In the past few days, heck, in the last few hours Twilight, Twilight Sparkle has seen some of the most unusual creatures she’ll probably ever see. From a giant metal-skinned feline creature, to a towering metal giant. And now she is face to face with a creature that’s no bigger than princess Luna.
The new creature was pretty, round—at least from the front—and bulky, it also has the metallic looking skin like the last two creatures, but the face to this new smaller creature was different. Unlike Gleam’s singular eye, or that giant has a narrow red eye, this creature actually has an actual face. It’s head looked like a rounded snake head, with two big shiny black eyes with what looked like little eyebrows. As for the creatures posture, it reminds Twilight and the other ponies of some sort-of ape. Aside from the creature itself, the ponies also noticed that a small, thing, was flying around its back, it looked like beetle with three dully lit yellow limbs slowly spinning under its body.
After the creature stepped through the portal, it quickly closed on itself with a resounding pop sound, leaving the new creature with the ponies. Once the portal closed the new creature gave its surroundings a quick overlook before it focused in on the ponies, who were just a few feet from it. Twilight dared to approach the smaller creature, taking hesitate steps as she does so, but as she got closer to the creature it lowered its body and seems to be huddling in on itself. When Twilight was just a foot from the creature, the two just stared at each other.
“Twilight be careful!” Rarity cautioned as she, and the rest of the group trotted up to the unicorn, but the sudden movement of the group caused the creature roll up and coil its limbs around its body. Now the creature was a large lumpy ball that wobbled in place for a bit, before coming to standstill.
“Wait everypony stay back, I think your scaring it.” Twilight says as she looks over her shoulder to the group, feeling a little worried for the creature.
“We can’t take any chances Twilight Sparkle; this creature could be a threat like the blue titan one you spoke of!”
Luna says as she makes her way over to the creature, but the alicorn was stopped by the flying insect that accompanied the creature. It began to buzz around the princesses head, twirling its three limbs about and causing the small spike on its bottom to glow red.
“Shoo! Away with you, you little gnat!” Luna grumbled as she tries to swat the bug with hoof or wing.
“Luna if you distance yourself from the creature, the bug might leave you alone.” Celestia suggested to her sister, who did backed away from the creature. The little bug kept buzzing around Luna, annoying her, but once the alicorn rejoined the group the bug then flew over to Twilight. “Twilight you might want to rejoin us as well.”
Celestia cautioned as the bug flittered around the unicorn, not buzzing around her like it did Luna, but it was still a minor annoyance. Twilight then trotted back to the group while the bug went back to hovering above the creature. It gave one last shrilling buzz as its abdomen glowed bright red, and its legs spun faster for a bit.
“Looks like this new creature’s got itself a little protector. And a feisty one at that.” Applejack commented as Luna readjust his tiara, which got tossed about in her mane as the bug zoomed around her.
Once the lavender unicorn has rejoined the group, Fluttershy separated from the small herd and approached the creature, and its little defender. The group called her back to them, but the pegasus paid them no mind and continued to trot up towards the pair, where the bug zoomed in front of her and spun its legs and made a horrible buzzing sound. But Fluttershy remained calm and stood still.
The bug continued to buzz loudly for a few more seconds, before stopping and hovering around the pony, its flashing red spike on its underside no longer glowing. After feeling she’s proved to be no threat to the bug, the little pegasus made her way towards the creature, the bug still hovering around her as they approached the still rolled up creature. Who upon hearing Fluttershy trotting up to it, moved its big paws to allow its shimmering black eyes to look up at the mare, before hiding back behind them when Fluttershy knelt down.
“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. no pony is.” The mare said sweetly as she slowly reached out a hoof, and began petting the creatures large paws. Like with Gleam, the creatures skin was smooth, and cold.
The creature moved its paws out from its face, allowing one of its eyes to look at the mare. The pegasus gave a small smile to the creature, hopefully showing that she’s friendly, and means no harm. The purple creature slowly un-curled itself from its ball form and stood to its full height, and as expected on all fours the creature was just as tall as Luna, if not bigger by a few inches.
“See. We’re not going to hurt you.” the pegasus says as she patted the creatures paw.
“Fluttershy are you sure this things safe to be around?” Rainbow asked her friend as the creature nuzzled up to the pegasus.
“Sure looks like it.” Pinkie says as she trots up to the creature, but the bug stopped her by flying in front of her and buzzing like crazy. “Whoa there Buzzer, I’m a friend, just like Fluttershy is.” The pink pony said as she gestured to the butterscotch mare. The bug seems to understand this as it stops its loud buzzing, and flies back over to the pair.
“Sister I hope you don’t plan on leaving this creature here in town, do you?” Luna asked the older pony, making Fluttershy and the others look at the midnight alicorn.
“What do you mean princess?” Fluttershy asked.
“As I stated when the first creature was here, we don’t know what these beings are capable of.” Luna said as she looks past the pink earth pony and slim pegasus, and looks straight at the new creature who just tilts its head. “This creature may look and act innocent, but we don’t KNOW what its capable of. Or even why its here.”
“Luna I know your on edge because of the changelings attack, but remember, they attacked the creature that was here before. So they can’t be in league with one another.”
“Even so sister, we shouldn’t let this creature remain here un-supervised.” Fluttershy actually looked offended by Luna’s accusation of not be a proper supervisor. “No offense dear Fluttershy, but if Twilight said in her letter about the former creature running around town, without heeding your words, then we can’t let the creature stay here.”
“Then what are you going to do with it princess Luna?” Twilight asked the midnight alicorn.
“We should take it back to Canterlot—”
“And then what Luna?” Celestia questioned. “The gardens where our own animals reside aren’t big enough for a creature like this, plus the nobles would most assuredly try and toy with the creature which could cause it to be frighten.”
Luna stayed silent as she ran what Celestia just told her, and she was right. bringing an unknown creature to the capital especially the castle, where nobles and delegates could easily see the creature and attempt to attempt something involving the creature.
“For the time being I will allow for the creature to remain in Ponyville, but Fluttershy—” the pegasus stood up straight as Celestia spoke to her.
“To ensure that the creature is kept not only safe, but out of trouble, I will be placing a guard on surveillance of it. And if this guard reports of anything unusual about the creature, or it show aggressive behavior, we will have to place it under strict security. Do you understand Fluttershy.”
“Yes, princess Celestia.” The pegasus says as she gives a small nod.
“With all that settled, let’s finish looking around the town to ensure nothing was damaged, and no pony was harmed.” The princess then looked at Fluttershy again, and seeing the creature play with Pinkie’s tail, while the flying beetle buzzed every time the mare made a buzzing sound back. “Fluttershy, why don’t you and Pinkie take the creature to your cottage and make it doesn’t do anything to startle any pony.”
“Yes princess!” both mares said as the princess, and the rest of the group trotted off. all except Twilight who stayed behind.
“Okay then come on Grapefruit, lets go!” Pinkie said as she hopped off.
“Grapefruit?” both Twilight and Fluttershy said in unison.
“Yeah, that’s what I decided to call it.” the pink mare said as squeaky sound leave her as she smiled.
As the two mares watched Pinkie bounce away, they watched as the creature, Grapefruit, follow the mare with the beetle in tow. Twilight and Fluttershy soon followed after the trio, and as they made their way through the town, several of the towns ponies did give startled yelps or out right faint when they saw Grapefruit, one stallion even dove into a giant jar of strawberry jam for safety. It didn’t take to long for the group to make it to the outskirts of Ponyville, and as they made their way to Fluttershy’s cottage, Twilight kept looking the creature over. Studying it, and having dozens of questions just flood into her mind.
‘Just what are these strange metal creatures, where do they come from, and how are they able to create portals?’ Twilight internally questioned as then watched Pinkie jump on top of Grapefruits back, riding as Pinkie went back to making buzzing sounds with the beetle. Which she started to call Buzzard.
‘Well whatever these creatures are, they don’t appear to be hostile…unless provoked and not being attacked.’
As Twilight thought that statement, her mind went back to image of thirty challenging being crushed by wall of wind, being fired by the blue titan that came to Gleams rescue.
“Twilight?” the unicorn was brought out of her private thoughts as Fluttershy called out her name, and gently shook her.
“What? What is it Fluttershy?” the unicorn asked her friend.
“I asked who you’d think the princesses would send to keep an eye on Grapefruit?” the pegasus questioned her friend.
“I’m not sure. The royal guard isn’t exactly trained for, this.” Twilight gestured with her head towards the creature, who stopped at the little bridge in front of Fluttershy’s cottage, and was looking at some of the animals that were wandering around the property.
“Whoever Celestia and Luna pick better not be a jumpy pony that thinks even a sneeze is a cause to send Grapefruit to, well, wherever it is the princesses will take it.”
“I hope so.” Fluttershy said as she watches one of her otter friends sniff Grapefruit as the creature lowers its head to get a better look. “If we can understand and learn what Grapefruit and the other creatures, then maybe we can learn how to befriend them, and maybe understand them.” Twilight developed a small smile as she continued to watch the creature interact with the animals.
“That would be nice.”
~~Badlands Hive~~
“WHAT!”
A piercing scream of rage and anger echoes throughout the Badlands, the towering changeling hive acting as a make-shift horn enhancing the resounding scream. While the changelings inside the hive covered their ears with their hooves, as the swarm that attacked Ponyville returned to the hive…and told their queen who was just about to leave to begin her own mission, about what happened int the small town. So now the queen of the changelings is pacing in her private chambers, as her spies from Ponyville who had just finished explaining what has transpired are cowering in the corner of the room. Hoping that their queen won’t take her rage out on them.
“How could my plan fail again!” Chrysalis shrieked as she stomped the ground, creating a sizable spiderweb crack on the floor.
“T-to be frank y-your majesty it wasn’t your f-fault.” One of the two mares out of the three spies said, getting the queens attention as she glares at the trio, fangs bared as she snarls. “It was only because of that giant that we told you about, its what caused the mission to fail.” The queen turns to face the three spies fully, her eyes glowing green as she approaches them.
“And what was this creature like?”
The female changeling began to describe the giant creature that fought against the swarm, and the other creature that they saw step out from what looks to be a portal of some kind, and use the wind to kill a good number of the swarm. Killing is almost unheard of in this land of Equestria, in fact, as far as the queen knows killing of any kind is virtually none-existence in the world. So for the queen to hear of a creature walking out of a portal, and just kill creatures without any form of hesitation, makes her carapace shiver with dread. Even Chrysalis wouldn’t resort to killing anything, subjugation is more practical, and beneficial in her eyes.
“What should we do now your majesty?” the stallion of the spy trio asked as the trots to her bed before collapsing onto it.
“Go back to Ponyville, and keep an eye on things till I come up with a new plan.” The queen mumbled out as she laid on her bed head sinking into her pillows. “And I want you all to keep an eye on those creatures, if they’re still there.”
“You want us to go back there?” the other mare of the trio asked, only to get a glare from the queen.
“Yes!” she hissed with a bone chilling tone.
The three spies dawned their pony disguises and left the queen in her private chamber, and made their way out of the hive and off towards the pony town. As for the queen, she remained laying in her bed, staring at her ceiling mind racing to come up with a new plan. One that won’t be thwarted by unknown, creatures.