cushion and didn’t react to Rainbow Dash plopping down on top of him like it was the most normal thing ever for the two of them. Chibi glanced between them, looking about and noticing the relatively humble size of the house sloppily decorated in Daring Doo posters, flight paraphernalia, and some surprisingly gaudy clothes for the legendarily tomboyish cyan speedster. She only noticed one bathroom and bed. “Are you two...?” she motioned between them. Rainbow Dash, head perched on Rodan’s crests, stuck her tongue out with a grossed-out expression, “Yeergk! Got enough of the Bolts thinking that. We just share a lot of stuff to save space.” Rodan rolled his eyes, “We’re just best wingmates.” “Rody’ here is a huuuuge upgrade over my last partner. Lightning Dust never got me delivery or did the dishes,” Dash pouted as she started to vibrate in anger. Rodan lifted a wing and patted her with the edge of it, “Dashie, Dashiiie, simmer down a notch. You’re worked up and haven’t had your daily shower.” “Swipe some of that conditioner I like from the barracks?” Dash quipped as she wagged her tail lightly. “Same kind your mum uses, yep. Payback for you going to the effort with the skylight.” “Hey it was either that or having you sleep outside again! Last night got chilly and I had to drag you in!” They both noticed a hoof raised and blinked at an inquisitive looking Chibi. “So you both get along great?” “When we’re not racing,” Rodan nodded to the side. “Not my fault we keep tying,” Dash grumped. Chibi counted by her hooves, “And you have pet names for each other?” The gryphon shrugged, “So does half my teammates.” “Friends get to call me Dash, great friends call me Dashie.” “And you each know what the other likes?” Chibi puzzled as she tilted her head. “Partially by finding out what the other hates. We did figure out the other’s cheat day though, he wisely didn’t get me pies,” Rainbow Dash corrected, “He figured out Tank faster.” “He likes warmth, flying, and fresh greens; he’s less fickle,” Rodan snickered. “And you share a bed and bathroom,” Chibi muttered as she kept the mental headcount. Both speedsters’ heads creaked as they nodded, partially because Rainbow was still plopped on top of Rodan and neither had made an effort to move much. “… And you live together… but you’re not together?” Chibi muttered with obvious confusion as she patted her hooves together. Now both speedsters shook their heads in unison, blinking blankly as they deadpanned like it was the most obvious thing ever. “Hey don’t get me wrong, daughter of a fashionista here so I don’t mind girly stuff. But I could never imagine this big lug taking me to some gala on a date night,” Rainbow Dash snickered as Rodan glanced up at her. “I couldn’t imagine you letting me take you to some gala on a date night, much less me getting the idea,” he chuckled as he looked over at the filly, “Being flightmates means a lot of dangerous maneuvers, a lot of risks.” “Yeah, even for tough-as-nails folks like us!” Rainbow smirked, “Sometimes a wrong move or wrong judgement could end… Just about everything really. Even as his big mega-scaled big winged self, I can’t imagine Rody here wanting to crash into a reinforced thunder cloud.” “Nope, stuff’s way harder than on Terra. Means you gotta trust each other a lot, especially when you can barely hear each other when going at top speed.” Rainbow Dash nodded, “Sound barrier-breaking tends to put a damper on talking. Which is fine, we can tell what the other one is thinking and gel really well. We’re a lot alike, and different where it needs to be.” She grinned and wrapped a wing around her bestie as it was returned. They shot each other a smile before looking to the filly, mildly surprised to see she was diligently taking notes. “Right, sooo... have to tell some of that to Sensei later.” Rodan tilted his head, “Chief lookin’ for a partner?” “Ooooh I hope so,” Chibi Moon giggled as she rubbed her hooves together, “I think so as well!” “Well we ain’t partner-partners, me and Rody, so I’m not sure how useful it’ll be,” Rainbow Dash shrugged casually, “But I guess loyalty is a good key to any buddy-buddyness.” Chibi Moon looked at this once again, mildly pondering what exactly she was even looking at seeing them laying on the couch on top of each other like this. There wasn’t so much as a hint of what she saw between her parents or hoped she was seeing between Princess Luna and her sensei, but there was… something there. Either she was looking at it wrong and was the fool, or they were the idiots for being so dense…. Or were they both right and wrong at the same time? She scrunched up her nose and shook her head. Confound these speedsters, they drove her to- “Oh, do you have any coffee? One of the questions I had was what speedsters eat because I know it’s got to have a lot of calories,” she poised while tapping at the notepad with her pen held in her magic, “And if I could borrow any for... a project you see.” Rainbow Dash winked as she fluttered her wings and got off Rodan’s back, “Yep! gotcha covered, small fry. Though I really wouldn’t recommend eating the whole thing yourself with how tiny you are. You’d be bouncing up and down from the ground level to here even without that cool pink death ray.” She fluttered over to the kitchen and retrieved a wrapped bar from a package, skillfully throwing it over to Rodan who caught it in his paw and gently tossed it to Chibi. She read the label, which bore General Firefly’s saluting visage, “FlightFuel, for enhancing intake of any fuel.” “Turbo charges your gut to absorb foods better,” Rodan explained as he held up a claw, “Do not eat the whole thing at your size…. Oh, and didn’t you say you had two things you needed?” Chibi Moon packed away the energy bar and nodded as she glanced out the window, not even able to see the ground. She looked to the speedsters and then to the ground again, then back and forth, back and forth. “Can you get me back down from the sky please?” A minute later she was gleefully cheering as Rodan and Rainbow Dash, carefully so, held her as they sped through the skies to the grounds below. =========== Ponyville Spa =========== Chibi Moon pulled a cucumber off her eye as she lay back in the spa chair, “You didn’t have to do all this for me, Madam Rarity.” The white unicorn mare reclined on the chair next to her and giggled at the title, face covered in the green creamy beauty mask that was virtually never without during her visits here. “Nonsense Darling, I’m all too happy to help others get cleaned up. Fluttershy and I were already coming here when Dash and Rodan dropped you off.” Fluttershy lifted off a cucumber as well, smiling sweetly as she pointed a hoof to the little filly, “Pegasi and gryphons have special stomachs so they don’t get sick while flying, but even I got queasy the few times I’ve gone almost as fast as Rainbow Dash. Ooh, are you sure you don’t have an upset tummy anymore?” Chibi Moon magically levitated out a small pair of crackers with a peanut butter-like spread between them that made the arrangement resemble a small cookie, plopping it into her mouth and consuming it eagerly, “Omnumnum! Nope! These patties you gave me fixed me right up!” The Element of Kindness beamed, “Oh that’s a big relief, I first made those after uncovering some old Meadowbrook recipes for soothing tummies on a great many types of animals.” “Huh, you know normally I would make a remark about feeding a little girl what you would any of those dear critters you take care of, but I suppose if it works well on a snake; it works well on a pony,” Rarity lamented as she levitated one over to herself and broke it in two to take a small nip, “Hmmm mmmmm! Yes, your culinary skills are definitely my better, Fluttershy.” Chibi Moon sat up from her chair and looked to her companions, “Would it be alright if I had some of the spread used for the crackers, Madam Fluttershy?” “Oh no problem at all, little one, I have more than enough back at the cottage.” Rarity keened after stretching out on her chair, “Do take some of the cucumber cream as well! Aloe, Lotus, and I all helped come up with it. Good for a beauty mask, freshens the breath, cleans the teeth, and is fully edible!” “Especially after such a hectic day…” Fluttershy noted as Chibi Moon licked her cucumber cream-covered lips and enjoyed the flavor like she was sampling ice cream. Fluttershy continued to list off everything that had happened vocally, “Why just after Rainbow and Rodan dropped you off, we had that giant firebreathing cockatrice that barged in from the Everfree.” Rarity groaned in her chair, “Which we found out was being chased by a highly venomous new subspecies of manticore that spat acid…” Chibi Moon deadpanned, “Which in turn was being chased by that flying cragadile.” “Yes, who knew rock-covered giant crocodiles could also sprout eight wings to soar through the air…” Rarity bemoaned as she held up a limb, “Chipped a hoof in that scuffle!” “Nature is truly fascinating,” Fluttershy sighed. “Well, it’s all over now. I do think Ponyville has thrown enough craziness at us for one day!” Rarity snipped before adjusting in her chair. Using a bit of telekinesis, she put a bit more water on the heater to douse the surroundings and add a bit more steam. The two mares and filly let out a sigh of warm relief as calm reigned supreme…. Only to be interrupted by someone outside screaming. The three ran out of the spa after a shrug only to soon find the cause of the problem. Said problem made itself all too abundantly clear when they were quickly aware of the brawl between what could best be described as an elephant-sized mole with beaver teeth swiping at the air towards a swarm of flying, multi-limbed creatures, which in turn were chasing a large purple, vaguely feline-like beast with dorsal spikes; whom was antagonizing the mole. Rarity deadpanned as a cucumber fell off her eye, “Fluttershy, report.” Fluttershy rubbed at her chin before motioning to the oversized mole, “Well, that’s a Maulwurf… And what’s antagonizing it seems to be a Chupacabra… and the flying creatures are-” She paused as the Maulwurf got a hit on one of the flying targets and sent it hurtling towards them until it landed on Fluttershy’s nose. As soon as Rarity observed the fact it was an airborne spider with a wolf-head and hornet eyes, she levitated a few feet off the ground even without casting a spell. Chibi Moon had stars in her eyes and would have reached for possibly her new choice of pet before the creature screamed at them and rejoined the fight. “Wolf Fly-ders,” Fluttershy corrected herself but puzzled, “Strange though… Something’s missing.” Rarity let out an exasperated laugh as she pointed to the monster melee in the park, “Oh joy! What a joy, what could possibly make this worse?” Fluttershy tapped at her chin and pondered, “Well... it’s just that.. Oh what was it? Usually Wolf Fly-ders only act up in a swarm like this in the presence of a-… hmmm…” “No time! To action! Chibi, stay here-“ Rarity was cut off by Chibi Moon launching herself at the park with an energy blast shot out of her hooves. “COME OOOON FLUTTERSHYYYY!” Rarity screamed as she raced after the tyke, Fluttershy too confused by her own inquiry to notice they were rushing into danger like this. “Oh what was it! Something gives off pheromones that causes Wolf Fly-Ders to mass, which can anger a Maulwurf into chasing after them which in turn would have intruded upon the territory for the Chupacabra and-“ At the park, chaos reigned but thankfully nopony had been hurt yet. Rarity was making a good effort to shepherd everypony away. The Maulwurf, in a moment of blind rage, whacked a tree over that nearly collapsed on top of a gaggle of ducks and kittens being tended to by Granny Smith. A pink energy blast knocked most of the tree away after shearing off most of it as Rarity raced over, picked up Granny Smith, the ducks, and every last kitten both in her arms and in her magic before jogging away. Fluttershy, dodging a lunge by the Chupacabra pouncing at her from the bridge, carried a shaking Twist away from the melee while still deep in thought, “What was it… Started with a T…” “Is this really the time?!” Rarity shrieked as she was busy fending off the Maulwurf with a donated monument to the park. The gigantic enchanted mole took a swing at the boulder and its metallic, hard claws managed to slash a chunk out. “TOM! NOOOO!” somepony screamed. Chibi Moon’s eyes widened as the Chupacabra spotted her now, the rabid-looking blood drinker’s eyes locking upon her as his body tensed. “Uh uh! Nope nope nope” she quipped before firing another beam burst into the ground to launch her out of reach. She overshot some of the blast however and soon realized she was rocketing dozens of meters into the air. Her hair going slack against her before arching around and being dragged upwards, she did however notice something. From high up she could see large patches of grass moving as if something was under it. And there was a trail going from the forest into town and then into the park, which the other monsters had followed. Needing to break her fall and taking a chance, she aligned her hooves beneath her and shot out a quick burst. Not enough to really harm whatever it was under the ground, but enough to get its attention and break her fall. Chibi hit the ground with a slight ‘Doofa!’, but no sooner did her rump touch the grass did it start to writhe and swell. The filly rolled away downhill as a large beast the size of a building burst out of the dirt. There was a pinkish head, followed by a red mane akin to a lion’s, which soon transitioned into a worm-like body covered in overlapping purple scales. The sizable beast let out a cackling hiss before his head split apart into three sections with the inner parts linking together to make three jaws packed full of teeth. “Tatzlwurm, that was it!” Fluttershy yelped as she scooped up Chibi Moon and placed her down a ways away. The Tatzlwurm shrieked, thrashing about in the ground and snapping at everything around it. The Maulwurf bellowed as it raised its hackles at an instinctive enemy, the Wolf Fly-Ders swarming about in an angry buzz as the Chubacabra circled around in obvious stress given it was chittering its dorsal spikes against one another. Chibi Moon beheld the sight as she looked to Ponyville. The town was out of the way now and she could see the rapidly approaching forms of Princess Twilight and Mothra Lea moving in on their position. She wondered if she should get ready to fight and help protect the town from the incursion, confident she could do so and lend her aid despite her age even as the monsters were getting more and more agitated. She took a deep breath in and started to focus everything into her horn. “Piiiink… sugaaaar…” She grit her teeth from the energy build up, imagining how the flickering power raced up her mentor’s dorsal spikes and mane as similar fluorescence appeared across her own hair. She squeezed her eyes shut to focus. “Heeeeart!” Her eyes snapped open, the filly’s orbs filled with a bright white and pink brilliance, “A-“ “HOLD IT YOU ALL!” Fluttershy cried out as she flew up right into the middle of the melee. The monsters hissed, roared, and buzzed in anger, surely about to close in for the attack when they all stopped dead in their tracks. Fluttershy was slowly turning around and Chibi was left dumbstruck, paused mid-attack to see what was going on. When Fluttershy turned her way and she glimpsed the pegasus’ eyes, all of her attack’s buildup went out the window instantly. She quivered. Somehow, even from a distance, glimpsing those eyes was like standing in front of a tidal wave infinitely larger than yourself. A monumental force that demanded your full attention and you could not get away from it. Fluttershy flew up higher than the beasts, the Wolf Fly-Ders parting for her approach as she kept up The Stare. She flew over to the edge of the forest and landed. The beasts obediently followed and stood next to one another. “Now, I understand that the Tatzlwurm was just passing through while on his molting cycle, and that the Wolf Fly-Ders are allergic to his shed scales. But he didn’t mean to disrupt their nest while passing along, and the Wolf Fly-Ders didn’t mean to sting the sleeping MaulWurf while mistaking his nose for the Tatzlwurm. And the MaulWurf was just reacting in blind pain when he nearly trampled the Chupacabra’s den,” She noted calmly before motioning to the Everfree Forest beyond, “But the world is big enough for all of us, and just because you got disturbed doesn’t mean you can keep on messing up other’s homes too. So how about we all agree to separate, okay?” Chibi Moon sat on her rump as Rarity walked up to her and sighed. “Well, that’s our Fluttershy,” She sighed, proud of her friend. Chibi Moon looked about the town and saw the signs of panic had now completely vanished. Everypony was just now going about their business despite the footprint-induced potholes in the streets and damage to the park. Though several did seem to tearfully be erecting a plaque in Tom’s honor. “You all seem very casual about this. Back home, my mom and her friends work hard to keep just a few of these sorts of things away,” Chibi Moon muttered. Rarity sighed, “Just another day in Ponyville. Sometimes I wonder if the reason the Princesses settled half the kaiju here is because we’re so used to this sort of thing… Cucumber?” She offered her a slice of the cool vegetable which Chibi eagerly accepted.